Orgreave is becoming ever popular with birders and it's seemingly impossible to visit these days without seeing another. Most visiting birders stick to the footpaths around the lakes but lately an increasing number have choose to wander around the waters edge. For most of the lakes perimeter this isn't a problem, but frustratingly birders often wander onto the western and southern margins flushing the feeding/breeding waders. To put this in to context I've witnessed more disturbance by birders than dog walkers over the last week. In defence of dog walkers they are generally ignorant to any harm that they might be doing and I'm sure that in the majority of cases would keep to the path if they knew. However, birders should know better, particularly where breeding birds are concerned. We are trying to encourage dog walkers to keep to the path in this area, but need birders to set a good example. So please stick to the path in these areas, particularly between the drain and the causeway separating the two lakes, after all you wouldn't want to appear on the pages of this blog - with a rather unkind (though wholly justified) comment attached!
The landowners, Harworth Estates, have kindly agreed to put up signs requesting visitors to stick to the path in these areas. Whilst these won't have the benefits of a physical boundary they will hopefully make people aware and encourage the majority to keep to the permissive rights of way. Hopefully these will be in place in the next couple of weeks.
No big push yet but finally migrants are starting to get through. Monday produced my first Sand Martin with a lone pioneer heading north in the still biting easterly wind.
Post work, on Tuesday, paid off with a Scandinavian Rock Pipit and a Ruff, the latter only just about annual here. The post work visits continued to pay off peaking at the end of the week with a Jack Snipe and 2/3 Little Gulls along with a cloud of c.250 Sand Martins
Despite the late arrival of all of the early migrants the mid-April birds appear to be arriving bang on cue with a Common Tern, Yellow and White Wagtails and Willow Warbler all putting in an appearance over the last few birds.
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