Staveley and Ripon City Wetlands – 09/11/25

26 of us gathered at the car park at Staveley Nature Reserve yesterday morning (9th November) and having split into two groups we proceeded to explore the reserve. The fog was reluctant to clear, but eventually relented and we ended up with over 60 species. The highlight for many was the party of four Whooper Swans which bugled their way into the west lagoon. Soon afterwards a single Pink-footed Goose came in with a group of Greylags. Other good birds were Goldeneye, Water Rails, Snipe, Golden Plover, Chiffchaff and Stonechat.

In the afternoon we visited Ripon City Wetland – one of the key aims was to see the Starlings coming in to roost in the reedbed. We didn’t manage to see the Bitterns which occur here, but we did add Marsh Harrier, Barn Owl, Bearded Tit and several other species. A couple of Great White Egrets flew past – for those of us of a certain age it does seem slightly odd that GW Egret, Little Egret and Cetti’s Warbler are an accepted part of a winter’s day birding. One of the groups was lucky enough to see an Otter – they are reported fairly regularly here.

As the light started to fade the Starlings began to arrive. The peak count here in previous years has been a quarter of a million birds. We made no attempt to count the flocks as they arrowed in, but the total could have been as high as 100,000 birds. They settled noisily into the reedbeds, roosting out of sight, and with no disturbance which might have prompted a final fly round. Fortunately the forecast rain was a bit of a non-event, so we were able to enjoy the relatively mild conditions.

My thanks to everyone who attended for their company and for contributing to the sightings. Special thanks to Jono Leadley whose knowledge of these Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserves was invaluable. He was able to explain the background and key species for these reserves and made sure we could stay for the Starling roost without running the risk of getting locked in!

Paul Doherty