England - North Yorkshire - RSPB Fairburn Ings
England - North Yorkshire - RSPB Fairburn Ings
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Location Summary
Location Summary
RSPB Nature Reserve with woodland and several lakes.
Visitor Centre, shop and cafe.
Short and long trails. Print off trail guide (from RSPB website). They are also offered free at the entrance.
A few hides available.
Possibility of seeing: Bittern, Marsh Harrier, Avocet, Kingfisher, Mute Swan, Coot, Cormarant, Great Crested Grebe.
Website: RSPB Fairburn Ings
Car Park: £4 (2022); free for RSPB members
Fee: Free
Expand to see Walks including this Place Event (Click To View)
None
Captain's Log
Captain's Log
Weasel
11/07/22
11/07/22
First Visit
First Visit
It was a real scorcher at Fairburn Ings and I was grateful for the shade of the trees as I started my walk along the Riverside Trail. The name of the trail is a little optimistic since you can't actually see the River Aire. I spent a while at the Bob Dickens hide. This had an expansive view of the largest lake. Some cormorants stood to attention on an island at the far side of the lake.
Further along the Riverside Trail I stopped at the Village Bay Viewpoint. Despite its lofty position it didn't provide a great view of the birds since they were mostly congregated on the other side of the lake. A couple of women were having a voluminous chat next to me and so I decided to move on again to Charlie's hide at the far end of the trail. This overlooked a smaller lake. I saw some Coots and some young Grebes. There was a lot of weeds/algae near the lake side and so the birds tended to be further away. As I started to retrace my route, I saw a flash of electric blue out of the corner of my eye, and then turned to see a Kingfisher disappearing around a tree.
Cooling Down
I made my way back, almost to the Visitor Centre, and then continued alongside the River Aire on the Lin Dike Link. This trail offered a few opportunities to see the River Aire and I came across an Egret and Heron. There was a persistent smell of coal tar in this area; probably a legacy of its industrial past. At one point I spotted a Weasel crouched down on the path. I was surprised when it started bounding towards me. I know that weasels and stoats are ferocious predators and I'm embarrassed to say that I momentarily thought of my best line of retreat. It soon spotted me though and then darted off into the undergrowth. I noticed that many of the Corvids were holding their beaks open. They do this in order to cool down.
When reaching the large bridge over the River Aire, I took the RSPB trail map rather too literally and ended up following Arrow Lane to the road. The path to the Lin Dike hide branches off much sooner than indicated on the RSPB trail map. The Lin Dike hide was closed when I got there. There is a viewing screen a few yards further on from the hide. The water level was low in the lake and the birds were far away from the screen.
I returned to the Visitor Centre via the Roy Taylor Trail. This had good panoramic views of the surrounding area. Down in the valley, I could see some Highland Cattle cooling off in the lake called the Moat. There are supposed to be some Cattle Egrets down there, but I was too far away to get a good view. Cattle Egrets get their name from eating insects kicked up by the hooves of cattle.
I was glad to get back into the shade of the woodland near the Visitor Centre. I went to the nearby Pickup hide. It was busy with people, but not with birds.
Fairburn Ings offered a variety of trails. It was pleasant to walk amongst the woodlands and lakes, and alongside the River Aire.
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