Snipes

First Visit

I nearly drove past the entrance to RSPB Blacktoft Sands. It is certainly a secluded place. It is situated on the River Ouse a few miles eastwards from Goole. The area is pancake flat and crisscrossed with rivers and canals. You rarely get a glimpse of one though since an embankment usually runs alongside them. 10:00 am on a Monday morning and the carpark was nearly full; it is a very popular site. The hides are situated along a linear path that runs parallel to the River Ouse. They overlook several lakes and reedbeds.

I headed off to the most easterly hide, the Singleton hide. The viewing benches directly in front of the windows were all full and so I took a cheap site on a bench behind them. I still got a decent view using my binoculars. I perched on the bench like a vulture, waiting until somebody moved off to another hide. Eventually they did, and I swooped to their vacated position with the agility of an Osprey catching a fish. There was plenty of activity on the lake including lots of Black-tailed Godwits with their lovely coppery colours. The RSPB trail guide highlights the Singleton hide as a good one for spotting Marsh Harriers. Sure enough, one eventually appeared. I was surprised to be the only one taking photos of it; their presence must be so common here that the watchers had enough photos already. After an hour or so, I decided to move on to the other hides.

Marsh Harrier