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LOWER DERWENT NATURE RESERVE (NORTH DUFFIELD CARRS) BUBWITH, YORKSHIRE

WEATHER: cloudy with sunny spells and showers. Top temp 19C

I was up with the lark this morning and I drove down to a local nature reserve about 2 miles from our holiday let. I should have stayed in bed, there really wasn’t much about at all. The reserve is very large section of ‘Carr’ or water meadows/marshland, it has great potential and I’m sure that it is excellent at other times of the year, especially winter!

A VIEW OF DUFFIELD CARRS FROM THE FIRST HIDE

I visited the two hides found along a narrow pathway which is hidden from the marsh by a thick hedgerow. On my left as I walked out I could see over a few farm meadows and saw several Brown Hares, two Grey Squirrels ran along the track ahead of me and from hide No. 2, I watched a Red Fox working its way through the tall sedge. I could follow its progress by watching the local Reed Buntings, they were very brave and chased the fox wherever it went.

BROWN HARE

So far, I had seen more mammals than birds. Then a Roe Deer appeared in the distance just to prove my point. I did eventually catch up wit at least three singing Sedge Warblers, a few Mallards, Coot and Moorhen with chicks and some very distant Greylag Geese.

Back in the village I went for walk to the river, where a Common Chiffchaff sang in the morning sunlight, which made it change colour, a Golden Chiffchaff.

A GOLDEN CHIFFCHAFF

Later, the owner of our holiday let produced a Hedgehog which he had found on the terrace, we released it on the garden lawn and that made up my daily mammal list to five!

The rest of the day was spent sight-seeing in York, wat a lovely place to visit.