The String of Pearls

On the evening of Saturday 5^th August, my beloved was at a bit of a get-together with workmates at one of their homes in Cudworth, and I was acting as personal taxi service.

During the day, the suggestion was proffered that rather than come home, I do a bit of birding in the area, as it still stays light until well past 9pm.

Good idea… and so I took a couple of hours or so out taking a look at the birds on show at some local watery locations that, at least in one leaflet, go by the somewhat poetically licentious name of “The String of Pearls”.

My home county, and particularly this part of it has a long industrial heritage driven primarily by getting things out of the ground by one method or another.

Many of these are now former mines and quarries, disused, often “naturalised”, and in a number of cases resulting in areas of shallow water that are appealing to birds both resident and in passage.

The first of the “pearls” I visited was Broomhill Flash. A smallish pool overlooked by a single sturdy hide.

There was a reasonable amount of activity – perhaps activity is the wrong word as it was getting late and I think much of the “action” involved preparing to roost.

I will list the full selection of ids at the end, but amongst a fair few ducks on the water it was noticeable there were at least 20 Ruddy Ducks.

I have mixed feelings (that I have expressed elsewhere) about Ruddy Ducks, because I like ducks in general and these are fine birds indeed… but they are out of place, and a potential threat to our European Whiteheads.

As far as I know, we don’t have Whiteheads here, but the Ruddies are spreading and the Whiteheads are in danger on the European Mainland.

A few grebes were also dotted around, both Little and Great Crested – but as I said, the main objective of all the birds seemed to be settling down for the night, so after half an hour, I moved on.

Indeed I moved on the Wombwell Ings, from which Broomhill Flash can be see, although not vice versa due to the lie of the land.

As I approached, rather alarming a Weimeraner who didn’t like to look of me and all my gear, the owners of said beast informed me there were “four ’erons” on the ings, and I’d see them from the “viewin’ ’ut”.

So I made my way to the ’ut, and in fact there were six ’erons!

As an aside, there was some rather highbrow graffiti on the hide; “He who wanders isn’t necessarily lost” and something by Keats that I don’t remember – well at least the scribe said it was Keats and it looked suitably classy!)

Pretty much the same sort of action going on here, with the majority of the birds being, again, ducks (Mallards) and this time also a fair few Lapwings.

Swallows and both House and Sand Martins were flitting over the water, and something like 300 Canada Geese circled over before eventually coming down at Old Moor.

There was a little more peripheral activity, and I ended up staying the best part of two hours.

Patience was rewarded by sightings of Greenshank, Redshank (one of each), Ringed Plover (three) and numerous wagtails of which some, more or fewer were Yellow Wagtails.

As I left, a Cormorant flew over.

Finally, and because Old Moor closes gates early, I decided to have a look over Edderthorpe Flash.

Unfortunately, unless someone can tell me otherwise, only distant views are possible, and the birds proved to be very much “more of the same” with the exception of the evening’s first Moorhens.

And then, taxi duties were once more required, and off I went.

Nice evening.

Full List of 29 IDs:

Black-headed Gull
Canada Goose
Carrion Crow
Coot
Cormorant
Gadwall
Goldfinch
Great Crested Grebe
Greenshank
Grey Heron
Greylag Goose
House Martin
Lapwing
Little Grebe
Magpie
Mallard
Moorhen
Mute Swan
Pied Wagtail
Redshank
Ringed Plover
Ruddy Duck
Sand Martin
Starling
Stock Dove
Swallow
Tufted Duck
Woodpigeon
Yellow Wagtail