British Garden Birds - RSPB Blacktoft Sands

RSPB Blacktoft Sands is on the south side of the Humber estuary, east of Goole and on the opposite bank to Blacktoft, and is at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Trent.

From the 7 hides around the reserve you can look across various habitats including tidal reed beds, mudflats and salt marsh, but also grassland and scrub. Timing your visit for a high tide is often best as this pushes birds, especially waders, up from the estuary on to the reserve. Late afternoon is often a good time too as raptors will be active and many birds will return to the safety of the reserve to roost.

Blacktoft has the largest breeding colony of Bearded Tits, but they often remain elusive among the reed beds; autumn (September to November) are the best times to see them.

In the summer, Avocets, Marsh Harriers, Barn Owls and several species of warbler are among those species breeding on the reserve. Wintertime sees hundreds of wildfowl, including Wigeon, Pochard and Teal, and raptors such as Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier and Peregrine. Hundreds of waders pass through the reserve during the spring and autumn migrations.

During most visits to this reserve, at least 40-50 species should be present. Below is a list of species I have observed on visits at different times of the year.

What You Might See
Avocet Barnacle Goose Barn Owl Bar-tailed Godwit Bearded Tit Bittern Blackbird Blackcap Black-headed Gull Black-tailed Godwit Blue Tit Canada Goose Carrion Crow Chaffinch Collared Dove Common Buzzard Common Gull Common Sandpiper Common Snipe Common Tern Coot Cormorant Cuckoo Curlew Curlew Sandpiper Dunlin Dunnock Fieldfare Gadwall Garden Warbler Garganey Goldeneye Golden Plover Goldfinch Grasshopper Warbler Great Black-backed Gull	Great Crested Grebe Great Tit Greenfinch Green Sandpiper Greenshank Grey Heron Grey Wagtail Greylag Goose Hen Harrier Herring Gull Hobby House Martin Jay Kestrel Kingfisher Knot Lapwing Linnet Little Egret Little Grebe Little Ringed Plover Little Stint Magpie Mallard Marsh Harrier Meadow Pipit Merlin Moorhen Mute Swan Oystercatcher Pectoral Sandpiper Pheasant Pied Wagtail Pochard Red-legged Partridge Redshank	Reed Bunting Reed Warbler Ringed Plover Robin Rook Ruddy Duck Ruff Sand Martin Sedge Warbler Shelduck Shoveler Skylark Sparrowhawk Spoonbill Spotted Redshank Starling Stock Dove Stonechat Swallow Swift Teal Temminck's Stint Tree Sparrow Tufted Duck Turtle Dove Water Rail Wheatear Whitethroat Whooper Swan Wigeon Willow Warbler Wood Sandpiper Wood Pigeon Wren Yellowhammer Yellow Wagtail