This award is fantastic recognition of the incredible work carried out by the Friends & the volunteers, as well as the local community who support them. The judges praised the Friends novel ornithological research, conservation delivery & land purchase, as well as the recent #LDV book publication.

We're delighted to say that the Friends have been recognised in this year's @marshawards.bsky.social, for their ornithological & conservational efforts, with #LDV Senior Reserve Manager Craig Ralston, & Chair Mike Jackson, travelling to London last night to collect this award on behalf of the team 🤩

Earlier this week we delivered our second talk of the autumn for the RSPB York Local Group on the Birds of the #LDV – great to see such a healthy turn out and much appreciated support of the work of Natural England and the #FriendsoftheLDV with several books sold along with many greetings cards 📖

Our #LDV moth trap has been catching well at present – providing valuable data as well as being enjoyed by our Lithuanian visitors, inc. this hard to spot Green-brindled Crescent 🦋

Another incredible effort by our team of #LDV volunteers on Tuesday resulted in our dipping pond being just about finished. It's great to see it looking so good already, and fantastic to watch as a Grey Wagtail flew in and used it shortly afterwards 🙂 Huge thanks to all 👏

Some stunning autumnal mornings have been enjoyed recently by our #LDV ringing team, with a large movement of Chiffchaff noted through the site (total of 54 caught last week), and an increase in Reed Buntings, Robins, Dunnocks and Song Thrush.

Last week our volunteer team also made a start helping us to improve the existing dipping pond at our #LDV NNR Base at Bank Island – clearing out the vegetation and replacing the liner before refilling (and carefully moving Common Swift larvae found amongst the vegetation).

Great day last week welcoming some of the Natural England finance team to the #LDV to show them how their own work contributes to delivery on the ground. Nice to also be able to show them around our new NNR Community Hub before enjoying the contents of the moth trap and a bird ringing demonstration.

Recently our hardworking team of volunteers have continued to make progress with the revamp of our swan pipe (netting now starting to be attached which is always a challenge), with just the catching end then to finish, before we resume our #LDV duck ringing as numbers start to increase 🦆🦢

Recent sightings in the #LDV inc. small numbers of Pink-footed Geese (daily), 700 Teal, 4 Cetti’s Warblers, Ravens (Low Grounds, North Duffield Carrs, Wheldrake and Hemingbrough), several Stonechats, an Osprey and good numbers of Grey Partridge coveys (across the local area) @yorkbirding.bsky.social

New ringing recovery just in – a young male Wigeon (ringed at Bank Island on the 25/11/20) has just been recovered in Liminganlahti, Liminka, Oulu, Finland – 1913 km north-east of the #LDV. Only a handful of birds back on site at present but hopefully more to follow soon @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Nice morning welcoming a group of landowners and farmers from the Lower Wharfe Valley to the #LDV – looking at some of our management work and sharing ideas between us on scrapes, ditching, stewardship schemes and wild bird mixes to name but a few. Great to be able to use the NNR in this way.

Great evening at our new #LDV community hub on Thursday hosting the Wheldrake Allotment Society and the local community, for a talk on the work undertaken across the NNR – a nice way to say thank you for their support and patience during the construction period and a great use of our new building.

It's been a good autumn so far for moth recording in the local traps around the #LDV, with several migrants recorded and a Clifden Nonpareil in Elvington last week (fourth record for the area with three of those coming in the last two years).

Visitors to the #LDV please note that whilst most of the ponds, pools and scrapes remain dry, there is limited interest from the hides.

Recent sightings in the #LDV inc. a ringtail Hen Harrier (seen over fields between Skipwith and North Duffield), notable passage of Pink-footed Geese and Meadow Pipits, and the return of 150 Teal @yorkbirding.bsky.social

A first-year female Blackcap (ringed at Wheldrake Ings on the 09/09/25) has just been re-caught by ringers at Wymondham, Leicestershire – 125 km south of the #LDV – presumably on autumn passage. Good numbers are presently moving through the site with 100+ ringed recently @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Following the recent recovery of one of our Teal to Finland, we've just heard about another to Denmark – originally ringed as a first-year female at Bank Island on the 12/01/26 and found in Spodsbjerg, Langeland, Fyn, last week on the 12th September – 768 km east of the #LDV @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Thanks to #LDV birder Adam Firth for this sighting of one of our colour-ringed Ruff (ringed as an adult male at Bubwith Bridge back in February) – yet another movement of one of our ringed birds between here @rspbblacktoftsands.bsky.social and the Humber.

With our thoughts turning to waterfowl returning to the #LDV and the first arrival of Teal, we’ve just had a ringing recovery come through of one ringed at Bank Island in January 2022 – found in Koninkaarre, Oulu, Finland on the 29th August this year @yorkbirding.bsky.social