Vole

I went to the Fairburn Ings RSPB reserve this morning after my photo workshop was cancelled yesterday due to illness. It was a fine and dry morning today unlike yesterday. This was my first visit to the reserve for a long time and it has developed and matured over the years. While I was at the first hide I was watching a flock of sparrows and the occasional Cold Tit, Chaffinches and Great Tits on the feeders there was a flurry of movement as something furry dashed across the bare ground below the feeders. It was so fast moving that by the time I saw it, registered that I'd seen him and tried to tell my Mum, he had disappeared into the undergrowth. We waited patiently and he dashed out and back into cover. Then from the other side of the clearing this little chap made a dash out for some scraps, and this time I was ready with my camera. I'm not sure whether he is a Bank Vole or a Field Vole, I think it might be the latter.

Later on in the morning walk around the reserve we saw some Little Grebes, a lot of Canada Geese and some Herons. On the walk back to the visitor centre we saw some Dragonflies as the sun had come out, and then at the Kingfisher Screen a warden pointed out where there was a Kingfisher sat on a branch just above the water. We stopped and watched him for a bit, while it dived into the water and then returned to the branch before flying off down the stream. Unfortunately the branch was a bit too far away for me to get good photos of the Kingfisher.

It was a really enjoyable morning and I think we will be visiting when I come home again in the future.