Today I went back to Tophill Low, a water treatment works, nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
One of the most interesting parts about this place is the symbiotic relationship between the water treatment works and the reserve: the lagoons at the reserve act as an outflow for the works' waste product, mostly daphnia and bacteria, which are a great food source for fish who then attract more and more birds to the area. Most of the marshes were also dug as a flood defence system throughout the back half of the 20th Century (the reserve borders the River Hull which can overflow here) and have become a natural shelter for ducklings and other small wading birds due to the thick reedbeds and nutrient rich waters.
Much of the above comes from the habitat section of Tophill Low's website which can be found here.
This was my favourite spot for birdwatching (outside of Bempton Cliffs) when I first took up the hobby during a difficult spell in my life. It looks a little different these days with a lot of new paths built to allow for better views of both reservoirs.
It was very wet today due to yesterday's rain, meaning that most of the marshes were very flooded and, as such, not particularly busy with (visible) wildlife, but there was still plenty to see if you waited long enough. Two buzzards (pictured above) circling one of the reservoirs caught my attention for a while, as well as a number of long-tailed tits; I only managed one decent photo of the latter and noticed its head was facing the other way when I came to review. You can find the photo below: please laugh at me.
Also spotted were a number of pigs (pictured below) digging around in the woodland area. A lot of animals are farmed around the area, such as sheep and cows, and sometimes even used to maintain the greenery which is the case with goats on occasion. Pigs turning over soil in search of roots and other foods set the perfect spot for fresh vegetation to grow so I assume that was the intention here (I didn't get chance to ask anyone about that).
Here's a list below of what I saw and, once again, I may be forgetting some - I don't keep a physical journal these days but maybe I should go back to that. Beginning with the tits again:
- Great tits
- Blue tits
- Long-Tailed tits
- Blackbirds
- Wood pigeons
- Kingfisher (very unhappy I wasn't able to get a good pic)
- Chaffinches
- Buzzards
- Cormorants
- Mute Swans
- Canada Geese
- European Robins
- Greylag Geese
- Wigeons
- Pheasants
- Mallards
People seem to respond well to these posts so I'll be sure to update on future bird-related ventures.
