Either this spring is never ending or it is going very quickly. Another day to spare and with it another dilemma. I had planned to do a trip to Yorkshire with the intention of a my first ever trip to North Cave Wetlands and then onto St Aidans/Swillington Ings. However, Buffy the birding trip slayer turned up in the opposite direction at Burton Mere Wetlands in Cheshire. The worst thing was that Buffy was appearing to stay put rather than doing the decent thing and disappearing so we could forget about it. Buffy was of course the rather beautiful Buff-Breasted Sandpiper which arrived in all its dazzling glory - in some of the photographs it had a distinct orange hue and I often wondered whether it had been to the same tanning salon as POTUS Mr Trump. The worst thing was the even more glorious Spotty Botty which had arrived in Staffordshire/Shropshire which in twitching terms was not that far Cheshire. Spotty Botty was/is of course the American wader known as the Spotted Sandpiper which looked like it had a bad case of Avian measles on the front.

With much mind wrestling I decided not to change my plans and decide to go on a trip where I would probably see nothing but the places.  I had Delhi belly in the morning after eating some rather spicy food courtesy of an invite the night before. Oddly enough the bad stomach was my saviour after it woke me up as I had forgotten the alarm. I texted Craggy to tell him I will be more than my customary 15 minutes late - Haslingden to Rawtenstall is such a long drive!  

On our way and in forbidden territory we noticed a large raptor lift up from along the side of the motorway - its rather long wing span which appeared to be held quite flat led to the comment possible Kite here. Then I noticed the non-forked tail. It was followed by an entourage of Crows who appeared even much smaller than usual compared to it. The neck and tail were also longer. I thought to myself it could have been a Honey Buzzard. Without seeing more and the given circumstances the thought would have to drift a way into the clouds.  Also with having only ever seen one European Honey Buzzard and that wing clapping quite high in Germany I decided it was best forgotten before it was "rejected!" 

We parked up at North Cave Wetlands car park which was just a short drive from the M62. Recent visitors to the Wetlands included a Glossy Ibis, Wood Sandpiper, Temmincks Stint and Garganey. The weekend before 93 species of birds were recorded on the reserve. It was not long before we heard Yellowhammer, Corn Bunting and the usual more commoner Warblers associated with trees, scrub and wetlands. There were lots of Avocet chicks and adults - some of the chicks were looking a bit too heavy for the Crows to carry away. The reserve which is run by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is quite new. There are shallow pools, deep lakes, reed beds, meadows and work is being done to expand the reserve. We did the walk which was about 2km along the perimeter of the reserve.

We managed to catch up with a pair of Garganey which showed very well on the mud and they were once chased by a deranged Coot. I had never seen Garganey on mud before. We saw some damselfly species which we did not recognise and a Holly Blue butterfly - a species we had never seen before. We wondered why we had not seen a Marsh Harrier and within seconds one rose from the vegetation only to be pursued by Black-beaded Gulls. We managed to meet some new plant species too - White dead Nettle, Crosswort, Hemlock, Ribwort Plantain and Musk Thistle.   

The next stop was St Aidans - the reopened reserve run by the RSPB which was formerly and to many is still known as Swillington Ings. The reserve was opened by the RSPB in May 2013 but within weeks a land ownership dispute was started. However, for now it has been resolved and this beautiful emerald bowl in summer is a must visit. I could not help looking at the RSPBs rather blue and white sign and I thought for a second it was a voting sign for a certain political party. In terms of facilities there is a toilet, a make yourself a coffee machine where one certainly was made and a little shop with some snacks in the form of crisps, drinks and pre-packed cakes of which the latter was certainly bought.

We sat outside of the visitor centre over looking the reserve when I noticed a raptor in the air. As we watched we noted the fork tail and it flew above the centre. This was one of the few occasions I have actually ever gotten up from my food which in this instance was hummus and lettuce sandwiches. Within minutes not one but two Kites flew over in the opposite direction. I had visited this area 8 times over the last 4 years and although Red Kites are regularly sighted I had yet to see one over this particular reserve. Sandwiches finished and a treat time - I chose an almond bake. A small falcon drifted towards the reserve flapping sometimes. The dark silhouette, quite long wings and proportionately shorter tail was enough for me to stand again and this time leave my sweet treat. The raptor fest over the visitor centre continued with a Hobby now on the list.

For those wanting to visit this reserve there are 2 bits of advice:-

1. There are no hides

2. There are lots of trails maybe even up to or even above 13km.

We walked up the hillside where Skylark, and Meadow Pipit dominated with an occasional sprinkling of Whitethroat and Yellowhammer. We then headed down the hillside and through the meadow towards the reed beds and pools. The air was full of the sounds of Black-headed Gulls and Warblers singing.  Our aim was to pick up some Black-necked Grebes for Craggy - a species he could add to his life list. We heard a Yellow Wagtail calling but did not see it. I looked back and saw a large bird in the air which was rising fast and hurrying to the other side of the reserve. It looked like it did not want to be out and if it had to be out, it did not want to be this high up in the open for everyone to see. It was a Bittern! Craggy managed to catch sight of a small Grebe species which he was sure were Back-necked. I got a brief glimpse and they looked good for me. However, within a minute a pair of Little Grebe popped out ruining our hopes. There were lots of Pochard around too. Two more Bittern flew across and another one we just missed. There were Avocets along the edges of the pools and Redshank in the meadows. There were lots of Common Terns many coming very close and some with fish in their beak for their loved ones. 

We started to head back slowly ad bumped into some people who pointed out there where abouts of a Bittern nest. Are people naïve or do people want to show off with that look what I found attitude? Craggy caught site of the white head striped one and I watched as the Garganey disappear into the reeds.  I felt it was unfair the government had banned the use of plastic bags and the numbers of them blowing over the countryside or stuck in mud had dropped - how was Craggy ever going to increase his bird list?  :P  Then another Red Kite sighting and this one much closer but pursued by nesting Gulls. Within minutes the final Bittern of the day - they all were heading in one direction probably to feed.  It was like a Bittern relay - who could get to the other side quickest?  Then a duck rose from the meadow. The underwing pattern caught my eye - its brown head and thick white stripe confirmed its identity.

The car park closed at 8pm but we decided to head off at 6.45pm. A very good day of birding. 4 Garganey in a day was a record for me not to forget at least 3 individual Bitterns and maybe 4 individual Kites. One thing that concerned me was the lack of butterflies - a perfect habitat with the right season and weather but few sighted.