Nosterfield Bird Review February 2026

by Andrew (Andy) M Hanby

The month started with some decent visible migration, one of the Shag still present on Kiln Lake and the first Mediterranean Gull of the year.  The next day two Eurasian White-fronted Geese were seen from the North Hide - little were we to know that this would be small beer for this species, but more of that later.

On 3rd, four Knot lurked amongst the Lapwing on Flasks Lake, but didn’t stay long. The slow drip of excitement continued the next day, when a splendid male Smew revealed itself on Lingham Lake.  This ‘white nun’ stayed throughout the month, but it was often a case of “now you see me, now you don’t!” as it drifted in and out of readily viewed areas.

Eight more White-fronted Geese were seen on 5th, heading north and the long-staying Bar-tailed Godwit put in another of its sporadic appearances.  The White-front story developed markedly on 8th when a flock of 56 headed north with two Barnacle Geese in tow.  This coincided with the development of a very large invasion of this species throughout the country and associated escalation in numbers in nearby mires just to the north. Daily, the numbers at these mires escalated, finishing the month on 371.

Pochard continued to be present on Ladybridge Lake in high numbers.  The Oystercatcher spring build-up peaked at 174 on 12th.  Little Egrets have been surprisingly sparse this winter, so eight on 11th was good to see.  Great White Egret on the other hand were generally reliable in ones, or occasionally twos, throughout.  Another regular thread were sightings of Marsh Harrier, including up to three different birds.

Skylark and Reed Bunting migration commenced on 12th, with 42 and 16 flying north respectively and a further four Barnacle Geese did likewise the next day.  More intriguing on 14th was an ‘Asio sp. Owl’, which looked most like a Short-eared Owl, see over the fields to the north of Flasks Lake, but viewed from Langwith.

Crossbills are always a treat and not always annual, but one in the Flasks Lake area on 16th was a treat, as were two Tundra Bean Geese on a small field opposite Ladybridge Farm, the next day.

Despite the early sighting of Mediterranean Gull on 1st, it wasn’t until 19th that another appeared and thereafter the species was regularly seen.

The 22nd was a spectacularly good day, with a corking Caspian Gull on Flasks Lake, 73 Skylark and a lone Barnacle Goose moving north. To top it all we had our earliest ever Sand Martin by over two weeks – the previous earliest being 9th March 2025.  To rub it in, there were three more sightings in February, in line with many early observations throughout the UK.

A report came in on social media of a Waxwing in Nosterfield village on 23rd.  None of the regulars saw it and a collective shrug of the shoulders was made - it is a big recording area and we can’t see it all.  Happily, it reappeared on both 27th and 28th and performed well, attracting quite a few visitors.

In fact, the end of the month was outstanding for what can be quite a dreary month.  A total of 645 Pink-footed Geese heading WNW on 25th was topped by a splendid Common Crane flyby south over the Reserve.  This was almost certainly the same individual seen by one of our regular team, heading north over Ripon City Wetlands a day earlier.  Lastly, 1315 Pink-footed Geese headed NW on 26th, our third highest count of moving birds, and these were accompanied by 11 Whooper Swans, with another 20 settled on Langwith Lake.