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Old Moor lies on the site of an old colliery and is
within a stone's throw of a busy business park. At
first it doesn't look like the most promising nature location but Old Moor is,
literally, a birders' paradise. | Wetland
wonderland at Old Moor.
Photo - Andy Hayl/RSPB Images. |
Back
in the 1950's there were 30 coal mines in the area employing over 30,000 people.
This mining resulted in large areas of subsidence, and over the years these
dips have then filled with water to create pools and ponds which have become magnets
for wildlife. If you're looking for autumn birds by the thousand, this
place is hard to beat - thousands of migrating birds use the Dearne Valley as
a feeding stop on their journeys. Urban nature
reserve  Old
Moor is located in the middle of four major northern towns - Barnsley, Rotherham,
Sheffield and Doncaster.
Walking through the gates into this reserve is
almost like entering a secret garden. The moor is one of the RSPB's newest
reserves and it boasts fantastic bird watching facilities. One of the best
places to start your trip is at the Wathings' hide, one of five wildlife hides
on the reserve, where visitors can keep a lookout for unusual visitors. The
hide provides superb views across the pools and autumn is one of the busiest times
for birds including Lapwing and Golden Plover. Golden
experience  Old
Moor during the autumn is one the best places to see Golden Plovers.
During
the autumn these birds look very different from the spring when they are a yellow
spangled colour with a black belly. In the autumn the Golden Plovers look
a little plainer - and birders can see them en masse when they create fast moving
formations through the sky. Also look for Fieldfares and Redwings feeding
on berries to bulk up for the winter. Diving ducks
and waders  The
wetlands at Old Moor are also great for ducks during the autumn including one
of our handsomest diving ducks - the Goosander.
The bird is a member of
the Sawbill family, with a long, serrated bill which it uses to spear fish. These
birds can dive for up to 45 seconds searching for prey, and one single bird was
once reported to have gone underwater for two minutes. Down the centuries
this landscape has been shaped by man and the reclaimed mining area has become
an ideal home for waders.
Photo credits All
photographs are copyright and courtesy of Andy Hay, Chris Gomersall and RSPB Images. | 
