The Fish PassJune was the co-ordinator for our visit to Rodley Nature Reserve, a place that we have been to several times but our previous 2 visits were in the autumn. A lot of people had chosen to come by car and joined the few that travelled on the minibus. Graham, a volunteer at Rodley, joined June in welcoming us and informing us about recent developments at the reserve whilst providing us with hot drinks and cake in the visitor centre. Such luxury! The reserve is undertaking a project to introduce harvest mice - these tiny little creatures could be observed in a glass tank in the visitor centre. Graham then led us out beyond the butterfly bank and through the John Ackroyd meadow where we were shown kestrel boxes in which kestrels have successfully reared chicks in previous years. 
Oystercatcher and ChickIt is hoped that chicks will be seen again this year. We also saw wooden platforms where 2 pairs of swallows are believed to be nesting. We were then led to an area that is not accessible to the public down by the river where Yorkshire Water has constructed a fish pass that will enable several species of fish including grayling and trout to negotiate the weir. This will aid them in their migration, improve fish populations and should even benefit otters that feed on these fish. As we stood near the fish pass we saw reed bunting in the reed beds and heard the call of a water rail. We think we also heard a grashopper warbler but it did not make an appearance. We were shown a new construction, a swift tower, where swift call is periodically played to encourage them to come and nest as swifts are known to be reluctant to use new nesting sites.
Reed BuntingAt this point we were then let loose to explore the reserve as we wished. Birders headed for the hides and botanists for the meadows and fields. 50 birds were seen including reed warbler, sedge warbler, buzzard and whitethroat. A swan with 3 cygnets was seen on the duck marsh and an oystercatcher and chick on the lagoon. Over 70 plants in flower were recorded. The highlights were crowfoots, yellow water lily, bogbean and corn salad. The day had started overcast with a little light drizzle at times. The weather did brighten up and it got quite warm but we did not see any damselflies. Our butterfly man was a little out of sorts today and left early but we noted at least three species including orange tip. Our lunch was the second sitting in the visitor centre to avoid clashing with the school party that was spending the day on the reserve. All went smoothly thanks to the organisation of June and Graham.
Sue