Tidal Reedbeds at Blacktoft Sands
The best place to reliably see marsh harriers in East Yorkshire, England
I have been visiting the RSPB’s Blacktoft Sands Nature Reserve in East Yorkshire since my Dad used to take me there as a small child. In fact it was probably the first nature reserve I ever visited, and it is a place I still find special today.
Blacktoft Sands is situated beside the River Ouse, just before it meets the River Trent to form the Humber Estuary.
Traveling to the reserve from Goole feels like you are passing through a strange landscape that is far removed from busy everyday life. The river here is protected by an embankment, and is higher than the surrounding low-lying land. But Goole is an active inland port, and if the tide is right you sometimes see the surreal sight of a ship appearing to glide past (very quickly if it is going with the tide) at a higher level than the road.
Lighthouses that are nowhere near the coast, expansive flat agricultural fields and wind farms all around add to the strangeness of the landscape. All of which add to the remote feeling and uniqueness of Blacktoft Sands.
Like many of the nature reserves I love to visit, Blacktoft Sands consists of wetlands and reedbeds.
Unlike others, though, these are tidal reedbeds, which are inundated during very high tides. In fact Blacktoft Sands is the largest tidal reedbed in England.
Common reeds (Phragmites australis) are amazing plants that can survive in fresh and salt water. They are often considered invasive, but if managed correctly they provide habitat for countless wetland species and reed specialists, and the predators that prey on them.
At Blacktoft Sands the reeds are regularly cut to keep them under control, and management is assisted by resident Konik ponies. These hardy little ponies are a Polish breed, and they are perfectly at home in the marshy habitat, easily coping with harsh winter conditions. They graze selectively, keeping grass short but allowing other wildlife-friendly plants to grow. And they are hugely popular with visitors to the reserve!
One of the many things I love about Blacktoft Sands is its excellent bird hides. The six hides are well spaced, and give great views over the various pools and reedbeds. There is not too far to walk between the hides, so it is a great place to visit even in bad winter weather (or when my knees are playing up).
Particularly impressive is the relatively recent two-storey Reedling Hide. With excellent views over the reeds and lagoon it is very easy to spend an hour or two here.
I recently wrote about St. Aidan’s Nature Park near Leeds being the place to hear bitterns booming (see post here). Similarly, Blacktoft Sands is the place to see marsh harriers. When Matt and I visit we joke about how long it will take us to spot our first marsh harrier of the day. It is usually under five minutes.
One of the best places to see the marsh harriers is from the first hide you encounter if you go along the track to the right of the reception (appropriately named ‘First Hide’). These highly agile birds of prey patrol the reedbeds looking for prey, which may include frogs, small mammals and birds such as moorhens and coots. A pair regularly nest near First Hide, and on spring visits I have often seen them carrying nesting material and interacting with each other.
I have never been on the reserve during the evening, but apparently up to 40 marsh harriers roost in the reedbeds during winter - that must be a wonderful sight to see!
Hen harriers have also been recorded on the reserve, though I have never been lucky enough to see one here. I do regularly see kestrels, sparrowhawks, red kites and buzzards.
Of course the main reason for visiting Blacktoft Sands is to see the wetland birds that regularly occur here. Winter is probably the best time to visit, when wintering wildfowl can be present in impressive numbers. But anytime is worth a visit, especially at high tide when birds are driven in from the mudflats around the Humber Estuary.
During migration seasons, and throughout the winter, impressive flocks of pink-footed geese often fly overhead as they travel between feeding grounds in the Humber area. Usually heard before they are seen, they are always a thrilling spectacle.
Pink-footed geese are more usually seen in the air or feeding in nearby fields, but they do often land in the reserve and mix with the more familiar greylag geese. The photo below clearly shows the differences between the two species.
Blacktoft Sands is one of those places where you never know what you will see. Birds I regularly see here include kingfishers, egrets, herons, great crested and little grebes, redshank, snipe, avocets, lapwings, green sandpipers, black-tailed godwits, teal, wigeon, gadwall, shovelers, shelduck and many more.
Rarer sightings have included bitterns (heard booming and seen in flight), ruff, spoonbills, jack snipe, bearded tits and peregrines.
One year a white-tailed lapwing, native to the Middle East and Central Asia, turned up and obligingly stayed for several weeks. The bird became affectionately known as Larry, and people came from far and wide to see it.
And once when I visited as a child we were greeted by the strange sight of a pink flamingo feeding happily among the usual wildfowl! Unfortunately in those days I didn’t have a camera to record it. The consensus was that the bird had escaped from a nearby wildlife park.
The tidal reedbeds are obviously Blacktoft’s most important feature, but there is more to this reserve. Hedgerows of hawthorn, blackthorn, alder and willow provide shelter, blossom in spring and masses of berries in autumn and early winter. The berries in turn attract significant numbers of fieldfares and redwings in winter.
The reserve also has a thriving colony of tree sparrows, a species which has been in significant decline in the UK. The photo below shows a tree sparrow checking out one of the provided nesting boxes, with its partner peeping out from inside.
Blacktoft Sands is also a great place to see dragonflies on sunny summer days, like this beautiful male ruddy darter resting on a grass flower.
I have lost count of the number of hours I have spent sitting in the hides in this beautiful nature reserve. Even on quiet days there is always something to see, and time here is never wasted.
I am so grateful to the RSPB staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to protect these special places, so they are there to provide essential shelter for wildlife and for us to enjoy.
For more information about the reserve see RSPB Blacktoft Sands.
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That’s a fantastic report Angie, thanks for sharing. Your enthusiasm rubs off and I’m wondering if we can manage to get down there one of these days. Great pictures too, the dragonfly image is superb! They are not easy things to photograph.
What a fabulous read Angie. I used to visit when I lived in Nottinghamshire but it is a bit too far now. I must make an effort. I remember seeing my first ever Spotted Redshank there way back in the 70’s