A Raven called as it flew over at 10.15hrs (JP).
Also of note 2 Goldcrests, 4 Linnets west, 3 Meadow Pipits south, c20 Siskins were feeding on Alder seeds, 3 Water Rails called, 6 Shoveler were present, along with 15 Greylags and an adult Common Gull. An unseen skein of Pink Feet Geese were heard going over north of the reserve (R. Laverack/CG).
Butterflies included 2 Red Admirals, 9 Speckled Wood, 4 Small Copper and an unidentified White species. 18 Common Daters, 3 Migrant Hawkers and 5 Willow Emeralds were enjoying the sunshine around mid-day (C. Parkin),
The Origins of Carlton Marsh & Ringing
On 10th January 2018 a Channel 4 News crew arrived with Pete Wall to film our Willow Tits. It was raining a little and the light was poor, but to the delight of Channel 4’s science Editor, Tom Clarke, the crew managed to film two colour ringed Willow Tits coming to a feeder I had put out an hour earlier. When it was all put together, the broadcast lasted about several minutes and featured Teresa May at the London Wetland Centre talking about her vision for the next 25 years. She spoke about the necessity to remove plastic from the environment and about improving habitats for wildlife. The programme was televised just after 7pm on 11th January 2018. Tom Clarke described the reserve as a ‘National treasure’. He moved on to work for ITV News and then to Sky News.
In March 2018, the Editor of Countryfile, Rebecca Pratt, visited. She wanted to know if the programme could feature Willow Tits being ringed and fitted with a transmitter, but the RSPB were reluctant to allow the process to be filmed.
The sedentary nature of the bird meant that the furthest distance one was tracked at any of the sites was just over a kilometre.
The sad part is, before we could establish why they were disappearing so rapidly, for reasons that are still unclear, they had completely disappeared from the lowlands of Barnsley by 2019/20.
It could be that climate change has interfered with their food supply, and or their physiology, as a few retreated to higher ground west of the M1. We do know that the odd pair came to a feeder on the moorland fringe on the Ingbirchworth and Scout Dike Reservoirs up until 2023.
Blue Tit, Great, and Great Spotted Woodpecker have all increased due to supplementary feeding by us, thereby creating much more competition for nest sites for Willow Tit during the breeding season.
Another Channel 4 News crew arrived on Sunday 12th January 2020, almost two years to the day since their previous visit. They came to do a piece on Willow Tits again. It was raining for the first couple of hours, but after it stopped, Geoff Carr and I managed to erect a 40ft mist net near the feeder, to try and catch a Willow Tit for them. Sadly, they were nowhere to be seen, and I feared then that we had lost them. None were being reported from Worsbrough Reservoir or Old Moor at the time.
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s, Sophie Pinder was interviewed by Claire Fallon about Willow Tits and their requirements. The programme was aired on Channel 4 News between 7pm and 8pm on Wednesday 15th January 2020 in a piece about HS2, which was scheduled to pass through the edge of the reserve. They used footage of our Willow Tits from their previous visit.
Sadly, for all the time and effort that was put in to catching them, it was to no avail. I will not easily forget the very cold early mornings we endured during those winters.
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