Spring has finally sprung in the Aire Valley, bringing with it a flurry of nesting activity to RSPB Fairburn Ings and St Aidan’s. Visitors can now see Grey Herons, Cattle Egrets, and Great White Egrets preparing to nest at Fairburn Ings, while the deep, booming call of Britain’s loudest bird, the Bittern, echoes across the reedbeds at St Aidan’s. The first Spoonbills have also returned to Fairburn Ings this week, and are already checking out the heronry, with more spring arrivals expected any day now.

The Black-headed Gulls are starting to arrive at St Aidan’s and making quite a noise – 2024 saw a record number of 4,000 nests - an amazing spectacle and believed to be the largest colony in Yorkshire.

In a thrilling first for Yorkshire, Cattle Egrets bred successfully at Fairburn Ings last year, fledging three young. This milestone marks a major shift in the region’s birdlife, as these once-rare visitors are now settling in to stay. With a new Reserve Manager, Lydia Tague, leading the way, the RSPB is inviting people from Leeds and beyond to reconnect with the wild spaces right on their doorstep.

“The arrival and successful breeding of Cattle Egrets here is a huge moment for Yorkshire,” says Lydia. These birds, until recently seldom seen as far north as Yorkshire, are now calling Fairburn home and we’ve never seen them is such good numbers. With a bit of luck, we’re hoping they will breed again this year, and that the Great White Egrets might breed here for the first time this year too! There has never been a better time to visit – and we have some amazing events planned to bring people closer to these beautiful birds. We have so much nature, right on the doorstep of Leeds and we want to shout loud and proud about it.”

Cattle Egrets and Great White Egrets were rare passage and winter visitors to Fairburn up until around five years ago, when conservationists as well as birders started observing them both more regularly at Fairburn Ings, initially in low numbers – one or two birds – but for the last three years they have been visiting in increasingly higher numbers. In winter 2023/2024 the reserve was regularly seeing 12-17 Cattle Egrets and six Great White Egrets, and during the winter just gone, both species had peak counts of at least 13.

Moving further northwards from warmer temperate and tropical countries, a rise in the numbers of Cattle and Great White Egrets is possibly in part due to global warming and conservationists are working hard to create the right habitats near Leeds for these species to thrive.

As RSPB Fairburn Ings warden, Karen Swaffield, explained, “As winter turned to spring last year, we watched the Cattle Egrets acquiring their beautiful breeding plumage, and then we noticed the eye of one of the Cattle Egret turning red, which they do just before they breed, so we were quietly confident they would attempt to nest at Fairburn. It’s wonderful that we had two pairs of nesting Cattle Egret, and that they successfully managed to fledge three young”.

Cattle Egret numbers in the UK are rising and as the name suggests these graceful white plumed birds follow cattle around, feeding on the insects and other invertebrates which they disturb.

These two Yorkshire nature reserves are teeming with wildlife and are havens for wetland birds. This month visitors will also have the special opportunity to join St Aidan’s warden, Andrew Tiffany, to step into the secretive world of Bitterns and feel the thrill of an encounter with these elusive birds. Visitors can walk around the reedbeds, hear their booming calls and learn about the dedicated conservation efforts behind their survival.

Lydia’s ambition is to connect more people from Yorkshire with nature, and with so much on offer, there’s something for everyone. Due to popular demand, extra Black-necked Grebe tours have also been added for April and May at St Aidan’s, along with new Heronry experiences at Fairburn Ings, offering a closer look at nesting Grey Herons, Spoonbills, Little Egrets, and Cattle Egrets. For more information and to book events visit, RSPB St Aidan's events and RSPB Fairburn Ings events.