RSPB Fairburn Ings
Encyclopedia
Fairburn Ings RSPB reserve is a flagship
RSPB
nature reserve
in the county
of West Yorkshire
, England
; established in 1968. It is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
in conjunction with the local council.
Situated in the Lower Aire Valley, and forming part of Fairburn & Newton Ings SSSI
, RSPB Fairburn Ings is a Local Nature Reserve (LNR), with a focus mainly on wildfowl and waders, although many other birds can be seen. It lies 1.5 miles (2.5 km) west of Fairburn, near Castleford
. The word "ing" (from "ings") is of Old Norse origin and means "damp or marshy land", a reference to the area being flooded regularly by the River Aire
.
Lying alongside the River Aire
, the 286 hectare
site includes a large loch and a number of smaller water bodies; the area has been the scene of industrial and mining operations for 150 years, and all the water bodies are the result of subsidence of former coal-mine workings, up to half a kilometre underground, providing habitats
for wildfowl and many other bird
s.
The site is bordered by predominantly arable farmland to the north, and industrial and urban environments to the south and west.
One third of the site has been developed from 26 million cubic metres of colliery spoil which have been landscaped to create a large complex of herb-rich grassland, wetland and woodland.
Habitats include flood meadows, wet fenland, marsh and reedbed, woodland and scrub. The reserve has the highest number of species recorded at any site, at 274.
UK Biodiversity Action Plan
(UK BAP) habitats at Fairburn Ings: mesotrophic lakes, reedbed, lowland meadow. BAP species of these habitats include: grey partridge (Perdix perdix), turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur), skylark (Alauda arvense), song thrush (Turdus philatelist), tree sparrow (Passer montanus), linnet (Carduelis cannabina), bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyorrhoea), reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus), corn bunting (Milaria calandra), water vole (Arvicola terrestris ) and pipistrelle bat (Pipistrellus pippistrellus).
Birds of conservation concern of these habitats include: the black-necked grebe (Podiceps nigrocollis), Garganey (Anas querquedula), redshank (Tringa totanus), whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus) and golden plover (Pluvialis apricalia).
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
RSPB
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Bird Notes and News was first published in April 1903.The title changed to 'Bird Notes' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year . Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years...
nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
in the county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
; established in 1968. It is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Bird Notes and News was first published in April 1903.The title changed to 'Bird Notes' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year . Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years...
in conjunction with the local council.
Situated in the Lower Aire Valley, and forming part of Fairburn & Newton Ings SSSI
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
, RSPB Fairburn Ings is a Local Nature Reserve (LNR), with a focus mainly on wildfowl and waders, although many other birds can be seen. It lies 1.5 miles (2.5 km) west of Fairburn, near Castleford
Castleford
Castleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is near Pontefract, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north...
. The word "ing" (from "ings") is of Old Norse origin and means "damp or marshy land", a reference to the area being flooded regularly by the River Aire
River Aire
The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England of length . Part of the river is canalised, and is known as the Aire and Calder Navigation....
.
Lying alongside the River Aire
River Aire
The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England of length . Part of the river is canalised, and is known as the Aire and Calder Navigation....
, the 286 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
site includes a large loch and a number of smaller water bodies; the area has been the scene of industrial and mining operations for 150 years, and all the water bodies are the result of subsidence of former coal-mine workings, up to half a kilometre underground, providing habitats
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
for wildfowl and many other bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s.
The site is bordered by predominantly arable farmland to the north, and industrial and urban environments to the south and west.
One third of the site has been developed from 26 million cubic metres of colliery spoil which have been landscaped to create a large complex of herb-rich grassland, wetland and woodland.
Habitats include flood meadows, wet fenland, marsh and reedbed, woodland and scrub. The reserve has the highest number of species recorded at any site, at 274.
UK Biodiversity Action Plan
Biodiversity Action Plan
A Biodiversity Action Plan is an internationally recognized program addressing threatened species and habitats and is designed to protect and restore biological systems. The original impetus for these plans derives from the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity...
(UK BAP) habitats at Fairburn Ings: mesotrophic lakes, reedbed, lowland meadow. BAP species of these habitats include: grey partridge (Perdix perdix), turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur), skylark (Alauda arvense), song thrush (Turdus philatelist), tree sparrow (Passer montanus), linnet (Carduelis cannabina), bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyorrhoea), reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus), corn bunting (Milaria calandra), water vole (Arvicola terrestris ) and pipistrelle bat (Pipistrellus pippistrellus).
Birds of conservation concern of these habitats include: the black-necked grebe (Podiceps nigrocollis), Garganey (Anas querquedula), redshank (Tringa totanus), whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus) and golden plover (Pluvialis apricalia).
External links
- Official site
- UK Biodiversity Action Plan Website
- Fairburn Ings on the VisitWoods website