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Potteric Carr: Black-winged stilt chicks in northern first

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust/Press Association Black-winged stilts at Potteric CarrYorkshire Wildlife Trust/Press Association
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust says volunteers and staff have kept an eye on the nest 'round the clock' to help protect the nest from egg collectors

Black-winged stilt chicks have hatched at a South Yorkshire reserve in what is thought to be the most northerly breeding success for the rare bird.

A pair of black-winged stilts laid four eggs at a nesting site in Potteric Carr near Doncaster a month ago, with three chicks recently spotted at the reserve.

They are rare visitors to the UK, but up to 10 pairs breed in some years across southern England.

Conservationists believe the birds are being pushed north by climate change.

The wader - whose long pink legs make up most of their height - are migratory, mainly wintering in northern Africa, and breed in Europe mostly around the Mediterranean.

The birds do not tend to return to the same nesting site but it is hoped that conservation work at the reserve will benefit other species.

Paul Paddock Black-winged stilt at Potteric CarrPaul Paddock
Black-winged stilts are migratory and mainly winter in northern Africa

Andy Dalton, operations manager at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said the team were "overjoyed" with the arrivals.

"The conservation work we do here has a significant impact for wildlife including rare species like black-winged stilts," he said.

"The team at Potteric Carr worked hard over winter to create ideal conditions for birds like these and it's been incredible to see these results."

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