Far Ings is situated on the south bank of the Humber Estuary, a major east-west flyway for migrating birds. The sight and sound of a skein of geese flying over is spectacular. The pits and reedbeds at Far Ings and along the Humber bank are a legacy of the tile and cement industry which flourished between 1850 and 1959. Thanks to pioneering management by Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, the reserve is
now rich in wildlife and one of the UK strongholds for bittern. Pipits, finches, swallows, martins, swifts, larks, starlings, waders and wildfowl move along the estuary. In late summer the reedbeds are important hirundine roosts. Autumn and winter reward the observer on the Humber bank with sightings of redshank, wigeon, black-tailed godwit, skeins of pink-footed geese and many more species. Among the wildfowl which spend the winter months on the pits within the reserve, look for the diminutive teal.
