As I’ve just been on an action packed walk up to Lin Dike and back with site manager Darren, I thought I may as well start with a recount of what we spotted. Dunlin, Snipe and Little Stint had been seen when we arrived at the hide, and in the distance was the exciting spectacle of a Marsh Harrier being mobbed by crows. Our walk back along the river saw more marvellous raptors such as a Sparrowhawk, Buzzard and Red Kite, all in the space of ten minutes!
Despite the day being a little on the grey and dreary side, we saw lots of beautiful butterflies flitting along the paths, including Speckled Wood, Small Copper, Common Blue and Wall Brown. I managed to catch the briefest of glimpses of a large, dark butterfly with pale borders on it’s wings, which Darren reckons was possibly a Camberwell Beauty. If so, this would be a rather thrilling occasion, given that the last known sighting of this rare migrant on the reserve was around 50 years ago!
The excitement didn’t end there though, as we heard both Kingfisher and Green Woodpecker on our way back. I’ve yet to see a Kingfisher at Fairburn, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed and my eyes peeled! A group of graceful Little Egrets could also be seen further down the river, as well as the occasional Heron, and a large flock of Lapwings were swooping to and fro around Big Hole, making their weird and wonderful calls to each other.
It’s well worth keeping your eyes on the ground as you walk along the trails at the minute, as there are fantastic fungi springing up all over the place as we move into autumn. These mushrooms and toadstools are the so-called ‘fruiting bodies’ of different species of fungus which live in the soil year-round, and spring up in the autumn to release their spores.
Fungus on the Lin Dike link trail
I keep seeing occasional baby frogs and toads hopping across the paths on their way to nice damp undergrowth, and I did manage to get a photo of one today for a bit of amphibious variety!
Baby toad
Visitor sightings in the past few days have included Willow Tits on the feeders and at Pickup Hide, Black Tailed Godwits, Greenshank and Wheatear amongst the Flashes, Little Egrets and Tufted Ducks from Village Bay Hide and Green Sandpipers in Main Bay.
Remember to come and tell us what you’ve seen in the visitor centre and record your sightings in the book!