So our juvenile common crane is still around, and I still haven't seen it. This is the third time in as many days I've headed off to one side of the reserve, only to find I've just missed it and its flown to the other. The best spots to see it seem to have been conveniently from Lin Dike Hide, Pickup Hide and also from the road between the flashes. Even though I haven't seen it with own eyes, I have seen some great pictures, including this one emailed in by Clare Scott - Thanks Clare!
Pickup Hide's been pretty busy over the weekend with the animals coming 2 by 2, (fingers crossed not an omen of floods to come!) sightings of 2 yellow wagtails, 2 marsh harriers swooping about in the early morning today, 2 lesser whitethroats, 2 whimbrel flying over, a lonely green woodpecker and lots of lapwings.
The reedbed by the feeding platform, usually the spot for chucking seed to the ducks, has provided great close ups views of sedge warblers, whitethroat and even a grasshopper warbler.
The kingfisher has made a return to the newly extended screen, and was seen fishing this morning.
At Lin Dike visitors have watched roe deer, cuckoos seen and heard, wood sandpiper, curlew, green sandpiper, 7 greenshanks and a ringed plover.
Also a nice selection of butterflies getting blown around and the odd dragonfly and damselfly sheltered around the discovery trail.