Hares and tortoises

We had a great Sunday here on the reserve - lots of people out enjoying the lakes and the start of spring in very different ways!

Our hares were the runners of the inaugural Swavesey half marathon and 5 miler. The routes included many of the surfaced tracks around the reserve and the Busway cycle path so it was a very scenic race. If I hadn't been working I'd have joined in myself... The fastest time for the half marathon was 1 hour, 18 minutes and 14.5 seconds; for the 5-miler, 30 minutes and 34.5 seconds. Impressive stuff.

Those of us tortoises who took the day at a slower pace spotted 67 bird species in all and an enjoyable variety of other wildlife.

Image: a peacock butterfly from the weekend, by Steve Dobromlyski

Several mistle thrushes and fieldfares perched up in one of the trees near the car park, much admired through the reserve telescope. There were song thrushes around too, offering a good opportunity to compare the species. (The BTO have put together a helpful video here if you’d like help telling the difference between mistle thrushes and song thrushes.)

A green woodpecker also came to feed on the ground next to Holywell Lake, delighting some of our younger visitors, while a goldcrest darted around in one of the bushes. A Cetti’s warbler made its presence known close by with characteristic bursts of loud song - you can listen to a recording if you follow the link – and later a trio of oystercatchers flew overhead. A marsh harrier swooped down along the far edge of Holywell Lake as well. It really is one of the best car parks I have known for wildlife spotting!

Elsewhere on the reserve, several people (including me for once) were lucky enough to spot the flash of a kingfisher along the drains and river.

Snipe were easily seen from the hide at Moore Lake in the morning, with not one but two yellow-legged gulls also around on the islands in the lake.

On Drayton Lagoon a male goldeneye displayed to several females, throwing its head back and kicking the water. Great to see this sign of spring on the way. At one point there were five redheads, female smews, here too.

The Slavonian grebe continued to linger on Ferry Lagoon, playing hide and seek. In the morning it was best seen from the shelter to the north, next to the river, but by the afternoon it seemed to have tucked itself away out of sight.

Image: black-tailed godwits by Steve Dobromylski

Other enjoyable sightings from volunteers and visitors alike included a treecreeper, goosanders, black-tailed godwits, teals, shelducks, lesser redpolls, long-tailed tits, redwings, a little grebe, sparrowhawk, skylarks, stonechat and reed bunting.

A fox, muntjac, rabbits and a grey squirrel were also out and about, adding some mammals to the mix.

As the weather grows warmer over the next few weeks, do come out and enjoy this wealth of nature for yourself. I've forgotten what exactly the moral of Aesop's original fable was - clearly badly brought up - but the point here is that you are welcome to enjoy Fen Drayton Lakes in many different ways, at whatver pace suits you!