Last week's flooding has thankfully receded, leaving the car park and most paths clear if a little muddy. For some sections you do still need wellies to get by, notably the stretch between the Busway and Coucher Hide, the south-west corner of Drayton Lagoon and the south-east corner of Ferry Lagoon.

That said, there is plenty to enjoy on the reserve right now so don't let a bit of splashing and squelching put you…

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” Dickens

We enjoyed a very pleasant Wednesday Wildlife Wander on the reserve this morning. Last month's walk was pretty arctic, and looking at the forecast I feared we might be in for the same biting wind and cold today; but true to Dicken's words there was at least…

Early this morning, an eery noise emanated from the depths of a reedbed on Holywell Lake...the sound of a booming bittern!

Booming is the noise this enigmatic species of heron makes to try and attract a female in spring. It's a bit like a foghorn, or what you get when you blow across the top of a big empty plastic bottle. It's impressively loud, too, audible up to several miles away.

Hearing one this morning…

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…

February has seemed alternately a prelude to spring and a variation on winter! Some days it's been as cold, windy and flooded as at Christmas; on others you can sense by the teaming bird song and new lightness in the air that warmer days are on the way.

Looking on the bright side, the muddy paths left by our most recent inundation offer a great opportunity for spotting wildlife tracks. Try untangling the footprints…

Well, it’s been a mixed weekend on the reserve – a mild Saturday followed by heavy rain overnight, sunshine, a biting wind and rising floodwater. The unexpected emergence of a peacock butterfly seemed to echo my confusion as to how many layers I should have on.

The lakes were alive with coots, wigeons, shovelers, pochards, gadwalls, tufted ducks, a teal, a few goldeneyes and goosanders, several pintails and…

Another beautiful weekend on the reserve! If you've been stuck indoors have a look at the lovely snowy photos on the website - thanks to everyone who's posted.

Image: Steve Dobromylski

Thanks too for contributing your wildlife sightings to the the community forum and Birdtrack. It's very helpful to us for keeping track of what's about and sharing the information with other visitors.

A highlight from Saturday…

January can seem a bit of a bleak month, but last weekend was proof that once you wrap up warm and get outdoors there's lots to enjoy! 

On Saturday evening we were lucky with the weather and able to go ahead with our two stargazing sessions, each fully booked and highly anticipated following the airing of BBC Stargazing Live last week (follow the link to download your free stargazing booklet).

Our guide to the skies…

Happy new year all!

If you're heading out to the reserve for some fresh air and exercise after the festivites, remember to bring your wellies. The car park is open again following more flooding over the holidays but it's still very muddy. Some sections of path are still under a bit of water and are best avoided unless you're very sure of your footing.

However, I'm happy to say it's nearly time for the annual…

On Friday we held a willow weaving workshop at one of the local village halls, always a popular event.

Alan, who has volunteered at Fen Drayton Lakes and at Ouse Fen for many years now, taught us how to make our own baskets using willow harvested from Fen Drayton Lakes.

'Willow bashing', basically cutting back willow, is one of the regular tasks on the reserve. It's a tree that loves the wet so it does very…

For the last couple of days the reserve has been looking beautiful in thick hoar frost.

The hardy souls who turned out for this morning's guided walk were well rewarded. Our assistant warden Tim had worked out a route to make the most of the glorious views and wildlife on display while avoiding the paths which remain flooded. (The loops around Ferry Lagoon and Elney Lake are still under water in parts.) 

We got off to…

I'm sorry to say that the car park is currently closed due to flooding. To give you an idea of depth, a heron was fishing on the entrance road this morning...

Most trails are impassable and the Guided Busway cyclepath through the reserve has also been shut by the Busway operators.

Water levels were still rising today and for your safety we strongly advise against visiting at the moment.

However, if you do come…

Great news - this week a rare and elusive species was spotted at Fen Drayton Lakes for the first time.

A band of young wildlife enthusiasts discovered the pumpkin bird roosting at the edge of Ferry Lagoon. We were particularly delighted to learn that it has managed to raise a chick this year despite poor conditions over the breeding season.

Exercising superb wildlife tracking skills, the group set out at dusk to trace…

What with the cold, the wind and the hour change this weekend, I reckon we’re all of the same mind: time to get out the winter layers. The wildlife activity on the reserve over the last couple of weeks confirms that we’re drawing into the final stage of the year. Now my fingers have warmed up enough to type, here’s what’s been going on...

The starlings are building in number locally. Last weekend…

October’s usually one of my favourite months, and this year is proving no exception. Here are some of the wildlife moments we’ve been enjoying in the autumn sunshine.  

We saw some redwings this morning, the first winter thrushes to arrive. Look out for them feeding up on berries or in large flocks on the fields.

Those who came on this week’s Wednesday Wander were treated to a male bearded tit flying…

Every autumn, Cambridgeshire Bird Club coordinates a ‘raptor watch’ at the same time at various spots around the county. For two hours everyone scans the skies for birds of prey. The records from this co-ordinated count help illustrate local breeding successes and migration.

This year the watch is taking place tomorrow morning, Saturday 22 September, and we're looking forward to finding out what we see at…

Cycling home last night, I was treated to my first glimpse of gathering starlings - a taste of the autumn and winter to come.

It was about 7 pm, dusk falling early with heavy rain on the way. A cloud of birds appeared over Oxholme Lake:

Through the autumn and winter evenings, starlings flock like this all over the UK. The gatherings, called 'murmurations', are huge - it's one of nature's real spectacles. They swoop…

The Fens flood - it's what they do best.

What fascinates me about this fact of geography is how it shapes the lives of both the wildlife and the people here. 

I drifted into this channel of thought while looking out over Ferry Lagoon yesterday, admiring all the common terns fishing in the lake. Such graceful fliers, and if you keep looking you'll soon spot one with a freshly-caught fish in its bill.

Here…

I was going to write a 'proper' post this evening, but after the heat today I feel much like these sheep under the hide:

It was a beautiful day for a stroll, but definitely a gentle one. Lovely to watch the sunlight catching the water and the dancing dragonflies and damselflies.

Tomorrow looks set to be a scorcher too. If you come to enjoy the lakes with us, do stop by the Holywell car park. You'll receive…

Hello folks!

As the new visitor and publicity officer here at Fen Drayton Lakes (aka 'the new Neil') I wanted to introduce myself.

I'm joining the Fen Drayton team after 16 months at RSPB Middleton Lakes, another beautiful reserve north-east of Birmingham. I'm really glad to be returning to the Fens now - I used to live here for a few years and love the wildlife and enormous skies of this part of the world…

Flood water is starting to drain off again and the car parks are now open. Some paths are still flooded, particularly around Moore Lake, Drayton Lagoon and Ferry Lagoon, and most of the rest are wet and muddy. Let’s hope summer arrives next week...

The reserve is flooding again, for the 3rd time this summer. Unbelievable!

The car parks and hide are now closed.

Footpaths along the riverbanks, to the hide and on the south side of Ferry Lagoon are flooded.

Please take care if visting the site as other paths are wet and muddy.

June is usually a fairly quiet time for birds at the lakes, but there are still nice things to see. One of my favourite sights at the moment are the common tern chicks on our tern rafts (you can see these from the hide at Moore Lake, the viewpoint by the main car park and from the riverbank footpath at Ferry Lagoon). Most of the rafts now have a few fluffy chicks with other adults still incubating their eggs. I like to…

The unpredictability of nature is a key part of why we get out of bed in the mornings to go out and look at wildlife.  Saturday was a classic example.

The windy weather might have inspired many people to go shopping rather than visit a nature reserve.  After all, most creatures are harder to spot or hear under such conditions.  But, if you make the effort, you have a chance of a good reward.  It is a bit like winning the…

The weather certainly hasn't been remotely summery over the Jubilee weekend, but birds have been getting on with their busy lives.  A pair of blackcaps has been working hard throughout, flying with caterpillars from a hedge to their nest in some bushes, then back to trhe hedge a few moments later.  In hindsight, we should've timed them - my impression is the work rate increased over the weekend, which suggests they…