The RSPB Community

Super Sunset (2)

Simon Searle — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 22:34:17 GMT

This was taken at sunset on Feb 6th, and shows how sometimes its worth staying out until the sun fully sets.

Observing from Coucher Hide on Mere Lake, the sunset was at the left end of the lake. This was a group of Widgeon dabbling in the liquid gold..

Super Sunset!

Simon Searle — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 22:31:36 GMT

This was taken at sunset on Feb 6th, and shows how sometimes its worth staying out until the sun fully sets.

Observing from Coucher Hide on Mere Lake, the sunset was at the left end of the lake and framed this Great Egret rather nicely, I thought.

A Perch meets its end..

Simon Searle — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 17:15:10 GMT

Its that time of year again, when the cormorants gather in fair number on Mere Lake. There's about 50 there at the moment, and no doubt plenty of others elsewhere in the Fen Drayton Lakes reserve.

Whereas the cormorant have roosted on Mere Lake but seem to have gone to other lakes to fish for the last couple of years, I've seen them hunting as a pack on Mere Lake itself again this year. I've not seen them really drive fish shoals into the shallows yet though, and there aren't many egret and herons around Mere Lake to take advantage of them doing so, though there were 5 great egret, 3 heron and 6 or so little egret when I last went (as of 28/09/22).

I guess that its taken a few years for the numbers of fish in Mere Lake to recover from previous cormorant 'plunderings' for it to be worth the cormorant fishing there? The Great Egret in the photo here (taken from Coucher Hide) took 3 fish of similar size to this Perch over the course of 30 minutes or so, so I reckon it was doing OK..

There were also 3 glossy ibis still feeding at Mere Lake - as there has been for several months now, though whether these are always the same ones I couldn't say.

Two Glossy Ibis in front of Coucher Hide

Simon Searle — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 22:15:52 GMT

Two Glossy Ibis in front of Coucher Hide, one tossing what appears to be a shrimp

Glossy Ibis on Moore Lake, seen from Coucher Hide

Simon Searle — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 22:13:50 GMT

Two Glossy Ibis in front of Coucher Hide, one tossing what appears to be a shrimp

Video of Glossy Ibis on Moore Lake, seen from Coucher Hide

Simon Searle — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 22:00:24 GMT

This is best viewed by downloading it first - the quality is much better than you'll see online...

There were three Glossy Ibis this morning on Moore Lake - here's a short video of two of them obligingly feeding right in front of the hide.

The plumage and size of the two birds was quite different - I'm not sure if this a male/female thing, or reflects the bird's age, or what. The feeding rate looked pretty good to me (as seen in the accompanying still photos)

Most of the background noise is from lapwings.

Young fox seen at Elney Lake viewpoint

Simon Searle — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 11:54:10 GMT

Half a dozen or so 'spectators' were gathered at Elney Lake viewpoint last night, in the hope of seeing a starling murmuration. The murmuration 'sort of happened' with perhaps 300-400 starlings eventually settling down in the Holywell Lake reedbed (but not before a sparrowhawk had successfully caught one). Whilst waiting, this young (well it looks young to me!) fox appeared at the waterline, right by the viewpoint and gave us 5 minutes of so of sighting from a distance of only 7 metres or so. It didn't seem to be too spooked by our presence..

Young fox seen at Elney Lake viewpoint

Simon Searle — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 11:53:11 GMT

Starlings over Holywell

Simon Freedman — Wed, 20 Nov 2019 09:49:29 GMT

Starling murmuration over Holywell reedbed, 19/11/19

Cormorants and Little Egrets fishing; viewed from Coucher Hide

Simon Searle — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 00:03:40 GMT

A 90 second video showing cormorants and Little Egrets fishing. The cormorants were driving the fish into the shallows where the egrets were able to pick some of them off. You've got to start feeling sorry for the fish!

The clip is quite large at 100MB approx and .mp4 format - if anyone who wants to see it is having difficulties, just post to say so and I'll try uploading a .avi format file instead/as well.

Tasty tidbit

Simon Searle — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 15:28:23 GMT

Another fish that didn't live to see another day.. Taken from Coucher Hide.

What a whopper!

Simon Searle — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 15:22:00 GMT

Not the best quality photo this, but what it does show is an enormous fish being eaten. The little egret at the back of the lake got to it first, but was harassed off by the heron (again, the one in the back of the lake, in the middle of the photo). Zoom in to see the size of the fish though!

Feeding Frenzy!

Simon Searle — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 15:16:56 GMT

I was back at Coucher Hide yesterday, almost a year after I'd last posted some photos from Fen Drayton Lakes. It was almost 'deja vu' of last year - 3 great white egret, over 30 little egret and maybe 10 heron - plus perhaps 50 cormorant, with a beautiful blue sky and light winds. This lake seems to come alive at this time of year, so I guess it coincides with some stage of fish fry because it hasn't been this busy at other times.

What was interesting was the degree of 'coordinated' fishing going on. The cormorants were often fishing in the shallows and the egrets and herons followed, in large numbers, on the bank-side catching the fish that fled their way and not getting too worked up at the other birds alongside them. Even the gulls were in on the act, doing shallow dives with some success. The fish were truly abundant - I watched one heron take 3 fish, all 3-4 inches long within the space of a minute.

A spectacular sight!

Great Egret

Simon Searle — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 04:29:25 GMT

Coucher Hide again on Moore Lake, taken a couple of days after my other posting

Green Sandpiper in a sea of discarded down

Simon Searle — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 01:20:49 GMT

Taken from Coucher Hide, Moore Lake

This wasn't a one-off..

Simon Searle — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 01:08:16 GMT

We watched this great egret take 4 fish from the very edge of Moore Lake in a matter of 20 minutes (OK, they weren't all as big as this one!). No idea why the fish were all in the shallows but the 2-3 great egrets, many little egrets and herons were making the most of it! Photo taken from Coucher's Hide.

Concentration!

Simon Searle — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 00:55:21 GMT

Some of the many little egret currently on Moore Lake. Photo taken from Coucher Hide.

Arguing little egrets

Simon Searle — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 00:53:10 GMT

Taken from Coucher Hide on Moore Lake; possibly 12 little egrets present around lake, along with 3 great egrets and maybe 15 heron.

Oyster Catcher seen at Fen Drayton Lakes

Tina P — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 01:57:37 GMT

Seen at Fen Drayton Lakes on Friday 24th June. First time I have seen an Oyster Catcher over there.

Heron 11 March 2016

Tina P — Sat, 12 Mar 2016 17:07:55 GMT

Lovely sunny afternoon yesterday, spotted this Heron taking advantage of using the flooded road while no cars going through. Still worth visiting even though the road was in flood beyond the bus way.

Seen at Fen Drayton Lakes 11 March 2016

Tina P — Sat, 12 Mar 2016 17:01:55 GMT

Spotted this bird at Fen Drayton Lakes yesterday 11th March, not sure yet what it is.

heron flying away

neil d — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 04:54:54 GMT

Heron today

neil d — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 00:39:03 GMT

Heron at Fen Drayton Lakes

Tina P — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 18:23:38 GMT

Is this a Buzzard

Tina P — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 23:05:52 GMT