It may not have felt like it this week, with northerly winds and flurries of snow, but winter is gradually drawing to an end and we are completing various tasks before the birds start nest building. It is obvious to me where our team of regular volunteers have been toiling away throughout the winter, but the results are most visible to the public when we get contractors in. Last week our reed cutting contractor cut >2ha in two areas - the fen that should have been grazed last year, and part of the reedbed that we haven't worked in for many years. I was reminded of why we hadn't worked in the latter place each time we pulled the mower out of a wet patch! If it's too wet to get in, there's no need to cut it!! Cutting and/or burning reedbeds allows the accumulated dead material to be removed, which keeps the ground wet and stimulates new growth.
We also had a mini-digger in for two days, digging the foundations for our new kingfisher nest bank (watch this space...), clearing out a small ditch, and digging out several ponds. I am keen to see our ponds in good shape, as they are great habitats for the nationally scarce Fen Pondweed, and they are always colonised by stoneworts after the work has been done.
Many of our winter visitors are still with us - the female hen harrier is still roosting every evening around 5pm, and one or more merlins hunt over the reserve at about the same time. We have seen evidence of duck movements recently, with a flock of 11 wigeon dropping in to the mere last weekend; 48 teal were counted yesterday; and a male shoveler has been here for a week. It would be nice if that attracted a mate and bred for the first time.
However, as I write this on the morning of the 15th, the wind has turned to the south-west, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are one or two chiffchaffs on the reserve today. Mid March is the time they usually start to turn up, but I suspect they will have been intimidated by the adverse weather and wind direction. I love the sound of their song. Our resident species have been in full voice for a while now, but for me the sound of the chiffchaff is the first sure indication that spring is almost here.
The new bank is in full view of Spring Hide. We have been building it on two days a week over the last two months, and the end is in sight. The structure was completed last week, and next week we will be rendering the front so that it has a smooth surface that will hopefully be impossible for mink to climb. After the rendering has been done, we can remove the builder's platform and dig out the excess soil below the entrances, so it should be finished by the end of May. This is obviously too late for the start of the breeding season but kingfishers can have three broods, so we might attract birds from elsewhere for their second or third attempts.
Where in the reserve is the kingfisher nest bank sited? Is it in sight of one of the hides?