Yesterday we mowed the area to the west of Reedbed Hide, to enable people to see some of our reedbed birds better. During our well-earned lunch in the hide, we were able to enjoy the fruits of our labours - a pair of water rails with a small chick feeding in the shallow water that we had just exposed. There were also lots of reed warblers feeding in the same area.
Today one of our regular visitors reported seeing three water rail chicks there. He also saw a juvenile cuckoo and a kingfisher (not often seen lately), and a female marsh harrier flew over. Later this morning I saw an adult cuckoo, and heard a Cetti's warbler singing by the plastic boardwalk.