• Sightings 10/02/11

    Simon Wilson

    Hi,

    It has been a very drizzly day at RSPB Frampton Marsh today. Well done to the volunteers that braved the poor conditions and helped with the trail repairs.

    Sightings have included:

    Whooper swan 23

    Bewick's swan 11

    European white-fronted goose 18

    Dark-bellied brent goose 950

    Wigeon 650

    Gadwall 27

    Teal 350

    Pintail 12

    Shoveler 29

    Pochard 2

    Tufted duck 45

    Scaup 2

    Goldeneye 3

    Marsh harrier 1

    Merlin…

  • 8/2/2011

    Jenny
     
    It has been a busy day here at Frampton Marsh. It was great to see that everyone was making the most of the lovely mild weather and beautiful February sunshine.
     
    It is on days like these I feel lucky to work at such a wonderful place, and I really enjoyed my walk round the site as I got on with some odd jobs this afternoon, along with hide cleaning. Especially, as there were so many birds to see out of all the hides…

  • 7/2/2011

    Jenny
    It has been a blustery day here at Frampton Marsh but sun has been shining!
     
    After a few days holiday, I was keen to get out and see the reserve again. So set off to have a wander round Marsh farm this morning, and do the monthly survey which allows us to monitor what birds use this area of the site during the winter months. The highlight this morning was a group of eighteen white fronted geese, but I was also pleased…

  • Sightings 04/02/11

    Simon Wilson

    Hello,

    it has been a very blustery day at RSPB Frampton Marsh. The wind has kept me indoors, and the birds on the water.

    Highlights have included:

    Mute swan 22
    Bewick’s swan 11
    European white-fronted goose 18
    Dark-bellied brent goose 250
    Wigeon 1050
    Gadwall 25
    Pintail 10
    Pochard 2
    Tufted duck 42
    Scaup 2
    Goldeneye 3
    Hen harrier 2 (male and female)
    Merlin 1 (female)
    Ringed plover 2
    Golden plover …

  • North Scrape Gate

    Toby Collett

    This is what you can expect to see today

  • Spring is here?

    Simon Wilson

    Hi,

    there were a few signs of Spring today at RSPB Frampton Marsh. The snow drops that have been peaking through in the office garden have started to show the first little sparkle of white, with the odd petal beginning to appear. Down on the reserve, hares have been seen boxing, lapwings have been displaying and some of the mallards have been pairing up.

    If you were here at any part of the day, you will know that the…

  • 26/1/2011

    Jenny

    I left most of the team to tackle the task of trying to install a camera in the barn owl box; this is situated opposite the Visitor Centre this morning. We are hoping it will be up and running for the spring.

     

    I set off for a walk round all the trails and to all the hides, with a clipboard in hand. I was doing a QA (quality assurance checks), which either a member of staff or volunteer carries out each month to try…

  • Birds galore!

    Simon Wilson

    Hello,

    It has been a very chilly day today at RSPB Frampton Marsh. The sky has remained clear all day, allowing amazing views of a beautiful sunset.

    Sighting highlights have included:

    Whooper swan 20

    Bewick's swan 1

    European white-fronted goose 18

    Dark-bellied brent goose 450

    Wigeon 400

    Teal 220

    Tufted duck 30

    Scaup 2

    Goldeneye 2

    Hen harrier 1 male

    Sparrowhawk 1 male

    Merlin 1

    Peregrine 1

    Golden plover…

  • Sightings for 21/1/2011

    Jenny

    Its been a chilly but beautiful day here at Frampton Marsh. The sun has lit up the reserve and the water has been twinkling in its light.

    The black-tailed godwits have been a joy to watch feeding just metres from the Visitor centre and the fence running along the path to the right of the Visitor centre.

    The highlights from our freshwater habitats today have included:

    Hen harriers (male and female)

    White fronted …

  • Sightings 15/01/11

    Simon Wilson

    Hello,

    it has been a very windy day today at RSPB Frampton Marsh. Most of the birds have spent the day huddle up in an attenpt to keep warm.

    Highlights have included:

    Mute swan 8

    Bewick's swan 2

    Whooper swan 14

    Pink-footed goose 120 (over)

    European white-fronted goose 28

    Greylag goose 4

    Canada goose 200

    Shelduck 12

    Wigeon 250

    Gadwall 18

    Mallard 153

    Pintail 10

    Shoveler 25

    Pochard 12

    Tufted duck 1…

  • Visitor centre open

    Simon Wilson

    Hello,

    the RSPB Frampton Marsh visitor centre was reopened this afternoon after a few electrical problems caused us to close.

    Visitors were once again able to use the toilets, have a coffee and enjoy the wonderful views from the cosy visitor centre.

    Four waxwings perched in the top of an ash tree for most of this afternoon, occasionally dropping on to the rose hips for a feed.

     

    Other highlights included:

    gadwall…

  • Visitor Centre Opening again

    John Badley

    Ok, so we've had a few problems with the power supply in the Visitor Centre, of course this just happened to co-incide with the coldest December for 100 years, so we really had no option but to close it after Christmas. But I can now report that after various specialist contractors have visited we will be able to reopen the Centre from lunchtime on Friday 14th January. We tested the system today and everything worked…

  • Saltmarsh Adventure!

    Jenny
    Visitor Centre
    The Visitor Centre remains closed due to an electric fault. But the hides, trails, and car park remain open. Please continue to look at this blog for the latest information or give us a ring on 01205 724678.
     Saltmarsh Survey
    This afternoon, Graham and I went out to see what was about on the saltmarsh. This is done on a monthly basis in the winter as part of a low tide passerine count. So with the sun…

  • East Hide Viewpoint

    Toby Collett

    This is what you can expect to see today

  • A New Year's Day Wander

    Jenny

    Visitor Centre

    The Visitor Centre remains closed due to an electrical fault but the footpaths and hides are open. Please continue to look at this blog for up dates.

    Today's Wander

    I decided to go collect some salinity data (which I failed to do in December due to the frozen conditions) this morning. I thought it would be a nice opportunity to have a walk round the reserve. I was pleased to find that I wasn't the…

  • Visitor Centre closed.

    Simon Wilson

    Hello,

    Unfortunately, due to an electrical fault, the RSPB Frampton Marsh Visitor Centre will be closed for the next few days. The car park, footpaths and hides will remain open. We apologise for any inconvinience this may have caused.

    Please continue to check this blog page for further updates.

    Best wishes for the New Year,

     

    Simon and the Frampton team.

  • Big Garden Bird Watch is less than a month away!

    Simon Wilson

    Hello,

    I hope you are all ready for tomorrow's festivities! Here at RSPB Frampton Marsh, we have been providing a little Christmas dinner to some of our hungry birds. For the last month, we have been throwing seed out infront of our visitor centre for the finches, buntings and sparrows. This has been very beneficial for all concerned. The birds have had some easy meals without having to waste valuable energy finding…

  • Whilst it still freezing outside, we now have heating!

    Jenny
    That’s right, not only does the Visitor Centre offer a bit of shelter from the wind but its is now a heated bird watching hide, with greenfinches, yellow hammers, and black-tailed godwits feeding within metres of the windows! The engineers spent yesterday working away, and we now have the capability to store electricity from the generator in batteries which can power the lights, hot water, and the under floor heating…

  • Hedgerow Planting

    Jenny
    Three weeks ago, John arrived at the workshop one lunchtime with a trailer full of hedgerow plants. Yey, some fun for me and the practical volunteers! – well that was the plan but since then they have sat in the workshop, as with the ground frozen, digging was not the job to be doing.
     
    But with, the onset of some warmer weather this week, the time came for some hedge planting! So today, with the assistance of…

  • Sightings 11/12/10

    Simon Wilson

    Hello,

    It has been a very bright day at RSPB Frampton Marsh. The snow and ice is melting, and the birds have started to return.

    Whooper swan 16
    Dark-bellied brent goose 4000+
    Hen harrier 3 (2 male 1 ringtail, all seen together)
    Sparrowhawk 1 male
    Curlew 110+
    Black-tailed godwit 55
    Golden plover 33
    Ringed plover 12
    Redwing 100+
    Fieldfare 650 +
    Starling 3500+
    Linnet 50+
    Reed bunting 40+
    Yellowhammer 26

    …

  • An eventful day!

    Jenny
    Visitor Centre
    Due to the freezing conditions, the Visitor Centre remains closed today, and will be until at least Saturday 11th December. The reserve and car park are open but if you do come down to Frampton Marsh please take extra care, as the roads and paths are very icy. Please look at our website at http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/f/framptonmarsh/index.aspx or give us a ring on 01205 724678 for the latest information…

  • Snow joke

    John Badley

    We're afraid the Visitor Centre will remain closed all weekend (4 & 5 December) due to the weather.

    For the adventurous the car parks, trails and hides will remain open, but please bear in mind all the water bodies are frozen everything is covered in snow.....looks great though, see below...

    .

    As for the snow joke: What happened when the snowgirl fell out with the snowboy? She
    gave him the cold shoulder (sorry…

  • Snow!

    Jenny
    It has been a rather wintry few days here at Frampton Marsh. We have had a few inches of snow and the temperatures have barely made it above freezing.
    This weather makes life not only harder for us as we brave the roads to get to and from work, but it also makes life much more difficult for the birds. So please do remember them, as this cold spell continues. I’ve been putting seed outside the visitor centre each morning…

  • Some artwork, and a few odd jobs.

    Jenny
    It has definitely felt that bit cooler out and about today. I spent most of the morning in the workshop, so at least out of the wind, sorting wood and maintaining machinery.
     
    Before popping over to the reserve just before lunch. For those of you who have been down to the reserve in the last week, you may have noticed some black posts around the reedbed trail, and wondered what they are for. Well, I went round and attached…

  • 22/11/2010

    Jenny
    A changeable day here at Frampton Marsh, with some brilliant winter sunshine intermixed with November showers.
     
    The first job of the day, involved a ride down to the pump hut with Graham (Warden), for the daily check to ensure the pump is running ok. We are continuing to pump water onto the reserve, currently in the reedbed. Having a look this afternoon, the water level has risen by 12cm so far this month.
     
    On the…