Good morning. I will begin by posting an image of a willow emerald damselfly that reserve volunteer Mark Brown took near the visitor centre last week:
Image credit: Mark Brown
On Sunday, a flock of around 40 fieldfares were roaming around the reserve. It is good to know what there northern thrushes are starting to arrive. Good numbers of redwings were also present, which were nice to see.
I went for a walk before work on Monday morning and saw two stonechats in Brandon Fen. When I got back to the visitor centre, a kingfisher was fishing at the edge of the visitor centre pond.
As the day went on, Site Manager Dave saw five great white egrets feeding near Joist Fen viewpoint. He also saw a bittern in the same area.
It was a lovely start to the day on Tuesday morning and here is the view over the sandy area in Brandon Fen:
Image credit: David White
There were still two stonechats present in Brandon Fen and three ringed plovers were showing well from the Washland viewpoint. Two water rails were also calling near the viewpoint.
As the day went on, two kingfishers were showing well at the edge of the visitor centre pond for much of the day. The reserve team also saw five great white egrets at the far end of the reserve.
There were good numbers of bearded tits present yesterday and flocks of up to 30 were seen around the reserve. The best place to see them was around New Fen viewpoint.
We had a pleasant surprise at lunchtime yesterday when some lucky reserve visitors spotted a slow worm on the visitor centre lawn. This legless lizard isn't seen here very often, so this was a great record!
Meanwhile, further down the reserve, a great white egret was seen from Joist Fen viewpoint. Local photographer David Gowing also took these lovely pictures in and around Mere Hide:
Kingfisher:
Hobby:
Common buzzard:
Image credits: David Gowing
Thank you very much to Mark and David for sharing their wonderful images with us!
Although it was pretty dull and dingy this morning, I saw my first two water pipits of the autumn from the Washland viewpoint. A kingfisher was also fishing at the edge of the visitor centre pond when I got back to the visitor centre.
Just in case you don't know, it is our annual Race for Wildlife 5k and 10k run on Sunday 14 October, which starts at 11am.
As there are around 160 people taking part, the car park is likely to be very busy. If you are planning to visit the reserve, please car share if at all possible. We also recommend that you either get here early or later in the day if you can. Please also note that we won't be able to issue permits for visitors to drive down to New Fen viewpoint until around 2pm on the day. We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused.
We hope to see you soon!