Good morning. The weather has been gradually improving all week and it’s a lovely morning here at the moment.
I had a walk around the reserve on a rather gloomy Thursday morning and heard a greenshank calling as it flew over the visitor centre. I also heard two kingfishers between the visitor centre and New Fen viewpoint.
The reserve team were out pulling ragwort once again and they were lucky enough to see all seven cranes in flight west of Joist Fen viewpoint.
Volunteer Lawrence went for a walk during the afternoon and he saw at least three hobbys. Two were over the washland and one was over New Fen viewpoint. He also saw at least three kingfishers in front of Mere Hide.
It was a lovely day yesterday and a muntjac deer was seen on the entrance track during the morning. Several people also saw bitterns in flight from Joist Fen viewpoint over the course of the day.
I went for a walk around Brandon Fen before work this morning and I had fantastic close up views of a barn owl hunting over the washland. A marsh tit was calling in the poplars near the riverbank and a willow warbler was singing in the big willow near the visitor centre. A brown hawker was also patrolling nearby.
I had a look in the fen plant bed in front of the visitor centre armed with my camera. The good news is that I saw some lovely insects. The bad news is that all of my photos of them were rubbish!
I will therefore rely on much better photographers than me and share some pictures of the species that I saw that have been taken here over the years:
A marbled orb weaver:
Image credit: Tim James
A common stretch-spider:
A Roesel’s bush cricket:
Image credit: Katherine Puttick
Volunteer Roy has just been out looking for invertebrates and he apparently almost trod on a grass snake. That could have ended badly for both of them!
The weather is looking pretty good for the next couple of days so why not come and visit? We hope to see you soon!