Good afternoon. Plenty has been going on here over the last couple of days so without any further ado, I will begin:
On Thursday afternoon, a goldcrest was singing in front of the visitor centre and two jack snipe were reported along the riverbank. A total of nine cranes were also seen from Joist Fen viewpoint over the course of the day.
I went for a walk around Brandon Fen first thing on Friday morning and saw three roe deer. I also saw 28 whooper swans and a water pipit from the Washland viewpoint.
As the day went on, four cranes were seen from Joist Fen viewpoint along with three great white egrets. Emma and Cat also saw a curlew flying over the visitor centre.
The reserve team were also busy working on our our new photography shelter over the course of the day:
Although it isn't quite finished, it is now usable and there are some feeders in front of it so why not come and give it a try. It is a short walk from the visitor centre so it is easy to get to!
It was really rather chilly first thing yesterday morning. However, the area around the Washland viewpoint looked very picturesque in the morning sunshine:
I actually saw two Cetti's warblers from the viewpoint which was a present surprise. A single whooper swan was present along with eight shelducks.
As the morning went on, seven cranes were seen in flight from Joist Fen viewpoint and three great white egrets were seen in the same area. I went for a walk around Brandon Fen at lunchtime and saw eight roe deer. A great white egret was showing well from the Washland viewpoint and two male tufted ducks were feeding in the river.
There were some interesting light conditions this morning, as you can see from these photographs that I took in Brandon Fen:
Image credits: David White
I heard some bearded tits calling in the reedbed and a great spotted woodpecker was drumming in the woods. A jay was skulking near the car park and a green woodpecker flew towards the visitor centre, calling as it went.
If you are planning to visit the reserve, please note that the riverbank Public Footpath between the Washland viewpoint and Joist Fen viewpoint is still very muddy. You will need wellies to negotiate it at present.
We hope to see you soon!