Good morning. I love this time of year as everything is so colourful! Our raised plant beds are a riot of colour at the moment and there are some lovely plants out on flower. In the bog bed, it is currently possible to admire both native species of loosestrife together:
Purple loosestrife and yellow loosestrife:
There have also been plenty of ringlets on the wing, favouring the yellow flowers of the common ragwort that is currently in flower:
Image credits: David White
It was a nice day yesterday and local photographer Matt Walton was here bright and early. Here are some of his pictures:
An otter fishing in the river:
A skulking water rail:
A posing male bearded tit:
Image credits: Matt Walton
Thank you very much to Matt for sharing these great images with us.
The reserve team did their last bittern survey of the year and Darren, one of our volunteers broke the record for the highest amount of flights during a survey. He saw 23 flights between around 8am and midday west of Joist Fen viewpoint!
There was also plenty to see from the visitor centre. A kingfisher was fishing in the visitor centre pond and several species of raptors were seen overhead. This included a common buzzard and a kestrel.
Volunteer Lawrence went for a walk in the afternoon. He saw a marsh harrier and a hobby from the Washland viewpoint. He also saw a kingfisher from New Fen viewpoint.
The weather forecast for the next couple of days is looking pretty good so why not come and visit? We hope to see you soon!