Hello there! I will begin by sharing an image of the visitor centre pond that I took once the sun came out on Sunday:
As the weather hasn't been that great this week, there haven't been many crane sightings and our nesting pair have been mostly keeping their heads down. However, a group of three have been seen over Joist Fen viewpoint this morning. These are likely to be some of the non-breeders that are currently roaming around the Fens.
Up to 11 booming male bitterns can still be heard from the reedbeds and they are being seen in flight fairly regularly. Marsh harriers are continuing to show well in between showers and a small group of bearded tits were feeding near Mere Hide this morning.
There are still at least 30 hobbys in the area, so look out for them over Joist Fen viewpoint in dry conditions. Cuckoos are still widespread and it seems that at least one of the males present has been satellite tagged by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Several grasshopper warblers are still singing and the local bird ringers managed to ring one in Brandon Fen early on Tuesday morning.
Good numbers of waders have been passing through and here are the maximum counts for a couple of species this week:
Please ask in the visitor centre for the best place to look for these species on arrival.
At least three great white egrets are still present and are best seen from Joist Fen viewpoint. At least one pair of garganeys are still present, so look out for them between Mere Hide and Joist Fen viewpoint. A couple of common terns have been seen along the river in recent days and a single raven has flown over on several occasions this week.
Small groups of roe deer have been seen on the reserve this week and Muntjac deer can be heard barking in the poplar woods. Although it hasn't been the best weather for insects this week, look out for mayflies emerging over the next couple of days.
I will finish off back where I started, with an image of the visitor centre pond, this time from this morning:
Image credits: David White
If you are planning to visit the reserve, please note that there are still cattle grazing on the riverbank Public Footpath.
We hope to see you soon!