Good afternoon. Here are some sightings from Sunday onwards:
On Sunday morning, two dunlins dropped into New Fen North, the first area of reedbed for a while. A great white egret was feeding north of the river and a single crane was seen in flight from Joist Fen viewpoint.
Meanwhile, closer to the visitor centre, I had a shock when I found a live mole in the disabled toilet! Fortunately, it managed to get out again. A burnet companion moth was also seen on the wing near the photography station in the afternoon.
There was some excitement in the afternoon when a honey buzzard flew over East Wood. This is the first record of this species on the reserve for quite a while so it was a welcome addition to the reserve year list!
These lovely photographs were taken from the photography station at the beginning of the week:
Goldfinch:
Female reed bunting:
Image credits: Nigel Wallace
Thank you very much to Nigel for sharing these great images with us.
This morning, I had a lovely view of a male cuckoo perched up near New Fen viewpoint. I also saw a female great crested grebe with two young chicks taking a ride on its back which was lovely to see.
I walked around Brandon Fen and had a good view of a male roe deer in the open area. I also saw a pair of mistle thrushes, which were rattling away at something unseen!
Meanwhile, further down the reserve, two bitterns were seen from Mere Hide. A stoat was also seen on the approach to the hide.
The reserve team have down a bittern & marsh harrier survey this morning. Although the marsh harriers weren’t very active due to chilly breeze, four bitterns were seen chasing eachother over the far end of the reserve. Warden Emma also saw at least 20 hobbys overhead.
If you are in to birds of prey, you may be interested in our rescheduled bird of prey walk on Sunday 20 May 10am-1pm. Please read here for more information about this event.
…And whilst I am talking about events, here is a quick plug for some behind the scenes guided walks on other reserves in the Fens in the near future:
Weather permitting, on Sunday 27 May 6am-8pm, “The wonders of the Ouse Washes” guided walk will take place. Join reserve Warden Paul for an early morning guided walk to look for breeding waders and possibly corn buntings and tree sparrows. Please click here for more information.
On Wednesday 30 May, 6 June & 13 June 9pm-11.30pm, “Night walks at the Nene” will take place. Join Assistant Warden James for an evening walk to listen for scarce species such as spotted crakes and corncrakes. Please click here for more information.
We hope to see you soon!