Good morning. We have been treated to some lovely weather recently so here are some more recent sightings from Monday onwards.
There were at least two roe deer grazing alongside the entrance track as I drove in on Monday morning. I walked around Brandon Fen before work and had a lovely view of a male blackcap that was singing its heart out in the morning sunshine.
As the morning went on, a cuckoo was calling in East Wood and two cranes flew east along the river. The winter plumaged spotted redshank was present in New Fen North, the first area of reedbed, along with three avocets.
Later on, a bittern was seen in flight from New Fen viewpoint and a smart male brambling was showing well on the visitor centre feeders.
I took a photo of the marsh marigold that is finally coming into flower in the pond raised bed in front of the visitor centre:
Image credit: David White
We had a nice surprise mid-afternoon when a red kite drifted low over the visitor centre. We don’t see these elegant birds that often here, so it was lovely to see.
Warden Emma was out and about yesterday morning and she heard a reed warbler near Mere Hide. She also heard our first common whitethroat of the year singing near the visitor centre. Later on in the day, a male brambling was showing well on the visitor centre lawn.
There was a song thrush singing loudly in front of the visitor centre when I got here this morning. I heard a green woodpecker calling in Brandon Fen and Suzanne heard a cuckoo in the same area about half an hour later.
Meanwhile, further down the reserve, there has been plenty of crane activity this morning. Two birds flew in to New Fen North, the first area of reedbed and it sounds like there were probably more individuals involved. There was also plenty of cuckoo activity from Joist Fen viewpoint.
Finally, there are still plenty of spaces available on our Spring Stargazing event this evening. Please ring the office on: 01842 863400 to book your place.
We hope to see you soon!