Good afternoon. I was very pleased to find this photograph waiting for me in our reserve inbox this morning:
Image credit: Max Hopfl
It's a barred grass snake, which is a species that has only recently been split from the common grass snake. Please read this article for more information about this new species of reptile.
This individual was photographed near the visitor centre last week and is the first confirmed record of this species on the reserve. Thank you very much to Max for sharing this image with us.
IMPORTANT: This article has been bought to our attention since I published this blog post. It clarifies the situation surrounding the status of barred grass snakes in Britain so it is well worth a read in order to explain the full story.
I will now start of where I left off with some sightings from Wednesday afternoon onwards. A smart hornet mimic hoverfly was feeding in front of the visitor centre and there was plenty of kingfisher activity from Mere Hide.
On Thursday, Suzanne saw four swifts over Brandon Fen along with a green woodpecker. Meanwhile, further down the reserve, volunteer Lawrence saw eight swifts over Joist Fen viewpoint along with a marsh harrier. He also saw at least 30 lapwings over the washland.
Yesterday, Roy spotted a common redstart feeding near the visitor centre. A kingfisher was also making regular visits to the visitor centre pond over the course of the day.
This morning, there were around a dozen house martins and a sand martin feeding over the washland. A single swift was still present, which is very late for this species here. A group of five black tailed godwits were also circling over the Washland viewpoint.
As I walked back towards the visitor centre, I spotted a common buzzard being mobbed my a marsh harrier overhead. Locals Ian and Kath came in shortly after we opened and reported two green sandpipers on the washland. They had also seen a lesser whitethroat feeding near the visitor centre.
Volunteer Roy has shown us some interesting creatures near the visitor centre this morning including:
This common lizard in our staff car park:
A red underwing moth roosting on the front of the visitor centre:
Image credits: David White
As the day has gone on, volunteer Denise saw a bittern in flight from Mere Hide and Joist Fen viewpoint. A small flock of bearded tits have been feeding in front of the dragonfly platform near New Fen viewpoint.
If you are planning to visit the reserve tomorrow, please note that as long as the weather is kind, there will be a bird ringing demonstration as part of our Summer Family Fun Day. Please come and say hello if you are here!
There are also still cattle grazing on the riverbank Public Footpath between the Washland viewpoint and Joist Fen viewpoint.
We hope to see you soon!