Good morning! We have reached the longest weekend of the year and we have plenty going on over the course of the next two days.

It was a bright but breezy day on Wednesday and Suzanne headed down to New Fen viewpoint at lunchtime. She saw a hobby, a cuckoo a marsh harrier.

The weather conditions were similar on Thursday and local photographer Matt Walton was here early. He took these great pictures:

A barn owl:

A flying bittern:

A pair of marsh harriers:

Image credits: Matt Walton

Thank you very much to Matt for sharing these great pictures with us.

I went for a walk before work and a speckled wood was sunning itself alongside East Wood. I also spotted a roe deer with a fawn, which was really nice to see. 

There were plenty of blue tailed damselflies on the wing alongside Trial Wood and there were several common buzzards around. One was circling over Trial Wood and there were two over the riverbank.

A cuckoo was calling well in West Wood and two marsh harriers were passing food to eachother over Mere Hide.

There was also plenty to see from the visitor centre. A red kite drifted east overhead and a kingfisher was fishing in the visitor centre pond.

A bittern was seen from Mere Hide and a turtle dove flew west along the river. A grass snake was also basking on the hard track near New Fen viewpoint. 

It was a fairly good day yesterday and the little bittern was heard barking near New Fen viewpoint. 

I have spent the morning in the visitor centre and a grey wagtail was feeding on the lawn in front of the visitor centre. There were also two great spotted woodpeckers feeding on the lawn and a jay was on the peanut feeder.

Darren, one of our volunteers, took two friends down to Joist Fen viewpoint and they saw nine bittern flights. They also saw a cuckoo and a hobby perched up just west of the viewpoint.

There is plenty going on at the moment so why not come and visit? We hope to see you soon!