We have begun 2025 with many of our star bird species featuring on our list, which you can see below:As you may notice, we saw most of these birds on the 2 January- as the Visitor Centre was closed on New Years' Day. However, our regular volunteer Paul was here on a VERY blowy, wet and wild January 1 and recorded a few species as listed above. We are still waiting on a couple of birds of prey present on the reserve before Christmas- Hen harrier and Merlin. It is hard to believe but we are now only a matter of weeks away from seeing the first passage waders like Black-tailed godwit and Avocet. It is probably a sign of the times that it didn't take long for our first Cattle egret, Raven and Chiffchaff sightings of 2025 to come in. Happily Cattle egret and Raven are becoming more common as time goes by, and Chiffchaff is definitely a fairly common winter sighting now, as more and more overwinter here in the UK.On the reserve this week we have seen some sharp frosts and cold nights, which leave the reserve decorated in icy glitter. Coupled with the bright blue skies of these past two days, Lakenheath Fen is a wonderful place for a wintery walk if you wrap up warm. We have been keeping the feeders topped up for the dozens of birds visiting constantly- a couple of Marsh tits have been highlights, as well as frequent visits from a male and female Great spotted woodpecker. Reed buntings are now visiting regularly too and it is lovely to see such a beautiful bird up close- during the summer months we seldom get a good view. Goldfinch, Long-tailed tit and Coal tit are frequent too, and one or two Water rail are often to be found in this frozen weather picking up spilt seed from under both sets of feeders- at the Visitor Centre and the Photo Station.Along the path just beyond the balcony (towards the Washland Viewpoint) a flock of up to 35 Redpoll have been dropping down to feed on the tiny, rusty-orange Alder seeds which have fallen from the cones in the trees above. The Redpolls are often joined by Siskin, Goldfinches, Chaffinches and the odd Redwing too who may be turning over the fallen leaves at the edges of the path. If you visit us in the morning it is common to see hundreds of Redwing feeding under the poplar trees along the entrance track- often mixed with Blackbirds. Look out for Roe and Muntjac deer here too, and if you leave the reserve around dusk you may see a Woodcock or two flying up and down the track in the trees above your car- twilight is when they emerge from their daytime roost and their jerky flight is quite bat-like, as they change direction and flutter frequently.Marsh harriers at dusk
Regular visitors may know about our winter Marsh harrier roost- where these beautiful birds of prey come to spend the night in the reedbeds. However, these roosts are about more than simply roosting- if the weather is fine (rain and strong winds can put them off) then there is much socialising and interaction that goes on too for the observer to enjoy. The first harriers arrive and settle down after some flying about, but often later arrivals stir up the roost as they themselves fly around, and a bit of squabbling and chasing is common. Males will tend to show off a bit and it's quite possible they are prospecting for mates for the coming breeding season. It's not just Marsh harriers that roost in the reedbeds too- many small birds like Reed bunting, Corn bunting and Yellowhammer like the same habitat, and we often record Meadow pipit and tits joining in too. The prospect of settling down for the night just above water and within the shelter of the reedbed seems attractive to many birds, large and small. The odd Hen harrier may also be spotted coming in with their larger relatives, the Marsh harriers, and a variety of birds of prey like Barn owl, Merlin, Peregrine and Sparrowhawk are drawn to the high numbers of small birds congregating at dusk- so you really could see anything. If you are staying late for the harrier roost then keep an eye out for Woodcock and an ear out for Tawny owl on your walk back to the car park- both will be out and about and vocal in the early evenings of January and February.What's happening on the reserve
Our volunteers have been busy this week clearing willow scrub from the reedbeds- this is essential work to keep the reedbed open and- well- full of reeds! A reedbed is only ever really a 'successional' habitat- i.e. temporary. New wetlands are overtaken by reeds and over the years the build-up of dead stems and leaves in the water causes the ground to dry up and then wet-loving trees like Willow and Alder can move in. As their roots grow, they dry the soil further so that species like Silver birch and Oak can eventually take over, and the site will become woodland. When our dedicated work parties remove the encroaching scrub, it keeps the habitat suitable for reedbed specialists like Bitterns, Marsh harriers and Bearded tits to live and nest in. We do a bit every winter, to try and keep on top of things, and we stop in February, well ahead of the nesting season of these reedbed specialists.This weekend we have the first of our Raptors in the Reedbed guided walks- on Sunday- which is happily fully booked. Hopefully the numbers of Marsh harriers coming in to roost will hold up for the guests to enjoy in the early evening. We are also in the process of making a new set of directional blackboard signs for all of the junctions on our trails ahead of our busy season, which starts in March.The weather for this weekend is looking dry, bright and chilly and we hope to welcome plenty of visitors to enjoy our wintery wildlife highlights. As always, if you have any questions about the reserve then please either pop in to see us, give us a call on 01842 863400 or e-mail us at lakenheath@rspb.org.uk. With best wishes from the Lakenheath Fen team,Heidi Jones (Visitor Experience Officer, RSPB Lakenheath Fen).