Good morning! We have been very lucky with the weather this week and there have been plenty of opportunities to take photographs. Here are a few that I just had to share:
A female marsh harrier hunting:
Image credit: Ron Smith
Two images of cuckoos:
Image credits: David Capps
Two images of kingfishers:
Image credits: Tim James
Thank you very much to Ron, David and Tim for sharing these wonderful images with us.
If I start off where I left off on Tuesday, Dave saw two hobbys hunting over Joist Fen viewpoint and Suzanne saw two cuckoos over Trial Wood.
I went for a walk on Wednesday morning and had a nice view of a willow warbler at the eastern edge of East Wood. I could hear a grasshopper warbler reeling in the same area but unfortunately, I couldn’t see it.
I got to New Fen viewpoint and I saw my first cuckoo of the year perched up in East Wood. When I got back to the visitor centre, a brambling was singing in the staff car park and a drinker moth caterpillar was trying to get in to the men’s lavatory!
It was very still yesterday morning so I went looking for warblers. Although I couldn't see the grasshopper warbler at the eastern edge of East Wood, I had a fine view of another one in the north west corner of New Fen North, the first area of reedbed.
I saw a single crane in flight through the gap between Trial Wood and West Wood and a Cetti’s warbler was right out in the open next to the Washland viewpoint which was a pleasant surprise.
As the day went on, a male orange tip flew past the office window and local bird ringer Simon Evans found a female wheatear just behind Mere Hide. He also saw a whimbrel in flight over the entrance track. A great white egret was also on the washland north of Joist Fen viewpoint.
There were several early birders out and about this morning and they saw a single crane in flight from Joist Fen viewpoint. The grasshopper warbler in New Fen North was again showing well and they saw around 40 rather late fieldfares feeding north of the river.
As they walked back through the reserve, they saw four cuckoos flying together over Trial Wood. Volunteer Roy nipped down to New Fen viewpoint and saw two kingfishers. I concentrated on this end of the reserve and my personal highlight was seeing a roe deer in Trial Wood.
There is plenty to see at the moment so why not come and visit? We hope to see you soon!