Good morning. There has been plenty to see recently so here are some more recent sightings.
Local photographer David Gowing spent some time in Mere Hide on Thursday morning and took these fantastic photographs of two different bitterns, an adult and a juvenile:
Image credits: David Gowing
Thank you very much to David for sharing these great images with us.
A kingfisher was also showing well from the hide.
Volunteer Lawrence went for a walk around the reserve in the afternoon. He saw around 40 lapwings on the washland and a flock of around 30 goldfinches along the riverbank. He also saw a marsh harrier hunting over the washland.
On Friday morning, I counted six little egrets on the washland and a green sandpiper flew over. A great crested grebe was feeding on the river and there was plenty of bird of prey activity in the morning sunshine. A female sparrowhawk flew from East Wood to West Wood and a male flew out of Trial Wood. I could also hear a juvenile hobby calling south of the railway line.
When I got back to the visitor centre, I met local birder Ian who had seen two garganeys on the washland and a juvenile cuckoo near the Washland viewpoint. Shortly after we opened up the visitor centre, a kingfisher appeared at the edge of the visitor centre pond and proceeded to feed in the area for most of the day.
There were some interesting invertebrates near the visitor centre during the afternoon. Two willow emerald damselflies were feeding behind the visitor centre and a hornet mimic hoverfly was feeding on the budlleia in front of the visitor centre.
Local birder Steve spent some time looking over the washland on Friday evening and saw:
Steve was again on the reserve on Saturday morning and saw the following on the washland:
There was some excitement later on in the day when volunteer Roy found a female wasp spider along the southern edge of New Fen North, the first area of reedbed. This is probably the same individual that was photographed on the reserve on Saturday 5 August, which was the first time that this species has been found on the Suffolk side of the reserve.
I came down to twitch it in the evening and here it is:
I also saw a hobby hunting over New Fen viewpoint.
I went down to see the wasp spider again this morning and here is the best photograph that I could get of it:
I also heard some bearded tits calling near New Fen viewpoint. As the morning went on, at least three swifts were feeding over the Washland viewpoint and a kingfisher was fishing at the edge of the visitor centre pond. A sparrowhawk also flew low over the pond.
There has been plenty to see on the washland including:
I headed out on the reserve late morning to photograph steam locomotive "Tornado" passing the reserve on its way to Great Yarmouth:
Image credits: David White
Just in case you are interested, it is due past again this evening at around 18.45 going towards Cambridge!
If you are planning to visit the reserve, please not that there are still cattle grazing on the riverbank between the Washland viewpoint and Joist Fen viewpoint.
We hope to see you soon!