Good morning. I have now returned from the best part of two and a half weeks "down south" to find that Autumn has arrived at RSPB Lakenheath Fen. It's incredible how much the reserve has changed in such a short time.
I will start with sharing a some pictures that have been shared with us over the last couple of weeks:
Osprey:
Image credit: Matt Walton
Image credits: Ian Goodall
Image credit: Ken Clegg
Water rail:
Thank you very much to Matt, Ian and Ken for sharing these great images with us.
I will start off where Emma left off with sightings from over the weekend. Local birder Steve was on site on Sunday and he saw seven hobbys from Joist Fen viewpoint. He also saw a grey wagtail flying west over the far end of the reserve.
There were also plenty of insects out and about at the far end of the reserve. This included a couple of willow emerald damselflies, a hornet mimic hoverfly and a possible stripe-winged grasshopper.
There was some excitement on Tuesday when an otter was seen fishing in the visitor centre pond and a bittern was lurking at the edge of the same pond (though not at the same time unfortunately!) Meanwhile further down the reserve, Site Manager Dave saw a green sandpiper near Joist Fen viewpoint.
Yesterday morning, Emma saw a sparrowhawk over the visitor centre pond. I came down for a walk after driving back up from Dorset and walked down the riverbank to Joist Fen viewpoint. There were plenty of butterflies on the wing including a small copper and several peacocks. There were also large numbers of dragonflies on the wing, including lots of migrant hawkers and ruddy darters.
When I got down to Joist Fen viewpoint, I could hear plenty of bearded tits pinging in the triangle behind the viewpoint. I spoke to somebody who had just seen the osprey carrying a fish over Mere Hide. Although I wasn't lucky enough to see it myself, I was treated to great views of a juvenile peregrine hunting over West Wood, the furthest poplar plantation.
I went for a walk around Brandon Fen this morning and a green woodpecker flew over. There were also two Cetti's warblers singing away at the edge of the grazing marsh. I took this photo of the ramp up to the riverbank looking very autumnal:
Image credit: David White
One thing to update you on is that the interior path around New Fen North, the first area of reedbed is now open. Please note that this path may be uneven in places.
There is plenty to see at the moment so why not come and visit? We hope to see you soon!