Good morning. I will begin by sharing some lovely images that have been taken on the reserve over the last couple of days, mainly from Mere Hide:
Bitterns:
Presumably the same ringed bird that was present last year:
Great crested grebes:
Hobby:
Image credits: David Gowing.
Thank you very much to David for sharing these wonderful images with us.
As far as we know, our resident nesting cranes are still OK. The spare pair are still present and they have been showing well over the last couple of days. They flew over Joist Fen viewpoint on Sunday and they have spent quite some time circling over the reserve this morning.
As well as being seen regularly from Mere Hide, bitterns have been showing well elsewhere on the reserve. I spent 45 minutes on the high seat that overlooks New Fen North, the first area of reedbed this morning as part of the co-ordinated survey. I saw three flights in that time which was rather good. If you would like to join us for one of our next watches this month, please click here for more information.
The local marsh harriers have been busy with nesting behaviour recently and if you are lucky, you may see some dramatic food passes between males and females. Juvenile bearded tits are also starting to appear, so look out for them on sunny and still days.
Good numbers of cuckoos are still present and I could hear two males calling simultaneously while I was out and about this morning. I also saw one fly into West Wood, the furthest poplar plantation. A few hobbys are still around and I could hear one calling in West Wood this morning. A great white egret was also perched up in an elder bush just west of Joist Fen viewpoint, which was nice to see.
A red kite flew over the car park on Sunday and a day flying Daubenton's bat over the visitor centre pond was a pleasant surprise on the same morning. Our first ruby tailed wasp of the year was seen near the photography station and a smart brown argus butterfly was seen at the edge of the car park. I also saw a female variable damselfly near New Fen viewpoint this morning.
Just in case you haven't heard, there is now a job vacancy in the team. If you would like to work at this wonderful reserve, please click here for more information. We hope to hear from you soon!
If you are planning to visit the reserve, please note that there are still cattle grazing on the riverbank Public Footpath between the Washland viewpoint and Joist Fen viewpoint.
Please also note that the B1112 north of the reserve entrance is due to be closed this weekend (8-9 June). It will therefore be necessary to access the reserve from the south (.i,.e. via Lakenheath village or the Wangford Road.) If you need directions, please ring 01842 863400 or e-mail: Lakenheath@rspb.org.uk;
We hope to see you soon!