Hello there! It is a lot milder today so here are some more recent sightings for you:
I ended up walking all the way around the reserve before work yesterday morning and just as I got up to the Washland viewpoint, a female barn owl flew right in front of me which was a great start to the day. A curlew flew overhead and a great white egret was feeding alongside the river.
As I walked along the riverbank, a male stonechat was perched up at the edge of New Fen North and a common buzzard flew out of West Wood. There were at least five white fronted geese feeding on the riverbank with the greylag geese. However, as it was quite windy, they were keeping a low profile which meant that they were difficult to observe unfortunately.
As the day went on, a pair of siskins were on the visitor centre feeders and a sparrowhawk was seen several times from the visitor centre window. Excitingly, I heard at least two bitterns "grunting" (which is a kind of pre-boom!) over the course of the day. I heard one from Joist Fen viewpoint and another in New Fen North.
I went for a walk around the reserve before work this morning and despite the fact it was raining, there was plenty to see. A curlew was feeding in front of the Washland viewpoint and a great white egret was feeding on the riverbank. A bittern made a very short flight across the river which was a bit of a surprise. Four redshanks were also feeding on the washland pool north of East Wood.
I took a walk from New Fen viewpoint along the interior path and saw a male stonechat. I also flushed a water rail which scampered off into cover. As I walked back through the reserve, a great spotted woodpecker was drumming in East Wood and two collared doves were chasing each other near the visitor centre.
I had a walk around Brandon Fen earlier on to try out my new camera lens and here are some of my pictures. I hope you like them!
Image credits: David White
I saw at least 10 roe deer and a treecreeper near the ramp up to the riverbank. I also saw at least one oystercatcher flying onto the washland, which is the first record of this species on the reserve this year. Meanwhile, further down the reserve, two cranes have just been seen north of the river along with two great white egrets.
There are still plenty of places left on the crane talk and walk tomorrow afternoon 2pm-6pm. This will involve a talk about cranes in the visitor centre followed by a walk around the reserve to look for them. At least five birds are currently present so we stand a good chance of seeing them. Please ring 01842 863400 or e-mail: lakenheath@rspb.org.uk; to book your place.
We hope to see you soon!