It has been another one of those weeks when I have been sent lots of great photos of our fantastic wildlife.
I mentioned in my post on Sunday that a bittern was showing in front of Mere Hide for about 45 minutes on Saturday morning. Here is a photo of it doing what it does best...:
...And here is one doing, well, we don't really know what it is doing!:
Image credits: Ron Smith.
If anybody has any suggestions as to what this bird may be up to, please comment below!
There have been odd sightings of the "extra cranes" that were around last week this week. Here are some pictures of them from last week:
One adult and one juvenile:
Image credit: Keith Prescott
Four cranes in flight:
Image credit: Ray Piercy
The two resident pairs have also been around for most of the week and the best place to see them has been Joist Fen viewpoint.
A water rail has also been making tentative forays out into the open in front of Mere Hide. Here is a picture of one from Tuesday:
Image credit: Ron Smith
The recent sunny weather has been great for watching birds of prey. The local marsh harriers can now be seen diving aerobatically around the sky during their sky dancing displays. Several common buzzards are being seen regularly and a red kite was over Joist Fen viewpoint on Wednesday.
There have been several signs of spring recently with our first "grunting" bittern of the year being heard in New Fen North on Monday. A chiffchaff was also singing at the west end of the reserve on the same day. Presumably, this must have been a bird that has over-wintered here as it is still slightly early for most of the "summer migrant chiffchaffs" to be this far north.
We had a bit of a do on Thursday morning for the staff and volunteers who helped to build the boardwalk to Mere Hide. As the event drew to a close, an uninvited but welcome guest appeared outside the hide:
Image credit: Dave Rogers
What a way to putting the icing on the cake of the celebration (and what a great photo of a bittern!)
As Ali said on Wednesday, the roadside barrier is now open at all times so it is easier to watch the raptor roost once again. If you are thinking of coming and trying your luck with harriers, here is something that might help to whet your appetite: There were four males and three "ringtail" hen harriers in front of Joist Fen viewpoint yesterday evening at around 6pm.
We hope to see you soon!