Good morning. I will begin this morning with two images that we have been sent this week that have captured some great reflections:
A mute swan:
A cow:
Christine, who took these two pictures, also captured the fiery sunset on Tuesday evening:
Image credits: Christine Nelson
Thank you very much to Christine for sharing these pictures with us.
We also received some great action shots from Andrew Collier:
A kingfisher wrestling with a big fish:
A kestrel doing what it does best:
Image credits: Andrew Collier
Thank you very much to Andrew for sharing these images with us.
In terms of sightings this week, a single crane was seen from Joist Fen viewpoint on Sunday afternoon and a male hen harrier was seen from Joist Fen viewpoint at dusk. This bird has been seen most evenings this week and you best chance of a sighting is from Joist Fen viewpoint from about 3.30pm onwards.
There have been plenty of marsh harriers around and the highest count this week was 15 birds hunting together. They were seen from Joist Fen viewpoint on Wednesday evening.
On Tuesday evening, I saw a peregrine flying overhead. I also had a rather spectacular view of the female merlin that has been present for a week or so. I was watching a group of four marsh harriers circling over the far end of the reserve when it appeared from nowhere and flew vertically upwards towards them. After being shrugged off by the much larger harriers, it whizzed off rapidly towards the railway line.
Meanwhile, further down the reserve, Katherine spotted a wood mouse feeding up in a tree at the far end of the reserve. It was busy feeding itself up for the cold night ahead so lets hope it got enough energy to stay warm.
On Wednesday, at least 20 pied wagtails flew over Joist Fen viewpoint at dusk and a barn owl was hunting over the far end of the reserve. The peregrine was also seen once again, this time from Joist Fen viewpoint.
After a freezing cold start to the day yesterday, there were at least 58 redwings in the poplars near the visitor centre. In the afternoon, a bittern appeared at the edge of the visitor centre pond. Much to the rest of the team's amusement, I was the only one that didn't see it as I was on the phone for the whole time it was visible. Oh well, there is always next time!
The weather isn't looking too bad for this weekend so why not come and visit? We hope to see you soon!