Not a reference to any sort of trouser malfunction you’ll be pleased to hear but rather the feeding frenzies taking place over the reedbeds at the moment. The weather is the cause – low pressure and the low cloud base are bringing the insects down and in turn the bird species that feed upon them. At New Fen North in particular with the poplar woods on three sides, the predators and their prey are taking further shelter from the breeze and flying below tree height. This is all leading to one thing – spectacular views of swifts, swallows, house and sand martins, all swooping low over the reeds and our heads! And let’s not forget the hobbies and our welcome guest the red-footed falcon. The falcon has moved down to the reedbed closest to the visitor centre over the past few days, which meant not only have visitors been getting closer views but we could finally get to Joist Fen viewpoint and do some strimming without disturbing too many people!
Photo credit: David Carr - hobby
It’s fabulous to stand at either of the viewpoints and have swifts flying literally around your head, especially at Joist Fen as they move between the reedbeds either side of the shelter. It's surprising how large swifts are – it’s the classic ‘is it small, or just far away’ conundrum! When you normally see them so high up in the sky, it can be difficult to judge their size so being able to get amazing close-ups of these graceful flyers is a real treat. Although it does sometimes feel like they’re playing a game of chicken with your head! I have complete faith in their aerial ability however. If you afford the reedbeds just a quick glance then it’s easy to think the skies are empty so stand a moment and make sure you don’t miss this spectacle taking place just above the reeds.
In other reserve news, Tuesday morning saw Katherine and I following a trail left by cattle. We were slightly surprised to find ‘evidence’ of cow by the staff gate and therefore had to try and work out which cows might have paid us a visit and where they were by that time. Following the trail we discovered a small number of cattle had enjoyed quite a trip around Brandon Fen, look out for the evidence yourself if you’re in the area! The puzzle was solved when Katherine approached the kissing gate on the riverbank to discover it was swinging wide open. The cattle were found and safely returned to the riverbank by our grazier. Signage is now in place by the kissing gate to politely remind visitors that livestock are on the riverbank and gates should be kept firmly shut!
Despite the changed plans for Tuesday morning, we still found a window of opportunity before the heavens opened to start our regular spring and summer strimming plan. The vegetation is shooting up fast and we’ll become a familiar sight with our brushcutters as we work to keep the trails open and viewpoints tidy. Trial Wood path was our main target – even the new raised section needed a trim. Although there is still bare earth in places, this trail is open so if you haven’t been round it before why not take a look?
Yesterday we took delivery of some new benches and with the help of our volunteers these will soon start appearing at the viewpoints and other locations. We have had to remove some of the older benches already so new seating will be welcomed I’m sure! The first instalments are planned for this afternoon, after we carry out another booming bittern survey first thing in the morning. We're hoping that the survey will finally help us pin down the exact number of boomers as a couple of the reedbeds may hold more than one. We'll also be focusing on the marsh harrier behaviour to get our nest count sorted. Updates will follow as always!