Welcome to this weeks' blog- the star highlight has been the whooper swans with a high count of 1,776 birds into roost overnight on 19 October- our bird ringer Simon Evans was there early in the morning to count them as they woke up and flew off. Here's some lovely photos taken by a visitor recently of the whooper swans on their roost site- the Washland:
Photo credit: All three of these beautiful whooper swan photos were taken by Junita DaviesAs well as this spectacle he also heard several brambling calling, and this is the latest of several reports of them calling on the reserve with one sighting a week ago on 16 October of a male bird near the feeders at the Visitor Centre, seen by one of our volunteers. So it seems they are in the area and worth looking for, although elusive. They should be in the willows, alders and silver birches on Brandon Fen along with siskin and redpoll, who also migrate here for the winter. Siskins in particular have been especially vocal from the tops of the alders either side of the Visitor Centre feeders and can be heard and seen daily mixed in with goldfinches. Also up on the Washland have been a flock of 24 ruff (seen on 23 October), little egret and kingfisher in the river most days, and a pair of wigeon yesterday (22 October). Duck numbers do vary hugely from day to day but it is always worth looking for wigeon, shoveler, tufted duck, gadwall, mallard and even some scarcer species- such as the two goldeneye that were here on 18 October. They didn't stay long, presumably because the water there is no more than a few inches deep even at the centre, and goldeneye like deep water for diving to catch small fish and crustaceans in. They can dive very deep- up to 10m is very common, and for quite long periods of time, often emerging quite a way away from where they dived. So it looks like the two birds we had just needed a rest and maybe some fast food before moving on somewhere more suitable!In other news, it seems as if our hobbies have now left the reserve for Africa, as we haven't had any seen for a couple of days. Whilst there is still the odd butterfly and several common darter dragonflies on the reserve, there aren't enough large insects on the wing in any quantity or with any reliability (warm sunny days are getting scarcer!) to support these hungry hobbies, so they appear to have left us now. We have noticed an increase in the visibility of kestrels on the reserve as hobby numbers have dropped, and this could be because they directly compete for airspace when hunting, and the kestrels could be relieved the hobbies have left. However, each autumn an influx of kestrels arrive in the UK from continental Europe to spend the winter here under milder conditions, so this could also explain why we are seeing more.Visitors are continuing to see good numbers of redwing and fieldfare on the reserve, and these are worth looking for during your visit- colourful thrushes that spend the winter here. Look for them in scrub, especially berry-bearing bushes like hawthorn and blackthorn- they often make the bushes twitch and wobble from a distance, and may well be mixed in with blackbirds or even a ring ouzel- this is the time of year when we could see them pass through the reserve on migration.Our feeders have been busy lately with increasing visits from long-tailed tits, marsh tits and coal tits, and underneath the Photography Station feeders there has occasionally been a water rail there picking up spilt seed, which tends to be a winter highlight for visitors who take a moment to pause and enjoy the birds at the Photo Station- it is there not just for photography purposes but for visitors to appreciate the wildlife close-up (thanks to the camouflaged structure that the birds have got used to over time). Reed bunting, house sparrow, goldfinch, chaffinch and greenfinch are regular visitors to the feeders too.Visitors that have walked down to Joist Fen have been seeing bearded tit and great white egret on most days, and this is the best route to try for both species- as you walk the hard track through the reserve, look and listen for bearded tits passing through the reedbeds either side of you- calm, colder days are best and you may also catch a glimpse of a bittern, either flying across the path or peeking out of the edge of the pools at Joist Fen or Brandon Fen. Although life at Lakenheath is quite quiet at the moment in terms of insects and flowering plants- I like to always mention these as so many of our visitors are interested in them- one of our wardens Emma has had an interesting week of sightings, firstly spotting a huge adult grass snake slithering across the path in front of her in Brandon Fen on 19 October and today (22 October) Emma saw these beautiful fungi on her walk and shared these photos:
Photo credit: Shaggy parasol- mature and young forms, taken by Emma Cuthbertson
Photo credit: Glistening inkcap by Emma Cuthbertson
Photo credit: Young sulphur tuft by Emma Cuthbertson, growing on the raised pond in front of the Visitor Centre.
I hope you have enjoyed this blog. Do remember that the clocks change on Sunday- at 03:00 they go back an hour, so the mornings at the reserve will be lighter and the evenings darker. So if you do decide to come down to see the whooper swans, from Sunday onwards it'll be best to come before 06:30 to see the full quota (though there are always some that linger through the morning) or to visit before 16:00 to watch them coming in to roost. Also, a little update on our opening hours, whereby from Sunday 25 October onwards, the Visitor Centre and toilet will close at 16:00 on weekend days, to reflect how quiet we are in terms of visitors once we lose the light in the autumn. As a summary of what is open and what isn't:
We hope to see you soon on the reserve! With best wishes for a happy weekend,Heidi (Visitor Experience Officer, RSPB Lakenheath Fen).
an impressive number of whoopers, and great fungi!