Peak time at Lakenheath Fen - 5 May 2024

As we enter May, our busiest month of the year for visitors, we have been gifted with some beautiful weather and a full range of beautiful wildlife for visitors to enjoy. Hobby numbers are now climbing- our volunteer Mark counted 21 from Joist Fen Viewpoint yesterday (4 May), and no doubt with today's warm and calm conditions, visitors will see plenty. If you would like to see these, you should see more from mid-morning onwards as they wait for the large insects like dragonflies to take to the wing- hunting too early in the morning is likely to just be a waste of energy for the Hobbies. Another popular bird on a visitors' list is often Grasshopper warbler, and we seem to be pinning down their locations a bit better now- we seem to have one often heard from Joist Fen Viewpoint, and another near Mere Hide, just east of the hide in scrub adjacent to the boardwalk. Thanks to Cathy Ryden and others for pointing this one out to us. 'Groppers' as they are sometimes known are more likely to sing early and late in the day, and often go quiet during the middle of the day. As I write this, I can hear one of our Nightingales who has obligingly set up camp near the Visitor Centre- in the scrub either side of the path as you leave the Centre towards the hard track- and we also have another singing in West Wood recently too. 

Yesterday (4 May) several visitors heard our first Lesser whitethroats of 2024, and another new bird for the week came in the form of a surprise Little tern hunting over the Washland on 1 May. Sadly for us it didn't seem to hang around but it delighted visitors who were in the right place at the right time! On the Washland this morning (5 May) was a single Oystercatcher and two Redshank- the latter can be quite vocal at the minute in their courtship behaviour. Our Volunteer Paul also spotted three Great crested grebe, three Shelduck, one Little egret, one Grey heron, 11 Mute swan, 32 Gadwall, three Wigeon, one Teal, six Shoveler, 23 Mallard, one Cormorant and 14 Coot. You can also spot broods of Gadwall and Mallard ducklings as well as Coot and Moorhen chicks at various stages of development around the fringes of the Washes too- a true sign of Spring! 

Almost anywhere on the reserve, but especially over water you are likely to find mixed groups of Sand martin, House martin, Swallow and perhaps a few Swift which are just arriving. Our Marsh harriers can be very conspicuous too as they are now in the nesting stage- so you may see a lot of journeys to and from the same spots and perhaps even see a food pass. At this time, females are likely to be incubating but will fly up to receive a food delivery from the male, and quickly return to the nest to consume it- this way they can keep a close eye on the eggs. On the paths across the reserve you can encounter some completely adorable broods of Greylag goslings, like these beauties:



 Photo credit: Greylag goslings by Cathy Ryden.

Cuckoo is now easy to hear and Bitterns fairly easy to see (the birding tour yesterday saw three) as males chase each other and pursue females. They have more or less finished booming now, so their focus will shift to mating and courtship behaviour, and for mated females- nest-building in a spot they deem suitable. As you walk around the reserve, you are always close to a reedbed and as a result can often hear Reed warblers- they are more commonly heard at the moment than Sedge warblers and the reason is likely to be because the two species have staggered first broods- Sedge warblers arrived from Africa a couple of weeks earlier and so they now have mostly sung their songs and courted females, and are busy raising their first broods of young- whereas Reed warblers are still in the courtship phase. This isn't to say you won't hear the odd Sedge warbler- males will still sing a little to maintain territory whilst nesting, and also failed breeders will start up singing again. Other warblers to listen for include Common whitethroat, Blackcap and a few Chiffchaff, though the latter species seems to be in a bit of a quiet phase too. We also have plenty of Garden warbler here, which have a slightly more subdued song when compared to Blackcap and are often trickier to see.

These lovely photos of a Cuckoo were taken by Cathy Ryden om 29 April- he is one of three or four that were flying around the eastern end of West Wood that day:



 Photo credit: Cuckoo by Cathy Ryden.

Insect numbers are rising too...

Recent warm days have boosted the variety, and number of insects you can now see on the reserve, including the big and beautiful butterflies and dragonflies- as of 5 May, our 2024 list now stands at:

Though if you have seen any of these species on an earlier date, do let us know as we like to have the most accurate records that we can manage!

Flowering plants on the reserve

The pioneers of early Spring like Red dead-nettle, Ground ivy and Springbeauty are still dominating the scene, but we are beginning to see Meadow buttercup and the first Common vetch open their flowers too. As you walk around, you may spot the first bright yellow Flag iris flowers and Redshank flowering in waterlogged pool edges. One of our more unusual species is Celery-leaved buttercup, which does well at the Photography Station after a particularly wet winter, and it looks as if it might be persuaded to flower there this year too- so keep an eye out in the coming weeks for it.

And fitting into none of these categories is this beautiful Brown hare, who has been seen on the main track a couple of times this week. These stunning photos were taken by Cathy Ryden on 31 April:





I hope this blog has been a useful update as to what is happening on the reserve at the moment- in short, there is an enormous variety of birds and other wildlife to spot at the moment, including popular Hobbies, Bitterns and Cuckoo.

With best wishes for the week ahead,

Heidi Jones (Visitor Experience Officer, RSPB Lakenheath Fen).