There has been so much going on here over the last week! I will try to update you on the most exciting bits! Things started well on Sunday with a group of ten bar tailed godwits circling over the washland. This included two birds in their eye catching brick red breeding plumage. A greenshank was on the river just west of the washland pool and two cranes were visible near Joist Fen viewpoint.
There was a little trickle of swifts passing through in the afternoon and a hobby was over the washland. A red kite was over Joist Fen viewpoint and a lesser whitethroat was singing near the big willow. The latter is a scarce bird here so it was a great record. I also saw my first common lizard of the year toddling across the path near the visitor centre. The final report of the day was of 10 whimbrels flying south of the Joist Fen viewpoint.
Probably the same two whinchats from Saturday were seen just north of New Fen North on Monday morning before being flushed by a common buzzard. A grasshopper warbler was singing between Trial Wood and West Wood (the furthest two poplar woods.) I also saw my first comma of the year at Joist Fen viewpoint. Here is a photo of one that was taken here last year:
Photo credit: Gerry Studd
On Tuesday, two cranes were visible from Joist Fen viewpoint. There was also great excitement when Katherine and Ali found a male ring ouzel in Brandon Fen. There was also a good count of eight great crested grebes on the washland.
I had a lovely view of a male barn owl hunting over the Brandon Fen family trail on Wednesday morning. Suzanne heard a cuckoo in Trial Wood and Roger heard a nightingale singing by the reserve entrance at around 7am. Simon, our local bird ringer heard and saw our first turtle dove of the year at the eastern end of the Brandon Fen family trail.
There were two bar tailed godwits briefly on the washland north of New Fen North and three yellow wagtails flew over the same area. There was a rather humorous moment later on in the day when a grass snake tried to get in to the mens toilets. How bizarre!
I did my Common Bird Census (CBC) in the beautiful sunshine yesterday morning. A barn owl flew over Brandon Fen and I could hear a bittern booming in the distance from New Fen North. I also saw my first cuckoo of the year which flew over the visitor centre and headed south of the railway line.
Meanwhile, further down the reserve, two cranes were visible from Joist Fen viewpoint and two bitterns were displaying in front of New Fen viewpoint. Suzanne and I went out for a walk at lunchtime and there was a great count of ten great crested grebes on the washland. A coal tit was singing in Brandon Fen and we had a lovely view of a brimstone and a green veigned white.
We returned to then visitor centre to find out that we had missed presumably the same ring ouzel from Tuesday in Brandon Fen. Oops! Meanwhile, there were at least eight hobbys over Joist Fen viewpoint and seven swifts were tearing around in the sky above Brandon Fen.
This morning the blackbird in East Wood was keeping me on my toes by repeatedly doing very convincing golden oriole impressions. Pesky bird! He has certainly ramped up his effort recently hopefully in anticipation of some “real” orioles arriving in the next week or so! When they arrive, we will let you know!
Talking about mimics, a jay kept doing impressions of a common buzzard in Trial Wood. In fact, I kept seeing groups of these colourful birds this morning. A group of four flew between West Wood and Trial Wood and two flew north over New Fen viewpoints. One of the latter was doing impressions of a herring gull as it flew over. Very strange!
When I opened up the visitor centre, two great tits were busy building a nest in our nestbox with camera which was great to see. A muntjac deer has also been wondering around at the edge of the visitor centre pond for most of the morning. We hope to see you soon!