This week's wildlife in pictures - 28 August 2022

I thought i'd devote this weeks' blog to the amazing array of images kindly shared with us by our visitors. As I write this, we had half a day of rain on 25 August- the first real amount for months- and although we need hundreds of thousands of litres more to fill the reserve, it may have saved us from drying out completely at spots such as New Fen, and was so desperately needed. We hope for more in the coming weeks, and rain is certainly more likely as we transition into autumn. Some mornings now there's a chill in the air and dew on the grass. Hawthorns, acorns and blackberries are ripening early- a response by plants to the dry conditions- they are 'aware' of how dry it has been, how little water they have access to, and are hurrying through the fruiting and seeding process to ensure they have reproduced before they dry out completely. We know it will rain in autumn, but the plants do not, so they are fruiting now which is why everything is running a bit early!

The first photo is one I have taken- it sums up our sightings in recent days, including many from today, spotted by our wonderful volunteer Paul this morning, and several visitors too:



And now onto photos from our visitors- a big draw in recent weeks has been our kingfishers at Mere Hide. As it stands, the two youngsters that were being fed at Mere Hide by their parents seem to have moved on, because it is just the adults being seen there since midday today, when we had a juvenile trying to fish for itself on the Visitor Centre pool. Here's the series of photos sent in from Robin Johnson and were taken on 16 August:

 Photo caption: This is the second fish that was fed to this youngster by his father.

 Photo caption: In this image, a third fish has been caught by Dad and he is turning it around ready to be fed head-first to the hungry youngster.

 Photo caption: The third fish is being fed to the youngster.

 Photo caption: Here, a fourth fish is offered but the youngster is pretty full and not as enthusiastic... plus, it's huge!!

 Photo caption: This is fish four being consumed- after this, the youngster didn't want any more!

As well as the birds, we've had some beautiful photos sent in by Tushar Bala of some beautiful bugs from the reserve:





 Photo captions: The dorsal (top) and ventral (underneath) views of a couple of marbled orb-weaver spiders- a really beautiful species that becomes very obvious in autumn when the plump females (full of eggs) can be quite noticeable in webs strung across vegetation. Stripy legs too!


 Photo caption: This beauty is the 'pyramidalis' form of the marbled orb-weaver- Araneus marmoreus var. pyramidalis- and occurs on the reserve alongside the browner, more intricately marbled form.

 Photo caption: Long-jawed orb weaver.

 Photo caption: Pisaura mirabilis, a species which loves sitting on waterside vegetation.

 Photo caption: Long-winged conehead- a female (identifiable with her long ovipositor at the rear of her abdomen).

As well as these sightings, we have plans afoot to replace the rotting and warmed timber sleepers on the raised beds in front of the Visitor Centre this autumn, so watch this space! The wood has been delivered now, and they should look much smarter when they're done. It will be a big job replacing the pond timbers but we are keen to do it before winter so we don't disturb any hibernating creatures. We have to use untreated timber sleepers that haven't been treated with creosote, as this would be toxic to any aquatic life that came into contact with the wood- and during wet times the pond level may rise above the liner level and come into contact with the timber.

New Fen/ Riverbank Junction closure

If you have visited us in the past two weeks (today is 28 August), you might be aware of the temporary path closure at the point where the path past the Dragonfly Platform at New Fen rises up the riverbank footpath via a kissing gate. We are having the kissing gate replaced with a 20% ramp using silt from the small lagoon north of here, at the edge of the river. This ramp should make access a lot easier for all visitors, but especially those with limited mobility, and it is part-funded with a National Lottery grant to improve signage and accessibility across the reserve over the next three years. It should have a second benefit in that by deepening areas of the lagoon the silt comes from, or the 'Mini Wash' as it has become casually known, it should be able to hold water year-round, providing feeding habitat for waders and wildfowl and good views for visitors for more of the year.

So at the moment (and likely for another few days), the access point for the riverbank from New Fen here is closed. You can still walk along the length of the riverbank footpath, and up to the Dragonfly Platform from New Fen Viewpoint, but the two routes aren't connected here at the moment. The cattle on the riverbank are west of the works and being kept back by an electric fence with an easy-to-use gate in it which you open and close behind you as you walk along the riverbank. This keeps the cattle safe and out of digger driver Paul's way while he finishes the bank!

I hope you have enjoyed this blog. If you have any questions, please give the reserve a call between 9am and 5pm daily on 01842 863400 or an e-mail at any time using lakenheath@rspb.org.uk.

With best wishes for the week ahead,

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