In spite of the awful weather, our breeding birds appear to have done quite well and there are now numerous broods of Mallards and Moorhens on the marsh.  The reedbed-nesting Grey Herons also seem to have done okay but as always it is difficult to see the young birds in the nests at this time of year (most have already fledged) with the tall reed growth.  

An Otter has been paying regular visits to Longrock Pool at the…

At this time of year the marsh comes alive with the sound of birdsong as migrant warblers return from Africa to breed. The Warden will spend the morning showing visitors the best places to see sedge warblers, sand martins and much more.

Meet: Marazion Marsh (SW514312) opposite small private car park
Time: 9am - 11am
Bring: Suitable outdoor clothing, binoculars.
Cost: £3
Booking: Essential

For more information…

In spite of the mild climate here in the south west, we haven't completely escaped the cold weather and the marsh has frozen over on several occasions in January and February. Fortunately, the week we spent opening up the network of channels in the reedbeds with our amphibious 'Truxor' remained ice-free and we completed the work without mishap. Our trusty volunteers are now busy clearing up after the cut, mostly burning…

On the way into work today I saw a bittern fly into the reedbed at the back of Longrock Pool, a very nice start to the day.  The pair of shoveler are also still on the pool.

Incredibly, the grey heron’s are already starting to gather nesting material and are building nests in the reedbed.  One pair is nesting north of the railway and can be seen from the railway bridge as you look towards Cheshire Homes, they are…

Our breeding birds at Marazion started well with several broods of Mallard, Moorhen and Mute Swan appearing quite early on.  However, the exceptionally low water levels have meant few will have survived the foxes and other predators which have had easy access to areas normally deeply flooded.

 The highlight this spring/summer has again been the influx of Red Kites during 3^rd-5^th June.  On the first day 19 appeared over…

With the unsettled weather, May has been quiet this year on the migrant-front. At Marazion a Great White Egret stole the show during the first week but was surprisingly shy and elusive, keeping away from the main areas at the front of the marsh where disturbance from the kite-surfers on the predominantly southerly winds took place over several days.  A Marsh Harrier passed through on 12^th and a Hobby was sighted 27^th &…

A purple heron has been feeding at Mazion Marsh nature reserve for several days, giving fantastic views. See http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5108/5625554944_5f8f0851a6_b.jpg

www.rspb.org.uk/.../MZ-xmas-card.pdf

On Sunday eveing one of our volunteers spotted four bittern roosting in the reedbed at Longrock pool.  He said "it was dark but I could make the birds out as they roosted half way up the reeds".  He said they were in the reedbed next to the area of reeds that the volunteers have been cutting this winter.

 The starling roost however, has moved, possibly to Loe Pool or Pendeen.  Flocks can still be seen flying east…

It is well worth visiting the marsh just before sunset to see the starlings.  We can not boast to have as many birds as seen on TV recently but with up to 5000 coming in to roost it can be an amazing sight.  It is best to watch the starlings on a bright evening with little wind, which can stop them performing their aerial acrobatics.  The birds fly in from across the area in small groups and several thousand form together in…

www.rspb.org.uk/.../Sep-Oct-10.pdf

There has been a lot of activity on the marsh throughout September and October.  Bam Nuttall are working on behalf of Network Rail north of the railway and Andrew Sandow has been working south of the railway, adjacent to the public footpath.

Bam Nuttall has been installing a new sluice, which will give RSPB staff the ability to raise water levels in the reedbed north of the railway.  The higher water levels will improve…

Please contact Jenny for your copy of the latest reserve newsletter.

After the prolonged cold winter when the reserve was covered in snow and ice for days at a time, we were naturally worried that a lot of our resident birds would have succumbed.  We feared our populations of insect-feeding Cetti's Warblers and Chiffchaffs could not have possibly survived with the reedbeds buried under snow for so long - but they certainly have.  How did they manage that? The reserve is alive with bird…

The volunteers have stacked the cut willow logs opposite the sail loft just over the Cornish hedge.  The timber will need to be seasoned for several months but it is available to any RSPB volunteers. 

Our colleagues in the Cornwall Birdwatching & Preservation Society (CBWPS) have started a "Daily sightings" page this year and Marazion Marsh usually heads the list every day (as it should!).  The website is updated every evening so if you are heading to west Cornwall you can always find out what has been seen up until the day before by simply clicking the 'County Bird News' link:

http://www.cbwps…

Having just arrived at the office a call came in reporting a great egret flying in and out of the reeds at Marazion Marsh.  So quickly I grabbed my binoculars and headed out over the sand dunes, which give the best overall view of the reedbed.  After just a couple of minutes the egret flew up out of the reeds and keeping very low, flew just a few metres then dropped out of view back into the reedbed.  Even though I only…