A pleasant week of weather with humid cloudy conditions to begin the week followed by bright hot weather to end the week.
The star bird this week has been the glossy ibis, who continues to enjoy the Tower Hide. This immature bird has now been with us for nearly three weeks and has barely moved from Tower Hide ‘scrape. The water levels are absolutely spot on for the ibis (as well as herons, egrets, water rails waders etc!) as the exposed mud and shallow water means that it can find food with ease. Tower Hide scrape has also seen up to 15 ruff, two green sandpipers, up to 12 herons and 8 little egrets, all of which are happily feeding busily. The wildfowl numbers have increased in front of the hide too, with good numbers of shoveler, gadwall, teal and mallard as well as five garganey; the ducks have started to moult away from their eclipse plumage now, so they are easier to identify as they no longer all look like females.
Away from Tower Hide a pair of spotted flycatchers were seen on Thursday afternoon along Tinkers Lane. A decent passage of swallows and martins have been followed by good numbers of hobby, these agile birds of prey follow their food flocks all the way back to Africa!
Buckenham has seen a few passage waders in the past week, although the lack of rain has meant that the pool is fast drying out. This weeks highlights include a little ringed plover, five ringed plover, four dunlin, two green sandpipers and 30 snipe and six curlew sandpipers.
It has been a good week for insects with willow emerald damselflies appearing in very good numbers from all corners of the fen. Swallowtail butterflies were seen on Wednesday on the buddleia near to Tower Hide. There are now many migrant and southern hawkers patrolling the skies around the reserve.
The trails are all in good condition and are all open except the first part of the meadow trail, which is currently closed for grazing.
The next week will continue to see many of our summer migrants disappearing, migrant waders passing through and wildfowl to increase in number, particularly shovelers.