The water level has rapidly increased this week due to heavy rain over the weekend. This water has been entering the fen through an inlet sluice connected to the Lackford Run, the fresh water has been allowed to flood into the fen to help flush out the saline water from previous flooding events, next week the level will once again. The flooding from the high tides has meant that the Lackford Run footpath remains closed.
It has been a relatively quiet week for sightings, however; bitterns and bearded tits have been seen from fen hide fairly regularly, kingfishers have also been seen all around the fen and have been especially noisy on the river all week. Otter sightings have continued throughout the week with a mother and cub seen yesterday on the river, they were calling very loudly so an interesting bit of behaviour occurring, was she tying to ween her cub or warn of a predator nearby?
I watched 14 marsh harriers leave the roost this morning from fen hide, these included a couple of the wing tagged individuals, numbers reached 18 on last sunday's roost count, but still no hen harriers to be seen in the valley yet.
Goose numbers are very variable on the wet grassland, but 1000 pink footed, 80 white fronted and 2+ taiga bean geese remain. At Buckenham the Wigeon flock has increased to the 1000 mark and are showing very well from the main track towards the hide, they are especially impressive when chased by a peregrine falcon!
On Friday there was a notable passage of winter thrushes passing over my riverbank work station with 80+ fieldfare 100+ redwing and a fairly impressive 38 blackbirds all in a flock. Other in migrants from the continent included five redpolls and at least two water pipits.
The easterly wind and a cooler feel this week could see an increase in the thrushes, finches and wildfowl numbers, but we are still waiting for the cold to hit Scandinavia and move many birds across to us here in Norfolk, it will happen soon.