All paths are in good condition.

The common terns are back- we’re getting regular sightings from all hides. Cuckoos have also been spotted, and have been heard every day. A male and female wheatear were seen on Lackford run on the 26^th, and tower hide had another red kite sighting on the 25^th.

Swifts have finally joined the swallows, house martins and sand martins. Our first report came on Saturday 20^th, and…

This fluffy chap (you can tell he’s a chap because his eyes meet in the middle, as opposed to females whose eyes don’t meet) is a dark-edged bee-fly, Bombylius major. Although the UK has ten different species of bee-fly, this is the largest and most common; it can be recognised from others by, as the name suggests, the dark leading edge of the wing. Although the adults can currently be watched at Strumpshaw…

All paths are in good condition.

A couple of unusual visitors this week; two common crane were seen at Buckenham on the 18^th, and a ring ouzel was seen on the riverbank on the 15^th.

The swallows have been joined by house and sand martins- good numbers can be seen over the whole of the reserve.

Many of our migrant warblers have started to arrive, including sedge, willow, grasshopper and garden warblers, as well as

All paths are in good condition.

The first of the swallows have returned, and have been seen all over the reserve.

Chiffchaffs can be regularly heard in the woodland, which is also currently awash with woodcock; twelve individuals were recorded on the last point count.

We’ve been getting excellent daily sightings of marsh harriers - look out for males parading bits of reed around to show off to the females.

With our first bitterns beginning to boom, it looks as if spring is finally getting through the biting cold to make itself apparent. To celebrate, we have two copies of Birds of Norfolk on DVD to give away, kindly donated by wienerworld.com. All you need to do to win is send us a short blog (no more than 300 words) about your experiences with wildlife in the broads; anything from sky dancing marsh harriers to interesting…

Blog by Melanie Beck, Strumpshaw Fen Volunteer

As April began, Strumpshaw Fen’s first big family event of the year had arrived. Sadly spring hadn’t arrived with it but a hardy group of staff and volunteers braved the cold to welcome around 40 children and their families. We had an afternoon packed with activities to keep out the cold.

On arrival the children were set the challenge of following our treasure…

There have been some welcome signs of spring today at Strumpshaw Fen with 3 kinds of butterfly on the wing and dozens of mining bees swarming along the footpath. These little bees are waking up just in time for the short-lived abundance of willow pollen which the females collect as food for their young. The willow catkins will be finished by mid May so it is a short busy life for the female bees. For the males life is even…

Up until today most of my snipe encounters had been momentary blink-and-you’ll-miss-it flyovers, or a cluster of little dots at the end of my binoculars. Today however, one of these dinky little birds took up residence right outside reception hide, although its exquisite camouflage means it often slipped by visitors unseen despite spending hours preening and feeding less than five metres away. The bird is apparently a…

Blog by Melanie Beck, Assistant Leader of the Norwich Nuthatches

The Norwich Nuthatches March meeting at Strumpshaw Fen was a fun morning looking at different types of Wild Art. We began with a photography quiz. Many people now take fantastic photos of all kinds of nature. The Mammal Society had just announced the winners of their photography competition and Group Leader John gave us all a pen and paper and set us the…

Strumpshaw Fen

Path conditions - all paths are now open but please be aware that Lackford Run is extremely muddy.

It's been very quiet on the reserve recently (mostly due to this miserable weather), but here are some sightings from the last few weeks:

Bullfinch have been seen in the woods at Strumpshaw.

Snipe and pochard have been seen at Tower Hide.

Male marsh harriers are now returning from southern Europe and…

Lackford Run is still closed however all other paths are open.

The female otter and her cubs have been seen near Fen Hide a lot over the last couple of weeks and the young male has been seen about, particularly near the sluice by the river.

Hen harriers are still around, as are our resident marsh harriers.  Bitterns and kingfishers are also still being seen regularly from all hides.

A little grebe has been bobbing about…

Trail conditions - Due to flooding we have closed the River Path from the end of Sandy Wall all the way to the end of Tinkers Lane.  The woodland trail is open as usual, as is Fen Hide, though the path leading to it may still be very wet.  As always, please turn back immediately if you encounter flooding on any of the paths and inform a member of staff or volunteer.

Otter - Though they must have had a bitterly cold start…

Reception Hide remains closed today due to the snow.

There are staff on site however, so please visit the office if you need assistance or call us on 01603 715 191.

Photographed from the Strumpshaw office today, a Chinese water deer filling its stomach with ivy leaves.

Tim

Please note that Strumpshaw Fen itself will be open this weekend, but the Reception Hide will be CLOSED.  Visitors are welcome to visit the reserve as usual but there will be no staff or volunteers available to help with your queries.  Please also be aware of the icy conditions in the car park and on the paths.

We are hoping to be open again on Monday, however if the snow forecast for Sunday is severe we may not be able…

Path conditions update: the riverside path to the towerhide is extremely muddy so take care and wellingtons are strongly advised. Also be aware that due to current high river levelswe we may need to close the riverbank temporarily from time to time. The Lackford Run path has been closed for the past week and is likely to remain closed for the next few weeks. On arrival please check with the volunteer at Reception Hide who…

Lackford Run is under water at the moment and visitors are advised to avoid it until the conditions improve.  River Path is extremely muddy so please wear wellingtons and take care on the path! 

If you encounter flooding on any of the paths please turn back immediately.  

Please check in with the volunteer at Reception Hide who will inform you of the trail conditions.

Some recent sightings from Strumpshaw Fen this week…

Lackford Run and the River Path (up to the end of Sandy Wall) are currently closed due to flooding - please note this means there is no access to Tower Hide at this time.  As soon as the river level starts to lower and we can let water off the fen we will open the paths.  Unfortunately they are just too wet and treacherous at the moment!

Sandy Wall and the woodland trail are open.  Fen and Reception hides are both open.

Trail conditions - all trails are open at the moment but with the usual cautions regarding mud and water on Lackford Run in place.  However if we experience flooding we will close any trails affected.  If you would like to check the trail conditions before you visit please call us on 01603 715 191.  Please remember to turn back immediately if you encounter flooding on any of the paths.

3 Lapland buntings flew over the reserve…

Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 January is Big Garden Birdwatch Weekend and the local RSPB team will be at the Forum in Norwich celebrating the fantastic wildlife of your gardens and Broadland. There will be children’s art, crafts, storytelling and hands-on family fun galore, and its all free so put this date in your diary now.

Over the weekend we will be displaying a wall of images of local wildlife and natural landscapes…

Lackford Run is flooded in parts due to the heavy rainfall we've had.  Please avoid Lackford Run or if you do go down there please turn back immediately if you encounter flooding.

Starlings - our autumn visitors have decided not to grace us with their presence much since I last saw them!  Unfortunately our flock seems to have found better roosting grounds as we haven't had many at all over the last few evenings.…

Hello all, apologies for not blogging sooner!  Here is a bumper recent sightings blog to make it up to you all.

All trails are open now but the river path near Tower Hide is incredibly slippery and muddy, as is Lackford Run. 

Bitterns - we had 8 sightings today from Reception Hide alone which really shows you how easy these birds are to see at this time of year.

Starlings - yes they're back!  They must have been waiting…

BLOGGER: Ciara Stafford, Residential Volunteer, Strumpshaw Fen

Some of the weirdest and most complicated set-ups in nature occur right in front of our noses. Walking along sandy wall yesterday I took the opportunity to look for Robin’s pin cushion; it is a beautiful little gall that can be found on rose shrubs, resembling a clump of moss. They’re especially obvious now that most of the shrubs have lost their leaves.…

Lackford Run is still temporarily closed unfortunately but we're working on getting this open as soon as possible.  The River Path is extremely muddy and slippery in places so please be careful and if you encounter any flooding, please turn back.

Starlings - still no sign that our beloved autumn visitors will be roosting at Strumpshaw this year.  We had thousands at this time last year so it's not looking promising…

Lackford Run will be closed for the next week or so.  Following some ditch maintenance the path is incredibly muddy and isn't currently safe to use.  Apologies for any inconvenience caused, hopefully it will be in better condition after a few days rest!

Waxwings have been seen over the last few days in small groups.

Siskins have been coming through in flocks - a great place to see these birds is in the trees by the…