There's been a few more fly-over hawfinches this week, and one bird that was seen really well at the hide, briefly! A good report of hobby today is a very late date - if it stays this mild for the remainder of October, could it (they?) stay into November?

Redwings are arriving in small numbers, and it will be interesting to see what the strong winds that are forecast over the weekend blow in?

 It's coming up to half…

With a large influx of hawfinches being reported across the UK it's no surprise that several birds have been heard and seen flying over the reserve in recent days, with the latest being seen by Lizzie Bruce our warden, low over the new heath this morning. If one would land it would be great!

With the incredibly mild conditions still continuing well into October, our volunteer Terry Murfitt had a hobby yesterday over…

Please note that The Lodge shop will be closed all day on Monday 16 October, while essential work is carried out to upgrade the till and stock systems. The reserve will be open as normal.

The shop will re-open at 9 am on Tuesday 17 October.

Apologies for any inconvenience this will cause.

The Lodge team.

Many visitors are coming to enjoy what is becoming a bumper year for fungi. After last year's almost barren season, lots of  the larger fungi and the always popular fly-agarics are making up for this, and you don't have to walk far to find them - a cluster of these bright red spotty domes are just outside the shop!

There were two separate sightings of hobbies beyond Galley Hill today, a late grass snake was spotted…

Tuesday 3rd October

The wardens will be carrying out vegetation clearance in front of the hide area on Tuesday 3rd October.

We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause.

Weekend sightings

3 stonechats on Sandy Heath

1 Tree pipit, 1 Hobby and a few swallows over the New Heath

Ravens in the garden area

Rob Gilmore captured this amazing shot. It shows a very angry nuthatch and a startled blue tit - but it's not quite as it first seems. Rob explained that the blue tit went to fly into a hole under the Gatehouse roof, where the nuthatch was already hidden away and sheltering, and then flew backwards at speed to avoid the nuthatches sharp peck!

And a  more peaceful image taken here yesterday by Ray Piercy, showing this southern…

A couple of whinchats and at least one stonechat were seen over on Sandy Ridge on Saturday, and I watched a raven mobbing a buzzard over there later in the afternoon. A red kite and several swallows passed over the new heath in the morning and we had a report of a merlin on Sandy Ridge later in the evening.

Some great fungi is popping up around the reserve, and Rob Gilmore sent me these stunning images that he took here…

Summer is just about hanging on-with three hobbies still hunting over the new heath yesterday and the last of the flowering heather on show. Four stonechats and three whinchats were on Sandy Heath yesterday and the green sandpiper made an appearance at the hide pools again in the morning.

Gill Street managed to get this image of one of the whinchats.

We've had a couple of the less common Lodge birds showing from the hide yesterday. Green sandpipers are annual autumn visitors to The Lodge and Lizzie saw one at their favoured location at the hide pools, while Ray Piercy photographed this kingfisher at the hide as well! Away from the hide, a grey wagtail was seen by Lizzie at the pools near the hillfort and a hobby was reported still feeding over the new heath earlier…

Here are a few recent images taken of wildlife at The Lodge. taken by visitors and volunteers.

Yesterday the hobbies were giving stunning views across the new heath, from the visitor centre. It won't be long now before they head off on migration back to Africa, so it is good to see them before they go. A grey wagtail bobbed about alongside the hide pools and two stonechats sat on top of the bushes over on Sandy Ridge…

After the action of the weekend events and the Bank Holiday, there's some good birds starting to pass through. Three whinchats have been on a scrubby bramble patch on Sandy Heath, just past the plantation as you walk towards the quarry, and a tree pipit landed on the path in front of Lizzie yesterday! A spotted flycatcher has been showing well in the trees around the back lawn at the Gatehouse - and is in the same pl…

There's plenty of new things going on at The Lodge during the holidays. We have a brand new seasonal trail that takes you right across the new heath, a short trail across Sandy Ridge with a quiz sheet, the new wild time photo frame for your family pictures and of course the favourite den building area!

Rae-Anna, Seren, Aria Wright, Matilda, Tabby and Maddie and Joan are all pictured having just made a great new one…

The hobby family are still showing incredibly well as they dash around catching dragonflies and prey to feed the three chicks. We've noticed that three adults are sometimes feeding the chicks, which is really interesting.

It won't be long before the youngsters are catching their own prey after the adults encourage them to chase after them before they give them a meal - but come along and see these super birds for…

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/snettishamhide

All three hobbies had fledged by Monday late afternoon - let's just hope they feed well in the rain now. Although we won't be doing the hobby watch anymore, you can still look for them over the new heath, where the adults will be teaching the young to hunt their own prey for a few more weeks.

One of the hobby chicks has fledged and was seen flying around today, so two to go!

The three hobby chicks are all perched on branches in the pine tree above the nest this morning, having a good old flap and stretch. They may well fledge today, and we have volunteers at the site for the last official hobby watch viewing day, at least until the forecast rain arrives after lunch!

Of course, the birds will still be around for another month or so, and the adults will be teaching the young how to hunt their…

Our popular hobby family have taken over The Lodge headlines in the last few weeks, but there is plenty of other wildlife and happenings on the reserve! A family of common lizards have popped up on a dead log beside the Visitor Information Centre and are becoming little stars, being so easy to see. Terry Murfitt and Gill Butt took these great images of the lizards basking this week.

Image credit;Gill Butt Image credit; Terry…

The hobbies survived the torrential rain over the weekend, and so did we after camping out for the Big Wild Sleepout on Saturday evening. We did a have a worrying few moments very early on Sunday morning when the nest was checked by Nathan, one of the Big Wild Sleepout volunteers, and there were no sign of any hobbies, but slowly the fluffy white chicks started to emerge and soon after the adults were coming in to feed…

The hobby's are certainly keeping our visitors (and volunteers!) entertained with comings and goings and action around the nest site area. There are regular battles with buzzards and ravens encroaching on their patch, and although it's not  the best quality, the pictures by Ray Piercy below show some of the action with the buzzard and you can just spot the fluffy white chicks in the nest! The chicks are getting l…

We got wet today, but hopefully it will be better for the next few dates, below- and people are still getting great views of the chicks on the nest and the adults bringing in food!

July

Sunday           23 July   1 pm – 4 pm

Monday         24 July   10:30 –1 pm

Tuesday         25 July   11:am – 4 pm

Wednesday   26 July  11:00 - 4 pm

Friday             28 July   11:00- 3 pm

Hope you can come along- it's worth it!

Hobby watch will only…

The hobbies are very busy today and after an initial worry about them after the overnight storms (although not anywhere near as bad here as in some parts), there’s been plenty of drama with ravens, magpies, woodpeckers and buzzards all causing action in the area. The adults seem to have this well under control at the moment, but it’s a difficult life for them until the three young fledge (which should be around 4 Aug…

Lodge

The hobby's are still very busy feeding and looking after their two chicks and we've had terrific views of them today- especially in ariel combat with a buzzard.

We have set up a trail to the marked view point where you can safely watch them and we have organised some more dates when RSPB volunteers will be on hand to show the birds through the telescope.