It's been a very slow season, but finally a few fungi are starting to appear, albeit in small numbers. A man called from Essex today to see if the fly agaric are out as he wanted to come and photograph them! We've only seen two or three, so I advised he delayed his journey to see if things improve. We have two fungi forays next week, one mini fungi foray for the youngsters on Wednesday and the full blown version…

Yesterday we held a thank you event for the volunteers from the Eastern region. After a short talk, we went out for two walks, one led by me and another by our ecologist Mark Gurney. This was originally planned to be a fungi foray, but with the prolonged dry conditions there is very little fungi around, although Mark found plenty of interest with invertebrates, plants and a few fungi along the way.

On my bird walk, we had…

Autumn has started!...redwings have arrived and been seen in flocks around the reserve today. Generally they have been quite skulking and hard to see, but they have been flying between trees and their thin tseep tseep calls heard from the dense foliage as they feed up.

A few siskins have been calling as they fly around and a small flock fed acrobatically from a birch on the new heath late this afternoon.

As we head quickly towards October, the hobbies have been seen today, letting us cling on to the last of summer, but a subtle change in the air as the first siskins have been heard flying overhead. Several flocks of goldcrests are foraging around the reserve and it's worth checking through these as a few firecrests have been reported around the country.

I'm heading west to Devon for a few days after a meeting in…

On a nice sunny warm day on the Autumn Equinox, perhaps the first bird of autumn has arrived, as we had a good report of a redwing on the apple tree in the gatehouse garden. This would be a very early record for this returning migrant thrush. A large flock of mistle thrushes have been about, a pair of ravens, noisy day time tawny owls around the HQ gardens and at least two hobbies still hunting over the new heath.
On…

On a nice calm day with a touch of autumn in the air, at least one hobby is still on the reserve and was seen today catching a dragonfly. I wonder when it will decide to fly off? Ravens have been about over the last week and seen today, a small group of five wheatears were just off the site on Biggleswade Common, and I received this great picture today by Gill Street of one of the whinchats that spent some time last week over…

At least one hobby still, over the new heath today. Probably having a good feed up before the weather changes tonight! A family of spotted flycatchers were briefly around the Gatehouse car-park and a raven flew over calling. Four jays were seen together and mistle thrush numbers along with a few meadow pipits, are building up on Sandy Ridge - a sign of autumn approaching perhaps?

http://news.sky.com/story/one-in-seven-species-faces-extinction-from-great-britain-10577407

Our Senior Site manager Peter Bradley did a piece on the new heath at The Lodge for Sky News yesterday, as a story on the State of Nature report, that is published today.

Although bird life in the woodland is becoming quiet as we reach the end of summer, the hobbies are still showing on the New Heath and up to two whinchats have been seen today on Sandy Heath, the land we manage directly opposite the reserve entrance. It's always worth checking this area in migration time as ring ouzel, redstart, wheatear and the whinchats have been recorded there this year. Who knows, you may find a  wryneck…

We had a very strenuous, hot and steep climb to the top of the wind turbine today! Dressed as if we were making an ascent to Everest, we hitched to the steep metal ladders inside the column and got our muscles working as we climbed the three sections to reach the opening at the very top. The views over the reserve and surrounding countryside were breathtaking from here, and we really experienced a birds eye view of Bedfordshire…

It's definitely been an action packed weekend at The Lodge. We held three amazing outdoor theatre performances by the Pantaloons, with a packed crowd on Friday evening enjoying Romeo and Juliet and then two hilarious adaptions of Gulliver's Travels on Saturday evening and Sunday lunchtime. We are already planning the dates for the Pantaloons to return in 2017!

It was interesting to hear the ravens calling noisily at …

The morning started well with two spotted flycatchers and a willow warbler catching insects from the edge of the trees in the overflow car park. Ravens were calling from the new heath and the corner of Sandy Ridge, close to the Gatehouse. The hobbies are still around, although starting to range further afield at times now. With patience, most birders are still seeing them around the new heath.

The other flyover today 

The young hobbies seem to be doing really well, and over the last few days we've had great views of the parents teaching their young by catching prey, then making the youngsters chase them through the air to get to the snack themselves!

Spotted flycatchers have been around as well, I saw a pair today on the new heath today and at the weekend, one was seen on a couple of occasions at the bottom of the bridleway leading…

I started working at The Lodge almost eight years ago. The heathland restoration was still in it's early days and the warden at the time, Graham Wilton-Jones, took me out to see how the heath was progressing and was really excited to see little patches of heather, about the size of a 50p piece. Roll on eight years, and thanks to lots of hard work and management, the support of funders, particularly BIFFA, and this is …

Staff members Ben Andrew and Mark Ward spotted this grey squirrel carrying its young today and Ben managed to snap a quick shot.  If the nest becomes infested with fleas or mites, the squirrel moves on to a different location and builds a new nest.

Our local wildlife artist Steve Kershaw will be at The Lodge again this Sunday demonstrating his wonderful artwork, mainly featuring birds and wildlife that he has seen at The Lodge, but also at other RSPB reserves in the area.
You can also make a bid for a picture that Steve has kindly donated to the RSPB, and buy a card or painting from his selection.

Steve will be at the Visitor centre from 11 am to 3 pm, this Sunday…

The juvenile hobbies have been seen in flight this afternoon, proving that successful fledging of the three young has now taken place!

David Knowles

Advance notice of works to The Lodge nature reserve boundary wall.

Managing a nature reserve is no easy task as I’m sure you’re aware. Every single RSPB reserve is different and throws up its own challenges and opportunities, sometimes on things that we simply can’t plan for. The Lodge is no exception! Over the past few years we have worked on some really interesting pieces of work here, including ensuring…