As I write, Fen Drayton Lakes is recovering from our largest flood for a number of years and is still under a significant amount of water.
Due to being on the flood plain of the River Great Ouse, back when the reserve was still an active gravel quarry, banks were built around the pits to keep the river out. These were never removed when the quarrying ended which has inadvertently led to the lakes becoming reservoirs for…
Nightingale are one of those species that most people have heard of, but few have seen. These renowned songsters are closely related to the robin, but are a little larger and the very definition of a ‘little brown bird’ having plain brown upperparts, paler underparts and a more reddish-brown tail. Despite their plain looks, nightingale are deserving of their reputation as wonderful singers with studies identifying up…
Long ago, rivers were free to meander around, flood and change their course. Marshes and reedbeds would form around them and in their flood plains, only to dry out and turn into grassland or woodland as the river’s course moved. This wasn’t a problem, as new reedbed and marsh would form on the new route allowing the cycle to continue. Nowadays, rivers are locked into the artificial channels and embankments we have made…
With the 2019 breeding season at an end, it’s time to look back at a season of successes and notable absences.
To our great joy our pre-dawn bittern surveys back in April quickly picked up two booming males; one on Holywell and one on Elney. These two boomers kept going throughout April and into May, although we were unable to conclusively confirm if either had attracted a female to successfully breed. Whilst a…
A random encounter on a trip to Skokholm Island in Pembrokeshire back in June led me to being introduced to Kev Rowley, a freshwater invertebrate enthusiast, predominantly beetles and bugs, who I was told “would be interested in doing some surveys at your reserve”. I didn’t think anything would come of this, but a few weeks ago we finished our base survey of the reserve having carried out dips at 25 sites around our lakes…
There has been a small starling murmuration on the reserve recently. The birds made an impressive spectacle over the reserve car park last weekend. Assistant Warden Simon therefore spent a couple of hours at the Welcome Shelter yesterday afternoon to try to see them. Unfortunately, he only saw around 100 which is a shame.
However, he did see 34 different bird species in an hour between 3pm & 4pm. Here is his list:…
Over the Christmas and New Year period we experienced a moderate flood on the reserve. The reserve acts as a flood reservoir, protecting local villages from the sheer volume of water which enters the great Ouse. The flooding caused some sections of the reserve to be closed, with access to the hide requiring chest waders.
Approach to the hide
Moore Lake with islands completely submerged
Although the flooding was…
We have been beavering away on the reserve recently and have opened up a new viewpoint. The new viewpoint can be found on the North West of Elney Lake and adds an extra element of interest to one of our most wooded trails.
We felled the lake side willows and then our team of hard working and enthusiastic volunteers created a dead hedge to really finish it off.
So why not wrap up warm and take a stroll down to Fen…
Habitat management
We have recently been removing trees from the shores of the grassland on Ferry lagoon. This work is part of the ongoing improvements being made for breeding waders and wintering wildfowl. Waders, such as lapwing and redshank require open areas of wet grassland in which to nest and raise their chicks, whilst wildfowl such as wigeon utilise these same areas in winter. The felling of the large willows…
Now that summer is over the lakes are starting to take on a different feel. Leaves are starting to turn a beautiful blend of colours, hedgerows are bursting with berries and it is getting wetter underfoot.
The birds which use the reserve are also changing, with some species leaving, some passing through and others arriving for the winter. Birds leaving include whitethroats, willow warblers and garden warblers, which…
When I first started working at Fen Drayton Lakes in November 2015 I commented that willow emerald damselfly must occur on the site, as the habitat looks perfect. Now, just under two years later, I can confirm that the species is present on site. Today I searched for, and found, a single willow emerald damselfly on Holywell Pond. This species is a fairly recent colonist of the UK and is currently spreading westwards from…
The new seasonal trail and viewing shelter at Fen Drayton Lakes is now open. The trail can be accessed via the northern river bank path which follows the shores of Ferry lagoon.
This area gives visitors a new perspective of Ferry lagoon and the wetland bird species which call the reserve home. We hope you enjoy your visit.
We have now reached the end of July and schools out for summer. The reserve is currently alive with dragonflies, damselflies, bees, beetles, birds, moths and oh so much more, making it a great time of year to visit.
At this time of year I start to turn my attention to the post breeding movement of birds, especially waders. Once these birds have bred they start to move south and will stop off at wetland sites to fuel…
We have now entered June, a time of year where the birds begin to go quiet as they are busily feeding young. Parents will be hurriedly collecting insect prey to nourish their chicks before the summer is over and they return to their wintering grounds. This reduction in bird activity and song sees many nature enthusiasts take a keener interest in insects throughout the height of summer, and there is plenty to see at Fen…
We have now entered May and bird migration has stepped up a notch. The reserve is crawling with birds, with the hedgerows in particular being rammed full of migratory songsters. A short walk around Ferry lagoon gives you the opportunity to hear up to ten different species of warbler including reed warbler, sedge warbler, chiffchaff, garden warbler and blackcap. The level of noise in the mornings is quite spectacular as…
An early morning walk around the lakes will currently place you amongst one of nature’s greatest and most reliable events, the dawn chorus. Cetti’s warblers are blasting out their distinctive call, blackcaps are going berserk amongst the hedgerows, the first reed warblers are filling the air with their robotic rhythmic song and willow warblers add a delightfully sweet voice to the chaos.
Willow warbler by…
The temperatures are gradually rising, the sun is beginning to show itself more often and insects have begun to join the birds in the skies, it’s out with the old and in with the new at the lakes.
Two pairs of oystercatcher have now returned to the reserve and are already busy looking for where they will nest this year. They add a dash of colour with their big carrot like beaks, whilst also being easily heard as…
During late January the temperatures plummeted and the lakes were mostly frozen over. This meant that wildfowl numbers were lower than usual, however the lakes still produced good birds. These included a green sandpiper at Moore lake, a smew on Drayton Lagoon and singles of Iceland and glaucous gulls roosting at Ferry lagoon. During this period the scenery around the reserve was exceptionally beautiful, particularly on…
This morning I rose before the sun and treated myself to a stroll around Ferry lagoon. The scenery was breathtaking as the sun rose through the mist to the sounds of whistling wigeon which were already busily grazing the wet grassland and lake edge. Mute swans appeared majestically along the river Ouse and a group of long-tailed tits gave great views as they became active again after a bitterly cold night. However, the…
This week at Fen Drayton Lakes has seen a plethora of avian activity.
The new earthworks on Ferry lagoon currently hold at least 1000 lapwing, which are quite a spectacle when they take flight and reel around above the lake. Beautiful bullfinch can be seen among the hedgerows and the mild weather has seen the dunnocks start to become more vocal and active around the reserve.
However the star bird of this week has been…
There is certainly a lot to see at the lakes at current. The hedgerows are full of redwings and blackbirds gorging themselves on winter berries, whilst beautiful bullfinches can also be spotted. A bittern dropped into the Holywell reedbed by the car park on the 15th and a marsh harrier can also be seen quartering this area.
Two great white egrets have been seen amongst double figures of little egrets over at Moore lake…
Just a short (and final!) blog as this is my last day as Visitor Experience Officer and I will be handing over all things blogging and events to our wardening teams. Thanks to everyone who helped at, or attended, one of our many events this year. We've had a busy, successful summer and I've had a great time working for the RSPB. Keep an eye on our website for upcoming events at both Fen Drayton Lakes and Ouse Fen!…
Still not a lot to report at the moment - small flocks are starting to gather and appear to be roosting in the Elney reedbed, visible from the Elney viewpoint. However, they are going straight to roost with no murmurations. We will keep you posted when things start to happen. It has been fairly mild so far and this might be having an effect.
If you have any updates, please let us know!
