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Step outdoors at the moment and you may find yourself in a real-life fairytale... Image: banded demoiselle by Steve Dobromylski - look out for these along the riverside path north of Drayton Lagoon Yesterday's guided walk was filled with darting, skimming, shimmering damselflies and dragonflies...

I thought we better start a fresh sightings thread for the summer, now the original one has got rather long! Please share your wildlife encounters at Fen Drayton Lakes, common or rare - not only is it nice to share, it helps fellow visitors know what to look out for and helps us keep a record of the...

Here's a photo to melt even the hardest heart! Image: avocet chicks by Steve Dobromylski These little chaps are avocet chicks, recently hatched on the islands on Moore Lake. You can watch them and their parents from the hide as they paddle about, feeding in the mud with their unusual upturned...

The arrival of warm weather brings many birds to Fen Drayton Lakes to spend the summer here. A particular favourite of mine, the swifts , are now here! You can enjoy watching them at the moment swooping and twisting over the lakes eating insects. You might also see excited screaming parties of them...

...spring is truly here! Along with the sunshine and warmth, here are some of the wildlife highlights you might encounter at the moment. Skylarks are singing their hearts out as you approach the reserve, above the fields just to either side of the entrance road. Roll down the window and enjoy this...

Last week's flooding has thankfully receded, leaving the car park and most paths clear if a little muddy. For some sections you do still need wellies to get by, notably the stretch between the Busway and Coucher Hide, the south-west corner of Drayton Lagoon and the south-east corner of Ferry Lagoon...

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” Dickens We enjoyed a very pleasant Wednesday Wildlife Wander on the reserve this morning. Last month's walk was pretty arctic, and looking at the...

Early this morning, an eery noise emanated from the depths of a reedbed on Holywell Lake...the sound of a booming bittern ! Booming is the noise this enigmatic species of heron makes to try and attract a female in spring. It's a bit like a foghorn, or what you get when you blow across the top...

We had a great Sunday here on the reserve - lots of people out enjoying the lakes and the start of spring in very different ways! Our hares were the runners of the inaugural Swavesey half marathon and 5 miler . The routes included many of the surfaced tracks around the reserve and the Busway cycle...

Well, it’s been a mixed weekend on the reserve – a mild Saturday followed by heavy rain overnight, sunshine, a biting wind and rising floodwater. The unexpected emergence of a peacock butterfly seemed to echo my confusion as to how many layers I should have on. The lakes were alive with...

Please post your notable sightings on this thread. Notable means notable to you - no matter how common! Not only is it nice to share, but we can use the information in our casual sightings records to help maintain a picture of species and numbers on the reserve. I'll set the ball rolling:- ...