We have just had one of my favourite events of the year: The long walk. This walk of around 10 kilometres involves walking all the way from the visitor centre right down to Botany Bay SSI, the most westerly point on the reserve. This walk only takes place one or twice a year, as it involves walking on paths that are usually closed to the public.
We started off in lovely sunshine and after admiring some lovely plants, we got down to the western edge of Trial Wood. There were at least five marsh harriers soaring overhead enjoying the thermals, and a hobby was hunting over the river.
As we got beyond Joist Fen viewpoint, two cranes appeared from north of the river and flew into the grazing marsh not too far away from where we were standing. There were plenty of bearded tits pinging in the reedbeds, but surprisingly they weren’t showing very well, and we only got fleeting glimpses.
As we were sitting having our lunch on the riverbank near Botany Bay, we were admiring the view all the way back to the visitor centre, which really was a sight to behold. An extremely showy kingfisher was perched on a branch as we started walking towards the centre, and it was eyeing up two common terns that were fishing nearby.
Slightly further down, a bittern flew out of a pool very close to the pool and provided a fantastic view as it flew across the whole width of the reserve. A Cetti’s warbler was alarm calling nearby, although it was keeping out of sight as useful.
Perhaps the highlight of the walk was when we had almost got back to Joist Fen viewpoint. Cranes were bugling nearby and shortly after three flew in and this provoked a heck of a reaction. It seemed that Little and Large, the other pair, were feeding in “their spot”, and a bugling match continued for at least ten minutes after that.
We got back to the visitor centre for a well earned rest, and it was a real treat to have done this walk on such a lovely day. We will be running a similar walk next year, so if you are interested, keep an eye on our event programme.
Some lucky visitors to the reserve on Wednesday were treated to a very unusual sight: A bittern in a tree from New Fen viewpoint. Although this sounds completely bizarre, young bitterns are occasionally seen perched in bushes and small trees, although there cryptic camouflage doesn’t work quite so well in these circumstances! Perhaps it was trying to demonstrate its “bitterning” stance when it freezes and points its bill to the sky in an attempt to become invisible!
Both pairs of cranes and the youngster have been seen fairly regularly over the last couple of days. However, when they have been seen on the ground, it has usually been a case of waiting for a bird to pop its head up as they are feeding amongst quite tall vegetation. As always, the best place to head for is Joist Fen viewpoint, especially for seeing them in flight.
As reported in my previous post, a family of jays near the visitor centre having been keeping us entertained by mimicking buzzards, so we can often be found craning our necks upwards to look for soaring raptors only to discover that it is just the jays again! However, two “real” buzzards were seen soaring just south of the railway line this afternoon, which was a welcome sight.
Other things to look out for during the coming weeks are hobbys as they pelt around gracefully searching for dragonflies and large insects. It is also the time of year when turtle doves starting flocking up before migrating south. Look out for them on the telegraph wires on and around the reserve, especially north of the river. Spotted flycatchers are also still around, especially in the poplar woods.
Stuck for ideas for what to do with the children over the summer holidays? Why not come along to the Wildlife Explorers summer club which will meet every Thursday throughout August from 11am-12.30pm.
These free fun sessions will be full of fantastic fenland flora and fauna. There will be a different theme for each meeting, from bug hunts to pond dips, and will involve both indoor outdoor activities.
The theme for the first meeting on 4 August will be barn owls. So if you fancy getting stuck into some barn owl pellets to find out what the locals have been eating, then this is your chance! There also be an opportunity to make a barn owl mask that can be decorated and taken home as a memento.
These sessions are free and there is no need to book. All children must be accompanied by an adult. If you would like more information, please phone 0184 2 863400 or e-mail lakenheath@rspb.org.uk.
We have a wide range of family activities taking place on the reserve between now and the end of August. Starting from this Saturday (July 30th) there will be a children’s walk and pond dipping session on each Saturday until the end of August. We will walk from the visitor centre down to the pond dipping area (which is around half a mile away) and on the way down, look out for creepy crawlies and bugs. We will then see what beasts are lurking under the surface of one of the reserve pools. The dates are as follows:
The cost is Children £3 (Wildlife Explorers members half price) Accompanying adults are free, and all children must be accompanied by an adult. If you are interested in coming along, please book your place by ringing 01842 863400 or e-mailing lakenheath@rspb.org.uk.
For those who are specifically into mammals and reptiles, there is the “Beasts of the Fens talk and walk” on Sunday August 21st 10am-1pm. This event will include a talk about some of the non-bird species that live here, such as otters, grass snakes, and common lizards. We will then head out on the reserve for a walk to try to see signs of some of these elusive creatures.
Please note that this event will include a walk around the reserve of around two hours. If you are interested in coming along, the cost is Adults £4/ Children £2 (RSPB and Wildlife Explorers members half price) Booking is essential. To book, please contact using the details above.
As well as the above events, there is always plenty to do at the reserve on a daily basis for free. You can take a wildlife trail around the reserve, make a giant butterfly collage or there is the usual selection of colouring sheets and puzzles. If you cannot make any of the pond dipping sessions, just ask in the visitor centre and we can lend you some pond dipping kit in exchange for a small deposit. We will point you in the direction of the pond dipping area and give you a brief of the dos and don’ts when it comes to pond dipping.
We hope to see you soon.
As they say, variety is the spice of life. There is plenty to see here at Lakenheath Fen, and the closer you look the more you will find. As we walked around the Brandon Fen family trail on Friday, a turtle dove shot flew up from the ground which is a real treat, as these birds are becoming very difficult to track down.
Now I am what I call and “enthusiastic amateur” when it comes to botany, but I am definitely being caught by the plant bug! Katherine our warden pointed out water figwort to me in Brandon Fen shortly after we saw the turtle dove, which is a really pretty plant.
Talking about botany, although our flowering fenland plants guided walk was cancelled on Saturday, I walked around the reserve with a friend and we found a wide range of interesting plants. This included goodies such as fen ragwort, greater birds foot trefoil and lots of marsh woundwort.
On Sunday, there was plenty of good birds to be seen. All five cranes were seen from Joist Fen viewpoint in flight at various points in the day. Bitterns were seen by quite a few people, which is a great sign that both the adults and young are getting around. Marsh harriers were all over the place, and several people saw bearded tits.
Sadly, there have only been intermittent reports of golden orioles this week, and it won’t be long before they start heading back to Africa. There are several hobbys around, and several pairs of kestrels have just fledged young. To end on a slightly unusual note, we keep hearing buzzards outside the office window.... or at least we think we do! It turns out that there are a family of jays nesting near the staff car parking, and they have learnt how to mimic buzzards. How weird is that!