There is suddenly a large amount of ice cover on the reserve. However, there are still plenty of birds to see and it is well worth braving the chilly weather. On Tuesday morning, three marsh harriers were hunting over New Fen North. A sparrowhawk also shot through the gap in the poplar woods and disappeared off into West Wood. A merlin was also seen from Joist Fen viewpoint at a similar time.
A kingfisher was fishing in front of New Fen viewpoint and four shelducks were on the washland. The visitor centre was the place to be though as the water rail kept dashing out into the open. Seven curlews flew over the centre and a common buzzard was over the centre in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, further down the reserve, all six cranes were seen. As Dave was checking the water levels, a bittern flew up right next to him and disappeared off into the reedbed. There were also eight marsh harriers hunting over a similar area.
Yesterday, all six cranes were seen from Joist Fen viewpoint and a ringtail hen harrier was seen north of the river. There were large numbers of gulls on the washland struggling with the ice and six redshanks were also present.
This morning, there were six marsh harriers and a common buzzard over Joist Fen viewpoint. A pair of great spotted woodpeckers were drumming in Trial Wood and two snipe flew out of the wood. We hope to see you soon!