Print pageStar species
Our star species are some of the most interesting birds you may see on your visit to the reserve.
Stay alert for the sight of an electric-blue bullet speeding past over the lakes and pools. Kingfishers are a year-round attraction at Fowlmere. In spring and summer, watch out for adults carrying fish back to their nests in their beaks. |  |
Reed buntings are most obvious in spring when the males, sporting smart black heads with white collars, sing from the tops of the reeds. |  |
Another warbler that returns from Africa in spring, the sedge warbler is easy to see because it 'pirhouettes' up into the air from the tops of the bushes, singing its scratchy song as it goes. |  |
Though the species is much less common than it was formerly, turtle doves can still be seen and heard at Fowlmere in the spring and summer. Listen for their gentle 'purring' from the hedges. |  |
Watch from the hides for water rails emerging to feed on the edge of the channels and pool within the reedbed. They may venture out onto exposed mud when the water drops in late summer and autumn or onto ice in winter. |  |