Cambridge Local Group Newsletter - The RSPB · Field Trip Reports 3 Devon Weekend Brenda & Melvyn Smith ... interested in wildlife and spent hours catching butterflies, moths and

“The RSPB is the Country’s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give

nature a home.”

Cambridge Local Group Newsletter Issue No: 111 September 2015 Page Contents

2 Editor’s notes Brenda Smith 2 Who’s New Group Leader Andy Law 3 Thank you Melvyn Smith Field Trip Reports

3 Devon Weekend Brenda & Melvyn Smith 8 Wicken Fen Evening Walk Brenda Field 9 Dunwich Heath & Minsmere Ed King

10 Lackford Lakes & King’s Forest Rachel Lowry 12 RSPB Lakenheath Evening Walk Brenda & Melvyn Smith 12 Swanton Novers & Cley Marshes Jill Aldred 14 Rutland Water Brenda & Melvyn Smith 16 Fen Drayton Lakes Walk and BBQ Brenda & Melvyn Smith

16 Hen Harrier Day Brenda, Melvyn

News from Local Reserves

17 RSPB Lakenheath Fen Katherine Puttick 18 RSPB Ouse Fen Hannah Bernie 19 RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes The Fen Drayton Team 20 RSPB Fowlmere Doug Radford

Events

21 Field Trips Andrew Camps 22 Indoor Meetings 22 Cambridgeshire Bird Club Meetings

Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no SC037654

2

Editor’s Notes Here we are in September, and I hope you all had a good summer with some brilliant

birding. The group have been on some very

good field trips, one of which was a weekend

in Devon to catch up on birds we do not see in

this part of the country. I hope you enjoy

reading all about the trips in this newsletter.

We were very lucky to have had a kestrel in

our garden that had caught a young blackbird.

It stayed whilst it devoured most of the bird

and it could fly off with it. The house sparrows

in our area have done well and we regularly

have a flock of over twenty visiting the garden.

We were also lucky to be visited by a pair of

turtle doves that only stayed a short while, but

another of our member of our group had a turtle dove which stayed a week or so.

Thank you to all who have contributed to this newsletter. If you have any articles and photos

for the next newsletter the deadline date is December 15 2015.

WHO’S THE NEW GROUP LEADER?

Hi my name’s Andy Law and I’m the new Group Leader and I thought you would like to know

a little about me.

I spent my early years in Loughton and spent most of my spare time exploring Epping Forest

(no telly or computer games to keep us inside in those days), first with my parents and later

with my young friends. The forest was reached via a short walk from our house and I was

lucky enough to be able to walk home from school during the summer. I was always

interested in wildlife and spent hours catching butterflies, moths and other insects and pond

dipping in the forest ponds was a common pastime. At that time I did not have a particular

interest in birds but did get an introduction to garden birds and finches from my grandfather

who had several nest boxes in his garden and kept a close ringed cock goldfinch as a pet.

At age 11 we moved to Lower Sheering near Sawbridgeworth and here I found some other

young people that had an interest in bird watching. This and the publishing of Collins Field

Guide to Birds of Britain and Europe, which meant we actually had a chance of identifying

the birds we saw. My grandfather also gave me his binoculars, a massive pair of German

military 7 x 50’s, all this really got me into the hobby and I became a member of the YOC the

forerunner of today’s Wildlife Explorers.

Over the intervening years I have continued my interest in all types of wildlife and since my

children have grown up find I have a little more time on my hands I have started doing some

volunteering for the RSPB, this has taken the form of helping with habitat management at

Fowlmere reserve and some work looking for stone curlews.

I have only been a regular member of the Cambridge Local Group for a couple of years but

when I heard that Melvyn was standing down from the position I tentatively put my name

forward for the position, fully expecting that I would be one of many, but as it happened there

were no other candidates and at the AGM I found myself voted into the position.

So what do I hope to achieve during my time in this position? Well first I hope to play my part

in helping the rest of the committee run the group as successfully as Melvyn has over the

last seven years. Beyond that my initial aims are to try and increase the membership

Kestrel by - Brenda Smith



3

especially trying to attract some younger members and to find some new ways of raising

money for the RSPB.

So to finish, I hope you will all feel that you can come and talk to me and perhaps put

forward some ideas for what you would like the group to do or give me some ideas of how I

may achieve my aims, I would love to talk with you.

And now an apology, I’m afraid I will not be present at the September meeting as I will be in

Canada visiting Niagara Falls and doing some whale watching in The Gulf of St Lawrence,

but I look forward to seeing you all at the October meeting.

Thank You!

Once again, please accept my sincere thanks for the gift, following my retirement as Group

Leader, of the picture of “Whooper Swans & Pochard”. This now adorns our bedroom wall

although it might take pride of place on our lounge wall, when the room has been decorated!

You may recall that I was also

presented with an envelope

which, mostly because I was

taken aback by the picture but,

also because I subconsciously

thought that the envelope

contained “just” a signed card, I

did not open. I was shocked,

when I opened the envelope at

home, to find gardening vouchers

for a significant value! I

subsequently ‘spent’ the vouchers

on several ornamental outdoor plant containers to which, compost and plants were added

and these are now displayed at our front door and on our garden patio.

Yet again, thank you so much for your generosity – I will forever value these gifts and they

will always remind me of the many experiences I enjoyed as Group Leader.

Melvyn

Trip Reports Devon Weekend 7-10 May

Thursday

Fourteen group members met at RSPB Exminster and Powderham marshes for the start of

what was to be a memorable weekend for all.

The marshes are a vital feeding and resting area for large numbers of birds both on

migration and in the winter. It is one of the last places in the South East of England where

lapwing and redshank breed. The RSPB keeps the marshes the way that the birds like it by

cutting the grass for hay and controlling the water levels as well having grazing cattle to keep

the grass just the right length. The land was originally part of the estuary until the Exeter

Ship Canal was built in the 19th Century. The remains of the RAF’s World War Two signal

interception base can still been seen.

After the long journey, energy levels were revived with some lunch before setting off on the

trail leading out to the marshes. Two migrating birds were spotted; a wheatear and a hobby;

the latter bird being the first of the year for several of the group. We arrived at a “discovery

Presentation Brenda Smith

Presentation to Melvyn by Andy

– Brenda Smith



4

mentioned area” where visitors are encouraged to lift up the corrugated sheets scattered in

the grass; our reward - a common shrew which quickly disappeared down a hole, before

appearing again and then deciding that it did not like the look of us! Although the sun was

shining there was a cool wind but in the sheltered areas orange tipped, green veined white

and small copper butterflies flitted amongst the vegetation. Out on the marshes, lapwing,

geese, shelduck and grey heron were some of the first birds on our lists.

With time at a premium, we moved on to Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve, an area

of sand dunes and beach that lies at the mouth of the River Exe. The reserve has different

habitats including salt marsh, fresh water ponds, wet marshes and woodland and is an

important area for wildlife which is protected by National and International law. It has a warm

sunny climate with low rainfall, so allows rare plants to grow.

On arrival at a visitor information hut, one of the volunteers mentioned that a spotted

flycatcher had been seen at a nearby pond. The spotted flycatcher is now becoming scarce,

particularly in our (Cambridgeshire) area so this was a good opportunity to find this lovely

little passerine. Despite several pairs of eyes and a slow wander around the pond, several

common woodland birds were spotted but, unfortunately, no flycatchers. Continuing our

walk, now over sand dunes, linnet, wheatear and stonechat were seen. The path took us up

on to a sea wall where we could see Exmouth across the estuary. Out on the mud,

oystercatcher, shelduck, mallard and grey heron were feeding and, on a nearby golf course

were a few waders which, once seen through our scopes, were identified as whimbrel.

Whimbrel are smaller than curlew and can be identified by a straighter bill which curves

steeply nearer the tip, a crown which has two broad dark bands separated by a narrow stripe

and a more obvious buff stripe over the eye. Also, a dark line through the eye with paler

cheeks and throat. There were at least twenty birds feeding on the golf course grass.

Swallow and house martins were passing through as we made our way back to the cars.

We then made the short journey to Torquay and to our hotel where we settled in and

wandered out along to the harbour where we found a restaurant for our evening meal.

Friday

East Dartmoor National Nature Reserve consists of three adjacent sites, Yarner Wood,

Trendlebere Down and the Bovey Valley, which were joined together in 1998. They contain a

range of rare wildlife and habitats so making this

a very special place. We visited Yarner Wood,

which is a mixed woodland with mostly oaks trees

with bilberry as the dominant plants under the

dense shade. On arrival at the car park, passing

the Bovey Tracey Pottery Leat (“an open ditch

that conducts water to a mill”), there were at least

five spectacular mandarin ducks. A grey wagtail

was also feeding on the edge of the water. This

water is from Becky Falls across Trendlebere

Down, through Yarner Wood and picks up extra

water from the Woodcock and Yarner streams

and down to Bovey. The Pottery closed down in the 1950’s and part of the leat was

abandoned but this section is still used.

From the car park we were soon watching pied flycatchers, a pair of which was using one of

the nest boxes nearby. Also, goldcrest and nuthatch were soon seen in the trees as well as

coal and marsh tit. We followed the nature trail long loop, and passed through an area where

the beech trees had been felled in 1987/8. This opened up the floor to sunlight so

Female pied

flycatcher at

nest box –

Steven Low



5

encouraging the heather to grow in a dense carpet. From the “Observation” hide a pair of

bullfinches were spotted that appeared to be nesting

nearby. Those who stayed outside the hide saw a

siskin fly across the tree tops and then a raven, clearly

identified by its wedge shaped tail, came into view and

flew slowly across, giving us a great showing. In the

woods, wood warblers were heard and soon spotted.

We also saw a buzzard, a sparrowhawk and great

spotted woodpecker as well as the commoner

woodland birds. On our route we came across a

section of the Haytor Granite tramway which was built

in 1820 and ran seven miles from the Haytor granite

quarries to Teigngrace. The blocks of granite were carried on flat, horse-drawn trucks. The

Haytor granite was shipped out of Devon by sea and was even used in the construction of

the old London Bridge.

On our way back to the car park we came across ruins of a copper mine, known as Yarrow

mine or Devon Wheal Francis. The mine was 300 feet deep and employed 50 people and by

1865 it had produced 2,300 tons of copper ore. In the 1850s and ‘60s Yarner Wood echoed

with the hiss of a steam-powered Cornish beam pumping engine, used to drain the

underground workings. There were two waterwheels that supplied energy to haul and crush

the ore which after being sorted by hand was sold in Truro. We sat by the water to eat our

lunch, again watching pied flycatchers as they flew about along with tits and a grey wagtail

feeding nearby. During the walk we saw two wood ant nests, one of which was near the gate

of the car park and which one of our group sat near! We managed to see two of our target

birds, wood warbler and pied flycatcher but missed out on common redstart.

We then moved on to Dunsford, this site is owned by the National Trust but looked after by

the Devon Wildlife Trust. It has a huge diversity of wildlife, which has included many rare

birds. The steep sides are cloaked with a scarce type of woodland, known as Western

Sessile Oak Wood. For hundreds of years this wood was cultivated for shipbuilding and has

now created a wonderful place for wildlife. The trees are encrusted with lichen, which is a

sign of the pure humid air in the valley which provides breeding sights for pied flycatcher,

wood warbler, woodpeckers, buzzard and raven. The valley floor, where the River Teigh

flows has mainly ash trees with clearings and in the spring has magnificent swaves of wild

daffodils. Dunsford is probably the best place in Devon for butterflies, which includes fritillary

butterflies and some scarce insects such as wood cricket. We were too late for the daffodils

but in some clearings the floor was covered with ransom, giving the appearance of snow. In

another clearing were bluebells, red campion and early purple orchid, giving a lovely display

of colour. The walk was there and back along by the water and we saw two female

goosanders and a pair of yellow wagtails. Later, a grey heron landed in the river and skulked

into the bank side. We watched a dipper feeding, walking under the water as it foraged for

aquatic invertebrates, including damselfly larvae cases, which it took to the bank to shake-

out the insects inside before eating them. Again, we spotted a wood warbler which was

singing in the trees and heard a raven calling from above.

After another excellent walk, in different terrain, we made our way back to the cars and

returned to Torquay and the hotel. After freshening up, we wandered down to the harbour

and this time into the Rock Fish restaurant for a lovely meal of fish and chips.

Silhouette of a raven

– Steven Low



6

Saturday

As we had decided to make sure of somewhere to eat this evening, we stopped at

Dartmouth Visitor Information Centre to find and book a suitable venue. Having done this,

we continued our journey on our way to Prawle Point, stopping at Slapton Ley for a short

while. Slapton Ley is one of the finest areas of the British coastline. The Ley is the largest

natural freshwater lake in south west England with a fragile shingle bar dividing it from the

sea. During the ice age the coast here was 25 miles further out, and the ground would have

been frozen. But as the climate became warmer the sea level rose and pushed the shingle

inland to create the shingle ridge. As the climate continues to change the single ridge is still

moving inland, with storms and crashing waves reshaping the beach.

We heard a Cetti’s warbler in the undergrowth but, as usual did not see it; these birds spread

north from France to Slapton in the 1970s as our climate became milder. In years gone by

coots were hunted in the winter, the men would get into boats at the Torcross end of the lake

and row up the lake pushing the coots in front of them towards the Slapton Bridge. Here

would be other men in boats and on the shore with guns. As the coots were pushed together

they then took to the air and would then be shot. Fishing on the lake was stopped to prevent

disturbance of the nesting great crested grebes and we saw several of these birds on the

water.

In 1943, the beach was taken over by the allied forces to use as a rehearsal area for the D-

Day Landings. Unfortunately, a combination of live ammunition and poor visibility resulted in

the deaths of 749 American servicemen. There is a stone monument on Slapton Sands to

commemorate the ill-fated ‘Operation Tiger’, along with a Sherman Tank at nearby Torcross.

As we continued on to Prawle Point the drizzle accompanied us to the National Trust car

park. The car park lies in a sheltered hollow

surrounded by hazel and ash bushes.

Prawle Point projects south and seawards,

the eastern flank being farmland with stone

walls, tall hedges and overgrown rocky

outcrops; war time bunkers clad with

brambles also cling to the coastline. The

drizzle stopped as we arrived and soon it

would clear completely and a lovely sunny

day ensued. One of our first sightings was a

male cirl bunting singing from the top of a

tree; wonderful! We made our way down to

the coastal path and slowly wandered along,

watching linnets and stonechats as well as whitethroat and several cirl buntings, both males

and females. We sat on rocks by the cliff top to eat our lunch, listening to the skylarks and

settling down for a bit of sea watching. A few gannets were cruising by and one of our group

spotted guillemots. As we had been walking the tide was going out and the rocks on the

shoreline were becoming uncovered and a little egret flew by and started to feed in the rock

pools. As we wandered further along the path another white bird flew by but this appeared to

have some yellow in it. Two members of our Group had moved ahead but now came “flying”

back, our Japanese friend shouting out “Swamp Heron”! So we all followed the bird as it

landed on the rocks and commenced feeding in the pools. What we had in view was none

other than a squacco heron (known as Swamp Heron in Japan!) – What a sighting! We

stayed for some time watching the bird before we eventually managed to drag ourselves

away, continuing on until we reached a point overlooking Lannacombe Bay beach. Here we

saw oystercatchers and a couple of whimbrel arrived, landing on the seaweed covered

Cirl bunting – Steven Low



7

rocks. With a dinner appointment for the evening, it was necessary to make our way back.

The squacco heron was still on the rock feeding but we resisted the desire to linger too long

and finally made our way back to the cars.

We again stopped at Slapton Ley and this time walked up and across Slapton Bridge where

we heard a Cetti’s warbler but again, the bird remained elusive. Near the entrance to the

path along the lake a spotted flycatcher was, at

last seen, in nearby bushes. Out on the water

there were tufted ducks, little and great crested

grebes and a grey heron which flew low over

the water. We did not stay here long but moved

a few hundred yards along the coast road to a

car park over-looking the sea where a quick

look out to sea elicited a gannet diving in to the

water and a cormorant flying over. Finally, we

made our way back to Dartmouth and enjoyed

a lovely meal in the Floating Bridge, a pub near

the lower ferry. The ferry was delayed a short

time while, waiting for an ambulance but a medical helicopter landed on the nearby green to

take the patient to hospital instead.

Finally, we made our way back to the hotel.

Sunday

After packing the cars for our return home, we then made our way to Bystock Devon Wildlife

Trust reserve, which is on the road between Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton. The reserve is

part of East Devon pebble-bed heaths which have thin sandy soils providing acidic

conditions for heather and gorse; habitat for specialised fauna. The heathland was

manmade around 4,000 years ago when trees were first cut down in Neolithic times for

timber and low intensive agriculture. With changes in agriculture this habitat requires

constant management to preserve its unique character. This is done by grazing hardy

Exmoor ponies and removing the encroaching trees and shrubs by volunteers. These

lowland heaths are declining nationally and are under threat from development, mineral

exploitation and large areas are being lost to modern agriculture. This reserve offers a

combination of habitats, scrubland, woodland, pools and a small reservoir, with boardwalks

to get close to the lakes and wet heathland. The slopes of the valley become dry; heathers

dominate and lead to huge areas where butterflies proliferate. On the reserve is a 19th

century, disused, reservoir which once used to supply Bystock House. The reserve was

owned by South West Water and looked after by the DWT, but is in the process of being

sold to the local wildlife group, who have paid a deposit and given a year to raise the rest of

the money.

We parked at the Clinton Devon Estate car park and then walked along the edge of a wood

looking out over gorse and heather, spotting whitethroat, skylark and stonechat. From high in

the conifer trees we heard goldcrest: singing. Following a track alongside and then through a

small wooded area, we heard several warblers and tits. Emerging from the trees, we found

ourselves over-looking a small valley and proceeded along and down the track until picking

up a boardwalk down to the reservoir. Sitting on the water was a pair of lesser black-backed

gulls and Canada geese. One of the geese had more white on its head then its mate giving it

an odd appearance. There was a female mallard swimming by with its young and a moorhen

swimming near the edge. Making our way back, we re-crossed the road leading to the car

Squacco heron – Steven Low

Squacco heron flying – Steven Low



8

park and wandered out onto heathland. Here we spotted yellowhammer, linnet and mistle

thrush

From the car park, we moved on to RSPB Aylesbeare Common, which is also part of the

East Devon pebble bed heath, and is leased by the RSPB from the Clinton Devon Estate.

The common is 213 ha of heathland, woodland fringes, stream and pools and is important

for Dartford warblers, nightjars and stonechats as well as a range of both heathland and

woodland bird species. We ate our lunches overlooking the heath with a small wood behind

us. A roe deer was seen out in the heather but soon disappeared into the woods. Swifts and

swallows were flying high above us, and we scanned the heath for Dartford warbler but to no

avail. Continuing slowly along the track, we stopped from time to time and were rewarded

when a woodlark was spotted under a tree feeding with three young. We watched these

birds for some while and then saw another adult arrive and land first on a tree, before joining

the first adult and helping to feed the young. Stonechats were seen but no Dartford warbler,

which quite often associates with these chats. A sparrowhawk was seen as it flew low over

the heather and disappeared into some trees. One of our group was lucky to see a barn owl

quartering over the heath.

Back at the car park, a buzzard soared above us as we said our goodbyes. Once again,

many thanks to Andrew for another brilliant weekend and, well, if we hadn’t under-taken the

trip, we wouldn’t have added squacco heron to our lists and, of course several other species

that we would not normally see!

Brenda & Melvyn Evening visit to Wicken Fen May 13

Wicken Fen was the first nature reserve owned by the National Trust and is one of the last remaining fragments of undrained fenland which once covered the vast lowlands of Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Lincolnshire. It’s a nationally important wetland that supports more than 8,500 species including plants, birds, mammals, butterflies and

dragonflies. The reserve covers an area of 760 hectares (1,887 acres) maintained by a team of Rangers and volunteers. A network of raised boardwalks and grass droves meander around the flowering meadows, the reedbeds and sedge. There are nine bird hides and numerous seats from where you may see marsh harriers or hear a bittern booming. The weather was breezy and unexpectedly cool following a very warm afternoon. Nevertheless we set off at 7pm along the board walk to the first hide that overlooks a pool surrounded by tall trees. There is also an area of reed-bed and here we found moorhen and little grebe and were

entertained by a very smart-looking male pheasant boldly eating from the feeders. It’s a good place to see a great spotted woodpecker and whilst we didn’t see one just then, we did hear its short distinctive call from the nearby trees. We decided to walk the grass drove along the reserve perimeter and came very close to reed warblers which seemed to be defending small territories quite close together. Further along, a sedge warbler was demonstrating its erratic song flight, parachuting down to its nest as the song ends. A remarkably tolerant mute swan was tending its nest in which we could see one large white egg and even its mate seemed not to react to our approach, so we presume they are very used to visitors.

Sedge warbler – Steven Low



9

Along the way to the first hide we saw an almost white pheasant. It had a red face and wattle so it may have been leucistic (a condition where the bird is abnormally pale although the normal plumage pattern is generally discernible. In albinism there is generally no colour except for pink eyes and legs.) However pale and dark variants of pheasant have been bred for shooting and the presence of a pub in Fordham called “The White Pheasant” suggests this variant is not unknown. Across the lode were the Konik ponies. Along with herds of Highland cattle the Konik ponies are used by the National Trust to help restore the fen by creating and maintaining diverse habitats. Some trees and shrubs may grow, but the grazers keep the landscape open and help the wetland and grassland plants to become established. Various grazing species, such as cattle, sheep, horses and deer all use the vegetation differently. This develops into subtly different habitats that may change between seasons and years as the restoration proceeds. From the new tower hide there are views across the fen and we spotted a hobby sitting on an old fence post, later we saw another hobby or perhaps the same bird, hunting over the reed beds. The light was fading but insects were still on the wing and probably included dragonflies which are the hobby’s preferred prey, catching the insect with its feet and passing it to its bill during flight. There are many species of dragonfly and butterfly at Wicken Fen and we did come across a large hairy caterpillar that we were unable to identify. Hairy caterpillars are also a favourite food of the cuckoos that were heard calling across the reserve. At one time we could hear two males and a female cuckoo all singing at the same time. With the light growing dim we were rewarded by the amazing sight and sound of roding woodcock. A spring evening is a good time to see woodcock when the males perform display flights known as “roding”, they fly just above the tree or shrub line, with a mix of deep, frog-like croaking and a squeaky ‘tsiwick’ call. The males don’t hold territory, but rode over a relatively wide area in an effort to tempt females up to join them or to encourage females on the ground to reveal themselves. Most woodcock in the UK are residents but are joined in autumn by birds from Finland and Russia that winter here. There are thought to be 78,500 UK breeding pairs although this number has been falling, perhaps because of declining habitat as conifer plantations become too mature for woodcock to find open breeding areas. They feed at night or in the evenings, searching for invertebrates in soft ground with their long bills and it seems that whilst their numbers are not high, the wonderfully diverse habit of Wicken Fen is very valuable in supporting this elusive species.

Brenda Field

Dunwich Heath and Minsmere May 17

On a warm spring day, the group met in the car park at Dunwich Heath then set off on the

full circular loop around the heath. Needless to

say, Dartford warbler was our key target, and it

was not long before we had good views of a

couple of birds, as usual with stonechats also

nearby. A hobby flew past, skylarks filled the air

with their song, and Colin also caught a glimpse

of a passing turtle dove. A kestrel was also

hunting nearby, and coal tit, blackcap, goldfinch,

nightingale, robin, and wren were all seen or

heard. As we entered the wooded area, we

were delighted to catch sight of a couple of wood lark foraging at the base of a tree, and with

extended viewing we identified 2 adults feeding 3 young; undoubtedly a highlight of the

entire day for many of us! As we looped our way back to the cars, we noted the swifts

wheeling overhead.

Dartford Warbler – Steven Low



10

After driving the short distance to Minsmere, we enjoyed the sight of the sand martin colony

next to the visitor centre, and then set off to the North Hide where we quickly tallied a wide

range of the expected waterfowl, including avocet, shoveler, black-tailed godwit, shelduck,

gadwall, lapwing, redshank, oystercatcher, dunlin, bittern, herring, black-headed, and lesser

black-backed gulls. Leaving the hide and progressing along the North Bank, we encountered

reed and sedge warblers and excellent views of bearded tits which flew across the path.

Adding little egret and turnstone to our tally, we made our way down the coast trail via the

East Hide and the public viewpoint, spotting several little terns among the common terns,

plus some handsome grey plovers. On the beach, Brenda spied some ringed plover.

Circling back via the South Scrape and East Scrape hides, where we were pleased to see a

water rail, we made our way through the woodland where we joined a small group of birders

watching a chaffinch visit its nest in the angle of an exposed branch. Along the path

approaching Whin Hill, an area where adders were resident had been sectioned off, and the

snakes were clearly visible quite close to the path, tightly entwined among the undergrowth.

Further downhill towards Island Mere hide, a chiff-chaff was flying back and forth to its nest

low in a bramble bush. We also noted buzzards overhead, and green woodpecker flew past.

Island Mere hide itself presented numerous opportunities to see bearded tits speeding about

the reedbed. A couple of marsh harriers quartered over the west side, and the mere hosted

multiple great crested grebes, little egrets, grey herons, cormorants, mute swans, and little

grebe. Finally, we headed back to the visitor centre via the path adjacent to the entry road,

accompanied by a large flock of long-tailed tits and the sounds of cuckoo and Cetti’s warbler.

A thoroughly enjoyable day!

Ed King

Lackford Lakes and King’s Forest Trip Report, 13 June 2015

Eight birders met at Lackford Lakes on a cloudy damp but mild and still afternoon. First stop

was Bill’s hide. A family of long tailed tits flitted along the bushes just in front of the hide and

a young reed warbler was also moving about the reeds below the hide. Sedge warblers with

young were seen nearby. On the lake were the usual species; coots, moorhen, cormorants,

black headed gulls. Teal were being chased by protective

shelduck parents while Canada and greylag geese lined the

water’s edge. House martins and swallows were feeding

over the water but there were no signs of the expected

kingfisher here.

We moved on to the next hide accompanied by the sounds

of chiffchaff, blackcap, blue and great tits. Again no sign of a

kingfisher but a sparrowhawk was spotted flying past the

hide hotly pursued by a black headed gull. Two stock doves

did several circuits around the hide and a jay flew over.

We moved on again to Bess’s hide. On route we looked out

over the lake with an artificial kingfisher wall where it had

been reported that kingfishers were feeding young. Finally,

accompanied by its sharp call, we were rewarded with a

kingfisher flying low over the lake and out of sight. From the

hide a distant pochard was seen along with great crested grebes complete with stripy

headed young having a piggyback. Tufted ducks were also seen including a family of young

Dartford warbler – Steven Low

Young black-headed gull –

Rachel Lowry



11

ducklings. A few gadwall were also evident. A common tern was spotted on a raft and a

single lesser black backed gull was seen amongst the throngs of rowdy black headed gulls.

A pair of oystercatchers with a chick wandered along the bank and Egyptian geese, which

have become a regular sighting over the last few years, were in evidence. Introduced as an

ornamental species, they escaped into the wild and now breed successfully in the UK with

approximately 1100 pairs, the majority in East Anglia.

Moving on as we passed the kingfisher wall, a kingfisher was again spotted fishing from a

nearby bush. Viewing through the scope confirmed it was a male and we watched it

preening for several minutes.

Further stops at the remaining Atlas and the impressive new Steggall’s hide revealed similar

species with good views of young black headed gulls in various stages of their developing

plumage patterns.

With time moving on we headed

back to the visitor centre and on to

Kings Forest. We made our way to a

clearing in the now dry evening and

waited patiently. Chinese water deer,

alert to our presence watched us

before disappearing into the

background. Song thrushes,

blackbirds and yellowhammers were

in full song and could be clearly

seen. A tree pipit darted back and

forth giving good views perched on

top of the bushes.

Our first sighting of a woodcock

overhead was quickly followed by

several more. This largely nocturnal

bird, spending most of the day in dense cover, is our only wader that has adapted to living in

woodland feeding mainly on earthworms and other invertebrates. At dusk and dawn in spring

and summer males make territorial roding flights to find receptive females. During these

flying circuits they make three or four low pitched croaks followed by a high pitched nasal

whistle. Females make their way to the woodland edge and call to the males and display the

white tips of their tails. Males mate with several females and play no part in incubation of

eggs or rearing chicks. Our resident breeding population is increased over winter by

migrants coming from Scandinavia, Finland, the Baltics and Russia. During this time they

feed overnight mainly on arable fields and pasture. Information about woodcock migration

has been helped in recent years by satellite tagging and use of geolocators to track these

birds. Roy Dennis tagged two birds on Islay in 2009: One bird went to its breeding grounds

in Norway taking two weeks, the other went to Russia taking two months!

The star of our visit here, the nightjar, then made its appearance with the male's churring

call, containing an astonishing 1900 notes per minute, sounding incredibly loud in the still

dusk air. It is a summer migrant from Africa and is also nocturnal, feeding on flying insects

including moths and beetles. We were treated to views of at least two birds flying, with their

long pointed wings and long tails giving them an appearance similar to a cuckoo or kestrel,

its white markings on the wings and tail also showing well in the fading light.

A surprise sighting topped off our trip - a badger walking towards us along the ride. We were



12

able to see the badger clearly for a while before it disappeared into the trees - a thrilling

finale to a super trip.

Rachel

Evening walk at RSPB Lakenheath Fen 17 June

Eleven group members met on an overcast evening at RSPB Lakenheath Fen. Dave

Rogers, the Senior Sites Manager

of the reserve, met us and briefly

explained the history of the reserve

from its conversion as carrot fields

to the present day. He also

informed us what we might see or

hear; warblers, bearded tits, bittern,

marsh harrier, reed bunting, barn

owl, hobby and common crane.

Recently, prior to our visit, a little bittern had been seen and heard and Dave told us the area in which it might be found. Its call is a low, dog like bark that is repeated at least 25 times a minute for up to 35

minutes. Dave explained that if the male stops calling it is a sign that he has found a mate. It is believed that this bird may become more widely established as a breeding species in England in the near future. Last year one pair bred on the Somerset Levels at the RSPB Ham Wall reserve. From the back of the centre and looking across the pond in the reeds a roe deer browsed with its spotty fawn and, probably detecting our presence, the pair melted into the reeds. We then left the Visitor’s Centre and started on the main circular trail, hearing and seeing reed and sedge warblers and white throat. Passing the poplar wood, we heard the rooks as they flew over, along with jackdaws. Stopping at New Fen viewpoint we were lucky to see a pair of bearded tits as they flew across a gap in the reeds, pausing briefly on the reeds before disappearing into them. A pair of kingfishers came into view, one flying off over the reeds. The other bird alighted on a reed stem before flying and hovering over the water and then returning to rest again. We all managed good views of this lovely bird before it moved on further down the channel. A male marsh harrier flew over with a prey item in its talons; a female bird flew out of the reeds and we were delighted to see a food pass; the female flew under the male who dropped the item and the female deftly caught it. She then flew around for a short while before dropping back into the reeds. We moved on, hearing a cuckoo as we walked, as well as a great spotted woodpecker. At

the new “Mere” hide, we watched a pair of swans with only one cygnet. The parents did not

seem very interested in the young bird as it followed them, swimming up towards to the hide.

The male swam into a channel and disappeared in the reeds, the cygnet following. The cob

soon returned, hissing at the cygnet. The cygnet moved away and stood preening on the

water’s edge, the adults following suit before swimming off, with the cygnet following them. It

was difficult to understand why the adults were acting in this way. There were several young

coots on the mud in front of the hide.

We then moved on to Joist Fen viewpoint. Here, the sun was peeping through a long strip of

clear sky in the clouds, giving a lovely warm glow to the evening. Looking back the way we

had come a beautiful rainbow formed a perfect curve across the dark sky. Here we saw a

Mute swan – Brenda Smith



13

cuckoo in a nearby bush but it flew off and landed in another, distant, bush, but still giving us

a good view through our telescopes. Marsh harriers were quartering over the reeds and, in

the distance, at least three hobbies were flying round. As we sat looking over the reeds, we

saw a large flock of starlings wheeling over the reeds. As they turned in the low sunlight they

appeared to change into a

lovely warm golden colour.

We felt a few drops of rain as

we set-off on our return walk

but, fortunately, nothing more

followed. Walking back along

by the river, another hobby

flew over and another family of

mute swans were seen, this

time with, a more usual, four

cygnets. One of our group saw

a barn owl flying through the

poplar trees, probably

sheltering from the quite

strong wind.

We were lucky with the

weather as it was predicted to rain but this never happened and we all enjoyed a lovely

evening walk.

Brenda & Melvyn

Swanton Novers and Cley – 19 July Our first stop on this two-centre trip was a field a few miles to the east of Fakenham, giving views towards an area of ancient woodland. The field is the Fulmodestone Road Raptor Watchpoint, and the woodland is part of Swanton Novers National Nature Reserve, privately owned but managed by Natural England, and with no access permitted. Our main target here was honey buzzard. These have been regular summer visitors to the woods since 1989, and have bred here. Honey buzzards can often be seen flying above the woods, but although we spent over two hours watching in the hope of a view, sadly they did not oblige on this occasion. However, the time passed very pleasantly and we had a good supporting cast of birds to enjoy while we waited, including singing skylarks, good views of linnet, whitethroat and a yellowhammer which seemed to enjoy returning repeatedly to a nearby dead tree. There were several sightings of raptors which, try as we might, we couldn’t make into anything more exciting than common buzzard. By lunchtime it was time to move on to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserve at Cley Marshes. This is a place that never fails to deliver plenty of interest. Today, there was additional non-birding interest for those of us who hadn’t visited since the opening of the Simon Aspinall Wildlife Education Centre. This smart new building blends in very well with the adjacent visitor centre and the project has also included the addition of an outdoor terrace with excellent views over the reserve. We could see at once that there were good numbers of birds, and the sight of a flock of nine spoonbills flying low over the marsh, a hunting marsh harrier plus fairly distant wildfowl and waders, made it not too difficult to tear ourselves away from the café and start our walk round the reserve. The breeze had got up considerably as we set off in an anti-clockwise direction, making it a little more difficult to hear and see any smaller birds that might be present, but on the plus side the earlier cloud rolled away and the rest of the day was sunny with excellent light.

Some of the group, lit by the evening

light – Brenda Smith



14

Our first port of call was Bishop’s Hide, giving us a chance to get our first close look at many of the species present on the marshes. The sight of ducks in eclipse plumage and waders passing through on their return from breeding provided a slightly uncomfortable reminder that summer would soon be over. After some time spent enjoying good views of avocets, including some with young, little ringed plover, ruff, greenshank, green sandpiper and four little gulls, it was eventually time to move on. Half way along the windy East Bank we dropped down from the path and stood or sat (or in the case of one or two people lay down) in the shelter of the bank, where we spent some time watching the birds on Arnold’s Marsh. Here, birds added to our list included oystercatcher, shelduck with lots of young, an overflying curlew, a lone turnstone and a number of terns – mainly Sandwich but also a few common. The presence of both bar- and black-tailed godwits gave us a good opportunity to brush up on our ID skills and have a discussion about the key distinguishing features between the two species. Many of the waders were still in summer plumage, with the godwits and knots resplendent in red and the dunlin showing off their black bellies. Presently we left the shelter of the bank and moved on to the beach. Although I’ve visited Cley more than once since the storm surge of December 2013, I still find myself taken by surprise at the absence of the high shingle bank – a reminder of the power of the elements. Sea watching wasn’t too easy, but we did see gannet flying fairly close in to the shore, and a few terns fishing. Then on to the North Hide viewing shelter. Here we saw one or two butterflies, which reminded us of how few we had seen, presumably due to the wind. This was probably also the reason for not seeing any bearded tits all day.

By now time was getting on and we set off on our return route via West Bank. So far we hadn’t had any good views of the flock of spoonbills we’d seen from the terrace when we first arrived, but as we walked along the bank a lone bird decided to leave the marsh, and we watched as it flew towards the beach and eventually disappeared along the coast in a westerly direction. By this time, the group had spread out and some people had returned to the car park. It was such a lovely evening that a few of us couldn’t resist a visit to the hides in the reedbed. As soon as we entered Avocet Hide we had pointed out to us a very close little egret which was desperately trying to swallow a shrew which it had apparently killed just before we arrived. We watched for a good five minutes as the egret repeatedly lined the shrew up to go down head first, only to find it too difficult to swallow and having to start the process all over again, dunking it in the water, trying to make it flatter, all to no avail. It obviously had

no intention of giving up, and finally its perseverance was rewarded, the shrew disappeared down the hatch, and the bird flew off. Here we also found the eight remaining spoonbills, seven of which flew off soon after we arrived, with the one remaining bird tucking its head in its wing and looking as if it was planning to spend the night there. Another bonus was a much closer view than we’d had all day of a small group of black-tailed godwits in all their red finery. Finally it was time to drag ourselves away and head for home. As we walked back to the car park, a skylark sang overhead. A fitting end to a lovely day. Jill Aldred

Little egret with shrew –

Little egret with shrew – Jill Aldred



15

Rutland Water 15 August

Just six of us arrived this day, to explore the varied habitats of this iconic nature reserve. A

temporary car park had been set-up as the main car park at Egerton was being used in

preparation for the birdfair the following weekend. The marquees had already been erected,

ready for the exhibitors to arrive with all their paraphernalia.

At the Visitor’s Centre we checked up on what was about and then made our way to

Sandpiper hide that overlooks Lagoon four. It was quiet out on the islands with several

resting geese on the far bank and after searching the muddy areas, ringed plover and four

dunlin were seen. We moved on to

Plover hide for a different perspective

across the lagoon. Our decision was

fortuitous, as a nest platform and

perch were occupied by an osprey!

Now retracing our steps to visit hides

we had passed on our way, we heard

a “tsree-ee” call and looked up to see

three wagtails fly over. One of these

birds landed in a tree top and we

managed to get a quick look at the

bird which showed yellow

underneath. Consulting with an app

on a mobile phone to check the call we came to the conclusion that it was a yellow wagtail.

Later, we found that these birds were on the sightings list at the visitor centre.

We made our way slowly back to the centre calling in at Lapwing hide where out on South

Arm III was a very large flock of tufted ducks. At Crane hide a little egret and grey heron sat

on separate branches of a fallen tree but were disturbed when two fishermen in their boat

came too close (when, at home, we checked our map of the reserve, it appears that they

should not have been there! – the fishermen that is!) At Grebe hide we stopped for lunch and

watched the sand martins whizzing in and out of the holes in the sand martin bank. In the

bushes near the hides and along the track, flock tits passed through, with willow warblers

and chiffchaffs amongst them

In the afternoon we made our way to the other side of the reserve. As we wandered, we

were excited by a kingfisher flying over the track in front of us. At the start of the climb up

Lax Hill, Robin hide, over-looking a small pond and surrounded by bushes, often offers a

variety of passerines so, this is always a good stop (and resting place before climbing the

hill!). We were rewarded with two immature bullfinches in the bushes on the opposite side of

the pond and, a male greenfinch looked brilliant as it perched in sunlight, at the top of the

bush. We guessed that empty feeders explained the absence of several other species seen

here in the past. Perhaps it is the policy not to provide extra food in the breeding/ summer

season.

We stopped, as we descended Lax Hill, to look over South Arm II. On a horizontal, dead

branch of a tree, near the water’s edge, we watched an osprey feeding on a dead fish whilst

two more ospreys (off-spring?) sat on another branch. Continuing to Wigeon hide, we were a

little nearer to the ospreys and this hide also gives good views across the water. As we

watched, an adult bird came across the water from the main body of the reservoir with a fish

in its talons. Two of the younger birds then flew to the nest. The adult deposited the fish into

the nest and then rested on a nearby pole. The two young did not seem too interested in the

fish, but eventually one did start to tuck-in.

Hornet’s nest – Brenda

Smith

Hornet’s nest –

Brenda Smith



16

On the way back we called in at Kingfisher hide. Temporary warning signs informed us that

there was a hornet nest in this hide. Sure enough, on the left –hand-side, near window flaps,

an incomplete nest was suspended from the ceiling. From the opposite side of the hide, we

watched as two hornets came in and added to the nest. There were no further birds to add to

our lists and a cup of tea beckoned before the Visitor centre closed so, we set-off, arriving

just in time!

Even though this is a quiet time of the year there were still many moments of interest to

make this another enjoyable day of birding.

Brenda & Melvyn Fen Drayton afternoon walk and BBQ 16 August

On a windy but sunny Sunday afternoon, ten of the group enjoyed a lovely walk at Fen

Drayton Lakes.

On the walk to the Coucher hide

at Moore Lake, we heard a flock

of tits, always worth checking,

as proved the case with both

chiffchaff and blackcap in the

flock. In a nearby area of

scrubland we spotted

whitethroat and were even lucky

to see a lesser whitethroat. At

Moore Lake, on the rafts, were

common tern chicks which

looked as if they would soon be

fledging. Out on the water were

all three geese, Graylag,

Canada and Egyptian. Along

the muddy shore of one of the

islands, a common sandpiper was busy feeding and grey heron, little egret and cormorants

were also seen.

On the way back we stopped to look over ferry lagoon where the numbers of coot build up

as autumn approaches. Fen Drayton Lakes is a nationally important over-wintering site for

these birds. Also, tufted duck numbers were building up, as were mute swan. Many of the

latter species use the lakes as a stop-over whilst they moult and, out on the water were two

great crested grebe young begging as they were approached by an adult. One of the young

was chased away by the adult. This young bird was swimming round calling and then it

disappeared – possibly predated by a pike?

Appetites enhanced by an enjoyable afternoon walk, we then made our way back to Melvyn

and Brenda’s for the BBQ. Lucky with the weather, we enjoyed a lovely social evening

outside. £55.00 was raised for the RSPB from this event.

Brenda & Melvyn

Group enjoying BBQ – Brenda Smith



17

Hen Harrier Day 9 August

There were seven venues around the country, organised for this event, to highlight the plight

of Hen Harriers, particularly in England. We decided to join the event at Buxton, Derbyshire.

The event commenced with evening talks, on Saturday, at the Palace Hotel in Buxton. Here,

we met “Henry”, a large ‘hen harrier’, who has travelled round the country having his photo

taken in several places including at the gates of Sandringham House in Norfolk. Mark Avery

introduced the speakers

as well as giving a talk;

Mark Coker recounted

some of the history of the

relationship between

birds of prey and man. He

also interviewed Jeremy

Deller, a conceptual,

video and installation

artist, who has a strong

political aspect to his art.

Jeremy presented an

exhibition at la Biennale

di Venezia in 2013, called

English Magic, and the

image that was seen from

the door going into the hall was a hen harrier with a land rover in its talons! The younger

generation was represented by Findlay Wilde who presented a video on nature. Mike Clarke

from the RSPB introduced the RSPB film called ‘Skydancer’, a ten minute film to raise the

awareness about England’s most threatened bird of prey (a must see film if you have strong

feelings against the persecution of Hen Harriers). It outlines the issues surrounding the hen

harrier and the challenging relationship between grouse-shooting and nature conservation.

Chris Packham gave the last talk and was very blunt about the problems that the hen harrier

faces.

On Sunday morning, we walked about a mile from one of the car parks to get to Goytsclough

Quarry, where nearly 500 people met for the hen harrier protest. Once everyone had

gathered, Charlie Moore from Birders against Wildlife Crime opened the talks and he was

followed by Jo Smith, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust; Jeff Knot from the RSPB; Mark Avery and

Chris Packham.

Melvyn, Brenda and Rachel

News from the Local Reserves.

Lakenheath Fen news August 2015

Welcome to the summer news from Lakenheath Fen!

Nesting season is almost past and there seem to be chicks and newly fledged young

everywhere at the moment! Our biggest news is that both pairs of cranes have fledged

young this year – hurray! One pair fledged twins (a first for here), and the other pair fledged

a single young. They can currently be seen with their parents foraging on reserve grassland

and occasionally taking short flights over the river. They’ll hopefully spend the next month or

Mike Clarke, RSPB staff and

Henry – Brenda Smith



18

so around the reserve honing their flying

techniques before heading off, with their

parents, into the wider Fens area.

Bitterns have also had a good year, with

five booming males and four nests being

recorded. Of these four, we know that at

least three of them have fledged young.

Marsh harriers have also done well, with

lots of fledged young around, though the

final tally has yet to be worked out!

Most of our work recently has been focussed around visitors and bird surveys. A lot of time

is spent keeping the visitor infrastructure in good order, which generally involves strimming

and mowing paths! It’s a never-ending job at this time of year. We’ve also begun the

thankless task of removing ragwort from the grazing marshes. We thought last year was

bad, but despite all our hard work from previous years, there seems to be more than ever!

We do leave a bit of ragwort scattered around the reserve though, as it is a really good

nectar source for insects.

Another survey we’ve been doing is the annual hunt for marsh carpet moth caterpillars!

They feed on the developing seed heads of common meadow rue, which is a fairly common

plant of Fenland areas. The moth itself is quite rare (classified as being Nationally Scarce)

and only found in certain fens and marshes across seven counties in the south-east of

England. The caterpillars are small and very camouflaged, but this year our intrepid counters

have found 145, which is 46 more than last year!

Wildlife sightings May to July – The main highlight was the long staying little bittern, which turned up on 16

May, and was apparently still present throughout June, although very few actual sightings

are being reported. More excitement in June was caused by the arrival of a collared

pratincole, which was present on and off for about a week from 7 June. Other good records

have included red kite, spotted flycatcher, black tern and a random Arctic skua!

Otters have been seen regularly on the river. The fenland flowers are all out in bloom at the

moment, from the deep purple of purple loosestrife, to the paler hemp agrimony, and the

bright yellow of yellow loosestrife. There are plenty of butterflies to see too, and if you’re

Proud parents with their twins! Photo by Dave

Rogers

Marsh carpet moth larvae Adult marsh carpet moth Photo’s by Lee

Gregory



19

really lucky, we’ve also had several sightings of a hornet mimic hoverfly, Volucella zonaria –

the largest hoverflies in the UK.

That’s all from me for now, hope to see you on the reserve soon!

Cheers, Katherine.

Ouse Fen Aug 2015

Like the variable weather this season, spring and summer was peppered with the highs and

lows on the reserve. Bittern monitoring got off to an outstanding start with a record total of 10

booming males, one of the highest populations in the UK for this our key target species.

Eight males took up residence in Cell 1, our oldest reedbed cell with one on Cell 2 and

another on Cell 5 where we had recently raised the water levels to make it more bittern

friendly.

As the breeding season progressed and we started nest monitoring it was apparent there

wasn’t as much activity as we had hoped. We pin-pointed five areas that could be potential

nest sites but unfortunately as the weeks progressed it became clear we had only had one

successful nest. The reasons for the downturn are unclear but we will be exploring possible

answers in the coming months.

On a brighter note we had 6 pairs of

breeding marsh harriers this year which

put on great aerial displays of sky

dancing and aerobatic food passes over

the reedbeds. The juveniles can still be

seen accepting food passes from their

parents but these will become less

frequent as they learn how to hunt for

themselves. Bearded tits were hard to

pick out in a windy survey season this

year but the distinctive reeling song of

the grasshopper warbler was much

easier to locate in the scrubby areas that

are developing nicely around Cell 1.

A pair of Mediterranean gulls fledged a chick for the first time at Barleycroft Lake. With 7

cormorants nests and a pair of grey wagtails also there, we hosted two completely new

breeding species on Barleycroft this year. Breeding common terns were up this year to 15

pairs keeping at least 300 nesting black-headed gulls company. Turtle doves have been

seen and heard frequently around the lake where we think we have 2 breeding pairs. The

reserve is part of a supplementary feeding programme for this species and the birds are

regularly using our feeding sites.

For other winged wildlife fortune are up, with scarce chaser dragonflies becoming more

common on the reserve. They can be seen along the perimeter canal with other species

including black tailed skimmers, small red-eyed, emerald and variable damselflies.

With the return of our habitat management season, we have started to lower the water levels

in the reedbed cells in order to encourage reed to spread out further. Once the levels are

lowered reed sends out suckers in search of water. Lower water levels exposes muddy

islands perfect for passing waders and roosting egrets. Making use of these areas we are off

to a bright start this autumn with two great white egrets seen regularly on Cells 5 and 6 and

Turtle Dove – Barry O’Dowd



20

roosting at Berry Fen. Keen eyes over the reserve will no doubt find much more over the

coming months.

Hannah Bernie, Warden, Ouse Fen

News from Fen Drayton Lakes We have seen some truly impressive rainstorms in Cambridgeshire this summer. Although

there have been plenty of hot sunny summer days to enjoy as well. These have brought with

them the bonus of being able to see many of the beautiful dragonflies and damselflies that

call the reserve home, dancing through the summer sky.

Cetti’s warblers have bred in their highest numbers since RSPB records began and it was

anecdotally a great year for other warblers on the reserve, too. A few hundred yards’ stroll

around Ferry Lagoon on a warm day in late May would bless you with Cetti’s warbler, chiff-

chaff, blackcap, whitethroat, lesser whitethroat, sedge warbler, reed warbler, willow warbler,

garden warbler and grasshopper warbler. Late summer also saw success on the tern rafts.

The Common terns have been really enjoyable to watch over the summer months, as they

hover suspended mid-air, before diving arrow like upon unsuspecting fish. Oystercatchers

also bred successfully on the reserve again and for a period the skies were resounded to the

noisy squabbling cry of the young birds.

Turtle doves and nightingales also

set up territory again. A marsh

harrier nest (although it’s unclear if

any birds fledged), ever-present

bearded tits and a consistently

booming bittern were also highlights

of the breeding season.

This summer RSPB Fen Drayton

Lakes has continued to enjoy being

a partner in the Ouse Washes

Landscape Partnership (OWLP)

scheme. A Heritage Lottery Fund

grant-aided scheme in the heart of

the Cambridgeshire and Norfolk

fens focusing on the distinctively rural, open and tranquil landscape surrounding the Ouse

Washes and its unique heritage. This is a wide partnership of organisations which aims to

strengthen partnership working across all levels and promote people engagement and

understanding of this special landscape. RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes is the southern gateway

to this wetland Fens Landscape, and as part of the scheme we have enjoyed running a

variety of different activities for family groups.

Pond Dipping on the Lakes has proved to be really popular. The joy of small children, and

often the adults with them, in finding such a bewildering variety of life in just one scoop of the

net, has been fantastic to see. Although aimed at young children, all ages have enjoyed

seeing water scorpions, water boatmen and the presence of whirligig beetles, bloodworms,

water mites, waterlice, pond snails, ramshorn snails. Although we have not found them every

time the sheer size of the Great diving beetle has impressed everyone who has seen them.

The Cambridge Archaeology Unit are also partners in the Ouse Washes Landscape

Partnership scheme. The Archaeological dig, at the site of a former Roman Villa, and Open

Brimstone Butterfly at

Fen Drayton lakes –

Brenda Smith



21

Day for the public was a very popular event this year. Approximately 400 people came to the

event on the day, and were enthused with the Archaeologist’s findings. In addition to the

Roman glass, pottery, and bones found during the dig, many visitors enjoyed tea and home-

made cake on the reserve. As this summer we have been delighted to host the Pop-up-

Polka Dot Teashop, caravan selling home-made cakes, scones, tea, coffee, hot chocolate

and more beside the car park on the reserve. Please see our website for details of when the

Pop-up-Polka Dot Teashop will be there.

The start of September has seen a good number of migrants passing through, including the

black tern, common and green sandpiper and two Eurasian spoonbills.

All the best for the autumn season.

The Fen Drayton Lakes Team

Fowlmere Nature Reserve Summer 2015

Our showy barn owls managed to rear one chick to fledging, which I think is a reasonable

achievement this year, but from the visitors’ perspective the highlight of our summer has

been the fledging of four young marsh harriers. The male did all the provisioning, with the

female hardly being seen after the young birds became proficient at flight.

Marsh harrier family by Gary Thornton Turtle dove adult by Neil Bramwell

Fowlmere continued to be one of the best places in Britain to see turtle doves, with adults

being seen and heard on most days. The young from one nest fledged near the end of

August, and a visitor told me of another nest around the same time but too late for me to

follow up. A minimum of five young fledged this year from at least five territories.

Another highlight this year has been the range of waders, due to a combination of our

management of the margins of the mere and the exposure of mud in the dry weather in July.

Obviously we can’t compete with the larger reserves, but we did record twelve species of

waders in these two months. Highlights were up to five little ringed plovers daily during the

first half of July and a pectoral sandpiper on 20 July, although my personal favourite was the

dunlin that fed on the edge of the mere all day while we cut reed regrowth a few metres

away.



22

Dunlin by Doug Radford

We had high hopes that our tufted ducks would be successful when one of the females

appeared with eight cute ducklings, but a heron picked them off one by one, finishing by

murdering the sole survivor when it was two-thirds grown (and much too big to swallow).

Oddity of the period goes to the male Cape shelduck that associated with nearly 200 greylag

geese at the end of July.

Tufted duck family by Gary Thornton Cape shelduck male by Doug Radford

Doug Radford (Site Manager)

Field Trips

Saturday October 17 NNT Holme, meet in the car park on your left by ‘The Pines’ at 9:30 am. There are new toilets and a small cafe at the Visitor Centre. Possible birds would include winter migrant thrushes, Brent geese, wigeon, teal, golden and grey plover, and siskin. If it seems quiet bird wise we can go on to Titchwell in the early afternoon. Bring packed lunch and drink. Saturday November 14 Elmley Marsh. Meet in the car park at Kings Hill farm at about 10am. We should find various duck species, golden plover, godwits, short eared owl, peregrine falcon, cormorants, possible marsh and hen harriers and various other waders. HW is at 13:55 so should push birds onto the various pools. Be prepared for winter weather and muddy conditions, a packed lunch and hot drink essential!



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If you would like to go on any of these trips then please inform Andrew Camps, tel. 01638 741018

Indoor Meeting

Wednesday 21 October

April in Turkey

Brian Gallop

Wednesday 18 November

Kwa Zulu, Natal and the Western Cape

Ian Barthorpe

Wednesday 9 December

Christmas Social Please note this is the second Wednesday in the month Speaker to be announced, a chance to socialise, try your hand at the quiz and have a few festive nibbles.

Cambridgeshire Bird Club indoor meetings (Doors open at 7.30pm for a

8.00pm start; there is a £2-£3 charge for non members)

Cottenham Village College

Friday 9 October

‘The Lady of the Reeds’ the rediscovery of pioneering bird photographer Emma Turner James Parry St John’s Hall Friday 13 November

Cuckoo – Cheating by Nature Nick Davies Friday 11 December

Christmas Social

Documents

Cambridge Local Group Newsletter - The RSPB · Field Trip Reports 3 Devon Weekend Brenda & Melvyn Smith ... interested in wildlife and spent hours catching butterflies, moths and