Visit to RSPB Lakenheath Fen 27th March 2013
After we left Halesworth we drove straight to Bury St Edmunds where we were staying with some other friends. After a nice dinner and watching a bit of the football on computer we went to bed and next day we set of early for Rutland Water but on our way we dropped in on RSPB Lakenheath Fen for a good walk and to see what was around. We knew it was a little early in the year for a lot of the special birds they are famous for, Hobby and Golden Oriole, but we thought we should give it a go anyway. We stopped for a chat in the reception but we were told there wasn’t too much around. Undeterred, we still headed off for a walk around the site.
Although the weather had been poor and we were warned that it may be a bit wet underfoot we actually found it much less muddy than when we had been there last year. There were a lot fewer birds as well. The woods and reeds were largely silent as we walked down to the “New Fen Viewpoint” but at least we did get reasonable views of a few Marsh Harrier but – again – no Bittern. The most interesting aspect was that we overheard a long conversation between two chaps, one of whom was obviously connected to the reserve, discussing the creation of a pasture – off to the left – for Cranes to settle in. Apparently they have done this even though we did not see them. It is worth remembering this however. At reception we had been told a number of places we could look for Cranes around the site but by the end of the day we had not seen any, unfortunately. We walked further down the fen to the “Joist Fen viewpoint” and then back along the River Little Ouse (we week walking along this river this last week) but we didn’t see too much special. We did find the one Whooper Swan on the site amongst all the Mutes. It seems that it injured its wing last year and could not return migrate so it just stayed put. They do not know whether it will return this winter or stay on for a while longer.
Bird Sightings : RSPB Lakenheath Fen
| Species | Count |
|---|---|
| Mute Swan | 10 |
| Whooper Swan | 1 |
| Greylag Goose | 20 |
| Gadwall | 6 |
| Teal | 12 |
| Mallard | 8 |
| Pintail | 8 |
| Cormorant | 1 |
| Grey Heron | 1 |
| Great Crested Grebe | 1 |
| Marsh Harrier | 2 |
| Buzzard | 2 |
| Kestrel | 1 |
| Coot | 4 |
| Magpie | 6 |
| Jay | 1 |
| Rook | 20 |
| Blue Tit | 4 |
| Great Tit | 4 |
| Mistle Thrush | 1 |
| Chaffinch | 6 |
| Greenfinch | 2 |
| Goldfinch | 6 |
| Siskin | 4 |
| Reed Bunting | 12 |