• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

A magnificent day in Cambridgeshire's fens & washes (1 Viewer)

wolfbirder

Well-known member
I spent a long but superb day yesterday in Cambridgeshire, in cold and breezy but beautiful sunny conditions.

I arrived at Holme Fen at about 9am, situating myself near Tower Farm along with several other birders waiting to see the wintering Rough-legged Buzzard. It took nearly two hours before I connected as it hovered distantly, but salient features noted. 3 Red Kites, Chaffinch & Goldfinch flocks, and a few Kestrels were also noted amongst the corvids and Black-headed Gulls.

I moved onto nearby Eldernall on the Nene Washes late morning, but just found a few Mute Swans and Buzzards here, though Green Woodpecker and 2 Mistle Thrushes were searching for worms on the Tractor factory grass compound.

I did not stay long, moving south-east to Welches Dam RSPB near Manea, Reed Buntings showed superbly on the feeder and a Kingfisher flitted over the bank. On the choppy floods large numbers of Wigeon, Coot, Tufted Duck and Pochard were present, and a large number of Whoopers on fields behind, somewhat distantly.

After a sandwich on the move, birding continued on the road between Manea-Welney where I stopped on a farm track to watch a flock of 150 Whoopers and up to 50 Bewicks in a field. A Little Egret was sat in a field and a Peregrine flew through, showing its steely-blue upperparts well. I did not call into Welney WWT, but stopped by the bridge and flooded fields close to the long access road to the centre, noting Curlews and Lapwings and 6 handsome Pintail amongst the throngs of Wigeon.

My next port of call mid-afternoon was intended to be Burwell Fen for the Short-eared Owls, but I forgot how to find the access road out from the small town, and instead circumnavigated it via the extremely bumpy road via Reach and Upware, only noting a few Kestrels and more gulls and corvids.

I arrived at Wicken Fen NNR at 3pm, being a Saturday the car park was rammed, but in glorious conditions I headed out on the boardwalk after paying the £6.70 entrance fee, noting Redwing, Fieldfares and a very showy Muntjac Deer. I situated myself at 3pm in Boardwalk Hide, as I was told this is a good alternative to the Tower Hide, to watch the Harrier roost. However, although it probably is indeed good, the sun angle was terrible, though the sun is of less importance as the bulk of harrier activity takes place when the sun is dipping below the treeline. So I walked out across the boardwalk towards the canal, and positioned myself there to watch the roost. Around 8 Marsh Harriers floated around on slightly-raised wings and a Sparrowhawk flitted through the treetops hoping to surprise an unwary passerine. The Marsh Harriers generally arrive for roost earlier than the Hen Harriers and are less secretive. A Barn Owl showed briefly and a Kingfisher zipped overhead. Gulls constantly streamed overhead towards their ultimate roosting spot on one of the areas many pits, and sporadically ranks of 'calling' Rooks and Jackdaws announced their presence as they too flew to their roost.

A female Hen Harrier arrived early, at about 3.45pm,its golden-brown colours looking quite magnificent in the late afternoon sun. She quickly roosted about one-hundred metres away, half way back towards the reserve Centre. Half an hour passed, as I kept looking in every direction for the arrival of more Hen Harriers, and then at about 4.15pm, a stunning full adult male Hen Harrier with its immaculate grey, black and white plumage emerged from the canal side trees, flying over the roost spot and banking and floating over the reedbed, offering fantastic views for around twenty breathtaking seconds before it flew further out over the reedbed, where it proceeded to fly around with up to 5 more ring-tails and a sub-adult male that joined it over the next half an hour. Some seemed to roost a little further out, but two ringtails joined the early arriving female close to the Reserve centre building.

As I walked the short distance back to the car, 2 hunting Barn Owls flew close to me, hissing and shrieking at me.

Wicken Fen is a magical place on such a beautiful winter's afternoon, a very fitting location for those wonderful Hen Harriers!
 
Many thanks H, its deeply atmospheric and quite superb when the weather is perfect as it was yesterday. Although it was cold, & the added bit of breeze made the wind chill worse, it seems to keep the harriers up a bit longer prior to roosting.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 9 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top