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Wicken Fen and surroundings wildlife sightings (1 Viewer)

jqmhelios

Well-known member
I just wanted to start this thread to provide people with wildlife sightings from Wicken Fen and the surrounding areas. I chose to do this because Wicken Fen twitter, once an excellent source of information on the wildlife, now doesn't mention any wildlife at all and are extremely reluctant to reveal anything about the wildlife even when contacted directly. This data comes from Cambridgeshire bird club and myself.
Currently present:
Male and female hen harriers, best viewed from Burwell Fen
Little owls at Burwell Fen
Barn owls at Burwell Fen
Enormous whooper swan roost at Burwell Fen in the morning (numbering 160+ birds)
 
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I just wanted to start this thread to provide people with wildlife sightings from Wicken Fen and the surrounding areas. I chose to do this because Wicken Fen twitter, once an excellent source of information on the wildlife, now doesn't mention any wildlife at all and are extremely reluctant to reveal anything about the wildlife even when contacted directly. This data comes from Cambridgeshire bird club and myself.
Currently present:
Male and female hen harriers, best viewed from Burwell Fen
Little owls at Burwell Fen
Barn owls at Burwell Fen
Enormous whooper swan roost at Burwell Fen in the morning (numbering 160+ birds)
Why is that Glebe?

Oh sorry, am I confusing you again with someone else from Cambridgeshire who left as you joined and who also kept starting threads complaining that people were refusing to give him information about raptors? 🙄
 
Why is that Glebe?

Oh sorry, am I confusing you again with someone else from Cambridgeshire who left as you joined and who also kept starting threads complaining that people were refusing to give him information about raptors? 🙄
Deb, do you have a problem with me or something? What is your problem? I literally joined a week ago and already you are tracking everything I write. I will not enter into further correspondence. It is up to you to believe whatever you want. I am Jake and I seriously don't mind your provocative posts. Anything you write in reply to me ever again will be ignored on sight.
 
Update for 17/12/2020

Nothing reported from Wicken Fen. Barway has great white egret and whooper swan, Kingfisher's bridge NR has a flock of 10 white-fronted geese.

Anyone deciding to visit Wicken Fen be advised you need to pre-book most of the days and the last entry to Sedge Fen is 3pm. So it is either the roost or Burwell Fen. Burwell Fen has much better variety of species. The SEOs are not here yet but it does have reliable little owls and reliable barn owls.

Edit: I appreciate moderators moving this to another place in the forum. I'm new and don't really get how the forum works :)
 
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Update for 20/12/2020

This is not about Wicken Fen. I would just like to report that a cackling goose has been spotted at WWT Slimbridge. This, as far as I know, the rarest bird seen on the reserve since the red-breasted goose in 2018.
 
Update for 20/12/2020

This is not about Wicken Fen. I would just like to report that a cackling goose has been spotted at WWT Slimbridge. This, as far as I know, the rarest bird seen on the reserve since the red-breasted goose in 2018.
Jake,
Why not then put this post on the appropriate county or rare bird thread - peculiar action.
 
Glebe, please be aware, re-uploading someone elses images on to Birdforum might be require permission from the photographer 👍 You said you started this thread because
“Wicken Fen twitter, once an excellent source of information on the wildlife, now doesn't mention any wildlife at all and are extremely reluctant to reveal anything about the wildlife even when contacted directly”. Yet you have just posted the whole twitter post ,including images, of the ranger at WF! Would it not be better instead to just post the link?

Ps Glebe, as you know, I have a problem with anyone who openly advocates the flouting of laws that aim to protect birds from disturbance and happily that admits to doing so - as you have done many times now on BF - you know what I am talking about. You have, even as your alter ego, Jake, repeatedly complained about these laws and cast dispersions on several conservation organisations in doing so as well as people like myself who work for these organisations. It’s not personal but If you want to make that into some kind of personal issue, that’s up to you. However, please stop telling lies about how long you have been a member here and who you really are to make it sound as if I’m somehow making stuff up and targeting a new member for some obscure reason unbeknown to you! 🙄
 
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Currently there are no short-eared owls overwintering at Wicken Fen.
Hen harriers have been present for some time already, since November...
RSPB got caught sabotaging their reintroduction in the south of England....
 
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To put the thread back on track, no further reports from Wicken Fen. Hen harriers, though, continue to roost at Wicken Fen and the whooper swan roost is still at Burwell Fen. It is being rather bleak, to say the least.
The short-eared owl may still reappear but there are some currently at Great Fen. Currently the most exciting place I find is Earith for the glossy ibis and Deeping Lakes for the long-eared owl roost. Stilton offers great views of red kites.
 
On the 24th December 4 cranes were seen over Tubney fen flying away to Burwell Fen, and two flying in the opposite direction There were 93 whooper swans and 4 tundra swans at the roost. In addition a glossy ibis showed up near Cambridge at Chesterton Fen in the morning, my attempts to find it today were unsuccessfull. It could still be around, we'll see tomorrow. I myself saw a kingfisher and green woodpecker, and a short-eared owl on the train back.
 
At Wicken Fen, two barn owls were seen and the typical little owls present at Priory Farm.
The glossy ibis continues to frequent the flooded fields by the river and A14, and there have been reports of white-fronted and barnacle goose from Wimpole Hall
 
Wicken Fen is ruined sadly IMO, as you can no longer go to Tower Hide, apparently to let the path to it regrow. This was THE place to go to see Hen Harriers in winter. The views from the other hides are substandard, with the boardwalk itself being the closest you can get but it's nowhere near as good as Tower Hide.

What a shame.
 

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