Lakenheath Fen Newsletter March 2010

It’s been a bit chilly down on the Fen recently, and very very wet!  Water levels across the reserve are now very high due to the high rainfall recently.  All of the reedbeds are at top water level, and we’re anxiously awaiting the bitterns to start booming, should be any day now.  There is shallow flooding across most of the grazing marshes, which looks great for waders, but doesn’t seem to have attracted much more than a few mallards!
The freezing weather in January resulted in all of the water bodies across the reserve being frozen solid.  This enabled some excellent views of bittern and water rails as they were forced out of their secretive reedbed hiding places and out onto the ice in search of food.  There were some concerns that bitterns in particular, were not  getting enough food.  So, along with several other key bittern reserves (Minsmere, Otmoor, etc), we did some supplementary    feeding.  Sprats and mackerel were duly purchased from a number of outlets (mainly Tesco’s – ‘every little helps’, as we don’t have many fish shops in the middle of the Fens!), and were distributed in various places around the reserve.  Frustratingly, and despite an afternoon of Norman and Steve sitting in the freezing cold on the ice, we still don’t know whether bitterns actually took the fish.  There were     certainly some very full looking water rails wandering around though!  The other reserves have had mixed results too.  However, whether they did or did not, they seem to have done okay, and we have between four and six bitterns on-site.
All five cranes have also weathered the big freeze, and have stayed on the reserve over the last few months, joined occasionally by a sixth.  We’ve given them an extra help too by putting out spuds and maize, which I think the deer have appreciated too!  Our family of three cranes are fast becoming a pair and a single, with Large chasing Tiny away whenever he (or she) comes within striking distance.  Seems a harsh lesson for the youngster, but hopefully he/she’ll team up with a wandering crane, and form a third Lakenheath pair!


Wildlife sightings
Peak wildfowl counts throughout the last few months include 155 teal, 460 mallard, 180 gadwall, 85 wigeon, 27 shoveler, 115 tufted ducks, five shelduck and 24 pochard.  Two goosander were recorded on 11th Jan.  A single drake goldeneye was present on the 24th Feb.  Up to 21 redshank was a good record on the 14th Dec.  A single brent goose on the 23rd Jan was a surprise, as was a small flock of five bean geese on the 7th Feb.  The first live record of a fulmar was notable on 26th Nov.  Also on the washland, single Caspian gulls and up to four yellow-legged gulls have been present regularly among the black-headed, lesser black-backed and common gulls.  A single adult   Mediterranean gull was present on the 1st March.  Several little egrets are around, and up to two great white egrets were present until mid-   December, with a single returning for a few weeks at the start of February. Four black-tailed godwits were recorded on the 2nd March.  Single merlins, peregrines, hen harriers and buzzards have been recorded on several occasions, and a red kite flew over on the 22nd Feb.
Around the visitor and Brandon Fen area, there have been regular small flocks of siskin and lesser redpolls, along with large flocks of up to 200 goldfinches.  A single lesser-spotted woodpecker was present for a few days around mid-November, and was also        recorded on 23rd December, and again on 1st January.
Large flocks of corn buntings have been roosting on the reserve     during Dec/Jan, with up to 140 reported on 11th January. A single twite was picked up on call on 8th November, as it flew overhead.  Several Cetti’s warblers have been in good voice recently.  The first reserve record of a Chinese water deer was noted on 3rd December by reserve staff, and has been seen on several occasions since.  Lots of otter, and some badger tracks, were found in the snow, it’s nice to know they are around even though we don’t often see them.
Events