Oct 5th Strumpshaw Fen

Pheasants and Grey Squirrel

Weasel Watching Round 3! This time it was quite a productive hour at 'Weasel Lane'. First, there were two mallards crossing to the new pond, then about 5 male pheasants and a grey squirrel kept me entertained throughout the hour at the closed entrance gate to the meadow trail (now closed for the winter). There was even a brief glimpse of a water rail crossing the path from the new pond dipping pond platform like a roadrunner and a kingfisher zipping by in the other direction several minutes later. But annoyingly, the weasel failed to show up yet again.


Pheasants

Mallard

Robin

Dunnock

Common Inkcaps

As for my two fungi targets, the shaggy inkcap and the candlesnuff fungus, they are also nowhere to be seen. I am more worried about not seeing the shaggy inkcaps than the weasels at the moment. Surely they should be out by now? This fungus has a very short fruiting period with the toadstools disintegrating within a week or two. I normally see them around September and early October by the picnic bench by the old pond dipping pond. Its only a matter of time now, I hope. So no shaggy inkcaps today, but I did find these common inkcaps growing by the log circle in the woods instead (at least that's what I've been told they were).

Glistening Inkcaps

Brown Mottlegills

Turkeytail



 

Bittern

At Reception Hide, I saw a bittern fly across the reserve with two stops along the way. First it flew to the reed bed near to us in front of a guilder rose bush covered in red berries to my left. Then it emerged again about an hour later, flying over the broad and into the reed bed on the far side before finally flying beyond the treeline and towards the Tower Hide. I took a few photos, but they aren't very good. The bird was just too far away. Elsewhere, the marsh harriers were very active today. If they weren't busy scaring the many wildfowl on the broad, then they were busy mobbing the local buzzard in a fierce aerial battle of talons.

Marsh Harrier Vs Buzzard



Marsh Harrier and wildfowl

Tufted Ducks

Cobber the Black Swan chasing a Mute Swan

Goldfinch




Chaffinch

Blue Tit and Great Tit

Great Tit

Marsh Tit



Spindle berries

Guilder Rose berries



Common Carder

It was busy chewing on the wood for some reason.

Red Admiral

Common Snipe

When my shift was over, I went to Fen Hide for a short visit. I had heard that there was a jack snipe as well as a few common snipe there this morning. There was no sign of it when I got there, sadly. I could only spot a pair of common snipe hidden amongst some stubble. They were resting with their bills tucked within their wings. One did eventually have a bit of a stretch before deciding to move around the stubble to find food by probing their long bills into the ground.