April 25th Strumpshaw Fen

A splash of colour, a splash of sound and a splash of rain, this morning at Strumpshaw in a nutshell. April is nearly over and though it has been like summer last week, this week has been rather traditional in its weather. April showers have been threatening to spoil what has been a relatively cool, cloudy morning. And while there were a couple of short, brief downpours, it wasn't enough to put me off from a walk to the river.

Cuckoo

The reed beds and shrubs were now full of singing birds such as willow, Cetti's, sedge and reed warblers. Somewhere in an area beside the Sandy Wall, a grasshopper warbler was reeling, but this species is known to be a bit of a ventriloquist capable to make itself sound closer than it actually is. So it was no surprise that I failed in finding it today. It was not the only bird to tease me, though, as a bittern was booming on and off as during my walk to the sluices. Only God knows where it was booming from, but it sounded close. Thankfully, there was one bird that I did manage to track down by sound and that was my first cuckoo of the year. It may have sounded like it was off key at times, but it was thanks to this, one of the most celebrated of bird sounds that I came to finding it partially covered in the new leaf cover at the top of a very tall tree on the opposite side of the river. Though it was a bit distant to photograph with my camera, at least it stayed put long enough for me and a few others to enjoy.

Mute Swan

Blackbird

Bluebells

With plenty of time to spare, I decided to head back the way I came to check out the bluebells in the far corner of the woodland trail at the other end of the reserve to see if they were in bloom yet. Thankfully they were and they were stunning. While this isn't the largest display of these flowers compared to other woodlands across the country, it is still beautiful to see nonetheless. And if a carpet of blue wasn't enough, there were splodges of yellow in the form of primroses and cowslips dotted here and there as well.

Primroses



Cowslip



Honesty

Forget-me-nots

Greylags with goslings

At Reception Hide, it was a bit of a baby boom. A family of greylags were hard at work defending  8 young, fluffy goslings from both the elements and other geese that were getting a bit too close. Meanwhile, the coots nesting in front of the hide have also been successful with at least four tiny, bald-headed chicks. As there was a slightly cold breeze in the air, the female coot continued to sit at the nest with her young tucked under her for most of the morning, though they did occasionally peek out to get a glimpse of the wide world beyond the warmth and safety of their mother.

Coot with chicks

Male Pochard

Female Pochard

Shovelers

Cuckoo

Marsh harriers and buzzards were still very active this week as per usual and I may have seen a very distant red kite earlier during my walk. Swallows and martins were now beginning to swarm high above us with them occasionally skimming the surface of the broad. I've finally seen my first common terns of the year, too, despite that they've arrived here for at least a couple of weeks now. The real highlight of the morning, however, was the mini cuckoo fest that occurred near the end of my shift as a male was calling from trees and posts close to the hide providing even better views than the one by the river. As this male continued to announce his territory, a second male showed up to challenge him. The first male then went after this rival and a series of chases ensued with the pair flying back and forth past the hide. And then it rained!

Common Tern

Marsh Harrier