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| Redwing |
Suddenly, the warm Indian summer has abandoned us. The pleasant warmth of yesterday has been replaced by grey clouds and a slight chill in the air. There's also a threat of rain around as it has been a bit drizzly towards midday onwards. Now, this is what autumn was suppose to be like. As I made my way to Fen Hide, there were more autumnal treats to be had in the form of redwings. Several large flocks of these small thrushes flew overhead of me wherever I went, alerting me with their high pitched 'tseep' calls that can be easily misheard by many people.
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| Shaggy Inkcap |
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker |
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| Spindle berry |
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| Robin |
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| Bank Vole |
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| Chinese Water Deer |
At Fen Hide, three Chinese water deer were happily grazing the reed stubble on the far side of the pool and a heron kept moving from one corner of the pool to another as it was determined to find that perfect spot to fish. A kingfisher made a brief stop over on one of the perches and as soon as it arrived, the three other people inside the hide with me rushed to reach their cameras. In the process, someone accidentally knocked something over causing a loud thud which scared the bird off before I could even zoom in and focus on it to take its photo.
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| Pheasant |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Cobber the Black Swan |
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| Red Kite being mobbed by Carrion Crows |
Reception Hide was yet again a bit of a raptor and wildfowl fest. The broad was full of the usual duck species, but a lot of them were now looking back to their absolute best. A family of swans were also lazing about in front of the hide for most of the morning. But the peaceful scene was soon in a bit of panic on and off throughout the morning as marsh harriers and, by the end of my shift, a sparrowhawk were scaring the ducks to move away to either to another part of the broad or up into the air for a moment before heading back down. A distant kestrel could be seen hovering in the horizon and a buzzard sat in a tree on the far side of the broad, but the real highlight of the day was seeing a red kite being mobbed by crows. These delightful birds have successfully been breeding in the area this year and it seems like they are here to stay, becoming another raptor regular alongside the marsh harriers and buzzards.
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| Buzzard |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Mute Swans |
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| Mallard |
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| Teal |
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| Shoveler |
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| Wigeon |
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| Moorhen |
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