The Autistic Naturalist: Dec 12th Strumpshaw Fen

Wednesday 12 December 2018

Dec 12th Strumpshaw Fen

Sunrise

I made it to Strumpshaw just in time to see the sun rise. And what a sunrise it was! Rays of gold were bursting out behind the trees in the horizon followed by the sun peeking from the canopy on a steady climb upwards. It looked even better from the river with the water reflecting this golden glow.

Spindle berry covered in frost

Before watching the sunrise, I was admiring the frost that coated the landscape in a silvery sheen. Plants and berries had a delicate layer of ice crystal spikes. Some bodies of water was frozen over in a sheet of ice. Snipe and pipits were flying above in a developing blue sky alerting me with their subtle calls. This was a beautiful winter wonderland fit for Christmas. A landscape of silver and gold.

Frosty Rosehips

Frosty Guilder Rose berries

Frosty Reeds

Ice and Reeds

Chinese Water Deer

Icy Bur-thistle

Icy Reed Mace

More frosty berries

Frosty scene at Fen Hide

It was a very chilly morning. With all this frost around, it was like walking in a freezer. The cold was not helping my back very much as it was aching like crazy and causing me a lot of pain. After admiring the sunrise and the frost as long as I could before the pain was building to levels of near unbearable, I tried to rest it for a bit inside the Fen Hide. The pool in front of the hide was partially frozen with a group of mallards making the most of the section that was ice free to feed and bathe. A Chinese water deer was busy searching for a meal hidden somewhere beneath the frozen flooded sections that once were patches of reed stubble. A brief sound of pinging bearded tits could be heard from their hidden whereabouts in the reeds somewhere, while marsh harriers were doing their daily patrol over the reserve. I spent as long as I could watching the day unfold inside the hide, but as every minute past by, the cold was biting hard at me and I had to eventually retreat to the warmth of the office.

Cobber the Black Swan

Marsh Harrier

Blackbird

Frozen scene at Reception Hide

When I first arrived this morning, the broad outside the Reception Hide was completely frozen over. A few mallards came down to land only to find themselves sliding across the ice as soon as they made impact. By the start of my shift, the back end of the broad had melted and formed some refuge for the ducks. However, it wasn't the safest of refuges as the patrolling marsh harriers were continuously diving at them and causing them to fly up. With everything mostly on the far side of the broad, there wasn't much to see near to where the hide is. The stubble in front of the hide where the ducks normally spend most of their time at was attracting the attention of carrion crows that were clearly pecking away at what I assume was a dead bird.

Mallards on ice

Gadwall

Teal

Marsh Harrier

Carrion Crow

Young Mute Swan after crash landing

My favourite moment of this morning was when a young mute swan experience ice for the first time. It was doing fine in the more open waters of the far end of the broad, when it decided for some reason or another to fly nearer to the hide. It clearly hasn't experienced ice like this before as it made a very slippery landing and skidded out of control. Stunned by what happened, it sat on the ice for some time preening itself on the areas that was probably messed up or hurt from the impact of its crash landing. During its lengthy sit down, the ice was gradually thinning, appearing more polished from the swan's body heat. It stood up to do more preening. You could hear the ice cracking beneath the swan's weight. Then the inevitable happened. Splash!! It fell through! Being a heavy bird, it was struggling to climb out. When it did, it was very clumsy on the ice, slipping over and falling through a few more times before it finally made it to more open, ice free water.