“The RSPB is the Country’s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home.”

Cambridge Local Group Newsletter

Issue No: 111 September 2015

Page Contents

2 Editor’s notes Brenda Smith 2 Who’s New Group Leader Andy Law 3 Thank you Melvyn Smith

Field Trip Reports 3 Devon Weekend Brenda & Melvyn Smith 8 Wicken Fen Evening Walk Brenda Field 9 Dunwich Heath & Minsmere Ed King 10 Lackford Lakes & King’s Forest Rachel Lowry 12 RSPB Lakenheath Evening Walk Brenda & Melvyn Smith 12 Swanton Novers & Cley Marshes Jill Aldred 14 Rutland Water Brenda & Melvyn Smith 16 Fen Drayton Lakes Walk and BBQ Brenda & Melvyn Smith

16 Hen Harrier Day Brenda, Melvyn

News from Local Reserves 17 RSPB Lakenheath Fen Katherine Puttick 18 RSPB Ouse Fen Hannah Bernie 19 RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes The Fen Drayton Team 20 RSPB Fowlmere Doug Radford

Events 21 Field Trips Andrew Camps 22 Indoor Meetings 22 Cambridgeshire Bird Club Meetings

Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015

Editor’s Notes

Here we are in September, and I hope you all had a good summer with some brilliant birding. The group have been on some very good field trips, one of which was a weekend in Devon to catch up on birds we do not see in Kestrel by - Brenda Smith this part of the country. I hope you enjoy reading all about the trips in this newsletter. We were very lucky to have had a kestrel in our garden that had caught a young blackbird. It stayed whilst it devoured most of the bird and it could fly off with it. The house sparrows in our area have done well and we regularly have a flock of over twenty visiting the garden. We were also lucky to be visited by a pair of turtle doves that only stayed a short while, but another of our member of our group had a turtle dove which stayed a week or so. Thank you to all who have contributed to this newsletter. If you have any articles and photos for the next newsletter the deadline date is December 15 2015.

WHO’S THE NEW GROUP LEADER?

Hi my name’s Andy Law and I’m the new Group Leader and I thought you would like to know a little about me. I spent my early years in Loughton and spent most of my spare time exploring Epping Forest (no telly or computer games to keep us inside in those days), first with my parents and later with my young friends. The forest was reached via a short walk from our house and I was lucky enough to be able to walk home from school during the summer. I was always interested in wildlife and spent hours catching butterflies, moths and other insects and pond dipping in the forest ponds was a common pastime. At that time I did not have a particular interest in birds but did get an introduction to garden birds and finches from my grandfather who had several nest boxes in his garden and kept a close ringed cock goldfinch as a pet. At age 11 we moved to Lower Sheering near Sawbridgeworth and here I found some other young people that had an interest in bird watching. This and the publishing of Collins Field Guide to Birds of Britain and Europe, which meant we actually had a chance of identifying the birds we saw. My grandfather also gave me his binoculars, a massive pair of German military 7 x 50’s, all this really got me into the hobby and I became a member of the YOC the forerunner of today’s Wildlife Explorers. Over the intervening years I have continued my interest in all types of wildlife and since my children have grown up find I have a little more time on my hands I have started doing some volunteering for the RSPB, this has taken the form of helping with habitat management at Fowlmere reserve and some work looking for stone curlews. I have only been a regular member of the Cambridge Local Group for a couple of years but when I heard that Melvyn was standing down from the position I tentatively put my name forward for the position, fully expecting that I would be one of many, but as it happened there were no other candidates and at the AGM I found myself voted into the position. So what do I hope to achieve during my time in this position? Well first I hope to play my part in helping the rest of the committee run the group as successfully as Melvyn has over the last seven years. Beyond that my initial aims are to try and increase the membership The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no SC037654 2

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especially trying to attract some younger members and to find some new ways of raising money for the RSPB. So to finish, I hope you will all feel that you can come and talk to me and perhaps put Presentation Brenda Smith forward some ideas for what you would like the group to do or give me some ideas of how I may achieve my aims, I would love to talk with you. And now an apology, I’m afraid I will not be present at the September meeting as I will be in Canada visiting Niagara Falls and doing some whale watching in The Gulf of St Lawrence, but I look forward to seeing you all at the October meeting.

Thank You!

Once again, please accept my sincere thanks for the gift, following my retirement as Group Leader, of the picture of “Whooper Swans & Pochard”. This now adorns our bedroom wall although it might take pride of place on our lounge wall, when the room has been decorated! You may recall that I was also Presentation to Melvyn by Andy presented with an envelope – Brenda Smith which, mostly because I was taken aback by the picture but, also because I subconsciously thought that the envelope contained “just” a signed card, I did not open. I was shocked, when I opened the envelope at home, to find gardening vouchers for a significant value! I subsequently ‘spent’ the vouchers on several ornamental outdoor plant containers to which, compost and plants were added and these are now displayed at our front door and on our garden patio. Yet again, thank you so much for your generosity – I will forever value these gifts and they will always remind me of the many experiences I enjoyed as Group Leader.

Melvyn

Trip Reports Devon Weekend 7-10 May

Thursday

Fourteen group members met at RSPB Exminster and Powderham marshes for the start of what was to be a memorable weekend for all. The marshes are a vital feeding and resting area for large numbers of birds both on migration and in the winter. It is one of the last places in the South East of England where lapwing and redshank breed. The RSPB keeps the marshes the way that the birds like it by cutting the grass for hay and controlling the water levels as well having grazing cattle to keep the grass just the right length. The land was originally part of the estuary until the Exeter Ship Canal was built in the 19th Century. The remains of the RAF’s World War Two signal interception base can still been seen. After the long journey, energy levels were revived with some lunch before setting off on the trail leading out to the marshes. Two migrating birds were spotted; a wheatear and a hobby; the latter bird being the first of the year for several of the group. We arrived at a “discovery

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Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015 mentioned area” where visitors are encouraged to lift up the corrugated sheets scattered in the grass; our reward - a common shrew which quickly disappeared down a hole, before appearing again and then deciding that it did not like the look of us! Although the sun was shining there was a cool wind but in the sheltered areas orange tipped, green veined white and small copper butterflies flitted amongst the vegetation. Out on the marshes, lapwing, geese, shelduck and grey heron were some of the first birds on our lists. With time at a premium, we moved on to Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve, an area of sand dunes and beach that lies at the mouth of the River Exe. The reserve has different habitats including salt marsh, fresh water ponds, wet marshes and woodland and is an important area for wildlife which is protected by National and International law. It has a warm sunny climate with low rainfall, so allows rare plants to grow. On arrival at a visitor information hut, one of the volunteers mentioned that a spotted flycatcher had been seen at a nearby pond. The spotted flycatcher is now becoming scarce, particularly in our (Cambridgeshire) area so this was a good opportunity to find this lovely little passerine. Despite several pairs of eyes and a slow wander around the pond, several common woodland birds were spotted but, unfortunately, no flycatchers. Continuing our walk, now over sand dunes, linnet, wheatear and stonechat were seen. The path took us up on to a sea wall where we could see Exmouth across the estuary. Out on the mud, oystercatcher, shelduck, mallard and grey heron were feeding and, on a nearby golf course were a few waders which, once seen through our scopes, were identified as whimbrel. Whimbrel are smaller than curlew and can be identified by a straighter bill which curves steeply nearer the tip, a crown which has two broad dark bands separated by a narrow stripe and a more obvious buff stripe over the eye. Also, a dark line through the eye with paler cheeks and throat. There were at least twenty birds feeding on the golf course grass. Swallow and house martins were passing through as we made our way back to the cars. We then made the short journey to Torquay and to our hotel where we settled in and wandered out along to the harbour where we found a restaurant for our evening meal.

Friday

East Dartmoor National Nature Reserve consists of three adjacent sites, Yarner Wood, Trendlebere Down and the Bovey Valley, which were joined together in 1998. They contain a range of rare wildlife and habitats so making this a very special place. We visited Yarner Wood, which is a mixed woodland with mostly oaks trees with bilberry as the dominant plants under the Female pied dense shade. On arrival at the car park, passing flycatcher at the Bovey Tracey Pottery Leat (“an open ditch nest box – that conducts water to a mill”), there were at least Steven Low five spectacular mandarin ducks. A grey wagtail was also feeding on the edge of the water. This water is from Becky Falls across Trendlebere Down, through Yarner Wood and picks up extra water from the Woodcock and Yarner streams and down to Bovey. The Pottery closed down in the 1950’s and part of the leat was abandoned but this section is still used. From the car park we were soon watching pied flycatchers, a pair of which was using one of the nest boxes nearby. Also, goldcrest and nuthatch were soon seen in the trees as well as coal and marsh tit. We followed the nature trail long loop, and passed through an area where the beech trees had been felled in 1987/8. This opened up the floor to sunlight so The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no SC037654 4

Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015 encouraging the heather to grow in a dense carpet. From the “Observation” hide a pair of bullfinches were spotted that appeared to be nesting nearby. Those who stayed outside the hide saw a siskin fly across the tree tops and then a raven, clearly identified by its wedge shaped tail, came into view and flew slowly across, giving us a great showing. In the woods, wood warblers were heard and soon spotted. We also saw a buzzard, a sparrowhawk and great spotted woodpecker as well as the commoner Silhouette of a raven woodland birds. On our route we came across a – Steven Low section of the Haytor Granite tramway which was built in 1820 and ran seven miles from the Haytor granite quarries to Teigngrace. The blocks of granite were carried on flat, horse-drawn trucks. The Haytor granite was shipped out of Devon by sea and was even used in the construction of the old London Bridge. On our way back to the car park we came across ruins of a copper mine, known as Yarrow mine or Devon Wheal Francis. The mine was 300 feet deep and employed 50 people and by 1865 it had produced 2,300 tons of copper ore. In the 1850s and ‘60s Yarner Wood echoed with the hiss of a steam-powered Cornish beam pumping engine, used to drain the underground workings. There were two waterwheels that supplied energy to haul and crush the ore which after being sorted by hand was sold in Truro. We sat by the water to eat our lunch, again watching pied flycatchers as they flew about along with tits and a grey wagtail feeding nearby. During the walk we saw two wood ant nests, one of which was near the gate of the car park and which one of our group sat near! We managed to see two of our target birds, wood warbler and pied flycatcher but missed out on common redstart. We then moved on to Dunsford, this site is owned by the National Trust but looked after by the Devon Wildlife Trust. It has a huge diversity of wildlife, which has included many rare birds. The steep sides are cloaked with a scarce type of woodland, known as Western Sessile Oak Wood. For hundreds of years this wood was cultivated for shipbuilding and has now created a wonderful place for wildlife. The trees are encrusted with lichen, which is a sign of the pure humid air in the valley which provides breeding sights for pied flycatcher, wood warbler, woodpeckers, buzzard and raven. The valley floor, where the River Teigh flows has mainly ash trees with clearings and in the spring has magnificent swaves of wild daffodils. Dunsford is probably the best place in Devon for butterflies, which includes fritillary butterflies and some scarce insects such as wood cricket. We were too late for the daffodils but in some clearings the floor was covered with ransom, giving the appearance of snow. In another clearing were bluebells, red campion and early purple orchid, giving a lovely display of colour. The walk was there and back along by the water and we saw two female goosanders and a pair of yellow wagtails. Later, a grey heron landed in the river and skulked into the bank side. We watched a dipper feeding, walking under the water as it foraged for aquatic invertebrates, including damselfly larvae cases, which it took to the bank to shake- out the insects inside before eating them. Again, we spotted a wood warbler which was singing in the trees and heard a raven calling from above. After another excellent walk, in different terrain, we made our way back to the cars and returned to Torquay and the hotel. After freshening up, we wandered down to the harbour and this time into the Rock Fish restaurant for a lovely meal of fish and chips.

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Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015

Saturday

As we had decided to make sure of somewhere to eat this evening, we stopped at Dartmouth Visitor Information Centre to find and book a suitable venue. Having done this, we continued our journey on our way to Prawle Point, stopping at Slapton Ley for a short while. Slapton Ley is one of the finest areas of the British coastline. The Ley is the largest natural freshwater lake in south west England with a fragile shingle bar dividing it from the sea. During the ice age the coast here was 25 miles further out, and the ground would have been frozen. But as the climate became warmer the sea level rose and pushed the shingle inland to create the shingle ridge. As the climate continues to change the single ridge is still moving inland, with storms and crashing waves reshaping the beach. We heard a Cetti’s warbler in the undergrowth but, as usual did not see it; these birds spread north from France to Slapton in the 1970s as our climate became milder. In years gone by coots were hunted in the winter, the men would get into boats at the Torcross end of the lake and row up the lake pushing the coots in front of them towards the Slapton Bridge. Here would be other men in boats and on the shore with guns. As the coots were pushed together they then took to the air and would then be shot. Fishing on the lake was stopped to prevent disturbance of the nesting great crested grebes and we saw several of these birds on the water. In 1943, the beach was taken over by the allied forces to use as a rehearsal area for the D- Day Landings. Unfortunately, a combination of live ammunition and poor visibility resulted in the deaths of 749 American servicemen. There is a stone monument on Slapton Sands to commemorate the ill-fated ‘Operation Tiger’, along with a Sherman Tank at nearby Torcross. As we continued on to Prawle Point the drizzle accompanied us to the National Trust car park. The car park lies in a sheltered hollow Cirl bunting – Steven Low surrounded by hazel and ash bushes. Prawle Point projects south and seawards, the eastern flank being farmland with stone walls, tall hedges and overgrown rocky outcrops; war time bunkers clad with brambles also cling to the coastline. The drizzle stopped as we arrived and soon it would clear completely and a lovely sunny day ensued. One of our first sightings was a male cirl bunting singing from the top of a tree; wonderful! We made our way down to the coastal path and slowly wandered along, watching linnets and stonechats as well as whitethroat and several cirl buntings, both males and females. We sat on rocks by the cliff top to eat our lunch, listening to the skylarks and settling down for a bit of sea watching. A few gannets were cruising by and one of our group spotted guillemots. As we had been walking the tide was going out and the rocks on the shoreline were becoming uncovered and a little egret flew by and started to feed in the rock pools. As we wandered further along the path another white bird flew by but this appeared to have some yellow in it. Two members of our Group had moved ahead but now came “flying” back, our Japanese friend shouting out “Swamp Heron”! So we all followed the bird as it landed on the rocks and commenced feeding in the pools. What we had in view was none other than a squacco heron (known as Swamp Heron in Japan!) – What a sighting! We stayed for some time watching the bird before we eventually managed to drag ourselves away, continuing on until we reached a point overlooking Lannacombe Bay beach. Here we saw oystercatchers and a couple of whimbrel arrived, landing on the seaweed covered The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no SC037654 6

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rocks. With a dinner appointment for the evening, it was necessary to make our way back. The squacco heron was still on the rock feeding but we resisted the desire to linger too long and finally made our way back to the cars. We again stopped at Slapton Ley and this time walked up and across Slapton Bridge where we heard a Cetti’s warbler but again, the bird remained elusive. Near the entrance to the path along the lake a spotted flycatcher was, at last seen, in nearby bushes. Out on the water there were tufted ducks, little and great crested grebes and a grey heron which flew low over the water. We did not stay here long but moved a few hundred yards along the coast road to a car park over-looking the sea where a quick look out to sea elicited a gannet diving in to the water and a cormorant flying over. Finally, we Squacco heron flying – Steven Low made our way back to Dartmouth and enjoyed a lovely meal in the Floating Bridge, a pub near the lower ferry. The ferry was delayed a short time while, waiting for an ambulance but a medical helicopter landed on the nearby green to take the patient to hospital instead. Finally, we made our way back to the hotel.

Sunday Squacco heron – Steven Low After packing the cars for our return home, we then made our way to Bystock Devon Wildlife Trust reserve, which is on the road between Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton. The reserve is part of East Devon pebble-bed heaths which have thin sandy soils providing acidic conditions for heather and gorse; habitat for specialised fauna. The heathland was manmade around 4,000 years ago when trees were first cut down in Neolithic times for timber and low intensive agriculture. With changes in agriculture this habitat requires constant management to preserve its unique character. This is done by grazing hardy Exmoor ponies and removing the encroaching trees and shrubs by volunteers. These lowland heaths are declining nationally and are under threat from development, mineral exploitation and large areas are being lost to modern agriculture. This reserve offers a combination of habitats, scrubland, woodland, pools and a small reservoir, with boardwalks to get close to the lakes and wet heathland. The slopes of the valley become dry; heathers dominate and lead to huge areas where butterflies proliferate. On the reserve is a 19th century, disused, reservoir which once used to supply Bystock House. The reserve was owned by South West Water and looked after by the DWT, but is in the process of being sold to the local wildlife group, who have paid a deposit and given a year to raise the rest of the money. We parked at the Clinton Devon Estate car park and then walked along the edge of a wood looking out over gorse and heather, spotting whitethroat, skylark and stonechat. From high in the conifer trees we heard goldcrest: singing. Following a track alongside and then through a small wooded area, we heard several warblers and tits. Emerging from the trees, we found ourselves over-looking a small valley and proceeded along and down the track until picking up a boardwalk down to the reservoir. Sitting on the water was a pair of lesser black-backed gulls and Canada geese. One of the geese had more white on its head then its mate giving it an odd appearance. There was a female mallard swimming by with its young and a moorhen swimming near the edge. Making our way back, we re-crossed the road leading to the car

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Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015 park and wandered out onto heathland. Here we spotted yellowhammer, linnet and mistle thrush From the car park, we moved on to RSPB Aylesbeare Common, which is also part of the East Devon pebble bed heath, and is leased by the RSPB from the Clinton Devon Estate. The common is 213 ha of heathland, woodland fringes, stream and pools and is important for Dartford warblers, nightjars and stonechats as well as a range of both heathland and woodland bird species. We ate our lunches overlooking the heath with a small wood behind us. A roe deer was seen out in the heather but soon disappeared into the woods. Swifts and swallows were flying high above us, and we scanned the heath for Dartford warbler but to no avail. Continuing slowly along the track, we stopped from time to time and were rewarded when a woodlark was spotted under a tree feeding with three young. We watched these birds for some while and then saw another adult arrive and land first on a tree, before joining the first adult and helping to feed the young. Stonechats were seen but no Dartford warbler, which quite often associates with these chats. A sparrowhawk was seen as it flew low over the heather and disappeared into some trees. One of our group was lucky to see a barn owl quartering over the heath. Back at the car park, a buzzard soared above us as we said our goodbyes. Once again, many thanks to Andrew for another brilliant weekend and, well, if we hadn’t under-taken the trip, we wouldn’t have added squacco heron to our lists and, of course several other species that we would not normally see!

Brenda & Melvyn

Evening visit to Wicken Fen May 13

Wicken Fen was the first nature reserve owned by the National Trust and is one of the last remaining fragments of undrained fenland which once covered the vast lowlands of Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Lincolnshire. It’s a nationally important wetland that supports more than 8,500 species including plants, birds, mammals, butterflies and dragonflies. The reserve covers an area of 760 hectares (1,887 acres) maintained by a team of Rangers and volunteers. A network of raised boardwalks and grass droves meander around the flowering meadows, the reedbeds and sedge. There are nine bird hides and numerous seats from where you may see marsh harriers or hear a bittern booming. The weather was breezy and unexpectedly cool following a very warm afternoon. Nevertheless we set off at 7pm along the board walk to the first hide that overlooks a pool surrounded by tall Sedge warbler – Steven Low trees. There is also an area of reed-bed and here we found moorhen and little grebe and were entertained by a very smart-looking male pheasant boldly eating from the feeders. It’s a good place to see a great spotted woodpecker and whilst we didn’t see one just then, we did hear its short distinctive call from the nearby trees. We decided to walk the grass drove along the reserve perimeter and came very close to reed warblers which seemed to be defending small territories quite close together. Further along, a sedge warbler was demonstrating its erratic song flight, parachuting down to its nest as the song ends. A remarkably tolerant mute swan was tending its nest in which we could see one large white egg and even its mate seemed not to react to our approach, so we presume they are very used to visitors. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no SC037654 8

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Along the way to the first hide we saw an almost white pheasant. It had a red face and wattle so it may have been leucistic (a condition where the bird is abnormally pale although the normal plumage pattern is generally discernible. In albinism there is generally no colour except for pink eyes and legs.) However pale and dark variants of pheasant have been bred for shooting and the presence of a pub in Fordham called “The White Pheasant” suggests this variant is not unknown. Across the lode were the Konik ponies. Along with herds of Highland cattle the Konik ponies are used by the National Trust to help restore the fen by creating and maintaining diverse habitats. Some trees and shrubs may grow, but the grazers keep the landscape open and help the wetland and grassland plants to become established. Various grazing species, such as cattle, sheep, horses and deer all use the vegetation differently. This develops into subtly different habitats that may change between seasons and years as the restoration proceeds. From the new tower hide there are views across the fen and we spotted a hobby sitting on an old fence post, later we saw another hobby or perhaps the same bird, hunting over the reed beds. The light was fading but insects were still on the wing and probably included dragonflies which are the hobby’s preferred prey, catching the insect with its feet and passing it to its bill during flight. There are many species of dragonfly and butterfly at Wicken Fen and we did come across a large hairy caterpillar that we were unable to identify. Hairy caterpillars are also a favourite food of the cuckoos that were heard calling across the reserve. At one time we could hear two males and a female cuckoo all singing at the same time. With the light growing dim we were rewarded by the amazing sight and sound of roding woodcock. A spring evening is a good time to see woodcock when the males perform display flights known as “roding”, they fly just above the tree or shrub line, with a mix of deep, frog-like croaking and a squeaky ‘tsiwick’ call. The males don’t hold territory, but rode over a relatively wide area in an effort to tempt females up to join them or to encourage females on the ground to reveal themselves. Most woodcock in the UK are residents but are joined in autumn by birds from Finland and Russia that winter here. There are thought to be 78,500 UK breeding pairs although this number has been falling, perhaps because of declining habitat as conifer plantations become too mature for woodcock to find open breeding areas. They feed at night or in the evenings, searching for invertebrates in soft ground with their long bills and it seems that whilst their numbers are not high, the wonderfully diverse habit of Wicken Fen is very valuable in supporting this elusive species.

Brenda Field

Dunwich Heath and Minsmere May 17 On a warm spring day, the group met in the car park at Dunwich Heath then set off on the full circular loop around the heath. Needless to say, Dartford warbler was our key target, and it was not long before we had good views of a couple of birds, as usual with stonechats also nearby. A hobby flew past, skylarks filled the air with their song, and Colin also caught a glimpse of a passing turtle dove. A kestrel was also hunting nearby, and coal tit, blackcap, goldfinch, Dartford Warbler – Steven Low nightingale, robin, and wren were all seen or heard. As we entered the wooded area, we were delighted to catch sight of a couple of wood lark foraging at the base of a tree, and with extended viewing we identified 2 adults feeding 3 young; undoubtedly a highlight of the entire day for many of us! As we looped our way back to the cars, we noted the swifts wheeling overhead. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no SC037654 9

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After driving the short distance to Minsmere, we enjoyed the sight of the sand martin colony next to the visitor centre, and then set off to the North Hide where we quickly tallied a wide range of the expected waterfowl, including avocet, shoveler, black-tailed godwit, shelduck, gadwall, lapwing, redshank, oystercatcher, dunlin, bittern, herring, black-headed, and lesser black-backed gulls. Leaving the hide and progressing along the North Bank, we encountered reed and sedge warblers and excellent views of bearded tits which flew across the path. Adding little egret and turnstone to our tally, we made our way down the coast trail via the East Hide and the public viewpoint, spotting several little terns among the common terns, Dartford warbler – Steven Low plus some handsome grey plovers. On the beach, Brenda spied some ringed plover. Circling back via the South Scrape and East Scrape hides, where we were pleased to see a water rail, we made our way through the woodland where we joined a small group of birders watching a chaffinch visit its nest in the angle of an exposed branch. Along the path approaching Whin Hill, an area where adders were resident had been sectioned off, and the snakes were clearly visible quite close to the path, tightly entwined among the undergrowth. Further downhill towards Island Mere hide, a chiff-chaff was flying back and forth to its nest low in a bramble bush. We also noted buzzards overhead, and green woodpecker flew past. Island Mere hide itself presented numerous opportunities to see bearded tits speeding about the reedbed. A couple of marsh harriers quartered over the west side, and the mere hosted multiple great crested grebes, little egrets, grey herons, cormorants, mute swans, and little grebe. Finally, we headed back to the visitor centre via the path adjacent to the entry road, accompanied by a large flock of long-tailed tits and the sounds of cuckoo and Cetti’s warbler. A thoroughly enjoyable day!

Ed King

Lackford Lakes and King’s Forest Trip Report, 13 June 2015

Eight birders met at Lackford Lakes on a cloudy damp but mild and still afternoon. First stop was Bill’s hide. A family of long tailed tits flitted along the bushes just in front of the hide and a young reed warbler was also moving about the reeds below the hide. Sedge warblers with young were seen nearby. On the lake were the usual species; coots, moorhen, cormorants, black headed gulls. Teal were being chased by protective shelduck parents while Canada and greylag geese lined the water’s edge. House martins and swallows were feeding over the water but there were no signs of the expected kingfisher here. We moved on to the next hide accompanied by the sounds of chiffchaff, blackcap, blue and great tits. Again no sign of a kingfisher but a sparrowhawk was spotted flying past the hide hotly pursued by a black headed gull. Two stock doves did several circuits around the hide and a jay flew over. We moved on again to Bess’s hide. On route we looked out over the lake with an artificial kingfisher wall where it had Young black-headed gull – been reported that kingfishers were feeding young. Finally, Rachel Lowry accompanied by its sharp call, we were rewarded with a kingfisher flying low over the lake and out of sight. From the hide a distant pochard was seen along with great crested grebes complete with stripy headed young having a piggyback. Tufted ducks were also seen including a family of young The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no SC037654 10

Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015 ducklings. A few gadwall were also evident. A common tern was spotted on a raft and a single lesser black backed gull was seen amongst the throngs of rowdy black headed gulls. A pair of oystercatchers with a chick wandered along the bank and Egyptian geese, which have become a regular sighting over the last few years, were in evidence. Introduced as an ornamental species, they escaped into the wild and now breed successfully in the UK with approximately 1100 pairs, the majority in East Anglia. Moving on as we passed the kingfisher wall, a kingfisher was again spotted fishing from a nearby bush. Viewing through the scope confirmed it was a male and we watched it preening for several minutes. Further stops at the remaining Atlas and the impressive new Steggall’s hide revealed similar species with good views of young black headed gulls in various stages of their developing plumage patterns. With time moving on we headed back to the visitor centre and on to Kings Forest. We made our way to a clearing in the now dry evening and waited patiently. Chinese water deer, alert to our presence watched us before disappearing into the background. Song thrushes, blackbirds and yellowhammers were in full song and could be clearly seen. A tree pipit darted back and forth giving good views perched on top of the bushes. Our first sighting of a woodcock overhead was quickly followed by several more. This largely nocturnal bird, spending most of the day in dense cover, is our only wader that has adapted to living in woodland feeding mainly on earthworms and other invertebrates. At dusk and dawn in spring and summer males make territorial roding flights to find receptive females. During these flying circuits they make three or four low pitched croaks followed by a high pitched nasal whistle. Females make their way to the woodland edge and call to the males and display the white tips of their tails. Males mate with several females and play no part in incubation of eggs or rearing chicks. Our resident breeding population is increased over winter by migrants coming from Scandinavia, Finland, the Baltics and Russia. During this time they feed overnight mainly on arable fields and pasture. Information about woodcock migration has been helped in recent years by satellite tagging and use of geolocators to track these birds. Roy Dennis tagged two birds on Islay in 2009: One bird went to its breeding grounds in Norway taking two weeks, the other went to Russia taking two months! The star of our visit here, the nightjar, then made its appearance with the male's churring call, containing an astonishing 1900 notes per minute, sounding incredibly loud in the still dusk air. It is a summer migrant from Africa and is also nocturnal, feeding on flying insects including moths and beetles. We were treated to views of at least two birds flying, with their long pointed wings and long tails giving them an appearance similar to a cuckoo or kestrel, its white markings on the wings and tail also showing well in the fading light. A surprise sighting topped off our trip - a badger walking towards us along the ride. We were The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no SC037654 11

Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015 able to see the badger clearly for a while before it disappeared into the trees - a thrilling finale to a super trip.

Rachel

Evening walk at RSPB Lakenheath Fen 17 June

Eleven group members met on an overcast evening at RSPB Lakenheath Fen. Dave Rogers, the Senior Sites Manager of the reserve, met us and briefly explained the history of the reserve from its conversion as carrot fields to the present day. He also informed us what we might see or hear; warblers, bearded tits, bittern, marsh harrier, reed bunting, barn owl, hobby and common crane. Recently, prior to our visit, a little bittern had been seen and heard and Dave told us the area in which it might be found. Its call is a low, Mute swan – Brenda Smith dog like bark that is repeated at least 25 times a minute for up to 35 minutes. Dave explained that if the male stops calling it is a sign that he has found a mate. It is believed that this bird may become more widely established as a breeding species in England in the near future. Last year one pair bred on the Somerset Levels at the RSPB Ham Wall reserve. From the back of the centre and looking across the pond in the reeds a roe deer browsed with its spotty fawn and, probably detecting our presence, the pair melted into the reeds. We then left the Visitor’s Centre and started on the main circular trail, hearing and seeing reed and sedge warblers and white throat. Passing the poplar wood, we heard the rooks as they flew over, along with jackdaws. Stopping at New Fen viewpoint we were lucky to see a pair of bearded tits as they flew across a gap in the reeds, pausing briefly on the reeds before disappearing into them. A pair of kingfishers came into view, one flying off over the reeds. The other bird alighted on a reed stem before flying and hovering over the water and then returning to rest again. We all managed good views of this lovely bird before it moved on further down the channel. A male marsh harrier flew over with a prey item in its talons; a female bird flew out of the reeds and we were delighted to see a food pass; the female flew under the male who dropped the item and the female deftly caught it. She then flew around for a short while before dropping back into the reeds. We moved on, hearing a cuckoo as we walked, as well as a great spotted woodpecker. At the new “Mere” hide, we watched a pair of swans with only one cygnet. The parents did not seem very interested in the young bird as it followed them, swimming up towards to the hide. The male swam into a channel and disappeared in the reeds, the cygnet following. The cob soon returned, hissing at the cygnet. The cygnet moved away and stood preening on the water’s edge, the adults following suit before swimming off, with the cygnet following them. It was difficult to understand why the adults were acting in this way. There were several young coots on the mud in front of the hide. We then moved on to Joist Fen viewpoint. Here, the sun was peeping through a long strip of clear sky in the clouds, giving a lovely warm glow to the evening. Looking back the way we had come a beautiful rainbow formed a perfect curve across the dark sky. Here we saw a The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no SC037654 12

Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015 cuckoo in a nearby bush but it flew off and landed in another, distant, bush, but still giving us a good view through our telescopes. Marsh harriers were quartering over the reeds and, in the distance, at least three hobbies were flying round. As we sat looking over the reeds, we saw a large flock of starlings wheeling over the reeds. As they turned in the low sunlight they appeared to change into a lovely warm golden colour. We felt a few drops of rain as we set-off on our return walk but, fortunately, nothing more followed. Walking back along by the river, another hobby flew over and another family of mute swans were seen, this time with, a more usual, four cygnets. One of our group saw a barn owl flying through the poplar trees, probably Some of the group, lit by the evening sheltering from the quite light – Brenda Smith strong wind. We were lucky with the weather as it was predicted to rain but this never happened and we all enjoyed a lovely evening walk.

Brenda & Melvyn

Swanton Novers and Cley – 19 July

Our first stop on this two-centre trip was a field a few miles to the east of Fakenham, giving views towards an area of ancient woodland. The field is the Fulmodestone Road Raptor Watchpoint, and the woodland is part of Swanton Novers National Nature Reserve, privately owned but managed by Natural England, and with no access permitted. Our main target here was honey buzzard. These have been regular summer visitors to the woods since 1989, and have bred here. Honey buzzards can often be seen flying above the woods, but although we spent over two hours watching in the hope of a view, sadly they did not oblige on this occasion. However, the time passed very pleasantly and we had a good supporting cast of birds to enjoy while we waited, including singing skylarks, good views of linnet, whitethroat and a yellowhammer which seemed to enjoy returning repeatedly to a nearby dead tree. There were several sightings of raptors which, try as we might, we couldn’t make into anything more exciting than common buzzard. By lunchtime it was time to move on to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserve at Cley Marshes. This is a place that never fails to deliver plenty of interest. Today, there was additional non- birding interest for those of us who hadn’t visited since the opening of the Simon Aspinall Wildlife Education Centre. This smart new building blends in very well with the adjacent visitor centre and the project has also included the addition of an outdoor terrace with excellent views over the reserve. We could see at once that there were good numbers of birds, and the sight of a flock of nine spoonbills flying low over the marsh, a hunting marsh harrier plus fairly distant wildfowl and waders, made it not too difficult to tear ourselves away from the café and start our walk round the reserve. The breeze had got up considerably as we set off in an anti-clockwise direction, making it a little more difficult to hear and see any smaller birds that might be present, but on the plus side the earlier cloud rolled away and the rest of the day was sunny with excellent light. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no SC037654 13

Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015

Our first port of call was Bishop’s Hide, giving us a chance to get our first close look at many of the species present on the marshes. The sight of ducks in eclipse plumage and waders passing through on their return from breeding provided a slightly uncomfortable reminder that summer would soon be over. After some time spent enjoying good views of avocets, including some with young, little ringed plover, ruff, greenshank, green sandpiper and four little gulls, it was eventually time to move on. Half way along the windy East Bank we dropped down from the path and stood or sat (or in the case of one or two people lay down) in the shelter of the bank, where we spent some time watching the birds on Arnold’s Marsh. Here, birds added to our list included oystercatcher, shelduck with lots of young, an overflying curlew, a lone turnstone and a number of terns – mainly Sandwich but also a few common. The presence of both bar- and black-tailed godwits gave us a good opportunity to brush up on our ID skills and have a discussion about the key distinguishing features between the two species. Many of the waders were still in summer plumage, with the godwits and knots resplendent in red and the dunlin showing off their black bellies. Presently we left the shelter of the bank and moved on to the beach. Although I’ve visited Cley more than once since the storm surge of December 2013, I still find myself taken by Little egret with shrew – surprise at the absence of the high shingle bank – a reminder of the power of the elements. Sea watching wasn’t too easy, but we did see gannet flying fairly close in to the shore, and a few terns fishing. Then on to the North Hide viewing shelter. Here we saw one or two butterflies, which reminded us of how few we had seen, presumably due to the wind. This was probably also the reason for not seeing any bearded tits all day. By now time was getting on and we set off on our return route via West Bank. So far we hadn’t had any good views of the flock of spoonbills we’d seen from the terrace when we first arrived, but as we walked along the bank a lone bird decided to leave the marsh, and we watched as it flew towards the beach and eventually disappeared along the coast in a westerly direction. By this time, the group had spread out and some people had returned to the car park. It was such a lovely evening that a few of us couldn’t resist a visit to the hides in the reedbed. As soon as we entered Avocet Hide we had pointed out to us a very close little egret which was desperately trying to swallow a shrew which it had apparently killed just before we arrived. We watched for a good five minutes as the egret repeatedly lined the shrew up to go down head first, Little egret with shrew – Jill Aldred only to find it too difficult to swallow and having to start the process all over again, dunking it in the water, trying to make it flatter, all to no avail. It obviously had no intention of giving up, and finally its perseverance was rewarded, the shrew disappeared down the hatch, and the bird flew off. Here we also found the eight remaining spoonbills, seven of which flew off soon after we arrived, with the one remaining bird tucking its head in its wing and looking as if it was planning to spend the night there. Another bonus was a much closer view than we’d had all day of a small group of black-tailed godwits in all their red finery. Finally it was time to drag ourselves away and head for home. As we walked back to the car park, a skylark sang overhead. A fitting end to a lovely day.

Jill Aldred

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Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015

Rutland Water 15 August

Just six of us arrived this day, to explore the varied habitats of this iconic nature reserve. A temporary car park had been set-up as the main car park at Egerton was being used in preparation for the birdfair the following weekend. The marquees had already been erected, ready for the exhibitors to arrive with all their paraphernalia. At the Visitor’s Centre we checked up on what was about and then made our way to Sandpiper hide that overlooks Lagoon four. It was quiet out on the islands with several resting geese on the far bank and after searching the muddy areas, ringed plover and four dunlin were seen. We moved on to Plover hide for a different perspective across the lagoon. Our decision was fortuitous, as a nest platform and perch were occupied by an osprey! Now retracing our steps to visit hides we had passed on our way, we heard a “tsree-ee” call and looked up to see three wagtails fly over. One of these birds landed in a tree top and we Hornet’s nest – managed to get a quick look at the Brenda Smith bird which showed yellow underneath. Consulting with an app on a mobile phone to check the call we came to the conclusion that it was a yellow wagtail. Later, we found that these birds were on the sightings list at the visitor centre. We made our way slowly back to the centre calling in at Lapwing hide where out on South Arm III was a very large flock of tufted ducks. At Crane hide a little egret and grey heron sat on separate branches of a fallen tree but were disturbed when two fishermen in their boat came too close (when, at home, we checked our map of the reserve, it appears that they should not have been there! – the fishermen that is!) At Grebe hide we stopped for lunch and watched the sand martins whizzing in and out of the holes in the sand martin bank. In the bushes near the hides and along the track, flock tits passed through, with willow warblers and chiffchaffs amongst them In the afternoon we made our way to the other side of the reserve. As we wandered, we were excited by a kingfisher flying over the track in front of us. At the start of the climb up Hornet’s nest – Brenda Lax Hill, Robin hide, over-looking a small pond and surrounded by bushes, often offers a Smith variety of passerines so, this is always a good stop (and resting place before climbing the hill!). We were rewarded with two immature bullfinches in the bushes on the opposite side of the pond and, a male greenfinch looked brilliant as it perched in sunlight, at the top of the bush. We guessed that empty feeders explained the absence of several other species seen here in the past. Perhaps it is the policy not to provide extra food in the breeding/ summer season. We stopped, as we descended Lax Hill, to look over South Arm II. On a horizontal, dead branch of a tree, near the water’s edge, we watched an osprey feeding on a dead fish whilst two more ospreys (off-spring?) sat on another branch. Continuing to Wigeon hide, we were a little nearer to the ospreys and this hide also gives good views across the water. As we watched, an adult bird came across the water from the main body of the reservoir with a fish in its talons. Two of the younger birds then flew to the nest. The adult deposited the fish into the nest and then rested on a nearby pole. The two young did not seem too interested in the fish, but eventually one did start to tuck-in.

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Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015

On the way back we called in at Kingfisher hide. Temporary warning signs informed us that there was a hornet nest in this hide. Sure enough, on the left –hand-side, near window flaps, an incomplete nest was suspended from the ceiling. From the opposite side of the hide, we watched as two hornets came in and added to the nest. There were no further birds to add to our lists and a cup of tea beckoned before the Visitor centre closed so, we set-off, arriving just in time! Even though this is a quiet time of the year there were still many moments of interest to make this another enjoyable day of birding.

Brenda & Melvyn

Fen Drayton afternoon walk and BBQ 16 August

On a windy but sunny Sunday afternoon, ten of the group enjoyed a lovely walk at Fen Drayton Lakes. On the walk to the Coucher hide at Moore Lake, we heard a flock of tits, always worth checking, as proved the case with both chiffchaff and blackcap in the flock. In a nearby area of scrubland we spotted whitethroat and were even lucky to see a lesser whitethroat. At Moore Lake, on the rafts, were common tern chicks which looked as if they would soon be fledging. Out on the water were Group enjoying BBQ – Brenda Smith all three geese, Graylag, Canada and Egyptian. Along the muddy shore of one of the islands, a common sandpiper was busy feeding and grey heron, little egret and cormorants were also seen. On the way back we stopped to look over ferry lagoon where the numbers of coot build up as autumn approaches. Fen Drayton Lakes is a nationally important over-wintering site for these birds. Also, tufted duck numbers were building up, as were mute swan. Many of the latter species use the lakes as a stop-over whilst they moult and, out on the water were two great crested grebe young begging as they were approached by an adult. One of the young was chased away by the adult. This young bird was swimming round calling and then it disappeared – possibly predated by a pike? Appetites enhanced by an enjoyable afternoon walk, we then made our way back to Melvyn and Brenda’s for the BBQ. Lucky with the weather, we enjoyed a lovely social evening outside. £55.00 was raised for the RSPB from this event.

Brenda & Melvyn

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Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015

Hen Harrier Day 9 August

There were seven venues around the country, organised for this event, to highlight the plight of Hen Harriers, particularly in England. We decided to join the event at Buxton, Derbyshire. The event commenced with evening talks, on Saturday, at the Palace Hotel in Buxton. Here, we met “Henry”, a large ‘hen harrier’, who has travelled round the country having his photo taken in several places including at the gates of Sandringham House in Norfolk. Mark Avery introduced the speakers as well as giving a talk; Mark Coker recounted some of the history of the relationship between birds of prey and man. He also interviewed Jeremy Deller, a conceptual, video and installation artist, who has a strong political aspect to his art. Mike Clarke, RSPB staff and Jeremy presented an Henry – Brenda Smith exhibition at la Biennale di Venezia in 2013, called English Magic, and the image that was seen from the door going into the hall was a hen harrier with a land rover in its talons! The younger generation was represented by Findlay Wilde who presented a video on nature. Mike Clarke from the RSPB introduced the RSPB film called ‘Skydancer’, a ten minute film to raise the awareness about England’s most threatened bird of prey (a must see film if you have strong feelings against the persecution of Hen Harriers). It outlines the issues surrounding the hen harrier and the challenging relationship between grouse-shooting and nature conservation. Chris Packham gave the last talk and was very blunt about the problems that the hen harrier faces. On Sunday morning, we walked about a mile from one of the car parks to get to Goytsclough Quarry, where nearly 500 people met for the hen harrier protest. Once everyone had gathered, Charlie Moore from Birders against Wildlife Crime opened the talks and he was followed by Jo Smith, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust; Jeff Knot from the RSPB; Mark Avery and Chris Packham.

Melvyn, Brenda and Rachel

News from the Local Reserves.

Lakenheath Fen news August 2015

Welcome to the summer news from Lakenheath Fen! Nesting season is almost past and there seem to be chicks and newly fledged young everywhere at the moment! Our biggest news is that both pairs of cranes have fledged young this year – hurray! One pair fledged twins (a first for here), and the other pair fledged a single young. They can currently be seen with their parents foraging on reserve grassland and occasionally taking short flights over the river. They’ll hopefully spend the next month or

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Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015 so around the reserve honing their flying techniques before heading off, with their parents, into the wider Fens area. Bitterns have also had a good year, with five booming males and four nests being recorded. Of these four, we know that at least three of them have fledged young. Marsh harriers have also done well, with lots of fledged young around, though the final tally has yet to be worked out! Proud parents with their twins! Photo by Dave Most of our work recently has been focussedRogers around visitors and bird surveys. A lot of time is spent keeping the visitor infrastructure in good order, which generally involves strimming and mowing paths! It’s a never-ending job at this time of year. We’ve also begun the thankless task of removing ragwort from the grazing marshes. We thought last year was bad, but despite all our hard work from previous years, there seems to be more than ever! We do leave a bit of ragwort scattered around the reserve though, as it is a really good nectar source for insects. Another survey we’ve been doing is the annual hunt for marsh carpet moth caterpillars! They feed on the developing seed heads of common meadow rue, which is a fairly common plant of Fenland areas. The moth itself is quite rare (classified as being Nationally Scarce) and only found in certain fens and marshes across seven counties in the south-east of England. The caterpillars are small and very camouflaged, but this year our intrepid counters have found 145, which is 46 more than last year!

Marsh carpet moth larvae Adult marsh carpet moth Photo’s by Lee WildlifeGregory sightings

May to July – The main highlight was the long staying little bittern, which turned up on 16 May, and was apparently still present throughout June, although very few actual sightings are being reported. More excitement in June was caused by the arrival of a collared pratincole, which was present on and off for about a week from 7 June. Other good records have included red kite, spotted flycatcher, black tern and a random Arctic skua! Otters have been seen regularly on the river. The fenland flowers are all out in bloom at the moment, from the deep purple of purple loosestrife, to the paler hemp agrimony, and the bright yellow of yellow loosestrife. There are plenty of butterflies to see too, and if you’re

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Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015 really lucky, we’ve also had several sightings of a hornet mimic hoverfly, Volucella zonaria – the largest hoverflies in the UK. That’s all from me for now, hope to see you on the reserve soon! Cheers, Katherine.

Ouse Fen Aug 2015

Like the variable weather this season, spring and summer was peppered with the highs and lows on the reserve. Bittern monitoring got off to an outstanding start with a record total of 10 booming males, one of the highest populations in the UK for this our key target species. Eight males took up residence in Cell 1, our oldest reedbed cell with one on Cell 2 and another on Cell 5 where we had recently raised the water levels to make it more bittern friendly. As the breeding season progressed and we started nest monitoring it was apparent there wasn’t as much activity as we had hoped. We pin-pointed five areas that could be potential nest sites but unfortunately as the weeks progressed it became clear we had only had one successful nest. The reasons for the downturn are unclear but we will be exploring possible answers in the coming months. On a brighter note we had 6 pairs of breeding marsh harriers this year which put on great aerial displays of sky dancing and aerobatic food passes over the reedbeds. The juveniles can still be seen accepting food passes from their parents but these will become less frequent as they learn how to hunt for themselves. Bearded tits were hard to pick out in a windy survey season this year but the distinctive reeling song of Turtle Dove – Barry O’Dowd the grasshopper warbler was much easier to locate in the scrubby areas that are developing nicely around Cell 1. A pair of Mediterranean gulls fledged a chick for the first time at Barleycroft Lake. With 7 cormorants nests and a pair of grey wagtails also there, we hosted two completely new breeding species on Barleycroft this year. Breeding common terns were up this year to 15 pairs keeping at least 300 nesting black-headed gulls company. Turtle doves have been seen and heard frequently around the lake where we think we have 2 breeding pairs. The reserve is part of a supplementary feeding programme for this species and the birds are regularly using our feeding sites. For other winged wildlife fortune are up, with scarce chaser dragonflies becoming more common on the reserve. They can be seen along the perimeter canal with other species including black tailed skimmers, small red-eyed, emerald and variable damselflies. With the return of our habitat management season, we have started to lower the water levels in the reedbed cells in order to encourage reed to spread out further. Once the levels are lowered reed sends out suckers in search of water. Lower water levels exposes muddy islands perfect for passing waders and roosting egrets. Making use of these areas we are off to a bright start this autumn with two great white egrets seen regularly on Cells 5 and 6 and The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no SC037654 19

Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015 roosting at Berry Fen. Keen eyes over the reserve will no doubt find much more over the coming months. Hannah Bernie, Warden, Ouse Fen

News from Fen Drayton Lakes

We have seen some truly impressive rainstorms in Cambridgeshire this summer. Although there have been plenty of hot sunny summer days to enjoy as well. These have brought with them the bonus of being able to see many of the beautiful dragonflies and damselflies that call the reserve home, dancing through the summer sky. Cetti’s warblers have bred in their highest numbers since RSPB records began and it was anecdotally a great year for other warblers on the reserve, too. A few hundred yards’ stroll around Ferry Lagoon on a warm day in late May would bless you with Cetti’s warbler, chiff- chaff, blackcap, whitethroat, lesser whitethroat, sedge warbler, reed warbler, willow warbler, garden warbler and grasshopper warbler. Late summer also saw success on the tern rafts. The Common terns have been really enjoyable to watch over the summer months, as they hover suspended mid-air, before diving arrow like upon unsuspecting fish. Oystercatchers also bred successfully on the reserve again and for a period the skies were resounded to the noisy squabbling cry of the young birds. Turtle doves and nightingales also Brimstone Butterfly at set up territory again. A marsh Fen Drayton lakes – harrier nest (although it’s unclear if Brenda Smith any birds fledged), ever-present bearded tits and a consistently booming bittern were also highlights of the breeding season. This summer RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes has continued to enjoy being a partner in the Ouse Washes Landscape Partnership (OWLP) scheme. A Heritage Lottery Fund grant-aided scheme in the heart of the Cambridgeshire and Norfolk fens focusing on the distinctively rural, open and tranquil landscape surrounding the Ouse Washes and its unique heritage. This is a wide partnership of organisations which aims to strengthen partnership working across all levels and promote people engagement and understanding of this special landscape. RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes is the southern gateway to this wetland Fens Landscape, and as part of the scheme we have enjoyed running a variety of different activities for family groups. Pond Dipping on the Lakes has proved to be really popular. The joy of small children, and often the adults with them, in finding such a bewildering variety of life in just one scoop of the net, has been fantastic to see. Although aimed at young children, all ages have enjoyed seeing water scorpions, water boatmen and the presence of whirligig beetles, bloodworms, water mites, waterlice, pond snails, ramshorn snails. Although we have not found them every time the sheer size of the Great diving beetle has impressed everyone who has seen them. The Cambridge Archaeology Unit are also partners in the Ouse Washes Landscape Partnership scheme. The Archaeological dig, at the site of a former Roman Villa, and Open The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no SC037654 20

Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015

Day for the public was a very popular event this year. Approximately 400 people came to the event on the day, and were enthused with the Archaeologist’s findings. In addition to the Roman glass, pottery, and bones found during the dig, many visitors enjoyed tea and home- made cake on the reserve. As this summer we have been delighted to host the Pop-up- Polka Dot Teashop, caravan selling home-made cakes, scones, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and more beside the car park on the reserve. Please see our website for details of when the Pop-up-Polka Dot Teashop will be there. The start of September has seen a good number of migrants passing through, including the black tern, common and green sandpiper and two Eurasian spoonbills. All the best for the autumn season.

The Fen Drayton Lakes Team

Fowlmere Nature Reserve Summer 2015

Our showy barn owls managed to rear one chick to fledging, which I think is a reasonable achievement this year, but from the visitors’ perspective the highlight of our summer has been the fledging of four young marsh harriers. The male did all the provisioning, with the female hardly being seen after the young birds became proficient at flight.

Marsh harrier family by Gary Thornton Turtle dove adult by Neil Bramwell

Fowlmere continued to be one of the best places in Britain to see turtle doves, with adults being seen and heard on most days. The young from one nest fledged near the end of August, and a visitor told me of another nest around the same time but too late for me to follow up. A minimum of five young fledged this year from at least five territories. Another highlight this year has been the range of waders, due to a combination of our management of the margins of the mere and the exposure of mud in the dry weather in July. Obviously we can’t compete with the larger reserves, but we did record twelve species of waders in these two months. Highlights were up to five little ringed plovers daily during the first half of July and a pectoral sandpiper on 20 July, although my personal favourite was the dunlin that fed on the edge of the mere all day while we cut reed regrowth a few metres away.

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Dunlin by Doug Radford We had high hopes that our tufted ducks would be successful when one of the females appeared with eight cute ducklings, but a heron picked them off one by one, finishing by murdering the sole survivor when it was two-thirds grown (and much too big to swallow). Oddity of the period goes to the male Cape shelduck that associated with nearly 200 greylag geese at the end of July.

Tufted duck family by Gary Thornton Cape shelduck male by Doug Radford Doug Radford (Site Manager)

Field Trips

Saturday October 17 NNT Holme, meet in the car park on your left by ‘The Pines’ at 9:30 am. There are new toilets and a small cafe at the Visitor Centre. Possible birds would include winter migrant thrushes, Brent geese, wigeon, teal, golden and grey plover, and siskin. If it seems quiet bird wise we can go on to Titchwell in the early afternoon. Bring packed lunch and drink.

Saturday November 14 Elmley Marsh. Meet in the car park at Kings Hill farm at about 10am. We should find various duck species, golden plover, godwits, short eared owl, peregrine falcon, cormorants, possible marsh and hen harriers and various other waders. HW is at 13:55 so should push birds onto the various pools. Be prepared for winter weather and muddy conditions, a packed lunch and hot drink essential!

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no SC037654 22

Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015

If you would like to go on any of these trips then please inform Andrew Camps, tel. 01638 741018 Indoor Meeting

Wednesday 21 October April in Turkey Brian Gallop

Wednesday 18 November Kwa Zulu, Natal and the Western Cape Ian Barthorpe

Wednesday 9 December Christmas Social Please note this is the second Wednesday in the month Speaker to be announced, a chance to socialise, try your hand at the quiz and have a few festive nibbles.

Cambridgeshire Bird Club indoor meetings (Doors open at 7.30pm for a 8.00pm start; there is a £2-£3 charge for non members)

Cottenham Village College

Friday 9 October ‘The Lady of the Reeds’ the rediscovery of pioneering bird photographer Emma Turner James Parry

St John’s Hall

Friday 13 November Cuckoo – Cheating by Nature Nick Davies

Friday 11 December Christmas Social

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no SC037654 23