Lakenheath Fen
Just into the county of Suffolk lies the former arable land of Lakenheath Fen. What used to be carrot fields has been transformed by the RPSB into vast wetlands and woodlands boasting stunning and rare wildlife. The last stop on my weekend wildlife trip!
Marsh Harrier
Common Darter
After 2 reserves the day before in nearby Norfolk - Snettisham and Titchwell Marsh, it was only a 50 minute drive to Lakenheath Fen, a new reserve for me which boasts wildlife such as Kingfisher, Bittern, Otters and Cranes, the latter being top of the wish list for here as I have never seen a Crane before!
Red Admiral
Common Darter
After checking in at the visitor centre I headed off on the trails which started through the woodland area which is home to Tawny Owls, so I was checking all the trees as I passed - sadly no Owls were spotted!
Whitethroat
Reed Bunting
The first point of call was the “New Fen Viewpoint” which overlooks a large expanse of reedbed and onto another area of woodland. Apparently this is the best place to spot Otters but I was here late morning which is not generally Otter O’clock! To be honest I don’t think this spot would have produced any decent images of Otters if I did see one!
Black-Tailed Skimmer
Ruddy Darter
Four-Spotted Chaser
From this viewpoint I did see 2 Marsh Harriers sat in bushes which was great to see! One of them took flight and headed out over the reedbed and as I was watching this I noticed another large flapping bird against the tree line - A Bittern! The first of 6 sightings of this elusive and shy member of the Heron family - the most sightings I have ever had of Bittern!
Kingfisher
Kingfisher
Further along the main trail and a side trail takes you to “Mere Hide”, the boardwalk approach surrounded by tall reeds which are home to Bearded Tits - some were seen but not close enough for any images. It was clear from the view inside the hide that Kingfisher must be a visitor to the pond with a few perches looking perfect for them. There were so many damselflies and dragonflies darting around, landing on perches and trying to find a mate…In fact the whole reserve was teaming with them and it was great trying to capture them! I was especially pleased to get the shot of the 2 Dragons mating!
Kingfisher & Dragonfly
Kingfisher
No Kingfisher yet so I headed off to the end point of the reserve, the “Joist Fen Viewpoint” which looks out over a vast area of marshland. This is generally the best place on the reserve to spot the Common Crane - a rare bird in the UK and also the tallest! I think I was a tad late in the season however as we were told at the visitor centre that a pair had a failed nest this year while another pair had already seen their young fledge so not much in the way of feeding flights currently…I’m sure if I had sat there long enough I may have seen one! I did see more Bittern here as well a Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk…
Kingfisher
Kingfisher
Heading back now and another stop at the Mere Hide to see if we could spot a Kingfisher…after a short wait photographing the Dragonflies suddenly I had a stunning male Kingfisher appear on a perch just to the left of me, amazingly close! It observed the area from here, headed into some adjacent vegetation for a scan of the pond before then choosing another perch on the main pond.
Kingfisher stretching
Kingfisher
After what seemed like an eternity of sitting, preening, observing, stretching his wings out etc while I was locking my focus on him, finger cocked on the shutter waiting for movement, he eventually spotted something in the water and dived in, he did this a few times as he missed his intended target. He eventually caught something very small and then switched perches to a closer one - the closest RSPB hide for Kingfisher I have seen! From here he dived a couple more times, catching a good size fish and proceeded to whack it against the branch to stun it, allowing it to turn it in his beak ready to swallow it whole head first.
Kingfisher
Kingfisher stunning fish
I must have had an hour with this bird, which really made the day! I was a bit disappointed at not spotting a Crane and despite seeing 6 Bittern not getting a shot of any of them…This Kingfisher saved the day. A wonderful bird putting on a wonderful display at close quarters! This reserve is worth a visit just for that opportunity!
This ended my wildlife weekend, 3 new RSPB reserves done and it was now time to head back up the A1 to Yorkshire and start the image processing!