Local Sightings

Making the most of an extended Easter break, I chose to spend time around a few sites local to home (including the patch), the furthest of which was Fowlmere RSPB, a convenient 20 minute drive into Cambridgeshire. There is something uniquely satisfying about discovering wildlife within the local area.

After such a wet and at times bleak winter, a couple of days of warm sunshine was most welcome and hopefully a precursor to an agreeable spring and summer.

Having returned from Albania the day before, it was surprising to see temperatures lift to 26C on Wednesday 8th. And when the weather improves, nature responds.

So instead of travelling further afield, the day (8th) started with a walk around the patch, that produced a surprise sedge warbler singing from the depths of a scrubby area at Weston Hills NR. A willow warbler attempted song along the hedgerow opposite Bush Wood, a late fieldfare flew north, a raven flew low west, and three each of corn bunting and grey partridge were present in the adjacent fields . Three male wheatear were feeding on the NLMFC airfield and at least eight corn bunting and a grey partridge were nearby. Plenty of skylark were in full song, red kite wheeled overhead and blackcap and chiffchaff were notable by their ubiquity.

The temperature was rising and it was evident that there was a decent early movement of migrants around the country. Heading to Fowlmere in the afternoon, the weather was glorious, feeling more like summer than spring. A relatively early cuckoo was singing from a tall willow by the reedbed hide and a few vocal reed warbler and sedge warbler were present there. A trickle of swallow passed through and water rail were squealing from the reeds. A smart male marsh harrier completed a couple of circuits of its breeding territory.

The star attraction through were the water vole, up to five adults were active along the pristine chalk stream watched by a friendly bunch of locals.

The warmth remained into the 9th and another walk round the patch produced a first whitethroat of the year with a single swallow and four grey partridge near Bush Wood. Another whitethroat and a first single lesser whitethroat were seen well at Weston Hills.

Without doubt the highlight was this stoat seen along the Hertfordshire Way down to Welbury Farm. This individual looked further from its notorious reputation as an insatiable assassin (just ask the local rabbit population) as it bounded toward me along the track. Keeping very still, I was able to snap this little beaut. Other sightings included one along Warren Lane on the 8th and another individual near Bush Wood on the 13th.

Butterflies too were prominent over the two days with peacock, small tortoiseshell, brimstone, small white, large white, and the first common blue and orange-tip seen along the patch walk.

It had cooled down by the 10th, but the morning still desperately hung onto the final vestiges of this brief warm spell. There are certain species I'm always hopeful of on my local walk, and common redstart is one of these species so a female type along the hedgerow opposite Bush Wood was a joy to find.

The weekend was quite unsettled and frustratingly windy but a wander mid-morning on the 13th produced a single male wheatear on the back fields that then flew strongly east. Whitethroat had increased to four birds and two lesser whitethroat were rattling nearby. A new willow warbler was in song and a swallow made its way through the site.