RSPB Lakenheath & Hilborough To Little Cressingham
Thursday 21st
May 2015
Emerald Damselfly
After a really difficult family funeral in Lincolnshire yesterday I was really looking forward to getting out with Jan today to try and re-focus myself again, however, I had some serious misgivings about going to RSPB Lakenheath.
We left home at 1.05pm, it was bright with a slight breeze and the temperature was 18˚C. On the way to Lakenheath we saw some Goldfinches and a couple of Brimstone Butterflies. When we arrived at RSPB Lakenheath the car park was absolutely choc-a-block which was no surprise as for the last couple of days there has been a Little Bittern in residence. In all our visits to Lakenheath we have never seen the car park even half full let alone how it was today. I wasn’t sure if we should’ve gone to Lakenheath or not but I reasoned that as the Little Bittern had been seen at the far west of the reserve, where I can’t get to, that it would have no impact on us. How wrong was I going to be.
Jan went to get the disabled permit from the visitor centre and I scanned the skies. I saw Hirundines (Swallows and Martins) over the Washland, a Jay, Robin, Swifts, Orange Tip and Small White Butterflies in the car park. When Jan returned to the car she said she had got the last permit of 4, normally we are the only ones.
We made our way to the Disabled Parking Spot near the New Fen Viewpoint passing a long stream of birders making their way Westwards, presumably to try and see the Little Bittern. After dropping me off I made my way to the viewpoint overlooking the New Fen, it was full up but fortunately a couple left from one of the benches and I was able to sit down but unfortunately not very far from me a couple were smoking and I found it extremely unpleasant having to smell their cigarette smoke. On a better note as I got to the viewpoint I saw a male Marsh Harrier chasing away a Bittern that had obviously got a bit too near to the Harrier’s nest. The Cuckoos were in full voice and there were at least 3 singing at the same time.
East Wood (Picture Above)
Jan got to the bench after parking the car and she quickly agreed with me that we couldn’t remain here. Jan is even more averse to smoking than I am so we moved further along the path to a bench, probably only about 50 metres from the viewpoint but it was like being in a different world. There was no noise apart from bird’s chirruping away and the wind blowing through the Reed beds. Although the view wasn’t that great we could see a channel of water and a wall of Reeds, at least it felt as if we were alone. The idyll was broken occasionally by USAF Jets passing over us to Lakenheath or Mildenhall but otherwise it was near perfection. It was made even more enjoyable by us having our picnic lunch there.
Our Picnic Spot Looking Out Over New Fen Towards West Wood (Above)
We saw plenty of Dragonflies most of which were flying far too fast to identify but a couple of Broad Bodied Chasers did land for us to get a long enough look at them. It was here that we heard a plop and half expecting to see a Water Vole saw a Grass Snake swimming across the Dyke in front of us. It was one of those moments where we could have got a short video clip but it was just too fascinating to look away. I also saw a Sedge Warbler rooting about along the bottom of the Reed bed here.
After our lunch, the warm sunshine and some good sightings we were lulled into a false sense of security and decided to go back to the New Fen Viewpoint. We took our time seeing some lovely newly hatched Damselflies on the way including a male Emerald and Azure Damselfly. However it was a mistake it was still crowded and very noisy. What people don’t realise is that the viewpoint is like an open hide and it acts as an amplifier projecting sound and movements over the pool in front of it.
Azure Damselfly (Above)
There were two particular ladies who I am sure were very keen birdwatchers but they just didn’t stop talking or moving about. Anyone who had any intelligence could see that the pool was devoid of any bird life at all. However, saying all that I did manage to spot 3 Reed Warblers moving about in the Reeds and we got some good views of Hobbys, a Cuckoo and a Great Spotted Woodpecker as they passed in front of the viewpoint. The last straw came when one of the women who had obviously seen the Little Bittern was bemoaning the fact that she hadn’t seen a Marsh Harrier yet! If she had paid more attention she just might have noticed the male Marsh Harrier that was circling around about 300 metres directly in front of the viewpoint. We both decided to move so we went back to the visitor centre to make the short but arduous trek to the Washland Viewpoint.
New Fen Viewpoint Looking Towards West Wood (Above)
Jumping Spider
The Fringes Of The Washland
The path from the visitor centre to the viewpoint is good and level but the RSPB in their wisdom have made the only benches en route unusable by fencing them off so as you have to walk even further to get to them. I eventually got to the viewpoint but my chest was on fire, my back and hips were killing me and my mouth was so dry I could hardly speak. Eventually after sitting down for a while I gradually got my breath back and was able to relax a bit.
There wasn’t a great deal on the Washland but there were some interesting birds; Common Tern, Artic Tern (possibly 2), Great Crested Grebes and Little Egrets and it was here we had 2 good sightings of a Whitethroat and a Cettis Warbler. We did have quite a nice chat with a man from Brancaster but it was different here because you are out in the open and the birds aren’t too close to you anyway.
The Washland (Above)
The Little Ouse River
At one point Jan and I were talking and I happened to mention that we haven’t seen a Kingfisher yet this year and you probably guessed what happened about 5 minutes later along the near bank of the Little Ouse River I caught sight of an electric blue flash flying low and parallel to the bank, yes, it was a Kingfisher.
We decided it was time to go and I must admit I dread the walk back from this viewpoint as you have to walk back to the visitor centre and then the same distance to the car park while all the time you are about 100 metres from the car park, which is about an eighth of the distance. Even with a stool that we carry it takes me ages to walk this distance.
When we got to the car park there were still more cars there than we have ever seen and people were still coming in. I heard one woman say to the man she was with: “Where is it, then?” Personally I can’t imagine anything worse than going to one place just to see one bird without enjoying the other treasures that might be on show but hey ho, each to their own, I guess to some, ticks are worth so much.
Hawthorn Blossom AKA The May (Above)
We made our way back to Hilborough Ford to finish off our flask of coffee. It was like an oasis of peace and quiet there and we were regally entertained by a Wren singing his song to us. We also saw a couple of Hares here before making our way to Little Cressingham and eventually home.
What did I think of the day: I very much enjoyed being with Jan and the quiet moments because they enable me to escape myself and concentrate on the present moment bringing about a simple mindfulness; but the other bits with the noise and other people, I find very stressful and difficult to cope with. What did Jan think: After a tiring and tense day yesterday it was certainly good to get out and enjoy what nature has to offer (even though it was somewhat marred by the number of other birders). I do find it strange that some people who go to these reserves appear not to have respect for the fragile environment they are visiting (I’m beginning to sound like a certain grumpy old man I know!). All that aside, it was a lovely day just being out and being with Rob.
Broom In Full Bloom (Above)
One thing that did irritate me yesterday was the number of dog ends seen lying around. It is up to each individual whether they want to smoke or not, all I wish was that they didn’t do it in my presence but what gives smokers the right to feel as if they are immune from litter laws and just discard the their cigarette ends wherever they wish after all a filter cigarette end takes something like 18 months to 10 years to decompose and it is probably safe to say that the cellulose acetate fibres in cigarette filters like other plastics are with us for some time (some say that the cellulose acetate actually never decomposes). Also that the birds and other wildlife might actually pick these things up and ingest them absorbing some of the toxins contained within them. You would think, rightly or wrongly, in an RSPB Reserve that the users might have more consideration for the environment, especially as 30% of cigarettes smoked end up as litter.
That is all from this grumpy old man for now.
The Star Of One Of Our Latest Videos "It's All Mine" (Fledgling Starling)
This is what we saw and heard:
Male Marsh Harrier (3 good sightings of the same bird)
Hobby (9 good sightings which were of probably 2 or 3 birds)
Cuckoos ( 1 good sighting and abundant calling going on & for the first time hearing an answer)
Swallows*
Swifts*
House Martins*
2 Jays
Magpies **
Other Corvids* (Rooks, Crows & Jackdaws)
Wood Pigeons*
Collared Doves*
1 Bittern (plenty of booming going on in different locations)
Mute Swans**
2 Prs Tufted Ducks
Mallards*
Coots & Chicks**
2 Canada Geese
Common Terns*
Arctic Tern (1 but possibly 2)
Moorhen
Sedge Warbler
3 Reed Warblers
2 Whitethroats
Pr Egyptian Geese
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Tits**
Blue Tits**
Reed Buntings**
Goldfinches**
Great Crested Grebes (5 - 1 pr as one was sitting on nest)
3 Little Egrets
Shoveler (several pairs)
Lapwing**
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Black-headed Gulls**
3 Herons
Cetti Warbler (seen and heard)
2 Cormorants
Kestrel
Chiffchaff (heard)
Wren (Hilborough Ford)
Mistle Thrush (Hilborough Ford)
Grass Snake (swimming along Dyke)
3 Hares (Hilborough Ford)
Rabbits*
Orange Tip Butterflies**
Small White Butterflies**
Wood White Butterflies**
Brimstone Butterflies**
Peacock Butterflies**
Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies**
Broad Bodied Chaser Dragonfly**
Several Unidentified Dragonflies
Emerald Damselfly
Azure Damselfly
Several Unidentified Damselflies
Jumping Spider
Golden Bodied Beetle (probably one of the Damsel Bug family)
* = Too many to count
** = Several
Keep your eyes peeled and good spotting.
We made our way to the Disabled Parking Spot near the New Fen Viewpoint passing a long stream of birders making their way Westwards, presumably to try and see the Little Bittern. After dropping me off I made my way to the viewpoint overlooking the New Fen, it was full up but fortunately a couple left from one of the benches and I was able to sit down but unfortunately not very far from me a couple were smoking and I found it extremely unpleasant having to smell their cigarette smoke. On a better note as I got to the viewpoint I saw a male Marsh Harrier chasing away a Bittern that had obviously got a bit too near to the Harrier’s nest. The Cuckoos were in full voice and there were at least 3 singing at the same time.
Jan got to the bench after parking the car and she quickly agreed with me that we couldn’t remain here. Jan is even more averse to smoking than I am so we moved further along the path to a bench, probably only about 50 metres from the viewpoint but it was like being in a different world. There was no noise apart from bird’s chirruping away and the wind blowing through the Reed beds. Although the view wasn’t that great we could see a channel of water and a wall of Reeds, at least it felt as if we were alone. The idyll was broken occasionally by USAF Jets passing over us to Lakenheath or Mildenhall but otherwise it was near perfection. It was made even more enjoyable by us having our picnic lunch there.
After our lunch, the warm sunshine and some good sightings we were lulled into a false sense of security and decided to go back to the New Fen Viewpoint. We took our time seeing some lovely newly hatched Damselflies on the way including a male Emerald and Azure Damselfly. However it was a mistake it was still crowded and very noisy. What people don’t realise is that the viewpoint is like an open hide and it acts as an amplifier projecting sound and movements over the pool in front of it. 
There were two particular ladies who I am sure were very keen birdwatchers but they just didn’t stop talking or moving about. Anyone who had any intelligence could see that the pool was devoid of any bird life at all. However, saying all that I did manage to spot 3 Reed Warblers moving about in the Reeds and we got some good views of Hobbys, a Cuckoo and a Great Spotted Woodpecker as they passed in front of the viewpoint. The last straw came when one of the women who had obviously seen the Little Bittern was bemoaning the fact that she hadn’t seen a Marsh Harrier yet! If she had paid more attention she just might have noticed the male Marsh Harrier that was circling around about 300 metres directly in front of the viewpoint. We both decided to move so we went back to the visitor centre to make the short but arduous trek to the Washland Viewpoint.
The path from the visitor centre to the viewpoint is good and level but the RSPB in their wisdom have made the only benches en route unusable by fencing them off so as you have to walk even further to get to them. I eventually got to the viewpoint but my chest was on fire, my back and hips were killing me and my mouth was so dry I could hardly speak. Eventually after sitting down for a while I gradually got my breath back and was able to relax a bit.
There wasn’t a great deal on the Washland but there were some interesting birds; Common Tern, Artic Tern (possibly 2), Great Crested Grebes and Little Egrets and it was here we had 2 good sightings of a Whitethroat and a Cettis Warbler. We did have quite a nice chat with a man from Brancaster but it was different here because you are out in the open and the birds aren’t too close to you anyway.
We decided it was time to go and I must admit I dread the walk back from this viewpoint as you have to walk back to the visitor centre and then the same distance to the car park while all the time you are about 100 metres from the car park, which is about an eighth of the distance. Even with a stool that we carry it takes me ages to walk this distance.
When we got to the car park there were still more cars there than we have ever seen and people were still coming in. I heard one woman say to the man she was with: “Where is it, then?” Personally I can’t imagine anything worse than going to one place just to see one bird without enjoying the other treasures that might be on show but hey ho, each to their own, I guess to some, ticks are worth so much.
What did I think of the day: I very much enjoyed being with Jan and the quiet moments because they enable me to escape myself and concentrate on the present moment bringing about a simple mindfulness; but the other bits with the noise and other people, I find very stressful and difficult to cope with. What did Jan think: After a tiring and tense day yesterday it was certainly good to get out and enjoy what nature has to offer (even though it was somewhat marred by the number of other birders). I do find it strange that some people who go to these reserves appear not to have respect for the fragile environment they are visiting (I’m beginning to sound like a certain grumpy old man I know!). All that aside, it was a lovely day just being out and being with Rob.
One thing that did irritate me yesterday was the number of dog ends seen lying around. It is up to each individual whether they want to smoke or not, all I wish was that they didn’t do it in my presence but what gives smokers the right to feel as if they are immune from litter laws and just discard the their cigarette ends wherever they wish after all a filter cigarette end takes something like 18 months to 10 years to decompose and it is probably safe to say that the cellulose acetate fibres in cigarette filters like other plastics are with us for some time (some say that the cellulose acetate actually never decomposes). Also that the birds and other wildlife might actually pick these things up and ingest them absorbing some of the toxins contained within them. You would think, rightly or wrongly, in an RSPB Reserve that the users might have more consideration for the environment, especially as 30% of cigarettes smoked end up as litter.
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