Turtle Doves, Crayfish & Brown Trout

RSPB Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire – Wednesday 27^th May 2015 

Turtle Dove

We left home at 10.50am, it was a bright day with a slight breeze and the temperature was 15˚C. On the way we saw 2 Buzzards soaring over the A11. We arrived at the reserve just after Midday. In the car park we saw a Blue Tit, Great Tit, Swifts, a Holly Blue and Brimstone Butterfly and heard a Whitethroat, which was a promising start.

Starting our exploration of the reserve with a picnic lunch on a bench overlooking a wild flower meadow we were regally entertained by numerous Butterflies passing in front of us and above us by 3 Hobbys and 3 Buzzards giving us what seemed to be a personal flying display. There was a piece of unusual behaviour between a Hobby and a Buzzard, the Hobby flew particularly close to one Buzzard and appeared to come within touching distance several times. It didn’t appear as if the Hobby was mobbing the Buzzard more like an act of inquisitiveness but who knows for sure.

While we were having our picnic a man came along who we saw photographing close ups of the vegetation. When I asked him what he was looking for, he replied, “Flies, had we seen any interesting ones?” I said no, but Jan had been photographing an orchid close by. Jan pointed it out to him to which he produced a pair of scissors and trimmed the grass all around it to get a better picture of it.

Little Grebe & View From Drewer Hide

Then we spent some time in the Drewer Hide where once again we were “blessed” with a local expert giving a running commentary, fortunately he wasn’t too loud. 

Moving on around this reserve we found it a pure delight. It’s not a big reserve, quite compact in fact, but containing several different habitats. One of the most interesting ones was the River Shep, a chalk stream which runs through the reserve, we saw Brown Trout and Jan spotted a Crayfish. It was so clear we could video the residents.

It was here that I should have turned back but the recent frustration of not being able to get around normally made me determined to make it all around; albeit that it took 8 hours and copious amounts of stops to rest and get my breath back. I was when we got past the half way mark that I realised I’d made a mistake and that the rest of the trip was more an ordeal than a pleasure.

We managed to visit all the hides and were rewarded with some good but distant views of Turtle Doves. It is incredible to think that when we lived in Bressingham we had a pair of these nesting at the bottom of our garden for 15 years and quite often with their fledglings would feed around our feeders right under our kitchen window. That is one of the reasons we call our videos “Kitchen Window Productions” because we would get the most incredible wildlife right under our kitchen window. Amongst the species seen were Deer, Foxes, Turtle Doves, Hedgehogs, Sparrowhawks, Bullfinches and on one occasion a Water Rail.

Pair Of Tufted Ducks

Sadly the weather closed in a bit during the second part of our exploration but we managed to get back to the car park just before it rained, not that I could have rushed. The last part of it was quite torturous with stops about every 10 yards, which did rather take the pleasure out of it even though there was some satisfaction in getting right round.

View From Elevated Reedbed Hide

It is certainly a place I’d like to go to again but perhaps not trying to be so determined to do the whole reserve. A really good day out.

View From Spring Hide

On the way home we saw 2 Hares, a Kestrel and Jan saw a Hedgehog crossing the road (safely).

What we saw:

5 Buzzard

3 Hobby (we had quite a few sightings but only saw 3 together at the same time)

2 Marsh Harrier (a pair collecting nest material – saw them several times)

Blue Tit**

Great Tit**

3 Turtle Doves (we heard several calling in different locations but saw 3)

Chaffinch**

4 Reed Warbler

Sedge Warbler

Mallard with ducklings**

Moorhen with chicks**

Coot with chicks**

Little Grebe

Blackcap (heard in several locations)

2 Green Woodpecker (also heard in different locations)

Robin**

Magpie**

Crow**

Chiffchaff (seen and heard several others)

Barn Owl or Owlet (only the face partially seen)

Pr Tufted Duck

Lapwing**

Water Rail (heard twice in Dewer Hide)

Kestrel

2 Hares (as we left reserve)

2 Muntjac Deer

Hedgehog

Grass Snake (swimming from Drewer Hide)

Brown Trout** (in River Shep)

Signal Crayfish (in River Shep)

Holly Blue Butterfly

Brimstone Butterfly*

Speckled Wood Butterfly

Orange Tip Butterfly*

Wood White Butterfly**

Large White Butterfly*

Red Soldier Beetle**

Azure Damselfly**

Common Blue Damselfly*

* = Too many to count

** = Several

Keep your eyes peeled and good spotting.