Nature

Fowlmere RSPB Nature Reserve

With continued rain at the start of 2020 the mere and water all around the reserve were back to normal levels, which has brought in numerous birds and wildlife. In this article, local birder Ade Cooper sets out his diary for the months of January, February, and March. January 2020

The year began with mild, settled weather which meant few birds were in evidence. Herring Gulls were seen flying over and Mallards, Teals displaying and a male Shoveler were on the mere.

Over the month the waterfowl on the mere gradually increased, with Little Grebes, Coots and Greylag Geese arriving and a female Shoveler coming to join the male, giving hope that we might have a nesting pair this year.

Highlights of the early part of the month were a sighting of a Gadwall and a fine-looking drake Wigeon. We only had one record of Wigeon last year, so pleased to see that so early on!

The Barn Owls were also seen flying at dusk one day, and several sightings of one, sometimes two, Woodcock flying overhead.

Later in the month we saw the first Tufted Ducks of the year on the mere (3 birds), and a pair of Wigeons, the latter asleep alongside the pair of Shovelers. Another Coot had returned, making 4 birds in all.

Singles of Woodcock and Snipe were seen on the 20th. Not many species were using the reserve to roost, but 68 Fieldfares noted on the 24th was the

Teal at the front, Gadwall rear left and Wigeon rear right Tufted Ducks on the mere

Female Mallard Goldfinch

highest count this month. Also roosting on the same day were 31 Magpies.

A surprising sight was a Kingfisher flying off up the Shep. These are normally seen earlier in January but the species has not been spending much time on the reserve recently.

At the end of the month a survey recorded

Below: Nesting Coots. Bottom: Gold and Chaffinch feeding on the path 38 species altogether. Small numbers of many common species: Blue Tits, Great Tits, Robins, Blackbirds, Wrens, Goldcrests, Song Thrushes, Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Bullfinches and Moorhens were noted. There were also 2 Mistle Thrushes and 1 Redwing.

Long-Tailed Tits fared better with 26 in three flocks, and Fieldfares, Jackdaws, Rooks, Magpies and Woodpigeons were all seen in large numbers. The male and female Shovelers were still on the mere, and the 2 Woodcocks were still in evidence.

Bullfinches

Long-Tailed Tit nest building

February

The early part of the month gave a few beautiful days for walking around the reserve, and a repeat of the survey at this time showed an increase in the total number of species seen to 51. The early morning birdsong was strong enough to be considered the first proper dawn chorus of the year, with Thrushes and Robins in particular making a point and Greenfinches and Corn Buntings being heard for the first time this season. A male Blackbird courtship-displaying to a female was fascinating to watch – an early sign of Spring!

The Shovelers were still on the mere, together with Mallards and Teals. The Barn Owl was out early hunting the reedbed, and Woodcock and Snipe were flushed out from the cattle paddock. Two Cormorants and a Red Kite were seen flying through, but the highlight was three Egyptian Geese heading south east. This was only the third time I had seen the species at Fowlmere and only the sixth record ever, so a real delight!

The remainder of the month was dominated first by storms Ciara and Dennis and then by the continuing strong winds and frequent rain, which made conditions very challenging. Common Gulls, Herring Gulls and Lesser Black Backed Gulls were all seen flying through at different times, with one or two sightings of the Barn Owls, and there were 76 Greylag Geese on the mere, which was the highest count this year.

On one dry day, an early morning sighting of two Egrets in the field of sheep raised hope that they might be the reserve’s first Cattle Egrets, but sadly they proved to be just Little Egrets. Also in the sheep field were 60 Fieldfares, but more interestingly a count of 37 Meadow Pipits, an unusually high number this winter. They may have been birds disrupted from fields nearby, or sheltering from the strong winds, or possibly an early passage flock; a welcome sight anyway.

There was luckily little damage to the reserve from the storms: small branches littered the paths but no sizeable trees came down, and even at

Shoveler pair on the mere Egyptian Goose heading south east

Two Egrets in the sheep field

Top: Iceland with Herring left and Lesser on the right. Above Iceland Gull

40 years old the Reedbed hide stood solid as a rock!

On the 20th we were pleased to discover that the juvenile Iceland Gull that had been wintering in the arable fields around south Cambs had crossed the village boundary and become the first ever record of the species in Melbourn parish! The bird was seen at close range along New Road, between the village and the A505, with a flock of Lesser Black-Backed and Herring Gulls.

The following weekend a male Gadwall was seen on the mere; Teals were also around but were keeping to the channels as the mere was too deep for them. A few Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-Backed Gulls flew through, and the Iceland Gull was still in the area.

A flock of 6 Bullfinches and 60+ Fieldfares were notable. The Cettis Warbler was singing more frequently near the Reedbed hide, and the first Marsh Harrier of the year was reported in the early afternoon on the 22nd.

Gadwall-Male on the mere Female Bullfinch

There was some interesting debate on the identification of the Newts in the pool along the boardwalk – they turned out to be Smooth Newts; also a visitor suggested that there were Turkish Crayfish in the Shep, but this could not be confirmed: only American Signal Crayfish were seen on checking. 85 Fallow Deer were out in the south east fields, the most seen for a long time.

On the final weekend of the month the wind began to drop and the weather was sunny and warmer.

Below: Smooth Newt. Bottom American Signal Crayfish