Nature Fowlmere RSPB Nature Reserve In this article, local birder Ade Cooper sets out his diary for the months of August through to October.
August The month started quietly, as it often is at that time of year, with two Green Sandpipers arriving on the 1st and a flock of Lapwings on the mere. I also saw a Lesser Whitethroat and a Garden Warbler, both the first ones for about 7 weeks, and a yellow juvenile Willow Warbler. Flying over was a Red Kite, and 4 Sand Martins made their way south. The following week the Barn Owl youngsters from the Reedbed box were seen to be able to fly, even though their landings needed a bit of work! Young from the Cetti’s Warbler family could be heard calling, and a Spotted Flycatcher was seen. The Lapwings on the mere increased in number, and there was a pre-migration build-up of 50 Swallows. A particular delight was to discover that a Marsh Harrier pair, first spotted back in May and new to the reserve, had in fact bred successfully. The fruits of their labour were seen taking a first flight: two pristine juvenile Marsh Harriers came up from the nest and perched in nearby bushes. Over the next few weeks I was able to see that the male was bringing all the prey in for the youngsters. The female disappeared for well over a week, but did return later. At one point, it seemed there might have been a
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Male Marsh Harrier
third juvenile, but I came to the conclusion that this was not the case. Juveniles from elsewhere had been seen around the nesting area, and it was clear by the reaction of the male bird that one passing juvenile didn’t belong. The male bombarded this juvenile across the reedbed, upping the aggression levels when the reluctant juvenile wouldn’t leave the area. It got the message in the end and flew off southeast. Another juvenile seen flying around the nest site was very easy to dismiss as not one of our birds, as it had bright yellow wing tags! This bird probably came from
