Tuesday 9 June 2009

Cambridgeshire/Suffolk (7th June)

Decided today was the day to go to Wicken Fen - how wrong!

Left home in gorgeous sunshine but when I reached the fen it was chucking it down with rain. I had to sit in the car for an hour before it eased.

I then got a permit and made my way to where the Squacco Heron was showing. It couldn't be seen from the hide but could be seen quite well from the bank beside the fen.

Other birds seen at the fen were a few Marsh Harriers, Cuckoo, a Barn Owl hunting, heard a Grasshopper Warbler and a couple of Avocets. Also a gang of young Whitethroats all sitting in a row on a branch and a few showy Cetti's Warblers.

As the sun wasn't really going to show I decided to go to Lakenheath Fen - a good decision.

A pair of Golden Orioles were showing on their nest (a hammock of what appeared to be dried reeds). The female was sitting on the nest and could just be made out and then suddenly the male arrived and the female got off the nest. The male then peered into the nest as if to say - "what's this in here?" and then the female came back and sat back on the nest. The male flew a short distance away and could be seen brilliantly in the tree. The gorgeous gold and black plumage with a small gold mark on the wing and a black bandit mask.

Also at the fen I heard a Bittern and saw at least 4 Hobbies showing very well. A dragonfly on the way back could have been a Hairy Dragonfly but I failed to identify it exactly.

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