Cranes and Bitterns at Lakenheath Fen

2nd June 2022

It is that time of year when Bitterns start going on feeding flights to catch some food for their young in the nest, so time for a visit to Lakenheath Fen. A lovely sunny day brought out the dragonflies including the following:

Azure Damselflies Ovipositng

Female Banded Demoiselle

Male Red-eyed Damselfly

Four-spotted Chaser

Male Scarce Chaser

Female Scarce Chaser

I think the Azure Damselflies were trying to break the Guinness Book of Records for the most ovipositing pairs on a single leaf of Water Mint.

There had been reports of three Cattle Egrets with the cattle on the banks of the river, but by the time we got there they were already in flight. Just managed to grab a shot of one before they flew south.

At the New Fen viewpoint a female Marsh Harrier was lazily circling round before drifting off across the river, and along the track to the Joist Fen viewpoint a male Reed Bunting was busy catching Mayflies to feed its young.

At Joist Fen a Song Thrush was also collecting food. These days Song Thrushes tend to be quite skulking, but this one was so intent on the task in hand that it approached us to within a few yards.

At the Mere Hide a Great Crested Grebe was also catching fish to feed its two young humbugs and giving one of the them the traditional ride on her back.

This was the first visit in a long time that I have seen Kingfishers here as the perches provided are too low for fishing, and this male was making do by using reeds. Stunning birds.

But there is no doubt that the "cute" quota was provided by this young Water Rail, one of three that were scurrying around on the mud, although no sign of the parents.

I have seen cranes at Lakenheath on several occasions, but it was only on my first visit on the 12th May 2012 that I saw them circling overhead. That is until this visit when a pair were circling high over New Fen on a number of occasions. Unfortunately they were very high for most of the time but I did manage to get some shots.

But the target today was the Bittern and we were not to be disappointed as there were several feeding flights from one end of the reserve to the other providing a number of chances to get some incredible flight shots.

Well, what a day and Lakenheath Fen never disappoints!!!