A Day with the Marsh Harrers at Fowlmere

12th March 2023

It's that time of year again when a trip to Fowlmere is called for to see how the harriers are getting on. The site is looking in tip-top condition and a lot of work has been carried out over the winter removing some of the bushes from the reed bed and once again you can see Drewer's Hide from Reed Bed Hide.

And no trip to Fowlmere is complete without the compulsory photograph of a Greylag Geese like this one about to crash into another!!

It was a bit early for the Barn Owl to fly, so it just settled down for a spot of sunbathing on the verandah.

A Grey Heron landed on the flooded cut area to the left of the hide and walked slowly to the reed bed. 

A few minutes later it emerged from the reed bed with a 14" Pike which is strutted around with showing off its catch.

It then started to swallow it but soon ran out of breath and had to rest the Pike on the ground until it had got its breath back.

Then one last flick of the head and it was going...............

.....................going.................

.........................gone.

And now for the harriers. Both the male and female have returned to the reed bed ahead of the breeding season. The male is now a 4CY bird and still showing the signs of his unusual plumage having a brown tale instead of a grey one and broken barring across the wings normally associated with the scarce barred form.

Just look at that wing pattern!!

The female is now a 3CY bird and has lost and the general appearance of a jvenile bird and has taken on the plumage of an adult. Last year it was feared that the pair were too young to breed ssuccessfully and this proved to be the case, but it is hopeful that this year they will produce some young.