Marsh Harrier Update 24th April.....and a Surprise!!

24th April 2026

It's three weeks since my last visit to Fowlmere so time for another visit to see how the harriers are getting on. The male was fairly active with quite a few laps of the site. However, the difference today was that he was hunting whereas he normally only hunts off-site.

With no success the male eventually left the site to try his luck in the surrounding area. All this time there was no sign of the female so hopefully she is sitting on eggs. So how do you get a female harrier off the nest ainto the air?................FOOD!!!

She could hear the male approaching and left the nest and gained height to meet him...............

....................calling as she went.

This food pass wasn't the tradtional food drop by the male and caught by the female. Instead he kept hold of the prey and she followed him until she could take it from him.

Nearly there.

Reach out.

SUCCESS!!

What an amazing thing to witness.

So what about the surprise. Well I was waiting for some harrier activity when a Curlew flew low and silently across the mere, and I managed to grab a shot as it went past. I have since had a look at my photos and it has a short bill, a prominent eye-stripe and you can just about make out a central crown stripe, and is therefore a Whimbrel.

Ade Cooper has confirmed the ID and says they are less than annual at Fowlmere and therefore a good record.

Well, what a fantastic day and good to meet Christine Henry.

A Couple of Hours at Rye Meads

22nd April 2026

A nice sunny day and a couple of hours to spare so off to Rye Meads to see what was going on. Starting at the Draper Hide the first birds on view were a pair of Stock Doves, one of the Rye Meads specialities. They are often seen on the scrape here, either feeding or just dropping in for a drink.

On the wader front there was a lone Snipe feeding close in to the far bank..................

......................and two pairs of Little Ringed Plover. Let's hope they stay and breed.

Now on to the Gadwall Hide where two male Red-crested Pochards were the stars of the show.

And also a pair of Shelduck amongst the many Black-headed Gulls. So why are there so many Black-headed Gulls inland here in the summer months. Well in or around 2006 I was in the hide at Brent Reservoir, formerly the Welsh Harp, when the locals were celebrating the first pair of Black-headed Gulls to breed on site.

With hind-sight this celebration was a little mis-placed as within five years Black-headed Gulls had taken over all the islands and rafts in the Lea Valley that the Common Terns had been using for breeding. And of course there is a bit of history here as the Rye Meads Ringing Group, where I was a member at the time, put out a tern raft at Rye Meads in 1972, the first in the Lea Valley. I helped to launch it. More rafts were launched in front of what is now the Gadwall Hide, but now they have all been re-located to the front of the Tern Hide.

And finally a vist to the Kingfisher Hide to see how the Kingfishers were getting on. It was now 3pm and the last sighting was at 1pm, so time to settle down and look at some of the support acts. The Coot family were still feeding their young, but sadly due to the attentions of the resident Heron the brood had been reduced from eight to just two.

After a while the female Kestrel emerged from the nest box to stretch her wings after a spell of brooding  her eggs and had a quick fly round. Just look at the pattern on her back and tail!!!

The Heron was present as usual but thankfully leaving the Coot chicks in peace and seen here showing just how deep the water is before jumping up onto the bank.

And here trying to cough up a pellet without much success.

It had now taken up its hunting position in the reeds and was staring down at the water.

It then pushed its bill through the floating vegetation..................

.....................and went in for the kill catching what could  be a Great Crested Newt.

So what about the Kingfishers? Well at 4.30pm the male arrived back at the pool and sat outside the nesthole calling the female. Rather surprisingly he had not brought her a fish.

She then emerged from the nest hole for hand-over duties and sat on the perch for a few minutes.

When you have been sitting in a dark sandy burrow it is good to have a scratch.................

....................and re-arrange those feathers.

She then left the site to presumably stretch her wings and catch some food.

She has been incubating a few days now so the Kingfisher activity will remain quiet until the eggs hatch at which point they will be bringing fish into the nest. I would expect this to happen on or around the 13th May.

Good to have a catch-up with Iain James.