Marsh Harrier Update 1st April

1st April 2026

The Fowlmere Marsh Harriers leave the site for the winter and used to return in the following March, but in the last two years have returned in January and true to form the female returned this year in mid-January. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the male and the female eventually lost patience and left the site in the 3rd week of March and hadn't been seen since. Then the male arrived a week later, but now no sign of the female, so time to go and see what was going on.

As I made my way round to the Reed Bed Hide I witnessed the first signs of Spring with a Blackcap singing near the Spring Hide..................

.......................and Chiffchaffs chiff-chaffing in every bush.

Once in the hide the male eventually appeared and on a couple of occasions did a few laps of the reed bed allowing a few photos to be taken. 

Although not as heavily marked as the barred variant male that disappeared in February 2025, it still has distinctive markings and is clearly the same bird that replaced the barred variant a few weeks later. Here is a photo of the second bird taken by Jan Michalec on the 12th May 2025.

The male then left the site and some time after the female flew in and made a rather dramatic entrance, spiralling down from on height

She then did a couple of laps before dropping into the reeds.

A few minutes later the male returned and from the very noisy response from the female one could only conclude this was the first time they had seen each other this year................so fingers crossed!!!!!