Alex Hamilton

Reserve work

Ditching contractors have been very busy this summer creating seven new scrapes, as-well as continuing the re-profiling of existing ditches to enhance the habitat for next year’s breeding season. Two of the new scrapes have been created in front of Kingfisher and Grose hides, while the rest have been created in the top washes in order to provide alternative nesting habitat should the bottom washes flood during the breeding season. In addition to these new enhancements, several of the existing scrapes have had new water controls installed, thereby allowing greater control of the levels during critical times of the year.

Another very busy and successful grazing season is coming to an end. At their peak, livestock numbered around 2,700, making short work of the vegetation, which should bode well for next year’s breeding bird season. The logistics behind looking after this many animals while balancing the requirements of the reserve’s habitat management program are very complex, and it requires a very dedicated stock team to fulfil these needs. With their seasonal contracts coming to an end, it is worth mentioning how important their role is in the management of the Washes.

Willow-scrub clearance continued with two more washes being cleared, one of which will now be grazed by cattle in the future while the other will be left un-grazed. The two remaining large willows along the River Delph between the Kingfisher hide and the Grose hide were pollarded, thereby completing the work started last autumn. Further patches of scrub were removed north of the railway line, opening up the view to another enhanced scrape.

Birding highlights

Early to mid-July was relatively quiet with passage waders appearing only in dribs and drabs — notably four green sandpipers on the 5th, 13 ruff on the 7th and a single wood sandpiper on the 8th. As the month neared its end three common cranes decided to settle in for a week or so, triggering calls to the Nene Washes and Lakenheath trying to find out whose they were [see the Lakenheath report, page 00].

August brought an improvement in wader passage, both in variety and numbers. Green (eight), common, wood and curlew (three) sandpipers were all seen along with ruff (63), black-tailed godwit, spotted redshank (two), greenshank (seven), dunlin, golden, little ringed (six) and ringed plovers. Very unusual for the reserve was a tree pipit on the 14th, spotted near the pumping station by an observant birder. Towards the end of the month the three cranes re-appeared for a couple of days, before once again moving on to destinations unknown.

September is the month most birders would accept as the start of the migration period proper. Wheatears appeared regularly on the embankments as they journeyed southwards, joined by ever- increasing numbers of swallows and martins. The usual mix of waders was present throughout the month, with an exceptional 175 ruff on the 10th, counted by two of our local WeBS volunteers, Bruce and Owen. There seemed to be a pattern forming with the cranes, as by the end of the month they had re-appeared again, but this time there were five, again staying for only a couple of days. Also worthy of note was a chance finding of a marsh harrier roost containing up to nine individuals.

The first whooper swans returned on the October 3, wigeon numbers began to increase, lapwing and golden plover flocks began appearing, and redwings and fieldfares could be heard flying overhead: winter must be round the corner! Why, then, were we still out on the reserve in t-shirts and, one brave soul, shorts?

One bird that you are very unlikely to see on the reserve — that is until you almost stand on it — is jack snipe, and this happened three times in a single week: it does raise the question of how many use the Washes ? The arrival of birds from colder climates and higher altitudes often heralds the re-appearance of some of their predators, peregrine, hen harrier and merlin being the obvious ones. All three species have been seen throughout October, creating panic amongst the various flocks along with the ever-present marsh harriers. The surrounding farmland also provides ample hunting ground for these raptors as well as, more recently, short-eared owl.