This was an early morning walk to see and hear Warblers at a reserve which has traditionally held good numbers of a wide variety of warblers. Unfortunately when we arrived at 0700 there was a note on the entrance advising the south end of the reserve was closed due to deer control. So we were only able to use the north end of the reserve from the bungalow. First bird seen was a Treecreeper as we left the cars. A cuckoo was also heard. We walked to the bungalow then headed for the large Northern reedbed. A Mistle Thrush was singing and showin well close to the bungalow Enroute to the hide we heard the first of several Grasshopper Walkers reeling and Sedge, Willow Warblers and Black cap all singing. Once we reached the hide almost immediately a Ringtailed Hen Harrier was seen being chased by a male Hen Harrier and eventually driven out of the reedbed. After that excitement we settled down and watched the Male Marsh Harrier and the 2 females he is supporting. We then made our way via the bungalow to the western flood wall with a view over farm land. En-route we added Cettis Warbler to our total. Fronm the western bank we had excellent views over the recently acquired farmland in the process of being rewilded. This rough, wet land was being hunted by 2 male Marsh Harriers which seemed most interested in the many Snipe in the small pools. We then headed back across the reserve to the entrance. Some present called it a day and the remainder followed the Great Raverly Drain north to the pumping station. Here we had a Buzzard overhead and then a Spparrowhawk being harassed by a pair of Corvids. This area also held plenty of singing warblers including Blackcap and Chiffchaf. Heading back to the entrance a small detour was made to try and find a previously reported Whitethroat. Unsuccessfully alas. As we left the parking space a Red Kite was scavenging farmland for carrion.
Overall a very good result with some excellent birds seen and/or heard considering we were unable to access the south half of the reserve whick holds some of the best warbler habitat
This walk was explore the area SW of Maxey following the new reserves that have been opened by the Langdyke Trust between the Maxey Cut and the South Drain. . Over the last 2 years Langdyke have taken over management of College Pit,John Clare Pit, Westings Pit and Pochard Pit. A large amount of scrub has been cleared and a path created linking these pits and creating a walkway through the area so there is now a continuous circular walkway Maxey Road and Main Road and back again. We were fortunate that Langdyke Trust allowed us the use of their car park and Steve Zealand who manages the new pits joined us for the walk.
The first sighting, as we parked our cars was a semi leucistic Dunnock on the hedge.. A great site with a pure white head and upper body. We thwn walked through the area covered by the 4 new pits. Here the highlights were a pair of Red-crested Pochard and Common Pochards. Following the trail through the pits there was a good assortment of common water birds and we walked quietly past a nest box said to house a breeding Barn Owl. When we reached the green bridge we left the Maxey Cut and followed the Green Lane. Here there were floode pools in the field between the Cut and the Green Lane. Amongst others these pools held Avocet, Redshank and Lapwing. Also a first Willow Warbler was heard by 2 members. Finally we reached Vergettes Meadow, which is a large reedbed that often holds breeding Marsh Harriers. On reaching Main Rod we turned left and followed the road to the Maxey Cut and turning left onto its North Bank. An interesting sighting here was 4 Goosander (2 pairs ?) this was a good sign for breeding again this year. We followed the bank of the Maxey Cut back to our parking place and as we arrived there a Marsh Harrier flew past heading west.
A very pleasant walk.
Please click on link below to access the trip list.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Late on Sunday we received a message from Mark Avery telling us that he was taken into hospital last Thursday and that, contrary to initial indications, he will not be released in time to talk to us on Wednesday. At this late stage we have no option but to cancel Wednesday's meeting and to transfer the AGM to Wednesday the 13 May when Mike Allibone will talk to us on Bird Photography. We wish Mark well and look forward to welcoming him at a future date.
Trip Report Brecks – 14/03/26
Mar 17, 2026
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Cockley Cley: 13 members assembled at the roadside at Cockley Cley hoping for a view of Goshawks. Nobody was disappointed as we had excellent views of 5 different Goshawks. First was a single female then 2 displaying pairs, one pair close in front and then overhead and a second more distant pair. Other birds seen at Cockley Cley included a large number of Buzzards, including some displaying pairs, a Woodlark showing on the ground close to us, Red-legged Partridge and Curlew flying in the distance and Sparrowhawk.
Gt. Cressingham Pig Fields: We decided to stop at the pig fields and try to see overwintering Stone Curlew, which had been reported there. This was a successful stop as we saw 8 Stone Curlews plus a bonus Grey Partridge and 2 Oystercatchers.
Lynford Arboretum: Since our visit last year there have been a couple of changes at Lynford. Firstly, there are now fees (very reasonable) for parking and secondly a covered seating area and post Loos have been added to the Shepherds Bar. Numbers increased to 17 as 4 members had chosen the option to join at the Arboretum.
After eating our packed lunches we headed into the Arboretum. First stop was the feeding tunnel. Here, amongst other birds we saw 2 smart male Bramblings, Treecreper, Siskin , Yellowhammers etc. We then walked towards the bridge and paddock. En-route to the paddock we heard, then saw, Firecrest and Goldcrest. Once over the bridge we picked up our first Crossbill, a nice red male. As we continued on around the paddock we heard and saw several other Crossbills and Siskin amongst the pines. At the top of the paddock a Sparrowhawk gave very good views and a more distant probable Goshawk was seen. We then completed the loop back th the river. By the river there were Marsh and Coal Tits and Nuthatch was heard but not seen. We then returned to the paddock to continue our search for Hawfinch. Alas we were unsuccessful again. Then 2 of the group, heading for the car park as their car parking was about to expire found a Hawfinch in the feeding tunnel. As they tried to contact the rest of us, a loose dog got into the field next to the feeding tunnel and flushed all the birds present, including the Hawfinch, which was not seen again. Idiots and their dogs!. That wrapped up an excellent days birding. Our early March Brecks trips are usually notable for being wet, cold and windy. However this year was a sunny, mild day with light winds.
This is the list of birds seen on the day:
Woodlark
Goshawk
Song Thrush
Mistle Thrush
Red-legged Partridge
Siskin
Crossbill
Shelduck
Coal Tit
Great Tit
Pied Wagtail
Buzzard
Carrion Crow
Rook
Jackdaw
Wood Pigeon
Stock Dove
Pheasant
Stone Curlew
Grey Partridge
Lapwing
Skylark
Hawfinch
Brambling
Chaffinch
Blue Tit
Yellowhammer
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Firecrest
Goldcrest
Nuthatch (heard)
Treecreeper
Little Grebe
Mallard
Goldfinch
Wren
Long-tailed Tit
Marsh Tit
Sparrowhawk
Magpie
Chiffchaff (heard)
Curlew Oystercatcher
Maxey Trip 29th March 2026 - Parking/Meeting details changed
Mar 17, 2026
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Parking details changed again on 24/3/26 as Anglian Water are working on the site. See Calendar for details
Extra Indoor Meeting - An Overview of Bird Photography
Mar 16, 2026
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Mike Alibone, the Optics Editor for Birdwatch magazine will be giving a talk about bird photography, including techniques both taking the picture and post shot processing, to help improve your bird photographs. Get the best results from your camera, digi/phone-scoping. See you on 13th May 2026, further details on the calendar tab.
Spring News From Boothby Wildland
Mar 16, 2026
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Spring News Extensive winter preparations across our wildlands are bearing fruit as the seasons change. A particularly notable example being last week’s release of beavers at Boothby Wildland. Our new residents got straight to work and evidence of their arrival (nibbling) was visible the very next morning. Huge congratulations to the Boothby team, the volunteers and our very many collaborators, who have worked so hard to prepare for this special moment. Full details and footage can be found below.
At Harold’s Park Wildland, the diggers have been hard at work creating new ‘rough & loose’ areas - a Nattergal ecological kick-starter driving ‘pit & mound’ ecology. This is a natural process that is usually created by windblown trees in a storm-ravaged woodland. The new ‘moonscapes’ are certainly something to behold, delivering long-disappeared and exciting new habitats for a wide range of species.
Meanwhile, at High Fen Wildland, water is returning. And, best of all, it’s staying! The man-made bund that winds its way across the landscape appears to be doing its job - holding back water that had previously leaked away as the water levels drop across the rest of the Fens. A full year-on-year visual comparison will be collected using the drone in May. Finally, news of a very exciting partnership that will encourage more young people to visit each of our wildlands and engage with Nature. As you’ll read below, we couldn’t be more thrilled to announce our collaboration with Scouts UK. As ever, there is plenty to share and we hope you enjoy this edition. Thank you for your continued support.
We have agreed with the Langdyke Countryside Trust to promote each others events. They put on a number of interesting events during the year based around nature and the John Clare countryside, ranging from archaeology to art as well as the more pure nature events. Details can be found by clicking Events – Langdyke Countryside Trust or going to their website.
Derbyshire Trip - Saturday 16th May
Mar 5, 2026
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Details of the Padley Gorge and Cutthroat Bridge trip to Derbyshire on 16th May 2027 has been added to the Calendar tab. This should allow us to see a number of species we don't usually see like Wood Warbler, Common Redstart, Red Grouse, Ring Ouzel, and Whinchat.
Padley Gorge path
Deeping Lakes Trip Report - 18th Feb 2026
Feb 28, 2026
Membership Secretary
A very tough walk round Deeping Lakes this morning, a strengthening, cold Easterly wind made for hard work. 9 members in total. Bittern flying across East Pit as we were getting ready to set off was a real treat. After much searching one Long Eared Owl was located in the Ivy covered tree next to the hide. Alas no sign of either of the Little Owls. The 3 Glossy Ibis dropped into the flood after most members had retreated off the river bank. The female Scaup was still present on the East Pit. The resident female Marsh Harrier flew off to hunt as we were arriving. Finally a very showy Sparrowhawk perched next to one of the East Pit sight screens as Stuart, the last one to leave, drove past.
