Short-eared owl

Along with some stunning sunrises the other highlight of our walks at Wicken has been the owls. It is well known locally for spotting Short-eared owls over the winter months. They feed during the day and attract lots of birders and photographers.  We did spot one in the distance on one of our visits. We walked slowly towards it as it hunted across the scrub and then stopped for the shot below as it rested on a post (it was still a long way off so I was at the dodgy end of the zoom!) before creeping a bit further on. Sadly a family came along the bank above the owl and it flew off but it was my first sighting and next year we will know where to look.

Wicken landscapes

Wicken Fen has become one of our regular walks over the winter and early spring as there is always something to see. This watery reserve catches the low early sun and mists giving warm reflections and frosted reeds. The large expanses of fenland are criss crossed with straight lodes and furrowed fields giving a variety of environments for the thousands of different species that live or visit there. I'm not sure we shall visit quite so often now the weather is warming as being a wetland it is often alive with gnats and mosquitoes who seem to find my husband the tastiest dish on their menu! These are a few photos of the landscape taken over the winter.

Stormy sunset

We had some glorious skies the other evening. The clouds bubbled up into a heavy threatening mass but as the sun went down it caught the outer edges and we had a glorious fiery sunset, all topped off by a sliver of crescent moon.

Dunnock in the spotlight

Nine times out of ten when I look out into the garden there will be a dunnock scuttling around the pots and plants. The sparrows arrive, and leave, the garden as one tight group but the dunnock rarely seems to take flight, preferring to wait out whatever has spooked the other birds tucked behind some greenery. This small unobtrusive bird spends most of the day clearing up underneath the feeders with the occasionally forage in the flower beds.

This afternoon, when I looked out and watched, it was competing for the spare seed with a particularly large wood pigeon who bullied until the dunnock hopped up onto a perch lit by the last afternoon rays. For a few minutes it sat taking up the fading warmth, and I like to think it relished its moment to be the one to shine.

Dunnock

Blossom blossom everywhere

The temperatures in Cambridgeshire have been edging towards mild (for the time of year of course) and the blossom is bursting out almost before our eyes. The almond tree in the garden just a week ago was in tight bud but over the past few days as the sun has shone for longer they have opened out in a froth of candy floss pink attracting the early insects. Against the blue skies they look pale but as the evening light moves round and lower the tree catches the last rays and the colours deepen and take on the hues of the sunset.

Honey bee nest

After a morning of data crunching I took myself off for a lunchtime walk to refresh my tired brain - just a mile or so around the woods in the sunshine - just what was needed. Brimstones on the wing, birds singing and bees buzzing - spring definitely feels like it has arrived today. The bees in question were both bumble bees and honey bees and the honey bees had a nest! At the edge of the meadow just past the church is an old tree. It looks a bit past its best with numerous boughs missing, splits in the bark and woodpecker holes but on close inspection it is full of life. Today amongst the blue tits and great tits flew the bees. I heard them first, scanning the tree before seeing them congregate around an opening about half way up the tree. The photos are on my longest zoom, for obvious reasons, so not the best quality, but you can still make out some of the worker bees with their golden cache of pollen as they make their way into the nest.

How many sparrows?

Despite their recent decline in some areas, our garden sees lots of house sparrows. They flit in large groups from a tall hedge which borders our driveway and across the back gardens. Often they stop in our honeysuckle for a rest and to regroup. One or two may take up position first and then a few more will follow and gradually the numbers rise. There always seems to be one or two birds on the top tendrils on look out duty and then suddenly one will spook and they all depart back to the safety of the hedge. We also have them roosting and nesting in an old clematis at the front of the house and the neighbours over the other side of the road have put a communal nesting box up as the birds also roost in their ivy.

Generally ground feeders, the sparrows that visit our garden have learnt to take from the feeders hanging in the tree. They can hang on for quite a while feasting on the seeds, nuts and fat balls.

These little brown birds can get a bit overlooked sometimes in the hope that something slightly more exotic might land but when you watch how they interact with the others in their gang and how they chatter almost continuously I think they deserve a bit more attention.

Female House Sparrow

Male House Sparrow

Stop over on the honeysuckle