King’s Dyke NR & Nene Washes 5 September 1999
by Gordon Hamlett
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PBC Trip Report King’s Dyke NR & Nene Washes 5 September 1999 by Gordon Hamlett |
This new reserve between Peterborough and Whittlesey attracted a record turn out in the blistering sunshine and the early arrivals were treated to a new bird for the reserve in the form of a Buzzard that found a thermal to its liking. A second bird was also reported by one person.
Whether these birds had moved down from Eldernell (there had been four there the previous day) or were part of a larger movement (several birds were reported moving through Norfolk the same day) is open to speculation. A family party of four Kestrels also enjoyed the column of warm air.
Apart from the raptors, the heat was keeping most of the small birds down and the general feeling was that it would have been better to visit early in the morning. A walk down to the hide produced a few Meadow Pipits and a Sedge Warbler with a Reed Warbler and Chiffchaff in front of the hide along with a few sleeping Teal, a couple of Ruddy Ducks, five Little Grebes and a few Tufted Ducks including a female with a huge amount of white round the base of the bill which we tried our hardest to make into a Scaup.
Surprisingly, there were no passage waders but 22 Lapwings dropped in and a Green Woodpecker shot over. As we wandered back to the cars, a Great Black-backed Gull drifted across - another reserve first.
This is an excellent little reserve, very well managed and nicely compact. There are not many people watching it at the moment so you have a good chance of making a name for yourself and finding something out of the ordinary.
I would suggest looking out for a Whinchat on the wires in the next week or so as well monitoring the build up of waterfowl over the next few months. In spring, the scrub should be alive with warblers. If you would like your own key to the hide, then contact Chris Hamlett on (01733) 331814. Please record all your sightings.
The group then moved on to Eldernell, hoping to see the Montagu's Harrier that had been present the night before. As we arrived, the Red Arrows shot over, putting up a couple of thousand Lapwings. Almost immediately, two harriers came up in front of us. The first was a Marsh Harrier but the second had a white rump. I screamed out 'Monties' to make sure that everyone got onto the bird but it soon became apparent that the bird was far too large for a Montagu's Harrier and was a lot darker than the bird seen previously. It was a very early female Hen Harrier instead..
We had several more Marsh Harriers as well plus another couple of Buzzards, a Sparrowhawk and Kestrels seemingly everywhere - they seem to have had a really good breeding season. Six Yellow Wagtails perched on the roof of one of the barns and a Kingfisher flew up and down Morton's Leam calling its head off. Other wildlife seen included a grass snake, eel and lizard.
These two reserves can be easily combined and should make for an excellent afternoon's birdwatching as autumn moves towards winter and numbers of wildfowl, waders, raptors and owls build up. Ideally, you should aim to be at Eldernell for the last couple of hours of daylight (remember to take a hot drink and lots of warm clothing) with, say, an hour and a half at King's Dyke.
Click here for a description of King’s Dyke Nature Reserve
Click here for a description of the Nene Washes
