Today I decided to have a walk round England’s oldest nature reserve, Wicken Fen my aim was to see if I could see any Hen Harriers or Short-eared Owls as I have been hearing reports of sightings over the last few days.

The footpath along Wicken Lode

I started my walk along Wicken Lode, a lode is man-made waterway, which are Roman in origin, the were cut to provide access to villages that were to the east of the River Cam.

Along here I had seen Redwing and Marsh Harriers, but no Short-ear owls, a great spotted woodpecker flew over me into the scrub on the other side of the lode, it’s undulating flight making short work of the head wind.

Bakers fen Wicken

As I left the path along the lode I headed towards Bakers fen and soon turned into the wind, I was getting the full force of the wind now as I had it to my back along the lode, it is more open here and I did not think I would see much bird life, but I managed to see a female Stonechat on a reed stem also a Little egret on Bakers fen as I headed towards Adventurers fen and turned right up the track heading back towards the lode again I put up a large flock of Redwing getting berries in the shrubs on the side of the track, I was sheltered here but the track was very muddy, it was hard going but I soon reached the track along the lode again and headed back to Upware where I had started.

Unfortunately no Hen Harriers or Short-eared owls, but a bracing walk around an ancient Landscape and the sound of the wind made it that more wild.

St Edmunds fen Wicken