Birds - Late Winter

Heron

The hard winter frost, and often snow, has knocked down the previous year’s vegetation leaving field drains an easy look. Standing upright Herons are easily spotted - white heads with a black stripe running horizontally through the eye, long clean bills and mid to dark grey upper bodies. Lifting with the approach of walkers or infrequent traffic their wingspan can surprise with its width of 75 inches (190 centimetres)
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Any Fen drain, river bank or area of open water where its diet of fish, small mammals or amphibians can be found

Lapwings and Golden Plover

The black fen soils are super rich as arable and it is these fields that attract flocks of pied Lapwing and Golden Plover in the winter months. Lapwings are usually very confiding and can be easily approached and viewed using the car as a hide. Golden Plover are often mixed within the Lapwing flocks and they have a characteristic run stop run feeding action, using binoculars you could see them vibrating their feet to attract worms to the top soil and close enough to make a meal of
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South Fen, East side of the B1381 (TL 415 770 or N+52 22’ 21” E+0 4’ 25”), Sutton Coveney (TL 508 820 or N+52 25' 2" E+0 12' 7"), Isleham Road (TL 614 801 or N+52 23' 41" E+0 22' 16") or 20 pence Road, Wilburton (TL 478 717 or N+52 19' 24" E+0 10' 7")

Hen Harrier

Hen Harriers are graceful birds of prey with a large wingspan. During the summer they breed in very small numbers on the moorlands of Northern England and more frequently in Scotland. During winter Hen Harriers roost communally and the rough grassland of Wicken Fen is a favoured spot. During late afternoon the brown “ringtail” female type harriers and the ghostly grey males can be seen hunting low over the reeds and grasses
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Wicken Fen (TL 563 705 or N+52 18' 36" E+0 17' 29")

Wigeon

Old fenfolk may still remember the days when eels,fish,reed and wildfowl still made up the main source of income for some families. Puntboats were pushed imperceptibly forwards through reed and wash to scatter leadshot through the air from the treacherous puntgun and harvest the fowl. The whistling calls of Wigeon are the evocative sound of the Washes and the males with their russet heads and custard yellow crown flair are a joy to see.
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Wicken Fen (TL 555 699 or N+52 18' 20" E+0 16' 49"), Mepal (TL 440 812 or N+52 24' 37" E+0 6' 54") or Oxlode (TL 485 862 or N+52 27' 14" E+0 11' 3")