Nene Washes

I took advantage of a relatively slow day at work and drove down to March Farmers to have my lunch yesterday sitting on the bank overlooking the Nene Washes. A really beautiful day and lots to see and hear.

A turtle dove flew up as I reached the bank and a male cuckoo soon started calling, eventually settling on a telephone post by the farm buildings in front of me, where it stayed, with that familiar dropped wings posture, for several minutes, before flying off west across the Washes. As it flew it was joined by a female.

There is an amazing number of little egrets here at the moment, I believe up to 27 have been seen together feeding on the flooded fields. I saw 15.

There were also plenty of black tailed godwit, lapwing and redshank as well as one oystercather. Lots of duck out on the Washes too: shelduck, shoveler and mallard. Skylark overhead. Green woodpecker calling near by.

Not a bad way to spend a lunch break.