WWT Welney

 Monday January 24

Pam loves wildfowl, and is a long term member of the WWF, Wildlfowl and Wetlands Trust, founded by Sir Peter Scott. Apart from the last two Covid years, we have made an annual visit, usually in January, to the Cambridgeshire Fens, Welney Reserve. Approaching via Ten Mile Bank, we avoided the flooded road, but missed Denver Sluice, which is usually good for Goosander. The road is straight, pothole sided, incredibly bumpy, and undulating in all the wrong places. Passing through the rich black, newly tilled, soil of the fens, drainage ditches enabling, seeing for miles in all directions. Emptiness - apart from steel pylon men marching on to the horizon and the occasional farmhouse. On this very murky winter day one can see why many murder mysteries are based in such areas.

Pam dropped me off at the imposing Centre whilst she parked the car. The motorised buggy I usually use had already been booked out, I couldn't get my knees bent back far enough to use the smaller one available. I used my Rollator.

Lift to the upper floor, book in at Reception, through the cafe , another lift to the top floor, and then the longish walk over the bridge crossing the Ten Mile Bank road and the Main Cut water.

 

The hide is heated, and has many chairs, facing the panoramic, tinted and canted to avoid direct sun, windows. Not ideal for photography, very tempting possibilities though. So comfortable.

Facing us was an enormous expanse of water, broken by muddy islands, the water level not as high as it can be in January. A total of no more than 20 Whooper Swans 

 

amongst several hundred, mainly male, Pochard. 

 

The females mostly go to southern France and Spain for the winter, although a few join the males. 

The screech of a newly turned on mike, presaged a half hour  talk by a member of staff. A surprise to us. It began at 12, finishing at 12.30 when food was distributed - to the birds that is, picnics in the hide are forbidden. The speaker began with what he called a party political broadcast, about the work of the WWT, and why we should become members, using the recent re-introduction of 200 Madagascar Pochards to the handful of remaining birds, as an example.

Two of the Whoopers had broken wings, they have been resident here for a few years. Both have paired with fit birds, both pairs have bred, and their young have gone off to Iceland as is the norm, the fit parents staying at the reserve with their mate.

Grain is thrown out for the birds present, most of the swans are out in the fields of winter wheat. They change their diet from carbohydrate to protein at this time of year, in readiness for the long flight north to Iceland. The farmers welcome their topping of the wheat as it produces stronger plants.

From nowhere, a flock of 150 Coot hove into view before dissipating along the island banks.

 

We added Tufted Duck, Pintail, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Wigeon and Black-tailed Godwit to the day list. There are two thousand of the latter on the fens, we saw about fifty fly past. A male Sparrowhawk flashed through, causing a short term panic. We repaired to the cafe, where a group was leaving one of the coveted window tables as we arrived. There we had the most expensive cake and drink ever (over £11) whilst watching the pools and the bird feeders. 

Two Cattle Egrets were following a digger, which was doing some ditch clearing, A Great White Egret stalked a distant pool, along with two Little Egrets and a couple of Grey Herons. The feeders are interesting for the half a dozen Tree Sparrows which feed, 

 

along with three Reed Buntings and a mob of House Sparrows. Moorhens clear up underneath.

 

We had hoped to see Tundra Bean Geese, we were told that they were not present today - I'd scoped carefully from the hide. Neither did the Short-eared Owl turn up for us. Such an enjoyable and comfortable day.