Fowlmere RSPB

                                                                                                                                                    Photo by Jo Sinclair

The sun's gone down on that 'spring is in the air' feeling, but I made the most of it yesterday afternoon at Fowlmere RSPB reserve. A babble of excitement from Cambirds and the RSPB community bulletin led me there. With reports that exciting winter visitors such as hen harrier, merlin and bittern are springing up quite reliably, I pictured a nice display-board style vignette of rarities within range.

It was well worth it. The moment I entered Drewer's Hide I found five men staring at the star of the show. A friendly young guy pointed her out to me: a hen harrier. It's a real privilege to see this refugee from Britain's upland moors. Many birds of prey species thrive relatively unmolested these days, but the hen harrier is perpetually persecuted.

A gentleman with a lens long enough to rob Kate Middleton of her modesty let off a round of rapid-fire exposures. The rarity was preening itself with its back to us. I peered at the reedy pool and saw a water rail make a couple of furtive dashes. I almost missed the harrier fly out for a moment before dropping into the reeds to roost, about half an hour before sunset.

I followed the nature trail walk alongside the clear chalk stream, past springs and pools and on to the Reedbed Hide. Coot clucked and croaked and paddled noisily. Canada geese made a fly-past across the sunset honking hysterically, epitomising the wetland habitat oasis. There was just enough light to catch the colours of a spring of teal. And I also heard contact calls and a song that seemed incongrous in winter. Was it a warbler?

As it got darker there was a crazy clamour of corvids rising and falling. I breathed deep Fowlmere's delicious peaty nightfall chill as I left along the woodland boardwalk. A wisp of snipe was the last thing I saw.

Later it slowly dawned on me that the raptor I'd seen hurtle past in a meadow by the footpath must have been the merlin a slightly disgruntled photographer told me was too fast to photograph.A little aerodynamic predator buzzed song birds, swerved low into a ditch and disappeared in an instant as if had never been there at all. I cross-referenced my bird-guides, and hunted YouTube (rock or classical crescendos as the falcon soars - take your pick). And the song that had seemed so out of season to me is that of the cetti's warbler, which can be resident in the UK. I lack the super-calibrated expertise of some of the Fowlmere fans, but my first winter visit was atmospheric and lucky, and I think I learned a thing or two.

 http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/fowlmere/b/fowlmere-blog/default.aspx

                                                                                  Photo by Jo Sinclair