Wildlife in summer

A summery summary of the Great Fen's wildlife

As spring starts to make way for summer, the grasses in the areas that have recently begun to be restored are growing and flowering, providing a great source of pollen for hundreds of insects. The insects in turn attract birds such as Swallows and Swifts in the air overhead and many of the birds that started nesting in spring will be feeding their youngsters a rich protein diet of insects.

A very good way to experience these grassland areas, some of which are grazed by cattle and sheep is to follow the Last of the Meres way-marked trail, with its new northern extension loop. This will take you from the New Decoy Information Point, across Old Decoy and Engine Farms. You will be almost guaranteed to have Skylarks singing overhead and a chance of hearing the jangling song of a Corn Bunting. If your walk takes you past grazing cattle it's well worth looking out for Yellow Wagtails feeding around them as the summer advances.

Once the chicks of ground-nesting bird have fledged,  low-intensity management work can start on the restored land. Hay crops and grazing will help create an even more diverse habitat for next year.

Summer of course is the time of the odonata - dragonflies and damselflies.  These high-energy aerial predators are a delight to sit and watch as they seek their prey on a still sunny day. They can be seen increasingly across the whole Great Fen area but it is Woodwalton Fen where the greatest numbers and variety of species (22) occur. (Details are here).  The end of May to July is certainly the best month to see the rare Scarce Chaser dragonfly, found throughout the network of ditches in Woodwalton Fen.

And then, of course, there are the butterflies of summer. Both the National Nature Reserves of Holme Fen and Woodwalton Fen are excellent places for butterfly enthusiasts with beauties such as the Purple Emperor and Silver-washed Fritillary real possibilities.  All sorts of less well known insects can be found and photographed too, some of which are described on the Invertebrates pages of this website.

What a great time to visit the Great Fen!