News: Sightings

October is a very busy time for the Reserve Team, as habitat management really gets underway. One of the biggest tasks for the autumn season is cutting & clearing the Wildflower Meadow. In total during 2025, 60+ volunteers helped over eight days to mow & clear two acres (0.8 hectares) of vegetation. As always, areas… Read more »

I think it’s fair to say that both Stuart and I were somewhat apprehensive about conducting the bird survey on a day when the weather forecast was one of rain all day with winds gusting to 40mph.  Alas, when we arrived it was dry, with minimal wind but an overcast sky. A wonderful start with… Read more »

It was a blustery cloudy morning but quite mild. A family of Blackcap in a shrub on the drive was a lovely start to the day. I knew that Nick needed to leave mid-morning so I wanted to start with the Scrape & Moon Water which are usually the hardest parts to count! On the… Read more »

July seems to have whizzed by, with heatwaves & heavy rain all added in. A big focus during the summer months is controlling invasive & dominant plants & our amazing volunteer team, with help from two Corporate Teams, have been hard at work with removal. Himalayan Balsam and Monkey Flower are two invasive species, originally… Read more »

Mark Hill and myself did the Pensthorpe bird count Thursday morning. It was a beautiful sunny day with a light south westerly and temperatures of 190c – 230c. The oppressive heat of the last week had gone and the air was much fresher. The water levels were extremely low. This was especially noticeable at the… Read more »

This month we have had scorching sunshine to heavy thunderstorms, more the first than the latter. In this hot weather the insect population is thriving, especially for Aphids and Flies. Swallows are nesting and feeding their chicks on all these flying invertebrates, look in the hides to see their nests, but please be careful not… Read more »

The day was intermittently cloudy but bright, and with a cool breeze, so very comfortable for birding but perhaps more sunshine would have improved numbers, especially of flying insects, and perhaps also raptors. I was greeted on arrival with the distant call of a male cuckoo from the woods behind the Wensum Wetland, and this… Read more »

If you go down to the Wildflower Meadow you should see the work of the Reserve volunteers and staff. Over the last few weeks, the team has worked hard replacing two long sections of boardwalk, including supporting timbers and tread boards. The boardwalk is a definite place to visit and the perfect platform to observe… Read more »

We have so many brilliant people that come to the reserve, and share their sightings with us. Here is a recent blog from Sue Gale after her visit here: At last!  A beautiful morning for a Pensthorpe count – my first.  Sunny and not too windy.  Cath, Ray and I started out in the carpark… Read more »