The next Nature & Wildlife shoot will take place at RSPB Lakenheath Fen on the border between Norfolk and Suffolk. The site was heavenly farmed arable land until it was purchased by the RSPB in 1965 and began turning it into the the nature reserve it is today.
The beginning of Summer brings everything back to life after the Winter period and life is certainly buzzing at Lakenheath Fen.
Along with the larger birds you can expect to see such as Marsh harriers, Bitterns, Hobbies, Red kites and Cranes there is an abundance of smaller birds such as Bearded tits, Reed warblers, Kingfishers etc and not forgetting the numerous varieties of Butterflies and Dragonflies and many other insects.
400 hectares of habitat has been created since 1995 comprising wet reedbed ungrazed fen and wet grassland and forms part of of a broader network of wetlands across the fenland region.
Special instructions
1) Ensure you wear sensible clothing for the weather and the appropriate footwear.
2) Please read the Health & Safety guidance for nature & wildlife shoots before joining the shoot
3) Meet in the car park by 10:00am for a collective briefing before the shoot..
RSPB Lakenheath Fen, Station Road, Lakenheath, Brandon, Thetford, Suffolk. IP27 9AD
At the present time the Visitors Centre is closed and also the numerous hides although they may be open by the time of our shoot. There are a number of new wooden photographic platforms that have been constructed since lockdown that are useful for certain species of birds.
As the Visitors Centre and Cafe may well be closed it may be advisable to bring along a packed lunch and liquid refreshment.
For members of the RSPB entry is free (don’t forget your membership card). If the Visitor Centre and/or Hides remain shut non-member admission is half price.
Please note:
Don’t forget to check the arrangements before setting out if there has been extreme weather overnight.
About the NDPS Nature & Wildlife Group
The Nature and Wildlife Group is the newest of the Society’s Special Interest Group being formed in 2019 in response to the demands from members to include outdoor shoots in the annual programme for this genre of photography. If you want to learn more speak to Keith Garnham who is currently the leader of the group.
Monthly shoots are planned so that members can explore all that Norfolk has when it comes to wildlife habitat. It has a wide variety of land types it has chalk rivers, ancient woodland, fertile farmland, fen, broad, and breck. A coast line that is full of variety, internationally important wetlands, marshes, and sandy beaches. The shallow North Sea is a powerhouse of potential feeding for visiting mammals, fish, and birds all that are interconnected in the circle of life.
From time to time, the Group also plans to organise specialists shoots further afield such as the visit in October 2019 to witness the deer rut at Bradgate Park in Leicestershire.
Please remember, our group can only be as good as the input made by its members so if you are willing to organise or lead any kind of event that you think will be of interest to members, please step forward. Please don’t be shy – all offers of help will be greatly appreciated…!
About Norfolk’s Nature & Wildlife
The Norfolk Coast is one of the major flyways for migrating birds in the spring, summer, autumn and winter. Change is the constant that provides the visitor with an opportunity to see and photograph something different in every season.
There is no off-season on the Broads. Local visitors and those from further afield are drawn to the area all year round, and it’s easy to understand why. This is the perfect place for a mini safari, right on your doorstep.
Spring - Adders, Porpoise and swallows
The adder, Britain’s only venomous snake makes its home in the heathland and dunes near Horsey. And if you’re lucky, you’ll catch sight of one, as the males emerge from hibernation a month earlier than the females. This is also the best time of year to spot the rare and elusive harbour porpoise off the coast. Late May sees an abundance of invertebrate life, like damselflies, flying close the surface of the water. While the inward migration of huge groups of swallows are best seen from conservation centres like the one at Ranworth Broad.
Summer - Hawks, Harriers and butterflies
Nocturnal, shy and extinct across much of Europe, the best time to catch a glimpse of Britain’s largest native crayfish, The White Clawed, is from July to September in the river Wensum. Now only seen in the Broads, Britain’s largest butterfly, the Swallowtail, emerges in late May. One of the best ways to see it is very early on a bright, summer’s morning at Hickling Broad. The impressive Marsh Harrier is another of the Broad’s conservation success stories. Once extinct in Britain, it now nests throughout the area. Mid to late summer also brings a carpet of Purple Sea Lavender blooms across the marsh.
Autumn - Seabirds, sea pups and bluetails
Said to be the best time for for watching seabirds, rare warblers and red-flanked bluetails come inland for the winter, it’s also fungi season, so there’s an array of mushrooms and toadstools making their home on old wood and loamy soil. From the attractive but poisonous red colouring of the Fly Agaric to the edible Chicken-of-the-Woods. The highlight of the year around the coast at Horsey is the start of grey seal pupping season – from October to early February, mothers come ashore, have their babies and nurse them, right on the beach.