This morning was crisp with a clear blue sky and correspondingly icy temperatures. Now, it is slipping towards the end of the day and the low sun is once again making an appearance through billowing clouds. However, throughout the middle of the day it’s been increasingly blustery, overcast and (to quote a visitor returning from the Hides) “absolutely baltic!” (To those who recall previous Lowes blogs, a 3 fleece rating)

Our ospreys have had a quiet, uneventful day with the female practically glued to the nest while incubating 2 eggs. Eventually at 17.25, LM12 brought what looked like a pike to the nest. The female jumped up, grabbed it from his talons and flew off to eat it nearby. After a few moments of standing over the egg and picking at twigs, the male settled down to take over his nest duties.

At the feeding station outside the visitor centre, a Brambling made a fleeting appearance amongst the host of chaffinches and tits. We have hardly seen any Brambling this winter, have you? Nor have we seen more than 1 or 2 Redpoll. Our stars continue to be the brilliantly coloured, very well named Yellowhammers! And of course, the animal stars – the red squirrels!

Cherry