I was at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire, on Sunday afternoon just as the weather turned nice. And a friend was there yesterday at dusk. At the moment, at dusk, it is a great place to see Hen Harriers as they come in to roost.
A group of us had fantastic views on Sunday of several ringtails and several adult or near-adult males – some of the best views I’ve had of Hen Harriers. And I’m told they were just as brilliant yesterday.
And there were Marsh Harriers and Barn Owls too.
Now, birds will be birds, and the weather will be the weather, and life’s a gamble, but I’d say that the next few days would be good bets for seeing Hen Harriers and there seem to be quite a lot of adult grey males in the area which is a real treat.
The boardwalk between the visitor centre and the observation platform is a good place to look for harriers. You are almost certain to see Marsh Harriers, but on Sunday we saw almost as many Hen Harriers too.
Wicken Fen is a National Trust nature reserve so unless you are a National Trust (or National Trust for Scotland) member you’ll have to pay but it is a lovely place, made even lovelier by Hen Harriers these late afternoons.
