James' UEA Ecology Blog

Wren ( Troglodytes troglodytes ) ( RSPB ) Wrens are the commonest breeding bird in the UK (with a staggering 8.6 million breeding pairs), yet also one of the smallest, hence why they aren't seen as often as many other garden and woodland birds. These guys may be little but they have VERY SHOUTY VOICES! Their  noisy rattling call  and  loud trilling song  help attract attention and make up for their diminutive size, and alerted me to the presence of several wrens in a patch of woodland next to the UEA Broad. With several individuals singing and calling along the stretch of trees, its likely that these were male wrens, defending their territories for the upcoming breeding season which they establish in early spring. In fact, I observed one wren starting to build its nest! Wrens typically build their nests in sheltered spots such as bushes and crevices, and unsurprisingly this one seemed to be frequenting a crevice in the remains of this tree trunk.... He was flying in ...

 One of the most exciting and biodiverse features on UEA's campus is the lake (the UEA Broad). I decided to go for a walk around the lake the other day on the lookout for water voles - apparently there were more sightings following some rather wet weather and flooding... You can hardly tell if it's a path or a river! So equipped with some new wellies I headed out around the lake. While the flooding had subsided and the water voles proved elusive, there was still plenty of wildlife out and about, including some fascinating birds... Little Grebe The first waterbird I saw was a very cute little grebe ( Tachybaptus ruficollis ) . This individual was proving quite shy, swimming amongst some of the reeds in the lake, and often diving under the water for long periods of time, searching for its prey of insects and small fish. I've rarely seen these birds so it was a real treat to see even if it was hiding away! Great Crested Grebe Next up was another member of the grebe family, the...