Editing Strumpshaw Fen RSPB reserve (section)

==Seasonal changes==

===Winter===
* Hundreds of ducks, including [[teal]]s, [[gadwall]]s and [[shoveler]]s gather to feed in the reedbed pools. 
* Near dusk, marsh and hen harriers gather to roost. 
* On occasional winters, thousands of [[common starling|starling]]s roost in the reeds attracting [[Eurasian sparrowhawk|sparrowhawk]]s, [[peregrine falcon|peregrines]] and [[Merlin (bird)|merlin]]s.

===Spring===
* Courting pairs of marsh harriers  perform  'sky-dancing' displays. 
* Songs of spring migrant birds including reed and [[sedge warbler]]s, [[common cuckoo|cuckoo]]s, [[common grasshopper warbler|grasshopper warbler]]s and white throats. 
* [[Barn swallow|Swallow]]s and [[common swift|swift]]s dart across the pools
* Great crested grebes and other waterfowl prepare their nests. 
* [[Lesser spotted woodpecker|Lesser spotted]] and [[great spotted woodpecker]]s easily heard drumming in the woodland.
* Booming [[great bittern|bitterns]] can be heard from across the reserve, in 2017, there were up to 3 booming male bitterns on the reserve

===Summer===
* The UK's largest and one of its rarest butterflies, the [[Old World swallowtail|swallowtail]] emerges at this time, remaining on the wing through to July 
* Fen meadow rich with flowers including six species of orchids. 
* Many butterflies, dragonflies and [[damselflies]] including swallowtail butterfly (late May to early July and again in mid-August).
* Hobbies  hunt dragonflies.

===Autumn===
* [[Osprey]]s on their southward migration fish. 
* Marsh harriers gather in groups to roost. 
* Bearded tits form flocks in the reedbeds.