Minsmere - 22/11/2018

Male SHOVELLER showing off the bill that gives the species its name.

 



The recent warm spell, an Indian Summer of sorts, has really ended now, and has been replaced with really rather dreary, chilly weather. It was the sort of day that was depressing and hard to get enthusiastic about. As I have said on previous November postings this month is really the worst one in the year for birding, and it can be hard to find anything out there in the countryside.
Anyway so I decided on a trip to Minsmere, so maybe something might be pulled out of the hat, and I could perhaps see something, maybe a lingering migrant or freshly arrived winter visitor.

Resting TEAL, SHOVELLER and GADWALL - this is pretty much all the action on the Scrape

 



Of the WILDFOWL on the Scrapes special mention must go to the party of WHOOPER SWANS on the reedbed pool behind West Hide. There were seven of them - a pair of adults and their whopping five juveniles. I rarely see this species in Suffolk, they are much more common inland, to the West, where they are found around the Ouse Washes.
DUCKS were the order of the day with several thousand on the Scrape. TEAL, WIGEON, SHOVELLER and GADWALL were all present in large numbers though it wasn't as exciting as it sounds with the birds mainly sleeping or lazily feeding.
With the Scrape's water levels quite high WADERS were in short supply with only a couple of SNIPE and GODWITS on West Scrape, but being winter there were large flocks of LAPWING, birds that would just float off into the air at the drop of a hat, providing a nice spectacle.

Some WIGEON and a TEAL

 



A lingering Autumn migrant was present or so I was told - I didn't see it. Apparently a YELLOW BROWED WARBLER was present in the Sluice Bushes - an area of scrub immediately behind the beach that provides sanctuary for newly arrived migrants.
For a quiet day -  people wise I was the only person present in most of the hides - there was a reasonable twitch. Maybe ten people were present looking for the little bird that harks from the pine forests of Siberia. I stayed maybe half an hour but didn't spot it.
On the nearby Levels, an area of wet grassland, the water levels were still low so there wasn't much flooding, which meant there weren't many wildfowl, only a small herd of BARNACLE GEESE.

 KONIK PONIES

 

The KONIK PONIES were back on the Konik Fields, an area of grazed reedbeds with pools, behind the path that meanders from South Hide to West Hide. They were also back on the area in front of the North Hide, creating a short grassy sward for next years LAPWINGS to nest on. In the reed fronds of the Konik Fields a party of BEARDED TITS were heard but I just couldn't see them.

GREY HERON posing in front of Island Mere - if only there wasn't that annoying reed frond in the way.

 



The woodlands are quiet at this time of year with birds very hard to find. The reedbeds were quiet with around four or five MARSH HARRIERS seen floating above the brown sea. Bittern Hide was empty of people, usually its full of wishful people looking out for - well - bitterns. It felt really eerie so I didn't spend much time there.
The last hide was Island Mere and it proved to be quite good, overlooking a large lake amongst a huge area of reeds. A male GREATER SCAUP was out on the water - the only DUCK pretty much. It shares the plumage of a TUFTED DUCK, although it has a grey rather than black back, and is a bit bulkier in shape.
The usual quiet of a bird watching hide was broken when someone called out 'BITTERN!' and a brief view was had of the bird flying across a small reedbed pool to the right of the hide. As everyone piled into that side, the same bird flew out of the reeds, right across the mere, in front of the hide, to be witnessed by every spectator. Always a great sight.
An interesting, if not quiet spectacular day out bird watching, and as I say every time on my Minsmere posts there is always something here even on the worst days. With the weather starting to turn cooler it may be expected that more winter visitors will start to arrive on these shores. Bird numbers haven't quite reached the heights of high winter so there is definitely more to come. Keep your eyes peeled and keep birding.