Pensthorpe - 17/5/2022

A bolshie GREYLAG

Its a strange thing in the world of bird watching that often the best places for bird photography aren't necessarily the best for seeing birds. Ok this may sound strange but stay with me as I try to explain what this means. Like Lackford Lakes and Sculthorpe Moor, Pensthorpe fits into this category. Whenever I visit I always come away with a lot of photos, some of them good, but I wont have seen anything unusual birdwise, just the ones you'd expect. But that's not doing Pensthorpe a disservice, its a great place to visit, good for everyone really, not so much a reserve as a destination.

RUFFS are so gorgeous, no two male looks the same

It also helps that Pensthorpe has a collection of captive birds, ones to get close up to and photograph in good conditions. The main focus of Pensthorpe is the Wader Aviary. Here, there are captive birds that have no fear of humans, ones you could reach out and touch if you felt like doing so. My favourite are the RUFFS, the males of which look amazing in their puffed up plumage of many colours, no two birds looking the same. AVOCETS, GODWITS, STILTS, GARGANEYS all reside here, with TURTLE DOVES and BEARDED TITS flying about, rare British birds that are difficult to find in the wild. As well as the visual delights, the Aviary rocked to the sound of the CORNCRAKE, crex crexing, and TURTLE DOVES purring, two evocative sounds now largely gone from our countryside.

Portraits of the AVOCETS in the Wader Aviary. They were plentiful on the Norfolk Coast, common in any reserve that had scrapes, but I could never get this close to them

Venturing out into the reserve, the first lakes also feature captive birds, with a collection of waterfowl, those native to Europe at least. The captive RED BREASTED GEESE rubbed shoulders with feral BARNACLE GEESE, the latter's grey goslings begging for food along with CANADA, GREYLAG and EGYPTIAN GEESE, all descended from captive birds, turned wild and now returned to captivity. 

Captive RED BREASTED GOOSE

The focus of the reserve are the many lakes, former gravel pits, now overgrown with vegetation, so that they now look natural. The usual sort of waterfowl resided on this sort of habitat, the denizens of this water boom. COOT families were a feature here, with around fifteen pairs hanging around with their ugly red headed young; there were three pairs of GREAT CRESTED GREBE and one SWAN pair. A few GADWALL were about, but there were loads of TUFTED DUCK, with as many as twenty pairs on the various waters. Three pairs off COMMON TERN were about nesting on artificial rafts, as well as plenty of BALCK HEADED GULL fitting into any place that could take their nest, trees, islands, rafts, they're not fussy.

COOTS are so ugly when they're chicks, its strange to think they'll turn into such smart birds when they grow up

The two focal points of the reserve are the Wader Scrape and the Wensum Wetland two areas of wetland on opposite sides of the reserve. The Wader Scrape was your typical scrape, as I've been describing on every recent Norfolk post, shallow water with islands, a boon for birds. At Pensthorpe the scrape had been completely taken over by BLACK HEADED GULLS with hundreds of them packed onto  the islands, their stick nests all crowded in with each other, all squabbling away. Four AVOCET pairs were present, with some sitting, while a pair of LAPWING resided, although I didn't see any young; a pair of OYSTERCATCHER was also about. There were two pairs of SHOVELLER on the water, a female TEAL and a brood of six lovely, stripy SHELDUCK ducklings which swam closely to their parents.

As BLACK HEADED GULLS do, they had completely taken over the Scrape, hundreds of birds crammed into the available nesting places

The Wensum Wetland was similar, but with deeper water, islands as well, but was more luxuriant, but being new had areas of open mud. A nice LAPWING chick was seen feeding inbetween the clumps of sedge and the many goslings. Also about were two pairs of SHOVELLER on the water, as well as the usual suspects.

The noble TUFTED DUCK resided on the many lakes at Pensthorpe

Aside from the lakes the reserve is a very lovely mixture of wildflower meadows, riverside grazing, woodland and formal gardens. On the edges of the reserve, its very quiet, with few people about and it can be quite idyllic just wondering a landscape which would have been common in any river valley up and down the country half a century ago. Over this bucolic landscape a CUCKOO was calling, a bird that has been a real feature of my visit to North Norfolk.

There were gangs of BARNACLE GEESE around the reserve, on the lookout for some food to scrounge

Aside from the reserve there were further captive birds and formal gardens, where most of the humans hung out. A sign told me that GREATER FLAMINGOES were present in a pond, although for some reason they decided to hide away out of my view. Three species of CRANE were present, observable from a hide, with each different opening looking at a different species. EURAISIAN CRANE, CROWNED CRANE and RED CROWNED CRANE, were all there, beautiful, graceful birds up there as the true aristocracy of birds.

The CROWNED CRANE has the best haircut of the birding world

Pensthorpe is such a nice place to visit, if only every so often. Its kind of handy being close to the North Norfolk Coast that you can include it in a stay up there. As you can see I returned with a great bounty of photographs. Now you can see the task I had in looking through maybe a thousand photos to just pick out these few for this blog. As it is in photography for every hundred photos you took, maybe one or two are usuable, and the ratio is even greater for good photos. But that is all the fun of birdwatching, how bloody annoying and difficult it can be, but how rewarding it is in the end.

Cley Marshes - 16/5/2022

The mighty AVOCET resides at Cley Marshes

Cley Marshes, the flagship reserve of the Norfolk WIldife Trust, is my most favourite reserve on the North Norfolk Coast. A mixture of scrapes, grazing marsh and reeds all facing into the sea, the reserve is famous for the range of birds it attracts, especially rare waders. Today, however, summer was in full swing, with spring migration all but petering out, but there were still a few surprises hanging around.

Pat's Pool, one of the scrapes of Cley

The centrepiece of the reserve are the freshwater scrapes, three large pools overlooked by hides. Like all scrapes they are shallow bodies of water, with islands and areas of mud that are attractive to many birds. At this time of year they were very quiet, lots of AVOCET, GODWITS and a few DUCKS and lots of SHELDUCK. A SPOONBILL was about, maybe the iconic bird of the North Norfolk Coast, stretching its wings out at times, sometimes sifting through the water with that amazing beak. A COMMON SANDPIPER was about, a last vestige of spring migration, there were several around the areas of water on the reserve. A nice feature of summer on the scrapes were four LAPWING chicks out on the mud of Simmond's Scrape, little grey bundles of fluff, that would run back into the thick sedge whenever danger threatened. As usual their parents were close by, to see off a passing Marsh Harrier that flew too closely. In one of the hides a pair of SWALLOWS were nesting, flying in and out of the open slats, with the birdwatchers giving them some space.

SEDGE WARBLERS are very noisy occupants of the reedbeds

A large chunk of the marshes is given over to a reedbed, the newly cut areas a verdant green among the older browns. Aside from the reeds and the scrapes, most of the reserve is given over to grazing marsh, with areas of pools. This is the haunt of the REDSHANK, a common bird here, with their titular red legs and haunting call, you can often see them in display flight over the marshes at this time of year.

My first TEMMINCK'S STINT, not a sexy bird, a birder's bird, had to use a bit of digital zoom to expand its tiny image

One winding stretch of water is called the Serpentine, and it was on here that I saw the bird of the day. Having been alerted in the visitors centre that a TEMMINCK'S STINT had been reported but not verified from here, I was on high alert, and lo and behold what should I find? Now most seasoned birdwatchers know that things like this seldom happen in our hobby, especially not for a lifer to show up so easily. And what's more it was very close, which is good for such a small bird, which after all the stint is. Now I can't really big up the bird, it is very much a little brown bird, an unremarkable wader. I waited for two other birdwatchers to turn up to show them, and it also proved to be a lifer for them, and they repaid me with 'can I buy you a beer'. Also about was a LITTLE RINGED PLOVER another wader passing through, although this bird breeds in this country, usually around gravel pits, so is not quite as exotic.

A SPOONBILL, an iconic bird of the North Norfolk Coast

Just beyond the Serpentine, is Arnold's Marsh, a flat, low lying brakish area of water, that's often good for ESTUARINE WADERS. Today seven GREY PLOVER were about, looking very natty in summer plumage, they have black chests and a silver back at this time of year. Also about were a CURLEW and several DUNLIN also looking fine with their black bellies. 

A pair of SWALLOWS were nesting in one of the hides

On the coast, the reserve turns to shingle bank, for some reason there aren't any sandy beaches in this area of the coast. OYSTERCATCHERS and RINGED PLOVERS nest here, birds that have suffered from beach disturbance. A colony of BLACK HEADED GULLS were nesting on a pool just behind the shingle ridge, for some reason they dislike the scrapes. Three WHEATEARS were found among the shingle, among the singing SKYLARKS and MEADOW PIPITS. This is a bird I'm having trouble seeing in Suffolk, at this time of the year the birds are of the Greenland race, slightly bulkier and a bit more colourful than our own, as always told by their distinctive white rump seen in flight.

A SWAN having a nice bath

I have rarely been to Cley in the period of Summer, having exclusively turned up in the two migration times, both Spring and Autumn. So it was interesting to see what the reserve would show up. It was quiet, as you would expect, away from the sea cliffs most places are at this time of year. But with a reserve of the quality of Cley, there is always something good to see. So if you're in this area of the woods, I recommend a visit, if only to eat the scones in the café.

Holkham - 14/5/2022

PEACOCK butterfly

For several years in a row Holkham has been voted the best beach in the country, and its easy to see why. Like most of North Norfolk the beach is huge, sand stretching all the way to the horizon in very direction. Of course this makes the area a honey pot site, one that's attractive to people like bees to honey, but being fairly isolated, some way from the nearest town and being a long walk from the car park, its not excessively busy. Like most parts of the countryside, once you get away from the car park and the ice cream vans, the number of people diminishes.

Cattle grazing the marshes

Holkham is also the home to a gigantic nature reserve, the largest lowland National Nature Reserve in England. A vast place comprising thousands of acres of saltmarsh, grazing marsh, conifer woods, and, yes, beach, the area attracts a large variety of birds. The reserve is primarily a place that attracts rare birds in Autumn, and thousands of geese in winter, so when I visited in mid May things were much quieter.

When I have to include a picture of a MOORHEN then you know opportunities for photos were slim today

Despite the busy car park, people were heading straight to the beach, leaving me free to explore the conifer woods, and get views of the grazing marshes away from the crowds, just a few other birdwatchers enjoying the birds. At this time of year the marshes have dried out to be cattle grazed pasture, with stands of reeds and the odd pool. Its a fairly lazy time with numbers of birds lower than at any other season. Two hide give views of the marshes and there are other viewpoints from the conifer woods, but in general the viewing isn't great when compared to the other reserves on the coast.

A large conifer wood had been planted on the dunes, now grown big to tower over the surrounding land

Holkham is famous as the first place SPOONBILLS colonised the country from, their first breeding grounds in the UK. Around ten were present today, in the pool by Washington hide, with many birds coming and going, busy rearing young birds. Another new colonist was present with two GREAT WHITE EGRET in a pool slightly further away, towering above the nearby birds. In most of the pools there were SWAN families with young, and also a pair of EGYPTIAN GEESE with goslings were seen. On the marshes at least three CUCKOO were about, one calling right next to me in the woods, a deafening 'cuckoo cuckoo', advertising itself without letting me see it. Several MARSH HARRIERS were flying back and forth busy with the breeding season, a common bird on the North Norfolk Coast, as it is in Suffolk, but is rare most other places.

Carpets of THRIFT had stained the saltmarshes pink

Having viewed the marshes I walked through the conifer woods to the beach. The plan was to make it to Wells a long, long, trudge along the beach. When birding you end up carrying a lot of heavy equipment, bins, camera, telescope and lunch, so after a while your shoulders really ache and the miles begin to tell. At Holkham the beach is stunning, at low tide it opens into a huge area of saltmarsh, just behind the dunes, before turning into sand. Away from the beach goers and before Wells, the beach was windswept and lonely, miles of empty sand with the odd reveler in solitude somewhere in the distance. Single SANDERLING were running along the shoreline and flotillas of LITTLE TERN flew offshore. At times it felt like I had the whole beach to myself and it was glorious.

LITTLE TERNS were flying offshore

Inevitably I had to come back home to civilisation and as I came closer to Wells the beach gradually became busier, until it became so crowded with the beach huts, the deck chairs, the parasols, all the detritus of beach resorts. Hundreds of holiday makers all crammed into a small area of beach and there's me walking around with a telescope and binoculars, looking out of place. Coming to North Norfolk to view the wildlife, and to find somewhere quiet, I often forget the other side, the tourist side, where the non wildlife experience is. This is what normal people look for.

Beach huts on Wells beach

A very quiet day down at Holkham, but enjoyable non the less. Its good to explore all these lands, even if I don't see much. A place like Holkham has so many jewels, yet they are much harder to find than the other reserves. Its a place that doesn't open itself up like other places like Titchwell where things aren't handed to you on a plate, so calls for a more rugged birdwatcher, one that doesn't mind putting in the effort to find those good, good, birds. As always people have different ways of viewing birds, so its nice to experience all these different places, and its god to know there are such good places for birds still remaining in this country.

Titchwell - 13/5/2022

GODWIT (c) with two AVOCET (l&r)

Although a big beast of a reserve in itself, Titchwell just can't match Minsmere when it comes to bird spectacle. The Freshwater Marsh at Titchwell although similar in habitat to Minsmere's Scrape just doesn't match up with the number of birds. Titchwell is so much quieter, less visceral then Minsmere. But saying that Ticthwell is still a good reserve in its own right, still a good birding destination, just not quite as good as Minsmere. This was my first stop on a week's holiday in North Norfolk, so expect plenty of posts about the other reserves I went to as well.

Family of GREYLAGS. Huge numbers of these geese nest in the various waterways throughout the country.

The Freshwater Marsh is the main focal point to the reserve, a large body of water with several islands, that proves attractive to birds. New islands had been created last year in the Autumn, so its good these new islands are being used by breeding birds this year. AVOCETS, GULLS, and COMMON TERNS were nesting in decent numbers on these islands, little white spots dotted around the brown land. Of interest was a LITTLE GULL, among some godwits, not quite in its summer plumage, with a tatty head. As its name suggests its the world's smallest gull, roughly the size of a tern, much smaller than the other gulls around. Several LITTLE TERNS had arrived back to Titchwell, and again like the little gull these are our smallest tern, with a nice yellow and black bill. The birds have the unfortunate habit of nesting on our beaches, which in summer are overrun with people causing great disturbance. As a result the birds are finding it difficult to raise families in this busy land, and are much rarer than they need to be.

LITTLE RINGED PLOVER. To tell it apart from a common ringed plover, the LRP has yellow legs, a more subdued brown back and that huge yellow eye.

The Freshwater Marsh is very attractive to WADERS, and being  the tail end of Spring they were some still migrating, the last of the birds heading north towards their breeding grounds. At this time of year the waders are in attractive breeding plumage, shedding the browns and greys of winter, for reds and blacks. There were around ten or so DUNLIN and TURNSTONE about, both with nice plumages. Slightly more dowdy and browner in plumage, was a single LITTLE RINGED PLOVER and COMMON SANDPIPER.

A herd of BRENT GEESE were still lingering

Faint lingering memories of winter were still lurking around the reserve with a herd of roughly a hundred BRENT GEESE, in various parts of the reserve. Charcoal in colour, brents are our smallest goose, smaller than a mallard. They nest right up above the Arctic Circle, so has to leave their wintering grounds as late as possible, to get the right conditions, so some still hang around even this late. As is usual at this time of year there were small numbers of breeding DUCK about, with GADWALL, SHOVELLER and POCHARD, around the various pools.

SANDERLING were present in small numbers on the beach

Usually the beach and sea are of interest at Titchwell, but that's usually in winter. Today, in May, there were small scattered flocks of SANDERLING, some in their purply summer plumage, some in their white winter. They run around like clock work toys on the water's edge. Two summer plumaged GREY PLOVER flew down the coast, but apart from that there was only the odd gull or tern flying lazily up and down the coast.

A one legged male POCHARD

Returning back from the coast, I had a look around the reedbeds and Patsy's Pool. The most obvious bird, one I couldn't escape, was a very loud CUCKOO calling from the reedbeds. Its constant calling out over the reeds seemed to be mocking me as I looked for the bird in vain. If a cuckoo is calling, then its not moving, so you have to wait for it to be quiet to catch a look. Eventually I did see the bird, speeding off over the Freshwater Marsh. In flight it a dark bird, with pointed wings and long tail, it looks like a bird of prey more than anything.

Island Hide which overlooks Freshwater Marsh

With Spring migration gradually grinding to a halt, it led to a fairly quiet day's birding at Titchwell. A few late waders was all to show really as well as the usual breeding birds. I don't usually come to North Norfolk at this time of year, because its fairly quiet. However with an area like this, anything could turn up anywhere, so things never get boring. As always its the unpredictability of this hobby which keeps me going and coming back for more.

Brancaster - 13-20/5/2022

The BARN OWL perched briefly for my benefit

North Norfolk is a place like no other for the birdwatcher, an incredible landscape which stretches over miles of countryside, attracting birds, rare and common, in great quantity. So it was not a hard decision to take some time off and to move over the border for a week's holiday in mid May. And it did provide some good bird watching as I visited all the big reserves on the coast and saw some cracking birds.

BARN OWL in flight over the marshes

Over the course of the holiday I stayed in a rented cottage in Brancaster, on the western side of the coast, just a bit along from Titchwell. Its a nice place, I guess, sort of like every village on the coast, but that's not what is of interest to you or me, we only care about the wildlife. So, the countryside around Brancaster was very interesting, a bit off the birdwatching beaten track, but nice and wild.

DUNNOCK

This is a part of the North Norfolk Coast I know nothing about, except as a place to drive through on the way to and from some nature reserve, usually Titchwell. The surrounding countryside is quite interesting, but its not really comparable to the big reserves found in other places on the Coast. The area is managed by the National Trust, and really, they are doing a good job, as the area was in good condition. I did a lot of walking around this site and explored quite a wide area over several days, usually around visits to other reserves.

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER on a telegraph pole

Towards the back of a large stretch of saltmarsh, reedbeds had developed and in one area, aside from all the commoner WARBLERS of the reeds, a GRASSHOPPER WARBLER was singing. Technically their song is called "reeling" as it sounds like a fishing rod reeling, a song of one note continuously emitted for brief periods. This is a reedbed bird that has become hard to find, strangely at a time when every other reedbed bird is increasing, its disappearing from places where it used to be common, so was a good bird to catch up on.

Female REED BUNTING

In an early morning walk, in a clearance in the reeds, I encountered a BARN OWL, briefly. There are mythical birds, ones that everyone has heard of, those that no matter how experienced a bird watcher you are always chuffed to see. And BARNIES are one of those birds. I saw it briefly on my first exploration at six in the morning, and venturing out for a second day at this time, just to see it again, I saw it perched on a fence post, but again, oh so briefly before flying off, the white phantom of the marshes.

Creek running through the saltmarsh which develops behind the dunes

On the 15/5 I walked all round the whole site, exploring the varied landscape of the area. Towards the sea, the habitat turns to a prestigious golf course behind the dunes. Having explored this area and walking further, I came across some nice wet grassland, grazed to different swards, and holding large dykes and pools and was good for DUCKS, like GADWALL, POCHARD and SHOVELLER. A SPOONBILL flew over and a CUCKOO was heard calling across the grassland, all good birds of the marshlands.

KITE SURFER

.

In an area like North Norfolk even the more low key areas are rich in birdlife. Its often good, for a birdwatcher, to look at those areas on a map, which look like they might harbour birds, but aren't nature reserves, and just go explore them. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, as you don't know what you will see. Sometimes its just good to get away from the established reserves to find something of your own for a change.

Snape Marshes - 12/5/2022

When I first visited Snape may years ago, what are now the marshes were closely grazed dry grassland, offering little of interest for the birdwatcher. Then one year Suffolk Wildlife Trust bought up the land and with careful management turned the area into a haven for wetland birds. A mixture of sward heights, from close cropped grass, to tussocky sedge, to dense reedbed, along with added pools and ditches has given the area a new life.

As early summer dawns on the marshes, there were plenty of birds about. Nicest find was a REDSHANK chick feed on the edge of one of the pools, with a very nervy parent piping nearby. The  chicks are often hard to see as redshanks enjoy the longer grass for shelter. There were around three more pairs about, but their fortunes were unknown to me as the birds hide their young away. At least five pairs of LAPWING were about, some sitting on eggs, others on the move, although I didn't see any chicks, there probably were some about as they tend keep to cover. Finally a pair of OYSTERCATCHER completed the triumvirate of waders in the area. Also on the Marshes were a pair of EGYPTIAN GEESE, some GADWALL and a male MARSH HARRIER flew over. 

On the other side of the sea wall to the Marshes, it was mid tide on the river Ore estuary, and being Mid May, the number of  WADERS were low. However there was a good variety with three WHIMBREL, two GREENSHANK and five AVOCET feeding on the exposed, gloopy mud. There were also lots of SHELDUCK about, all forming pairs, they will nest around the estuary when they get the chance, they tend to raise large broods of grey, stripy ducklings.

There you go, this was a quick visit to a place I know fairly well, but was surprised just by how much has changed. Snape Marshes have increased so much nature wise and the responsibility for this rests with the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Our conservation charities do so much good work, looking after our most precious wildlife, on such a tight budget. However land given over to wildlife is miniscule, Snape Marshes are such a tiny part of our countryside, a pin prick really, lost within a sea of dead, industrialised farming. The  only way to help nature now is to turn over our land to wildlife, those corners of our countryside, which contribute nothing to food growing but can benefit nature.

Minsmere - 5/5/2022

A little GREYLAG gosling with its mum

The one thing about birdwatching is that it should be done away from people. It should be savoured as something alone, something personal beyond the fetid stench of civilisation. It feels so good to breathe in that clean air, to hear nothing but the faint sound of birdsong. So it was today that when I entered the car park at Minsmere, that my heart sank: two coaches and a car park full of cars. These are the people that pack out the hides, scare that bird you patiently waited to photograph, and just in general remind you that there is a human world there waiting for you to come back.

AVOCET nest on the Scrape in large numbers

Ok so I may be a grumpy birdwatcher, and I exaggerate, I don't really think as badly as that, but sometimes I need birds to help me get through the world, to escape it. I need to immerse myself into the natural world to clean my soul which had been so dirtied by the human world. But in the end it didn't amount to anything as apart from the packed hides, where it was a bit tricky to get a decent view, people were at a minimum. The countryside is good for thinning out the crowd.

At this time of year TURNSTONE look very dapper, when compared to the grey and browns of winter plumage

So misanthropic whining done, what about the birds? As always with Minsmere there were plenty of birds, and more so for being Spring, when the birds are at their most active. Birds are singing, nesting and on the move, creating a heady mixture of unusual birds. Spring is the time of year when you look for the firsts of the year, when you encounter a bird for the first time, a bird recently arrived from its wintering grounds, and welcomed back. In early May I was still looking for a few new birds, as the later birds start to turn up and catch up with those that had already arrived.

REDSHANK nest on the Scrape in large numbers, although they don't look like much, they have an evocative, haunting call which gives them the alternative name SENTINAL OF THE MARSHES

As always the centrepiece of the reserve is the Scrape, a large area of shallow water with a scattering of islands, which is very attractive to birds. At this time of year interest is concentrated on migrant WADERS, as birds move north to their breeding grounds and pass through Minsmere. May is when they are in their summer plumage, brightly coloured, unlike their winter greys and whites, making them very attractive. Although there was a few birds about there was nothing out of the ordinary, the usual birds to expect in early May. Three REEVES, female RUFFS, were on West Scrape, but unlike the males, which are so extravagantly attired, the females look a bit like redshanks, fairly non-descript. Three BAR TAILED GODWIT were on South Scrape, draped in brick red, as well as ten DUNLIN, with their black bellies, and three beautiful TURNSTONE (see photo). A COMMON SANDPIPER was present around the Scrape, a little brown job, not as attractive as the other birds.

Nesting BLACK HEADED GULL. This is the species which nest in the largest number on the Scrape, with maybe a thousand pairs, their constant squabbling gives the Scrape a very evocative sound.

BLACK HEADED GULLS are the main breeding birds of the Scrape, which normally nests here in the thousands. However there weren't so many this year, and only a couple of pairs of MED GULLS were present on South Scrape, where over the last couple of years there were nearly a hundred present. For some reason there were hundreds of COMMON GULLS hanging around, no adults, just first and second winters, a strange record for this time of year. Despite their name they are not the most commonest gull at Minsmere, usually present in small numbers in winter. A few KITTWAKES were about, this is the true sea gull, they nest further down the coast at Sizewell, on the off shore platforms. A few COMMON TERN were about, but numbers were low, although more may turn up as they nest later in the year. A flock of around fifty or so SANDWICH TERNS were on South Scrape, this large tern occasionally nests here but flocks build up in Spring before heading off to other breeding grounds.

Pair of GADWALL with a BLACK HEADED GULL. This understated duck likes the -- of the Scraep to nest in.

A feature of the Scrape at this time of year is the gaggle of  baby geese that congregate here in large numbers. Both CANADA and GREYLAG goslings were in force, crèches of little downy yellow birds attended by their parents, there were just loads and loads of them. Although so many birds are declining, GEESE numbers are increasing exponentially, and anywhere there's water you can find them. Lots of BARNACLES were about, but hadn't started nesting yet. DUCK numbers were much lower than previous visits, obviously, as birds reduce to start breeding, in smaller numbers than winter. Plenty of the commoner birds, like GADWALL and SHOVELLER were about, whilst there were still good numbers of TEAL about, and a pair of WIGEON on South Scrape.

 A gaggle of CANADA GOSLINGS

A nice first of the year, for me, were two HOBBIES behind Island Mere, a bird of prey that catches dragonflies and other large insects in the air over the reeds, a bird that has to arrive later to coincide with their prey. They look swift like with sharp wings, flying dynamically through the air in search of their prey. A first for me for Minsmere was a nice RED KITE over the woodlands near Whin Hill, a bird that has taken its time to colonise Suffolk, despite being common in the rest of the country. They are distinguished by their forked tail, and their bent red and white wings. Of course there were lots of MARSH HARRIERS about, a bird of the reedbeds, one of the many rare birds Minsmere is important for. A GLOSSY IBIS has been present since March, and was found in its usual place in the Konik Fields, partly hidden in the marestail, its plumage made dull by the poor light.

A Marauding COOT

Its not often that I have to wait until May to see my first SAND MARTIN of the year, Usually I would have caught them arriving in late March, early April, but not this year. With what seems like a population crash, no birds had turned up at their usual haunts, and it was only today that I was finally able to catch up with the bird. They seem to be nesting this year, unlike the last, digging holes in the sandy cliff that forms the old car park. At this time of year small birds are at their most active, constantly in song with the early nesters raising young. As you would expect the reeds were full of REED WARBLERS, SEDGE WARBLERS, CETTI'S WARBLERS and REED BUNTINGS, a cacophony of many different songs providing a nice backdrop to my walk. A BEARDED TIT was briefly seen from North Wall, whilst more were heard at Island Mere and in the reeds between South and West Hides, pretty little ginger birds, iconic birds of the reed beds.

The GORSE stretches for miles along the Dunes, the whiff of coconuts carries on the wind

The gorse along the Dunes, were out in yellow flower, disgorging the scent of coconuts, and the thick cover they provide is great for birds. LINNETS, DUNNOCKS and WRENS were all seen and two pairs of STONECHAT were about, a bird you can encounter throughout the year, they have the nice habit of perching atop a perch, providing good views of a gorgeous bird. Migrant wise A LESSER WHITETHROAT was in the Sluice Bushes, another first for the year.

Huge numbers of GULLS congregate on the Scrape

Wow, with so much to write about its been a massive effort creating this blog. The sheer quantity of birds that reside in Minsmere is just mind blowing, and to describe them all would need more than a few paragraphs and ten photos. Every tree, every bush, seems to hold birds at this time of year, and with the range of habitats at Minsmere, attracted such diversity. I have not mentioned a lot of the commoner birds, those I encountered everywhere, those overlooked birds we take for granted here, but anywhere other than Minsmere, would get a mention. As I usually say, places like Minsmere are so special, so important for our wildlife, and for once is a place so well looked after.