Minsmere
A quiet day at Minsmere is when you rack up 87 species and also get to observe a variety of other interest things.
A long day but ultimately worth every mile endured along the arduous route to the reserve.
The first stop was the Island Mere hide where a couple of Otter sightings on the far side of the water were typically brief.
One of the Savi's Warbler made a couple of attempts to wind up a sustained reel but failed miserably. Not very vocal and therefore no chance of grabbing a chance sighting.
Four flyby sightings of Bittern during the course of the day that were particularly active presumably now feeding young.
Watching the aerial Marsh Harrier glide over the vast reedbed, a Hobby feeding over the woodland, Bearded Tit dashing low over the reeds, and listening to the cacophony of Black-headed Gull and Mediterranean Gull on the East Scrape are all part of the sensory experience.
On both the East and South Scrapes, a number of Kittiwake were assembled in large groups. First time I had seen so many resting on the reserve.
There weren't many waders on the scrape as you would expect at this time of year. Just two Ringed Plover, two Oystercatcher, and three Common Redshank seen today.
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| East Scrape |
A long day but ultimately worth every mile endured along the arduous route to the reserve.
The first stop was the Island Mere hide where a couple of Otter sightings on the far side of the water were typically brief.
One of the Savi's Warbler made a couple of attempts to wind up a sustained reel but failed miserably. Not very vocal and therefore no chance of grabbing a chance sighting.
Four flyby sightings of Bittern during the course of the day that were particularly active presumably now feeding young.
Watching the aerial Marsh Harrier glide over the vast reedbed, a Hobby feeding over the woodland, Bearded Tit dashing low over the reeds, and listening to the cacophony of Black-headed Gull and Mediterranean Gull on the East Scrape are all part of the sensory experience.
On both the East and South Scrapes, a number of Kittiwake were assembled in large groups. First time I had seen so many resting on the reserve.
I have no idea if this is a good year for Little Tern but there were at least 30 on the South Scrape, congregated together on one of the bunds while frequently chasing away marauding Herring Gull.
There weren't many waders on the scrape as you would expect at this time of year. Just two Ringed Plover, two Oystercatcher, and three Common Redshank seen today.
A few Swallow passed through the reserve on feeding sorties.
A few stalks of Southern Marsh Orchid were present along the path-edge close to the Wildlife Lookout hide.
Nothing better than finishing the day at the Eel's Foot pub just down the road from the reserve.
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