Well, I did it! I managed to complete the 40 miles of the Suffolk Coast Sponsored Cycle Ride. It was hard work though, as I hadn't ridden my bike for a few years.
Cycling is a great way to see the countryside, and to enjoy wildlife that you miss while sat in a car. For example, I very rarely see yellowhammers when I am driving to work, yet I heard many of these lovely buntings on the ride.
Luckily, the cycle ride didn't take too much out of my legs, as I had to lead several guided walks in the following week. We've been pleased to welcome several groups for special visits to Minsmere this month, including hosting one of the Aldeburgh Festival Walks.
The Aldeburgh Festival, at Snape Maltings Concert Hall, is a popular event for classical music fans, and one of the highlights of the year locally. We welcomed about 120 festival goers to Minsmere for a guided walk and lunch. The weather was superb, which added to the enjoyment of the day.
The bird highlight of the month was a summer plumaged spotted sandpiper at the start of June. This wader from North America was the first one ever found at Minsmere and attracted many twitchers. As it turned up while I was working at the Suffolk Show, I was pleased that it hung around for a couple of days. It was a very welcome and unexpected bird.
As usual, June was barely two weeks old when the first south-bound migrants returned. Having been to the Arctic, and failed to breed, the first spotted redshank arrived at Minsmere on 10 June. We had more than 20 here this week. Other waders and wildfowl are already on the move, too.
The other big event in June was the discovery of a red-veined darter, a rare migrant dragonfly. Sadly I didn't see it, but it was another example of what a fantastic place Minsmere is for wildlife, not just birds.