February 2007 has felt more like November at times, being wet, windy and generally mild.
The mild weather has seen the departure of many of our winter ducks already, although the drake smew remains on the reserve. Most of the roosting starlings have left now too.
Unfortunately, when I led a special Valentine's Day walk in search of courting wildlife the weather was so miserable that not even the usually reliable mallards seemed interested in displaying. Now though, with the drakes in their full breeding finery, most ducks are pairing off around the reserve.
In the reedbeds, our first bittern boomed exceptionally early on 29 January (just as I was writing the last entry), but then went quiet. They will be much more vocal over the coming weeks, while marsh harriers are already displaying.
I've actually missed the arrival of spring as I was enjoying the unbelievably tame wildlife in Florida's Everglades National Park, so the reserve looked a bit different when I went out this week.
Spring well and truly sprang while I was away, with daffodils now in full bloom and the first blackthorn in flower. On the Scrape, our avocets have returned en masse, with more than 100 birds making a glorious sight as they sway they bills side to side searching for tiny invertebrates in the water. It was great to see the avocets back. Hopefully, our Mediterranean gulls will breed again this year as they've started to rerun too, while lapwings have started displaying.
Our guided walks remain as popular as ever. This year is Minsmere's 60th birthday. Why not join us on an event? They're all listed on the website. Just ring us to book your place. I hope to see you at Minsmere soon.