Hi again
Many apologies for the delay since my last post. It’s been a busy time recently. And a wet one, too!
We missed out all the snow earlier in the month, except for a few millimetres at the start of the cold snap. Much of the reserve did freeze for a few days though, concentrating the ducks into small ice-free patches.
After the snow came the rain, and boy did it rain. Water levels rose rapidly and the New Cut burst its banks, leaving much of the reserve underwater. Several sections of the nature trails were inaccessible for most of the half term holiday, and the Scrape water levels were the highest ever recorded!
One consequence of the flooding was that we had to move most of the remaining koniks ponies to North Warren. Another was a superb winter gathering of waders on the Levels, where they enjoyed extensive shallow floodwater pools.
In the reedbed, marsh harriers are now actively displaying on sunny days, but we are yet to hear the first bittern of the year. This is probably due to a combination of high water levels and the recent cold weather. Booming should start any time.
I was busy offsite last week, which I spent at nearby Snape Maltings. Here I was showing visitors redshanks, mallards, barn owls and kingfishers from the quayside as we tried out a few ideas prior to opening a new information centre there. This popular retail complex is opposite our newly acquired nature reserve at Abbey Farm, where we will soon be creating another fantastic reedbed for bitterns. Look out for more information about Snape soon.
Half term at Minsmere is always a busy time for families, and on Tuesday 17 February we ran our popular nestbox making event. Amazingly, 70 children came to make their own nestbox during a four hour event. I was at Snape, but I’m sure that for those on duty in reception there may still be the sound of banging hammers echoing through their head!
Spring is getting nearer every day. The daffodils are almost out, and birdsong is increasingly varied. The woodpeckers are drumming, and the first pipistrelles have been reported, so we’ll soon be welcoming the sand martins back. Will you be here to see them? My guess is that first ones will be seen around 17 March, give or take a day or two. Will I be right? Come along and look for yourself?