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Hi again

The last few weeks have been relatively quiet here at Minsmere – a bit of a welcome relief in one sense after the last few hectic months. Having said that, those people who don’t come to Minsmere for a few hours of winter birdwatching are missing out on some excellent birdwatching.

I’m always inspired by watching large flocks of birds, especially ducks, geese and swans. Collectively known as wildfowl, these birds make a winter visit to any wetland a really special occasion. What the reserve lacks in variety in December, we certainly make up for in numbers.

The Scrape is heaving with birds, with several hundred wigeons and teals vying for the attention of visitors. However, it’s one of our less colourful, though no less beautiful ducks, the gadwall, that has stolen the show recently. Counts have exceeded 500, breaking not just the Minsmere record, but the Suffolk one too. Although at first glance these ducks lack the gaudy colours, a close view shows how finely marked the black, brown and white marks on their feathers are, and the black patch under their tail gives them a bit of character.

Why not come along over the Christmas holiday and see these beautiful ducks for yourself. You might also spot some winter swans – we’ve got a few Bewick’s and whooper swans here at the moment – and if you’re really lucky you may see the first smew of the winter – they usually turn up around now. With several marsh harriers wintering, and regular sightings of hen harrier and peregrine, there’s plenty to see.

And for a real Christmas feel, there are sure to be a few robins around the reserve, plus a good chance of seeing red deer – the closest we get to Rudolph and his friends here in Suffolk.

Whatever you do, have a relaxing Christmas, and a peaceful New Year, and I’ll speak again early in 2008.

Hi again

I feel a case of déjà vu coming on. Apologies if this column appears to repeat some of the news from the last – or from last year for some of my regular readers.

Penduline tit got a mention last time as I had missed another here while I was away. Luckily, four were found soon afterwards at RSPB Dingle Marshes when Adam Rowlands was checking on the damage from the surge tide. These gorgeous birds stayed around for a couple of weeks, so I was finally able to catch up with them – a full 16 years since I’d last seen one in the UK. You can imagine that I was a happy boy that morning!

Flooding has continued to a problem on the coast. Althoguh water levels receded at Dingle Marshes, and the breaches in the shingle bank had repaired themselves, more high tides over the weekend caused another breach – and more saltwater flooding! The long time prospects for bitterns at Dingle don’t look good.

At Havergate, our wardens have been able to repair the damage to the seawalls, and are now repairing damage to the visitor facilities and machinery store ready for the island to re-open to the public next spring.

Although Minsmere avoided the saltwater flooding, we haven’t escaped the effects of the surge tide. Shingle blocked the main sluice outlet, leading to the New Cut and Minsmere River bursting their banks. The result was a rapid rise in the water levels on the Scrape and part of the reedbed, leading to several parts of the nature trails becoming inaccessible. The Scrape looked like a a large lake, with no dividing banks or islands.

The Environment Agency have managed to unblock the sluice, and last weekend’s tides caused no further blockage, so water levels are now falling and the reserve is open once again.

Albatrosses also featured in my work this week. I was the studio guest of Lesley Dolphin on BBC Radio Suffolk today, chatting about my work and other interests, so we were able to chat about my recent honeymoon – and the albatrosses that we saw. If you’d like to hear the interview, you can listen again until next Wednesday on www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk.

I hope the next few weeks bring some different stories. I’ll let you know before Christmas.

Hi again

In my absence, it’s been a busy and exciting few weeks at Minsmere. There has been a good run of rare and scarce birds, including sightings of a lesser yellowlegs – a North American wading bird – and a penduline tit – a tiny bird from Eastern Europe, as well as two great white egrets, purple sandpipers, ring ouzels and some late swallows and house martins.

It’s also been a time to focus the wardens’ attention on managing and protecting the freshwater habitats. The annual winter reedbed management is in full swing, with diggers clearing ditching and ponds and the aquatic reed-cutting machine being used to cut wetter parts of the reedbed.

This work, which will improve habitat for birds such as bitterns, bearded tits and marsh harriers, is vital to maintaining a healthy reedbed for wildlife. However, the good work could easily have been destroyed had last weekend’s surge tide flooded onto the reedbed.

Luckily, although there was considerable damage to the dunes, our secondary defences held and the reedbed survived – this time. There are further surge tides forecast for later this month, so we can only sit back and wait. The Environment Agency have again been in today to clear shingle from the sluice to allow freshwater to drain off the reserve, as this could also lead to future damage to important habitats.

Along the coast, Dingle Marshes, to the north, and Havergate Island, to the south, have both suffered more severe damage, but we don’t yet know the full extent of this. The sea came close to flooding onto North Warren, too, which could have been disastrous for the town of Aldeburgh.

Strangely, storm-force winds were a feature of my trip to South Africa too, but when they did finally abate we were able to take a boat out to see in search of seabirds. So it was that last Thursday, I finally achieved a lifelong ambition and saw my first albatross. In fact, we saw three different species of these highly threatened birds. We must continue the fight to protect them – see www.savethealbatross.net for more information.

While in South Africa, we also saw penguins, vultures, sunbirds, whales and a variety of big game, including elephants, rhinos and a leopard. We also saw large flocks of swallows, which had beaten us there, despite some still being seen at Minsmere last week. Just another reminder of how important it is for the RSPB to work with our Birdlife International partners to protect wildlife and their habitats around the globe.

Hi again

Early October has seen the arrival of many of the early winter visitors at Minsmere, including good flocks of redwings, and several bramblings and fieldfares. The hedgerows are filling with flocks of tits and goldcrests too. With the odd snow bunting and shore lark on the beach and the first red-throated divers of the winter offshore, there’s a definite wintry feel about the birding.

Fortunately, the weather has, on the whole, been far from wintry, and there are still plenty of signs of autumn. The red deer rut is in full swing, and the guided walks are proving as popular as ever. They are all now fully booked for this year though.

Early mornings on the heath echo to the sound of roaring stags, demonstrating their strength vocally in the hope of avoiding a physical battle. Most visitors have a good chance of seeing a red deer or two at the moment.

Another mammal that is very obvious just now is the grey squirrel. They are busy collecting acorns, beach mast and hazelnuts to bury and store for the winter. They have competition, though, from our jays, which are always easiest to see in October.  Jays can be elusive at other times of year, so get out and look for them in your local woods.

Tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of The Great Storm, which devastated many of East Anglia’s woods, including those at Minsmere. Nature has recovered well, with a bit of help from the wardens, and the woods now look superb. The leaves are changing, adding a wonderful splash of colour to the reserve.

I’m going to miss most of the autumn colours though as I’m off to South Africa next week on honeymoon, so it will be a few weeks before I speak to you again.

Take care, and enjoy autumn’s wildlife while I’m gone.

Hi again

Minsmere’s 60th birthday celebrations continued last week with a special celebratory dinner. We transformed the shop into a restaurant for the evening. Graham Wynne, the RSPB’s Chief Executive, welcomed a select group of guests and local RSPB staff to Minsmere, with catering provided by a local company.

The event was an opportunity to thank businesses and individuals that have supported the RSPB (and Minsmere in particular) in recent years, to celebrate the conservation successes of the last 60 years, and to look ahead to our plans for the future.

One of the businesses that we have been working closely with recently is Snape Maltings – a large retail and arts centre nearby. I regularly lead guided walks along the river to coincide with their farmers markets, and this weekend will be leading four walks for the Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival at the Maltings. I hope we don’t have a repeat of last year when exceptionally high tides left one marquee under water and most of the riverbank footpath inaccessible!

Also as part of the Food and Drink Festival, I arranged and led a special walk yesterday from Minsmere. After a morning walk around part of the Scrape, we strolled across the marshes to Eastbridge for lunch at the Eel’s Foot pub before returning via Island Mere Hide.

The birdwatching was superb, and we managed to spend all of the showers under cover in a hide or the pub. We were even treated to the rare sight of both black-tailed and bar-tailed godwits stood next to each other just a few metres from the hide, allowing an excellent opportunity to compare these two similar species. A good view of a bittern and one of the best pub lunches in the area made the walk even more special, though I did miss not having a Minsmere tearoom cake. Perhaps next time!

With the northerly winds this week, redwings have slowly started to arrive for the winter, so wrap up warm and come and explore the delights of the Suffolk coast for a few days. You can stay at the Eel’s Foot, or a variety of local B&Bs. For details of local accommodation, give us a call and we’ll send you a leaflet.

Hi again

It is always a pleasure to hear a speaker who is passionate about his subject.

Yesterday, we welcomed Chris Packham to Minsmere for a programme of walks and talks about wildlife photography.

Chris is well-known to most RSPB members as the presenter of Nature’s Calendar on the BBC. He also presented CBBC’s The Really Wild Show for many years. Chris is an accomplished wildlife photographer, and more than 200 people enjoyed listening to him, gaining useful tips on how to turn a snap into an award-winning photo.

I’ve dabbled in photography for a few years, so it was great to hear such an expert talk with so much passion about his subject. His photographs of elephants were stunning, yet to him they were not perfect simply because of a stray blade of grass! He spoke with a huge amount of humour, but also with a deep understanding of his subjects.

Chris Packham has recently become a Vice President of the RSPB, and urged everyone to support the Society further, especially our current campaign to save the albatross – see www.savethealbatross.net for further information.

This was a great way to end a fun-filled programme of summer activities. We still have several guided walks per week for the rest of the year, and our full winter events programme is now available – see the events section of this website for details.

Why not pay us a visit this autumn? You never know what you might see. Yesterday morning’s visitors had great views of a grass snake resting on a water vole-feeding platform in the pond next to the lecture marquee, as well as the water voles themselves. There were dragonflies everywhere, and regular sightings of bitterns, marsh harriers and hobbies on the reserve.

Come along and see it for yourself.

Hi again

There are some mornings when you’re glad you got up early for a walk around Minsmere. Today was one of those. Despite the wind, it was a gorgeous sunny morning, and the wildlife obliged on guided walk I was leading.

The early morning light at Minsmere is superb. Various warblers were making the most of the sun, hawking insects in the north bushes. We could easily see the difference between common and lesser whitethroats.

Once we got to East Hide, the light could not have been better. Although it’s been a slow year for migrant wading birds, we did see a good selection, including spotted redshank, greenshank and black-tailed godwit. A lovely juvenile yellow wagtail was a bonus too.

It was a great morning for herons, with two bittern sightings, two grey herons and several little egrets. The nearby RSPB Havergate Island nature reserve had a record count of 26 spoonbills last week, so visitors to the island during this weekend’s Havergate Adventure should be in for a treat. If you haven’t been to Havergate, why not book a place? See www.rspb.org.uk/events for details.

We also had superb views of hobby, sparrowhawk and kestrel this morning, plus a couple of marsh harriers. Best of all was the stoat that ran around the path in front of us for several minutes, completely unconcerned by our presence. Wow! Another predator we often see is the grass snake. One slithered across the path yesterday on a family wildlife walk.

With the summer holidays in full swing, we’ve had loads of families around for the last few weeks. Our family days were extremely popular, and we’re expecting many children to come pond dipping on Thursday 23 August.

Looking further ahead, you might like to visit Minsmere on Sunday 2 September to see popular TV wildlife presenter Chris Packham. He is giving three free talks on wildlife photography during the day. There will also be a full range of Nikon binoculars, telescopes and cameras available to try. To book your place, call us on 01728 648281.

Perhaps I’ll see you there. Come and say hello.

Hi again

In a season of continued flooding, it’s nice to be able to report some more positive news from the breeding season.

Our wardens and bittern researchers have now managed to find three active bittern nests in North Marsh. These are all likely to be nests of females that have re-layed after losing their first brood, and it gives us renewed hope that our bitterns may not have such a disastrous breeding season.

Also in the reedbed, there are at least 23 young marsh harriers that have now fledged from a record 17 nests. Although some nests have failed, this still represents a good breeding season.

On the Scrape, the Mediterranean gull chicks successfully fledged – only the second successful nesting attempt at Minsmere, and there are several pairs of common terns still nesting. The little terns on the beach still have chicks too.

Even more exciting was the squacco heron found at Minsmere on 13 July. This was the first one seen in Suffolk since one was shot in Aldeburgh in 1912! After 95 years this was a bird all Suffolk birdwatchers wanted to see, and most were successful before the bird left again overnight.

On Monday, we had the first family pond dipping event of the summer which was well attended despite the inclement weather. Even with lots of families enjoying themselves, one of our baby water voles spent most of the day feeding close to the boardwalk. These increasingly rare mammals are often obliging at Minsmere, and always popular with visitors.

One Thursday 2 and Friday 3 August, we have our annual Minsmere family days. This we’re celebrating Minsmere’s 60th birthday with a range of activities looking at Minsmere: past, present and future. We’re expecting lots of families, and are grateful for the fantastic team of volunteers who turn out every year to make this event such a success. Why not bring the family for a great day out?

Bye for now.

Hi again

There’s been a bit of better news in the reedbed this month. It looks our V-female bittern’s chicks fledged after she had been feeding them in front of the Island Mere Hide for a couple of weeks.

We also found a new bittern nest last week, which is probably a second attempt form one of the females who lost her nest earlier in the year. We haven’t given up hope of finding further nests, either.

There has been so much rain over the last two months that water levels in the reedbed and on the Scrape are still much higher than we would like for mid July, but there’s simply nowhere else for the water to go. This is in complete contrast to last year when the drought led to the Scrape drying out.

Despite the high water levels, waders are already stopping off on their way south from their breeding grounds. Several stunning spotted redshanks, resplendent in their breeding finery, have been on the Scrape since mid June. These first birds are probably females who, after laying their eggs in the Arctic tundra, have left their mates to rear the family.

Other waders already passing through Minsmere include green sandpipers, black-tailed godwits and ruffs, while lapwing numbers are starting to increase as birds disperse from their nesting sites elsewhere.

Last week, we welcomed two of Minsmere’s former Site Managers, Geoff Welch and Jeremy Sorensen, to Minsmere to sign prints of a special, limited edition print of Minsmere. Geoff and Jeremy joined current Site Manager, Adam Rowlands, and artist Steve Cale, signing 50 of the 100 prints. The prints are on sale at Minsmere, where you can also buy raffle tickets to win the original painting, which looks superb! Come along to the reserve to find out more.

Bye for now.

Hi again

A few days after I wrote my last blog, disaster struck at Minsmere. Two days of heavy rain over the Bank Holiday weekend meant that water levels in the reedbed rose by more than 40 cm. There was nothing we could about it, as the New Cut had burst its banks and there was nowhere else for the water go.

The consequence was that at least four of the five bittern nests that we had found so far this year were lost. The young either drowned or died of exposure. It was a similar story elsewhere on the Suffolk coast, with seven of the nine known nests lost.

This is a serious setback for the bittern recovery after a further increase to ten booming males at Minsmere this year, but it may not be all bad news. Here has been increased activity over the last few days, and several males are still booming, so it’s possible that at least some of the females may try again.

The only remaining nest at Minsmere belongs to V – our easily identified female with a kinked neck who has been breeding here since 1996.

Other reedbed birds don’t appear to have suffered so badly, with most of the 17 marsh harrier nests surviving, and the first young fledging on 7 June – very early. There’s still at least one purple heron around too, but it’s not showing as well now.

On the Scrape, we sadly lost several avocet and black-headed gull nests to the same flooding, but there are at least three pairs of Mediterranean gulls still with young.

On a more exotic theme, Paul Green, one of our wardens, heard a bee-eater today – the second one at Minsmere this year – and there was a golden oriole singing briefly last week. It’s always good to see these birds in the UK, but I’ve not been lucky enough to find either of them at Minsmere. Maybe I’ll come across one next week when I’m leading guided walks in the Alps!

Bye for now.

Hi! Sorry it’s been a few weeks since I posted my last entry. They’ve been a bit hectic.

All the superb media coverage leading up to our 60th birthday led to one of Minsmere’s busiest weekends ever for our Spring on the Suffolk Coast celebrations. More than 2000 visitors came, many of then first time visitors to Minsmere. On the Sunday we actually had to open a second overflow car park when the first one filled up before lunch! The tearoom enjoyed its best ever day, with the Minsmere birthday cake proving very popular.

After all that media attention and such a busy weekend, I was glad to get away for a few days birding in Scotland, while the Bank Holiday weekend at Minsmere was as busy as ever. There’s been no let up in visitors since, attracted by many good birds.

Bitterns remain one of Minsmere’s star attractions, and it looks like we’ve had a further increase this year with ten booming males. At least five females are feeding young now, so are regularly seen flying over the reedbed. One in particular, our famous V-female, is here for at least her twelfth year, nesting very close to Island Mere Hide.

Marsh harriers have also increased, with at least 14 nesting females. Can we fit any more into our reedbeds? Sitting in Bittern Hide, it’s also been possible to see up to nine hobbies hawking insects over the reedbed – an impressive sight.

Despite all this activity, none of these has been the true star. That honour has gone to a southern European species lurking in the reedbeds. Minsmere is always one of the most reliable places to see purple herons in the UK, and our first one of the spring arrived on 27 April. After a couple of brief sightings, another was found on 18 May, and by 21 May there were at least three, possibly four, of these skulking herons flying around the reedbed from pool to pool.

Purple heron had become a bit of a bogey bird for me at Minsmere. Although I had seen two here before, I had managed to miss them every year since I started working here in 2003. That changed this year when I finally caught sight of one last week. Yesterday I saw two together. Maybe today I’ll get all four!

There have been a few other rarities so far this spring, but I missed them all. However, I did manage to add a new bird to my Minsmere list at the weekend – a drake mandarin. Whether this was a wild (or more accurately a feral) bird - perhaps dispersing from Christchurch Park in Ipswich following management work there - or an escapee, I don’t know, but mandarins are such beautiful birds that they’re always nice to see.

Another bird that’s always nice to see is red kite, and we’ve had daily sightings for the last week. Maybe they’ll nest here soon.

With half tern coming up, we’re expecting another busy week. I’ll be off to the Suffolk Show next week, so if you’re there, please come and say hello. It’s always great to get feedback from our many visitors.

Bye for now

Happy 60th birthday Minsmere!

On 25 April 1947, the RSPB signed an agreement to begin managing Minsmere as and RSPB nature reserve. A few weeks later, avocets were found nesting here, and the long association between the two was formed.

Sixty years on, Minsmere is still home to one of the largest colonies of avocets in the UK, and these elegant wading birds represent one of the great conservation success stories.

Minsmere regularly makes the local news headlines with stories of breeding bitterns, marsh harriers or stone-curlews or interesting insects. This week the local media has descended en masse to help us to celebrate our 60th birthday. I’ve been inundated with calls from TV, radio and newspapers. There’s more information elsewhere on the website.

April’s weather has been superb, and many visitors have enjoyed fantastic views of avocets, black-tailed godwits and Mediterranean gulls on the Scrape or bitterns and marsh harriers in the reedbed.

Some migrants, including lesser whitethroats and swifts, returned early, but others were delayed by poor weather in Spain. Our nightingales only just got back in time for the first dawn chorus walk, and the common whitethroats were at least two weeks late.

To celebrate our 60th birthday, we’re organising a special weekend on 28 and 29 April with free entry to Minsmere, plus free guided walks, pond dipping and more. Why not come and visit? But come early, because we’ll be busy.

Look out for other events during the year to celebrate our birthday.

Hi

I love this time of year, as you really don’t know what to expect next once migrants start to arrive. Chiffchaffs are singing everywhere, and we’ve already seen a few early summer visitors at Minsmere, including willow and sedge warblers, wheatears, sand martins, the first swallows and a stunning black redstart.

Marsh harriers are sky-dancing over the reedbeds, at least eight bitterns are already booming, and avocets are bickering on the Scrape. These are sure signs that spring has arrived.

However, sometimes it’s the common species that give the greatest pleasure, and that’s been the case this month. The pond in the old car park was almost bubbling a few weeks ago with the activity of mating amphibians.

Large groups of frogs and toads were massing, with a dozen or more males clambering onto a single female in an attempt to mate with her. The accompanying frog chorus was quite impressive too.

The result of all this activity has been strings of toadspawn around the reed stems and masses of frogspawn among them. There could be plenty of tadpoles in a few weeks.

April will see the return of most of our summer visitors, including nightingales, various warblers, cuckoos and swallows. Will they bring anything unusual with them this year?

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.

They say it's better to be late than never, and so it proved with our starlings. We usually have a large roost of starlings at Minsmere in late November, but this year they failed to materialise. Until Christmas that is!

Over the Christmas and New Year period, about 10,000 starlings started roosting in North Marsh each evening. Soon the flock increased to about 25,000, although it has declined a little now.

Standing on the North Wall as dusk approaches has been a superb way to end the day, and staff and visitors alike have enjoyed spectacle. The swirling flocks have been exciting to watch as they almost paint pictures in the sky.

But it's possibly the sound that catches the attention more. You can easily hear the whoosh of thousands of wings over the incessant twittering. The flocks attract predators too, especially sparrowhawks looking for late meal.

The starlings even performed during the gales mid month, but the wind caused disruption on the reserve. We had to close for a day due to the risk of trees blowing over, and were without power for most of the next day. No power means no till in the shop, no food or hot drinks in the tearoom, and no computers for staff. We're back to normal now.

With the arrival of cold weather at last, one of my favourite birds, a smew, appeared on the reserve late in the month. We often see females, but this was a stunning drake, or white nun. Maybe he'll stay long enough to hear the first booming bittern, which will probably be sometime in February.