Blogs

Life working for the RSPB is nothing if not varied. I could be in the office one day, leading a guided walk the next, or at one of many meetings. The last month has been a good example of this.

One of my biggest jobs over the last few weeks has been sorting out the events programme for next year. I’m nearly there now, and will be sending the leaflet to our design team at the beginning of October. Once the draft leaflet is ready, I will start inputting dates onto the events webpages. This should be done by the middle of November.

To receive your copy of the leaflet, please send us an SAE.

One of the more interesting activities was Beachwatch. This is a national survey of the litter on our beaches, run by the Marine Conservation Society. On 19 September, two volunteers and I spent three hours collecting and recording every item of litter on Minsmere beach.

This is an interesting survey. As expected, most litter at Minsmere is either bits of plastic or bits of fishing net. Some of the more unexpected items were a vacuum cleaner (in several parts), bits of children’s toys and a bicycle tyre. Overall, though, our beach is relatively clean.

The wardens at nearby RSPB North Warren nature reserve had a more eventful month than normal, as the reserve was closed one day following a terrorist alert! Luckily, it proved to be a false alarm, but only after armed police had arrived.

Meanwhile, with migration in full swing there were some interesting birds around. Various warblers refuelled on blackberries before heading to Africa, joined briefly by two wrynecks. Passage waders fed on the Scrape, wildfowl numbers increased rapidly, and the swallows and martins departed.

Perhaps the most notable bird event was the huge passage of siskins on 12 September, when more than 1,000 were reported. Siskins have been difficult to find this year, so these were presumably birds from Scandinavia arriving here to search for seeds.

What does October have in store for us?

It is always a pleasure to see so many families visiting Minsmere during August.

It is important that children learn about wildlife and conservation at an early age, as they will be the RSPB members and decision-makers of the future. I first became a member myself when I was just six years old!

Here at Minsmere, as on many other RSPB nature reserves, we try to make visits as enjoyable as possible for children.

The explorer backpacks remain extremely popular, and many families use them on every visit. At Minsmere, we have also designed our own Discovery Trail guides. I have regularly spoken to families who really enjoy the challenge of seeing enough wildlife to qualify for a gold certificate - which often takes several visits.

Our events programme is also planned with families in mind during the school holidays, and many families join our guided walks.

Our annual Minsmere family event at the start of August was extremely successful as usual. At least 250 children took part in a range of activities over the two days, learning about the elements of life. We can only run this event thanks to the efforts of a large team of volunteers. Owlbert was very popular when he appeared at this event.

Our second pond dipping day saw about 70 children making water related crafts and dipping nets to catch newts, dragonfly larvae and other pond creatures. Pond dipping is always great fun - for adults as well as children. There is even a good chance of seeing - but obviously not catching - water voles in the pond.

As the summer holidays draw to an end, we will see fewer children on the reserve over the next few months, except when school groups come to enjoy the excellent education programme that we run.

Continuing on last month’s theme of youngsters, we celebrated the birth of another new Konik foal this month.

This welcome addition was born on Saturday 16 July, and was an unexpected surprise when I walked around the reserve the next day.

Also following on from last month, our two remaining Mediterranean gull chicks successfully fledged in July. They have now dispersed to other sites.

Minsmere hit the rare bird headlines again in the middle of the month when two birds arrived that had only been seen here once before. The first, a wader called a marsh sandpiper, last appeared at Minsmere back in 1981. The second, a lesser crested tern, should be in the Indian Ocean and is very rarely seen in Britain. Suffolk’s birdwatchers came out in force to see them.

Minsmere is not just about birds, though. Summer is an excellent time to look for flowers and insects. One flower that I always love to see is marsh mallow. Traditionally, the sweets were made from the roots of this scarce plant, although nowadays they are made artificially.

Marsh mallow is a tall plant with whitish leaves and beautiful pale pink flowers. It grows beside the visitor trails and on the islands on the Scrape, where the water is slightly brackish. I have rarely seen marsh mallow anywhere else.

On a more personal level, I am now looking at the reserve and its wildlife in a whole new way. I recently bought a digital camera, so as well as watching birds I am now looking for opportunities to photograph them.

Having a camera makes me look more closely at commoner wildlife again. The swallows near the sluice are excellent models for practicing photography, as they sit on the fence and allow visitors to get very close.

Now that the school holidays have started, we have several family activities to keep the children occupied. Pond dipping last week was fun in torrential rain, but the children still seemed to enjoy it. Meanwhile, our annual family event takes place on Thursday 4 and Friday 5 August with a theme of Elements of Life: air, earth and water. Entry is free, so why not bring the family?

June at Minsmere is an excellent time to look for families of young birds. Some chicks have a special 'aahh!' factor. Avocets certainly do, though, as I mentioned last month, their parents are fiercely protective of them.

To me, shelduck ducklings are even cuter than avocets. These little balls of brown and white fluffy feathers are often born below ground in rabbit burrows, and then led by their parents to water where they swim immediately. Several families often come together in a crèche, and one such group, with 18 young, provided me with a memorable experience in early June.

The family of shelducks strayed too close to some avocet chicks, and one of the adult avocets quickly dive-bombed the ducklings. The drake shelduck responded by chasing the avocet, and a stand-off followed for a few minutes. Meanwhile, the young avocets were happily walking around among the ducklings, almost oblivious to the commotion around them. All very entertaining!

We are also celebrating the birth of some very special babies this summer. Three pairs of Mediterranean gulls have bred on the Scrape - for the first time ever at Minsmere. These very attractive gulls look quite at home among their black-headed cousins.

Autumn in the bird world actually starts before midsummer's day, with the first spotted redshanks, green sandpipers and other waders already returning from their Arctic breeding grounds.

During July, there will be a steady arrival of new birds in various plumages, ensuring plenty of identification difficulties for inexperienced visitors. Why not join a guided walk so that we can help you to identify these tricky birds?

Some birds have been performing to order on guided walks this month. On one walk, a little tern hovered within three metres of the hide window, searching for fish in the shallows.

On another walk, while I was showing a school group around, we witnessed a superb selection of birds from Bittern Hide. Marsh harriers were everywhere as they searched for food for their youngsters. Two hobbies hunted dragonflies within a few metres of the hide. Then a bittern flew past, followed by a little egret.

The birds were so obliging that everyone in the hide was on a high, and the school group didn't want to go home. What more can you ask for?

A visit to Minsmere during May never fails to disappoint - although the cold northerly winds and showers meant that it felt more like November at times, especially at 4 am while leading a dawn chorus walk!

One of Minsmere's star birds is the avocet, and more than 100 pairs are nesting on the Scrape this year.

Avocets are fiercely protective of their young. It can be comical watching them aggressively attacking greylag geese as they wander past with their own young. Geese, of course, are not a threat, but large gulls are, so the avocets choose to nest among black-headed gulls for added protection.

With so many birds on the Scrape, the noise can be just as dramatic as the views - especially when a herring gull or marsh harrier flies over.

Minsmere is the best place to look for bitterns. As the young start to hatch, the females will become more visible, as they fly from the nest to feed.

We are really pleased to see one particular female bittern again this year. Wardens at Minsmere can easily identify V, because she has a distinctive bulge in her neck when she flies. V is a very special bittern, and has single-handedly helped to boost the bittern population.

This is the 10th successive year that V has nested at Minsmere, which is a record. She was breeding here in 1997, when the British population reached a low of only 11 males. Just eight years later, there are a record 10 males at Minsmere alone! V was also the first female bittern to be recorded nesting twice in the same year in 1998, and she did the same again last year.

There is more to May at Minsmere than bitterns and avocets, though. The woodland floor is carpeted with bluebells. Warblers are singing everywhere, dragonflies are beginning to emerge and little terns are starting to nest on the beach.

As a birdwatcher, May is always a month of surprises. Highlights this year included a superb male red-backed shrike - a bird now sadly extinct as a breeding species in Britain - and migrant red kites, ospreys and common cranes on route back to Northern Europe to breed.

As June approaches, Minsmere's wildlife will get on with serious business of raising families. Will they be successful?

It is always exciting to walk around Minsmere early in the morning, and April is one of the best months to do so. There is an air of anticipation about what I will find. Will any new migrants have arrived? How many bitterns will I hear?

As I write this at the end of the month, most of our summer visitors have now arrived. The first swifts of the year were seen during our bird fair, cuckoos are calling and lots of nightingales and warblers are singing. 

One of the most obvious changes in recent days has been the increased leaf cover. One disadvantage of this is that the incoming warblers become much harder to see as they are now hidden behind leaves.

I always envy those people who can identify all birds on song and call. Fortunately, some of our staff and volunteers fit into that category, so that we are able to offer birdsong identification guided walks. Our dawn chorus walks are always fully booked and very popular. The early start is usually rewarded by hearing nightingales, bitterns, cuckoos and warblers, and maybe even by seeing an otter.

The fourth Minsmere Bird Fair, over the last weekend of April, was blessed with sunny weather and lots of visitors. An event like this takes a lot of organising, and so I was pleased that everything ran without any hitches. There were trade stands selling optics, books, art and clothing to give visitors a really special day out.

We ran guided walks throughout the day to look for avocets, marsh harriers, bitterns and the many other special birds at Minsmere. The normally elusive Cetti’s warblers showed very well on most walks, while several people were lucky enough to see adders and common lizards basking in the sun.

The next few weeks promise to be even more exciting. May is always the busiest month at Minsmere, so if you are planning a visit this month, I recommend coming in midweek if possible. As well as the regular highlights, we might see several rarities at Minsmere - there was an exotic hoopoe for several days last year.

What a difference a few weeks makes! Even a few hours can make a difference. Early one morning I watched about 2,000 birds (mostly wigeons, teals and lapwings) in front of one hide, but when I returned leading a guided walk just three hours later, there were only 20 left. The rest had clearly moved to another part of the reserve.

During the first week of March, the continuing cold snap meant that the reserve was eerily quiet at times. In fact, it was quite a strange sensation to walk along the beach in a blizzard one morning and not see a single footprint. Even the rabbits had obviously remained in their burrows. I suppose it just proves that (some) birdwatchers are mad.

After a week's leave, I returned to find that temperatures were almost 20 degrees warmer - with a marked difference in the wildlife spectacle. It almost felt like we had missed spring and gone straight into summer. Sadly it hasn't lasted, and as I write this over Easter we are shrouded in low cloud and fog due to the easterly wind.

One of the most obvious differences was the sound in early morning. Walking down to the Scrape now there is a cacophony of noise, with avocets and black-headed gulls dominant. Our resident woodland birds are establishing territories, before the warblers and nightingales return in April.

Many people visit Minsmere for the chance to see avocets - the bird on the RSPB's logo. By the end of March, more than 150 avocets had returned to the Scrape, making them very easy to see.

Another bird for which Minsmere is famous is the bittern. Although difficult to see, at least seven are revealing their presence now with a distinctive, low-pitched booming call from deep within the reedbeds. They can even be heard from the visitor centre - I've just heard one while I was helping a customer to choose some new binoculars.

As Minsmere is now open seven days a week for the first time, there are even more opportunities to enjoy this fabulous reserve - I think of few places I'd rather be this spring.

February has been a month of contrasts. The mild weather for the first half of the month really accelerated the feeling of spring, before a cold snap saw a return to winter.

Drifts of snowdrops and a few early daffodils around the visitor centre added some cheery colour. In the woods there was a chorus of birdsong until temperatures dropped, great spotted woodpeckers made their distinctive drumming displays on calm mornings.

Our wetland birds also began displaying. To see several marsh harriers together makes any visit to Minsmere special, and at least seven have spent the winter here.

Until a few years ago, it was rare to see marsh harriers wintering in Britain, but as their numbers increase, more are staying all year. By early February, they were displaying over the reedbeds, although it is a bit early for their dramatic switchback displays.

The first bittern boomed briefly in the middle of the month before the cold snap persuaded them that spring hadn’t quite sprung yet. They should start booming properly soon.

Winter returned mid month, though the forecast heavy snow never materialised and there were only very light frosts. The reserve became much quieter as birds concentrated on keeping warm and finding food, rather than attracting a mate.

The cold weather did encourage two special birds to remain on the Scrape though. Although they are not rare, it is always a red-letter day when you see a smew, and a pair has spent the last month at Minsmere. The females, often called redheads, are attractive enough, but if I had to choose one favourite bird then I think it would have to be the stunning black and white drake smew, or white nun.

Looking ahead, we look forward to opening daily from Easter. Simon Barnes will be signing copies of his book, 'How to be a bad birdwatcher', on Tuesday 29 March, from 11.30 am to 12.30 pm. Why not take the opportunity to visit Minsmere and meet him?

The star bird this month was a black guillemot that flew north offshore on 23 January. This was the first for the reserve, and the first in Suffolk since 1991. It was only one of several interesting seabirds, proving again how seawatching can bring unexpected bonuses.

I usually try to arrive at Minsmere early for some pre-work birdwatching. On 26 January, I was rewarded with the most amazing views of two otters feeding in front of Island Mere Hide for 15 minutes. They finally left after being attacked by a territorial mute swan - even otters seem to know not to mess with an aggressive swan!

The sea has once more demonstrated its power, with considerable erosion to the sea defences at both Minsmere and RSPB Dingle Marshes on 24 January. Unlike the major breaches of December 2003, this time we survived intact - just. It was a close-run thing though.

New year bird list

The start of a new year is always exciting for birdwatchers, giving an opportunity to start another year list, thus encouraging us to watch commoner species more closely.

The 2004 reserve list finished on 234 species. Can we beat that this year? On New Year's Day, I joined some of our volunteer guides to start the 2005 Minsmere list off on a high.

Despite poor weather, there were some surprising highlights, including a sanderling on the Scrape and three Egyptian geese. Although common elsewhere in East Anglia, this introduced goose is still rare at Minsmere. We counted 78 different species on the day, which was less than we were hoping for.

Visitor centre changes

Visitors will notice several changes in the coming weeks. From February, the shop and tearoom will not open until 10 am, although the reserve and reception open still open at 9 am. After Easter, we will open on Tuesdays for the first time.

Our new Catering Manager, Aris Litten, started this month. Aris is originally from Lithuania, so we look forward to some eastern European fare. We will soon welcome several new staff in the visitor centre, too. This will help us to improve our service to visitors.

After the management work on Scrape in the autumn, the newly created banks and re-profiled islands are attracting large flocks of teals, lapwings and other wildfowl and waders. Watching them in the morning sun really picks out the colours, especially the iridescence of the lapwings.

One benefit of the work has been that it is easier to see feeding snipe on bare mud, rather than on vegetated islands. Dunlins, redshanks and black-tailed godwits have also found the mud attractive for feeding.

Our Manx Loghtan ewes, are happily grazing the remaining vegetated banks on the Scrape, in preparation for next spring. These rare-breed sheep have returned from their summer holiday at The Lodge, where they were grazing the restored heathland.

A small party of Bewick's swans continues to favour Island Mere, and white-fronted geese and tundra bean geese have returned to the Suffolk coast in force - though they favour the grazing marsh at North Warren.

One notable absentee is our ferruginous duck - a rare visitor from south east Europe. After spending the last four winters at Minsmere, he still hasn't returned as I write. It is possible that he's on the continent until a cold snap pushes him west, but we now fear that he might have died during the summer.

During a recent count, more than 1,400 great crested grebes were recorded off Minsmere. Several thousand red-throated divers winter off the Suffolk coast, too, making this probably the most important wintering area for the species in Britain. If conditions are favourable then it is possible to see large numbers close inshore. If it's stormy, I just enjoy watching the sea breaking onto the shingle.

I hope you have a relaxing Christmas and New Year.

Despite the short days, winter is one of my favourite times of year, and the birdwatching can be spectacular. Minsmere always has something to offer the winter birdwatcher, and I particularly enjoy an afternoon in Island Mere hide. Allow me to describe the perfect day - but don't expect to find all of these on the same day.

The low afternoon sun is glinting off the water as the golden reeds sway behind, their fluffy seed heads sketching patterns in the shadows. From deep within the reeds come the strangled call of a water rail and the explosive song of a Cetti's warbler.

A family of bearded *** give their characteristic ‘pinging' calls as they flit above the reeds, while on the water a group of Bewick's swans bugle excitedly. A kingfisher speeds past, the electric blue back catching the sun.

Scanning through the flocks of coots and ducks, they suddenly take flight. Overhead, a marsh harrier quarters, but this is not the cause of the disturbance, this time. A ripple at the edge of the mere, and a line of bubbles on the surface, signals the presence of one of our most elusive (and sought after) mammals. An otter is fishing, and he surfaces briefly.

Shortly afterwards, a large brown bird emerges from the reeds, stalking for food. For ten minutes, I watch the bittern as he feeds, those huge yellow eyes staring down over his bill.

As the light fades, the starling flocks gather. This has to be one of the best wildlife spectacles in the world - I never tire of watching starlings. The swirling throng attracts more and more birds, then suddenly - panic. A male hen harrier, intent on one last meal before dark, swoops up into the flock.

Eventually, the starlings settle down to roost in the reedbed. As the noise dies down, a ghostly white shape appears at the back of the mere. A barn owl is hunting. This is my cue to leave, watching for red deer as I drive home.

What better reason can there be to head to Minsmere this winter?

One bird dominated the news as Minsmere hit the birding headlines internationally in early October following the discovery of a mystery curlew.

Many observers (me included) consider that this is a juvenile slender-billed curlew - Europe's rarest bird. The global population is estimated at only 50 birds and it is even thought by some people to be already extinct! 

Not surprisingly, hundreds of birders headed to Minsmere - from as far as Belgium and Finland - to see a bird of such potentially global conservation significance. There are many doubters, though, who think it is only a small Eurasian curlew - a species so common in Britain that you'd expect us to know what they look like. The debate looks set to continue for many months. 

One lucky (unlucky?) researcher has been following the bird trying to collect its droppings (and moulted feathers), which we hope to use to identify the species by using DNA - the wonders of modern science.

We've started a major management project this month, using diggers to create new low banks across the Scrape, dividing it into smaller compartments. We'll be able to dry parts of the Scrape out each summer, encouraging vegetation to grow, which can then be ploughed back in. The result should be more invertebrates for our avocets (and other birds) to feed on - improving their breeding success in future.

While the work has been going on, the diggers have caused some disturbance, but the beauty of Minsmere is that we always have something to see. The winter wildfowl flocks and starling roosts are particularly impressive at present.

Minsmere played host to visitors from far and wide this month, including long-staying Baird's and white-rumped sandpipers from North America, a pallid swift from southern Europe, and a little bunting from Scandinavia. Waxwings, Bewick's swans and fieldfares signalled the arrival of winter mid-month, while swallows continued to trickle through on their way to warmer lands.

Last month's entry was barely finished when, as predicted, our ponies ensured that they would have a starring role this month.

On 27 August we celebrated the birth of our first foal. We've called him Copella in recognition of the Copella Countryside Trust's generous donation towards the recent purchase of new breeding stock - including Copella's mother, Petria.

Although not always visible as they wander through the wetlands, Copella and the rest of the herd are popular with visitors. He's already been filmed for TV and is far from camera shy.

Whilst taking an Anglia TV film crew around on 14 September, I experienced Minsmere from an entirely new perspective. We headed out into the middle of the Scrape - my first time actually on the famous Scrape - to film Robin Harvey and several volunteers clearing vegetation. It was a strange feeling to be stood there, having watched birds on the Scrape so many times before.

The joys and frustrations of autumn birdwatching were clear to see this month. Being on the east coast, we usually hope for easterly winds in September to bring migrants, like wrynecks and barred warblers, from Scandinavia, and had been cursing the westerlies as 'from the wrong the direction.'

Then, on Sunday 19 September these Atlantic depressions brought an unexpected bonus, bringing the twitchers out in force. It is rare for American species to turn up on the east coast, so it was real surprise when not one, but two American waders turned up on the Scrape.

First, a white-rumped sandpiper was discovered, soon to be joined by a Baird's sandpiper. With a little stint also in the dunlin flock, birdwatchers' patience and identification skills were tested to the maximum, especially looking into the morning sun.

What else does the autumn have in store? Find out next month.

As a young birdwatcher growing up in the Midlands, I dreamt of visiting Minsmere here in Suffolk to look for bitterns, marsh harriers and avocets. Little did I know that one day I'd be lucky enough to work here. Even now, these three species still evoke that sense of joy that every birdwatcher experiences when they see something unexpected.

Any visit to Minsmere can produce these moments, and I hope to convey some of this excitement in these pages. The wide range of habitats attracts an incredible variety of wildlife, from warblers to wildfowl, raptors to rabbits, bitterns to butterflies and otters to odonata (that's dragonflies and damselflies to you and me).

It's not just wild animals either. Our wardens are helped in their work by cattle, sheep and ponies. Our herd of Konik Polski ponies is particularly popular and can usually be seen by visitors. I'm sure they'll become a regular feature of this diary.

August's heavy showers have been a mixed blessing. I've lost count of the number of times I've been caught out in a storm recently. Despite the weather, visitors have enjoyed a busy programme of guided walks and family activities.

However, the passing weather fronts have brought in some interesting birds, notably waders, terns (especially black terns) and warblers. This has created the usual late summer identification headaches with young birds and moulting adults in myriad plumages - even experienced birdwatchers can struggle! It was an excellent month for lesser whitethroats, too - they're everywhere.

In a particularly heavy shower this week, I watched about 300 swifts heading south, trying unsuccessfully to keep ahead of the advancing weather front. For one, at least, the journey to Africa was brief, plucked from the skies by an opportunist hobby - very dramatic. 

All eyes are now turned towards autumn. Will anything unusual drop in? Find out in next month's instalment.