Wow! What a way to start the new year! Here's a few of the highlights from the first three days of the year:

  • seawatching on 1st - slavonian grebe (very rare at Minsmere), velvet scoter, three eiders, 200+ red-throated divers, 50 great crested grebes
  • geese on 1st included 12  tundra beans, 122 pink-feet (a huge count here), four dark-bellied brents and an Egyptian goose
  • Bewick's swans - a few have roosted on the reserve for the last few nights (probably part of a large flock of 80, with two whoopers, feeding near Blythburgh)
  • green-wnged teal - the returning drake on Levels on 1st, West Scrape on 2nd, then moved to RSPB North Warren on 3rd, where became first reserve record
  • smews - a peak of 11 (two drakes, nine redheads) on 2nd, with birds seen daily communitng between Island Mere, the Scrape and reedbed pools
  • two male hen harriers over Westleton Heath on 1st, male and ringtail over reedbed on 1st, also merlin on 1st
  • woodcock - max count of eight between visitor centre and North Wall at dusk on 2nd
  • two unseasonal avocets on west Scrape from 2nd (increasing to three today)
  • gulls - first year little gull offshore on 2nd, yellow-legged gull roosting on 1st, adult Caspian gull on East Scrape today
  • shore lark - one flew north on 1st
  • firecrest - male near wardens' office on 1st
  • waxwings - at least 30 feeding on apples near pond on 2nd, also seen on 1st
  • mealy redpoll - one near sluice bushes on 31 Dec, one at Island Mere on 3rd
  • grey seal - three offshore on 1st.

A great way to start the year! Waxwing by Jon Evans 

Not a bad list already, and I took the opportunity to try to find a few of these myself today, on my first day back at Minsmere since New Year. I saw some - a redhead smew at Island Mere, the Caspian gull, the three avocets - as well as a few more goodies of my own. Best of these were

Male stonechat by Jon Evans

 

The velvet scoter, eiders and a few gannets were seen offshore again too, but you really need a scope to spot these.

I gather that our Wildlife Explorers had great fun adding to our New Year's Day list during their New Year Bird Race, too.

If the first four days of the year are anything to go by, we are already well on our way to beating last year's 234 species for Minsmere. We'll certainly have fun trying.

Happy New Year to you all!