Up with lark - or even before!

Yes folks, it's dawn chorus time again. These walks remain incredibly popular - despite the 4 am start. Five of the six are fully booked: there are still 13 places left for the final walk on Saturday 21 May - if you are quick!

This week it was my turn to lead, and Robin Harvey and I duly met 28 eager guests at 4 am. The prospects didn't look too rosy with a strong north-easterly breeze blowing: wind is every birdwatcher's nightmare when hoping to hear to birdsong, but at least it stayed dry.

Although the walk started out slowly, most birds eventually woke up and joined the chorus, so that by the time we returned to the visitor centre at 6.30 am for a hearty full English breakfast we'd compiled a rather impressive list. Here's some of the highlights (though not everyone heard them all):

• booming bitterns
• a constant chatter of sedge warblers among which we picked out the odd reed warbler with its more rhythmical melody
• regular blasts of strident Cetti's warblers
• the magical song of the nightingale, especially in the North Bushes
• whitethroat and lesser whitethroat singing in adjacent bushes near North Hide
• blackcap, garden warbler and chiffchaff
• cuckoos calling from both reedbed and woods - including a super fly over for my group
• familiar "garden" birds such as blackbird, greenfinch, blue tit, robin and wren
• red deer in the woods
• a hooting tawny owl before the first light appeared on the horizon
• two greenshanks flying north
• a flock of 31 bar-tailed godwits that, bizarrely, landed on the field behind the visitor centre (an impressive flock at Minsmere, and part of a large movement through the UK over the last few days)

 Male blackcap singing by Jon Evans

After breakfast, I found time for a quick stroll around the Scrape and was rewarded with further flocks of bar-tailed godwits - at least 48 birds spread around the Scrape and Levels. In contrast, the usually much commoner (at Minsmere) black-tailed godwit appeared to be quite scarce. At least nine ruffs, in a variety of plumages, were on East Scrape, along with redshanks, oystercatchers, five turnstones and the more predictable avocets. There were a few common and little terns on South Scrape, and several Mediterranean gulls on West Scrape - but no sign of yesterday's common sandpipers, ringed plover or dunlins which had presumably continued their journey north.

Back in the office, the radios that staff carry for emergency contact and important bird news suddenly burst into life just after 10.15 with news of a black tern on East Scrape. This is a regular passage migrant, but being the first of the spring several of us considered popping out for a look. Shortly afterwards, a visitor came into reception to report a white-winged tern on East Scrape. Now this is a much rarer record, being far from annual, a led to much consternation. Were there two birds? Was our normally reliable volunteer wrong? Who was going to check?

Of course, there was no real decision to make, and I quickly strolled down to North Hide. Looking into the sun, the light was poor and the views were inconclusive at first. I was happy that it was a black tern - always plump for the common species first, but eventually we had good telescope views which revealed the black underwings and square white tail that confirmed the identifiication. White-winged tern. A cracking bird that continued to draw the attention through the day.

Despite the cooler temperatures we've had regular reports of hairy dragonflies, large red damselflies, green hairstreak butterflies, adders and a variety of other insects and reptiles this week. And one of this morning's party was lucky enough to spot a badger on her way into the reserve.

Finally, it looks like our flamingo has left after a three week stay at Minsmere. It was seen in Berkshire on Thursday, so may now be heading back towards Marwell Zoo.