Visit to RSPB Minsmere 25th March 2013

Visit to RSPB Minsmere 25th March 2013

After our two-day guided birding weekend in the Thetford Forest and surrounding area we moved on to visit friends in Bury St Edmunds and en route we dropped in on RSPB Minsmere It was still very cold but there was no snow. We started out with a visit to the Bittern Hide where – like last year – we did not see any Bitterns although someone insisted that one had been showing well all morning ! Well, surprise, surprise, it didn’t show for us. Oh Well – one day !. In any case we only sat for forty five minutes and I am sure that the art of seeing Bitterns is patience and also early starts and late finishes – neither of which we had time to do. In any case we got a reasonable view of Marsh Harriers and a trio of Whooper Swans whose necks were deeply stained from the brackish water they fed in. This was apparently a notable bird which just goes to show how spoiled we are in having WWT Martin Mere so close.

Next we walked on to the Island Mere Hide which is the newish panoramic viewing hide with all mod cons. From here we saw a number of ducks and wildfowl but by far the stars of the day were the magnificent sight of two pairs of Marsh Harriers displaying low over the reed beds just in front of the hide – a closer view you cannot imagine. Even if you are not in the hide the birds totally ignore you. We watched them for a good half hour. As if that wasn’t enough a Water Rail strolled out of the reeds and casually mooched around right in front of the window giving us our best views yet of  a Water Rail and as if to prove its qualities it turned and showed us every possible angle of it and its varied plumage – fantastic views of a fantastic bird and one that I had not seen until relatively recently.

We returned to the cafe for a cup of tea and a quick look at the birds on show at the feeders outside the cafe window including the usual Tits and Finches and even some Siskins and a Pheasant. Anne was feeling the cold and did not fancy a walk to the far end of the site but I had heard that there were Smews to be seen around so I decided to walk down to the sea and visit the East Hide and the Public Viewpoint, both on the other side of the site. The waves on he sea were wild and high and the gale was howling but I got to the calm of the East Hide and was just settling in to see what was about when another person in the hide pointed out to me and the only other person there that there was a second year Caspian Gull on one of the islands. He pointed out that it was particularly interesting that it was standing next to a first year Herring Gull so that you could clearly make out the difference between the two. He then proceeded to detail exactly how to identify a Caspian Gull and the taxonomic history of Caspian Gulls, of its taxonomic split from Herring Gulls and of its breeding behavior that confused it with Yellow-legged Gulls – in fact it likes to nest next to them but never interbreeds. From this you might surmise, correctly, that I had stumbled upon a Gull expert and not any Gull expert but one who works for Minsmere. It was a fascinating talk about a subject I know nothing about and I enjoyed it greatly and, of course, I’m claiming it as a life tick !

Also from these hides there were Greylag and Canada Geese, Greater and Lesser Black-Backed Gulls, Black-headed and Herring Gulls, Tufted Ducks, Pintails, Shelduck etc. I even thought I got a momentary glimpse of a Sandpiper but I lost it before I could be sure.

I returned back to the cafe but decided to stop off at the North Hide first. As I turned at the path leading down to the hide a Green Woodpecker flew past and I caught up with it in an open clearing a little later getting pretty good views of it on the grass before it flew off to a nearby tree. From the hide there were Teal, Shelduck, Wigeon, Pintail, Mallard and Gadwall. I stayed here for a bit still looking out for the Smews but I never did see them.

Time was getting on and we still had to get to our friends cottage for the late afternoon so I headed back to the cafe where I picked Anne up. Although the weather had not been great and we didn’t have a lot of time I was still pleased with great views of Marsh Harriers and Water Rail and a life tick in the Caspian Gull. We will get the Bittern another time !

Bird Sightings : RSPB Minsmere