Minsmere

 Foregoing the Premier Inn's all you can eat breakfast (that's dedication for ya😀) We got to RSPB Minsmere at just before 8 in the morning, which wasn't bad going really!! We only have time for one significant birding trip and although Suffolk has many birding attractions, it really had to be Minsmere if only out of Nostalgia, memories of many happy visits back in the day when I lived in Suffolk and many great birds seen!! Absolutely nothing to do with the awesome Café😁   

 We set out around the reserve ignoring the North Hide as the sun was a bugger and carried on out on to the North Bank, a bit of movement in the bushes just before you go out onto the Reed Beed, Goldfinches, Blackcaps, Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat and I'm pretty sure I heard a Dartford Warbler but it wouldn't come out of the Bramble  clump so couldn't be sure!! I scanned the field for Stone Curlew but none could be located😕

Goldfinch

Goldfinch

Common Whitethroat

We headed along the North Bank through the Reed Bed hoping for Beardies or a Bittern got neither but there were a lot of Reed Buntings, which posed well enough!

Reed Bunting

Looking North

View of the Reedbed by Margie

Another of Margie's scenic shots!

We hit the beach, a family of Stonechats were working the fence line, the sea whilst looking gloriously sunlit was devoid of birds. I have rarely seen anything good on the sea from Minsmere, I presume because it is in a bay, most seabird passage is very distant! As we walked along we had numerous groups of feral geese, both Canada and Greylag!

Juvenile Stonechat

Greylag Geese

Here

Along the beach by Margie

Shimmering Sea by Margie

We entered the East Hide, midweek, early morning means empty hides!! Excellent!! Unfortunately most birds were distant and my continuing Scope woes😢 meant IDing the distant small waders was difficult. However could see, Ruff, Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit and a Knot alongside the gulls and eclipse ducks 

Snipe

Knot

Avocet

Avocets and Black-tailed Gogwits

Scrape View by Margie

Scrape view by Margie

The view from the public viewpoint was pretty similar with distant waders mostly Avocets and Blackwits but a couple of Green Sandpipers were something a bit different, but too faraway for pics! The bushes along the beach were quiet though Margie managed to find a Rabbit and the views all around were spectacular, fortuitously we bumped into another birder who said he had seen a Purple Sandpiper on the sluice, we hurried down there and it was still present cavorting with an Oystercatcher!

Purple Sandpiper

Oystercatcher

Rabbit by Margie

Beach and Power Station by Margie

Purple Sandpiper evasive action by Margie

Minsmere View by Margie

Flock of Canada Geese by Margie

The sluice bushes were a disappointment, which smelt like they are being used predominately as a toilet😢 with just a Reed Bunting on offer!! However things picked up as we re-entered the reserve with a flock of Beardies performing well on the reeds, we heard a lot of Beardies in this area several groups moving around, difficult to see though for the most part!!

Reed Bunting

Beardies not quite as cooperative as the Rainham Bird but not bad

Though be nice if they faced front

That's better

Meadow Pipit one of a small group on the Konik Field

We headed back into the reserve visits to the South Hide and the West Hide were fairly unproductive though the West Hide had a couple of Green Sandpipers showing reasonably well!

Green Sandpiper

With the weather warming up, the walk to the Island Mere hide was mainly about the insects with some nice Comma Butterflies and quite a few Dragonflies about.

Comma

Dragon on Berries

Red Admiral

Path into woodland by Margie

Tree at the base of Whin Hill by Margie

Island Mere hide was quite quiet, fair few Beardies in the reeds, but just brief glimpses, a few distant Marsh Harriers, 5 Little Grebes and several Great Crested Grebes on the water with a few Gadwall but a pleasant half an hour, no Bittern and surprisingly no Hobbies especially as there were thousands of dragonflies in view, I honestly don't know that I've ever seen so many they must have had a really good year!!! 

Mute Swan, Little Grebe, Great Crest Grebe and Gadwall

Ooh-Err Missus

Anyone know what this one is, was a lot smaller than the others

Island Mere views by Margie

Island Mere views by Margie

With large numbers of people wandering about, and my tummy telling me to go to the café we headed back to the visit center where I got a lifer in the form of Tornado Cake!! Margie was concerned with the name as to what effect this could have on me, with a view to surviving the journey home😆😂😨😱😲 at time of writing all is well😂 possibly the effects were quelled by the consumption of a large Sausage and Bacon Bap as well!! It should be noted that all profits from the Café go to helping the birds, so really consuming large amounts of cake is basically conservation work!!😁  Chatting with the reserve staff, we were given excellent directions as  to the best locations to see a Stone Curlew, which on the drive out we duly did, this species seems to be doing well here now as I don't remember them being present in such numbers when I used to visit regularly, although I left Suffolk about 9 years ago so it may be a memory issue !!😀

Atrocious Stone Curlew Pic , I blame the heat haze and distance !! 

Was beginning to think it was a decoy til it moved it's head!!

Cake lifer Chocolate Tornado Cake!!!

We headed back to base very happy with proceedings, lovely weather, some good birds seen as well!! even when it's quiet, Minsmere is still an excellent reserve to visit. Interestingly when we left the carpark was nearly full, many of the visitors didn't have any Optics at all, which I think indicates that Minsmere is playing a good role in getting non-birders interested and educated  in nature and the many perils it faces which I think is a pretty good thing!! Although it could just be the excellent cake,bringing the non-birders in!!