Minsmere RSPB
So today, Craig and I headed up to Minsmere. We had a relatively late start as working in the Consultancy industry requires us to indulge in a few after work beverages - particularly appealing when they are free.
The drive up was pretty tardy too eventually arriving at midday. This is when the fun started. The first winter Citrine Wagtail had been reported late morning, so we headed straight to a packed North Hide, scopes pointing out onto an expanse of marshiness. There were plenty of Wagtails of all ages, and sadly, and we were getting sucked into claiming the rare Wagtail. The majority of us were unconvinced of its presence, but the news went out. We scampered from one hide to the next as more reports were submitted - and we checked more Wagtails. If it was still present, we didn't connect with it. And so, we left unconvinced that the reports were genuine, but maybe a lucky few did manage to see it.
Bird of the day however went to the Red-necked Phalarope, only my 2nd ever, and such a lovely wader, characterised by its ceaseless frenzied feeding habits, looking almost mechanical and maniacal as if it put through a time-lapsed production. It remained into the early part of the evening favouring the west side of the East Scrape.
What could have been a highlight was an Otter that swam from one of the islands into the reeds. However, this was only evidenced by the wake with the mammal neatly submerged underwater.
There were plenty of waders around, two Spotted Redshank, two Green Sandpiper, Bar-tailed Godwit, a few Ruff, a dozen Common Snipe, Dunlin, and plenty of Black-tailed Godwit and Avocet.
A Water Rail was seen lurking toward the back of the East Scrape, and a strange sight of a Mandarin roosted on one of the islands. A young male Marsh Harrier flew through.
Two 1st year Mediterranean Gull flew over the beach, where a scruffy Stonechat sat high on the gorse. Late in the evening, Hobby was seen hunting low over the reeds.
The drive up was pretty tardy too eventually arriving at midday. This is when the fun started. The first winter Citrine Wagtail had been reported late morning, so we headed straight to a packed North Hide, scopes pointing out onto an expanse of marshiness. There were plenty of Wagtails of all ages, and sadly, and we were getting sucked into claiming the rare Wagtail. The majority of us were unconvinced of its presence, but the news went out. We scampered from one hide to the next as more reports were submitted - and we checked more Wagtails. If it was still present, we didn't connect with it. And so, we left unconvinced that the reports were genuine, but maybe a lucky few did manage to see it.
Bird of the day however went to the Red-necked Phalarope, only my 2nd ever, and such a lovely wader, characterised by its ceaseless frenzied feeding habits, looking almost mechanical and maniacal as if it put through a time-lapsed production. It remained into the early part of the evening favouring the west side of the East Scrape.
A close second was the Eurasian Bittern that flew low over South Hide while we cowered from the rain watching waders out on the scrape. For such a secretive bird, this was a real treat. It even looked graceful in flight before inelegantly plonking itself down in the reeds.
What could have been a highlight was an Otter that swam from one of the islands into the reeds. However, this was only evidenced by the wake with the mammal neatly submerged underwater.
There were plenty of waders around, two Spotted Redshank, two Green Sandpiper, Bar-tailed Godwit, a few Ruff, a dozen Common Snipe, Dunlin, and plenty of Black-tailed Godwit and Avocet.
A Water Rail was seen lurking toward the back of the East Scrape, and a strange sight of a Mandarin roosted on one of the islands. A young male Marsh Harrier flew through.
Two 1st year Mediterranean Gull flew over the beach, where a scruffy Stonechat sat high on the gorse. Late in the evening, Hobby was seen hunting low over the reeds.
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