Minsmere Saturday 25th May 2019

I arrived at Minsmere at 6.45am to a Green Woodpecker flying in front of the car as I parked.  First stop would be Island Mere hide for some reedbed specialities.  On the way a Cetti's Warbler actually showed itself very well, even allowing some pictures to be taken :-)

A very pleasant hour was now spent in Island Mere hide with numerous Marsh Harriers already quartering the reedbeds.  The machine gun firing of a DSLR gave a clue of something good. Perhaps it was the noise of this that scared it, but it did mean the Bittern flew straight in front of me.

Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers sang all around, but no sight or sound of the Savi's.  A couple of Bearded Tits showed off on the reed edge before I headed back towards the Visitor Centre, and beyond to Dunwich Heath. A Muntjac Deer showed well in the trees near Bittern Hide.

Dunwich Heath was glorious in the morning sun.  At least 3 Dartford Warbler sang and showed off giving brilliant views.  Woodlarks called constantly as well but only a single bird was seen, in flight.  The first of many, many Mediterranean Gulls called loudly as it flew over the heath.

After coffee and cake at the Dunwich Heath cafe, it was time to walk along the beach to East Hide and begin to view the scrapes.  Green Hairstreak butterfly showed well in a hawthorn by the path to the hide.  Avocets and Terns showed off in front of the hide, while a game of how many Mediterranean Gulls can I see could be played.  The noticeboard in the visitor centre said over 160!  How many can you count in my picture below?

After a spot of lunch I headed back to Island Mere hide to spend more time with the raptors.  Wonderful close views of a range of Dragonflies and Butterflies along the Adder Trail, included Hairy Dragonfly and Holly Blue.

From the hide, up to 4 Hobbies were in the air, as well at least 6 Marsh Harriers.  Brilliant!

An amazing reserve, and even though it was packed on a glorious sunny Saturday there are still plenty of places to escape the crowds.  Other birds seen during the day included Little, Common and Sandwich Terns, Garden Warbler and Blackcap, Cuckoo, and Common Buzzard.

The evening was spent at Caverham Heath, back near Thetford.  Stone Curlew were hiding but numerous Woodlark and Skylark were calling and seen, with very close views of Stonechat.  The hoped for Nightjar didn't play ball as the sun set - Simon has much more success on this front and he will be hijacking this blog to write up his weekend experiences.