07/05/2017 RSPB Minsmere with the East Grinstead Group

Sunday 7 May 2017
RSPB Minsmere in Suffolk

Another first class annual outing to Minsmere with this group.  We managed to reach a species count of 80 in spite of the cold and overcast conditions.

• Bird of the day for me was the Hobby with over 10 sightings in all.  I'm not sure how many were present because we always saw just one bird on its own but the views were excellent.

• Rarest bird had to be the second year Caspian Gull which we saw from the East hide.  An RSPB Ranger was on hand to help birders make this difficult ID.  This bird has been around for some time and is believed to have been seen at Dungeness on one of its many, previous, travels.

• Perhaps the most attractive birds were those in summer plumage - the Bar-tailed Godwits, the Grey Plover, the Knot and the Turnstones.
• We even had a Spoonbill on the South Levels which we saw as we had lunch on the grassy slopes.
• A couple of Little Terns seen on the South Scrape were a welcome addition to our list as were the Common Terns, Sandwich Terns and the Mediterranean Gulls.
• Several members of the group managed to get good views of the Bittern and a lucky few saw a couple of Bearded Tits.  Sadly there were no Nightingales around and the Savi's Warbler did not show or sing.

Everyone went back to the coach in high spirits having seen a good variety of species.