Minsmere 2024 with the East Grinstead RSPB Group

Sunday 12th May 2024

RSPB Minsmere

This was another good turnout from our members who braved the early start and the long coach trip to enjoy seven and a half hours bird watching at this flagship RSPB reserve on the east coast of Suffolk.  Their reward was a massive species count of 80 with some stunning birds.  The weather was fine throughout with sunshine and a gentle breeze.

Our first port of call was the artificial sand cliffs just outside the café to look at the breeding sand martins.

• We got a huge shock as there were no sand martins around at all – all we experienced was an eerie silence in an area which was previously always noisy with the frantic sound of birds toing and froing in the nesting area! 

Apparently, this year they had chosen to breed a few miles further north, on the cliffs at Dunwich Heath.  Let’s hope this was just a blip and that they return next year. 

• All was not lost however as we saw plenty of sand martins flying over the scrapes while we moved around the reserve and they were by far the most ubiquitous of the hirundines. 

 

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

• Everyone enjoyed seeing a lesser whitethroat singing out from the top of a nearby bush. Alan Loweth managed to get this lovely picture using his mobile phone!

Courtesy of Alan Loweth

• Some waders of course change their appearance drastically in summer. like this  grey plover

Courtesy of Ian Hodgson

and this turnstone

Courtesy of Martin Jeffree

and, better still, this red knot, my bird of the day!  What a contrast with the knot still in winter plumage!

Courtesy of Martin Jeffree

• The rarest waders we saw were 2 Temminck’s stints from the West Hide.  Alas, they were so far away from us it was difficult to make the ID with any degree of certainty.   Fortunately, a local birder/volunteer who had been following them all day and had seen them when they were closer, pointed them out to us.

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

• We saw 3 tern species,  2 distant little terns were seen on the scrape but not photographed

• As we walked along the western path our eyes were directed to the skies where the hobbies finally put in an appearance with at least 6 on show.

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

By far the most popular areas of the reserve are the Bittern Hide and the Island Mere Hide and they were jammed full with visitors when we got there.

• We still had time to wait for the bitterns to appear.

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

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A small group of us decided to try and find the stone curlews at the north-west area of the reserve on the heath by the exit road towards Westleton. 

• Our luck was in again as Phil soon spotted 2 of them in the field adjacent to the track we were on.  What a great view we had of these pre-historic looking birds with their distinctive yellow eye-ring.

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

• As a final gesture, a nightingale sang for us from the bushes just a few metres form the coach as we assembled for the departure.

A superb trip!

2024 species count=175