RSPB Minsmere

 Whilst working down in Suffolk we had a little time to spare, so decided to have a trip out to Minsmere. Obviously the reserve only opens at 09:00, so we arrived on site at that exact time in order to make the most of our time in the reserve. Previously I have only been here once, back in 2016 in order to twitch Purple Swamphen, so it was nice to have an opportunity to bird the site properly.

We spent a good five hours exploring the site and the adjacent areas. The waders were undoubtedly the highlights. There were good numbers of scarcer species, including multiple Spotted Redshank and Little Stint. Commoner species present included Ruff, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit and a superb juvenile Whimbrel which showed very nicely. And as we walked along the edge of the beach, we had a few Turnstone fly south, and a concrete protrusion into the sea had a single Turnstone and two stunning juvenile Sanderling roosting upon it.

The bushes were lively with Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff. And additionally we had great views of three Bitterns and three Great Egrets. In total I managed a phenomenal 89 species, which is nothing more than should be expected from a site like this.

In addition, I also stumbled across a small Grass Snake in the grass in the dull conditions, sadly too obscured for good photos. A Common Lizard was also nice, but again was too quick for any photos as it scuttled into the flattened reeds next to the path. And there was also a nice bonus with a fantastic Wasp Spider in the tall grass. Having only previous seen this species on the Isle of Wight over ten years ago, it was a very nice bonus. 

-Wasp Spider

Species List:
RSPB Minsmere: Greylag Goose, Barnacle Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Common Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Tufted Duck, Common Pheasant, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Pied Avocet, European Golden Plover, Northern Lapwing, Common Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Eurasian Whimbrel, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Ruff, Sanderling, Dunlin, Little Stint, Common Snipe, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Common Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Little Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Great Cormorant, Eurasian Bittern, Grey Heron, Great Egret, Little Egret, Eurasian Spoonbill, Western Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Common Kingfisher, Great Spotted Woodpecker, European Green Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Hobby, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Marsh Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Bearded Reedling, Common Reed Warbler, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Cetti's Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Eurasian Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Goldcrest, Eurasian Treecreeper, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Common Chaffinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting,