Arriving at Minsmere in late afternoon, I left the camera behind and had a walk around the reserve with my monocular, spending a bit of time in each of the hides. I couldn’t believe the number of avocets; I must have seen a hundred from just one hide. They’re nesting on the islands. Last year 58 nestlings survived at Minsmere; maybe 2016 will be even better. The birds are fantastic to watch… whether they’re wading, swimming, sitting on eggs or just tear-arsing around the reserve in excitable groups.
Birds spotted this evening include little egret, barnacle goose, shelduck, mallard, gadwall, teal, shoveler, tufted duck, coot, moorhen, oystercatcher, avocet, ringed plover, lapwing, redshank, common sandpiper, curlew, bar-tailed godwit, kittiwake (and other gulls), common tern and sandwich tern (they were pointed out to me). No harriers, or any other birds of prey. Heard a bittern ‘booming’, and sedge warblers calling from the reedbeds. A stonechat sang from gorse bushes.
Staying in Aldeburgh this evening, and will be back to Minsmere tomorrow… with monocular and camera. I’ll hope to spot a stone curlew (they’ve been seen this week).
No nightingales...
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