RSPB Minsmere 30th April 2019

The 29th had been a travel day from Mundford to Halesworth. On that day we stayed with our friends who lived nearby but on the 30th we had the whole day to ourselves before meeting up with them again in the evening for a meal at at The Angel Hotel where we stayed that night. This gave us a whole day at Minsmere and we made the best of it – even getting a life tick Savi’s Warbler.

RSPB Minsmere Site Map

On our previous visits to Minsmere at this time of year we have often come across groups of birders stariung keenly into a bush around the Whin Hill area hoping to catch a glimpse of the Savi’s Warbler that seems to appear here each year. When we have joined these people we have not had any luck in the past but this did not stop us trying again. This time, however, it had been showing from the Island Mere Hide so that was where we went first following the “Island Mere Trail”. We did stop off briefly at the “Bittern Hide” for a while but, as in the past, no Bittern was to be seen even though one could be heard booming around the site.

The Island Mere hide was pretty full and the bird had not been seen for about ten minutes. Luckily it reappeared at the right hand end of a bush at the far end of the water and I managed to get my scope on it. It had been reeling earlier in the day and had been watched by RSPB officials all day so they were there to make a definite identification of the bird. We managed to see this “life tick” for about five or six minutes before it was off again so a brief but pleasing start to our day.

We returned to the visitor centre for a cup of tea and a bacon butty before setting off again, this time on the rather longer “Coast Trail”. The first pleasant surprise on leaving the visiotr centre was the return of the Sand Martins. The last time we were at Minsmere the colony seemed to have abandoned the sand bank but this year they were back and in very good numbers showing well going into and out of their nest holes and also everywhere around the site.

The East Hide gave us the best birds in this part of the reserve with good numbers of Barnacle Geese, Common and Sandwich Terns and a grea number (30) of Mediterranean Gulls. Especially pleasing is the unusual colony of Kittiwakes that nest here, attracted by the nearby power station.

Waders included both types of Godwits, Dunlin and a single Knot is splendid breeding plumage as well as Ringed Plover, Redshank, Turnstone, Avocet

There were several Marsh Harriers and a Buzzard. Also Wheatear, Stonechat, Linnet and Blackcap showed around the woods and dunes and the reeds were full of Reed and Sedge Warblers.

A fantastic full day at Minsmere gave us a total of 63 species including a life tick Savis’s Warbler and year tick Kittiwake.

Bird Sightings RSPB Minsmere 30th April 2019