Minsmere and Hen Reed beds near Southwold

 Set off early for a wander around Minsmere. Weather was perfect, a little breezy but pleasantly warm. Headed off to the beach and the East hide, which was closed for improvements and an extension, so into the public hide. Usual fare from here including 1000+ Lapwings before heading off to Lucky Pool and the North and South Levels in search of a Lesser Yellowlegs. Eventually found it with a Redshank on the North Levels, distant  but got good binocular views. 

A peregrine sat in a nearby field as I searched for Red deer. Plenty of slots but no sightings. Back to the sluice and into the South hide where a distant pair of smew were constantly diving. 3 Whooper swans on a nearby pool before returning to the centre for a coffee.

Back on to the reserve to the North Hide where a Jack snipe was barely visible in sedge and then finally a search around the sand martin bank for adders. Eventually found one just a yard or so over the wire fence.

Off to Dunwich Heath, checked the sea from the clifftops where 1 Red throated diver was fishing but far too windy for Dartford warblers to be showing so finished off searching for owls and bittern at Hen Reedbed on the road to Southwold. Neither seen as I walked along the banks of the River Blythe. Plenty of waders and distant gulls on the mud before heading off back home. A good day.

Species list: year listers in bold

1. Red throated diver
2. Cormorant
3. Little egret
4. Great white egret
5. Grey heron
6. Mute swan
7. Whooper swan
8. Pink footed goose
9. Greylag goose
10. Canada goose
11. Shelduck
12. Mallard
13. Gadwall
14. Pintail
15. Shoveler
16. Wigeon
17. Teal
18. Tufted duck
19. Smew
20. Marsh harrier
21. Common buzzard
22. Peregrine
23. Kestrel
24. Pheasant
25. Water rail (heard)
26. Moorhen
27. Coot
28. Oystercatcher
29. Avocet
30. Golden plover
31. Lapwing
32. Turnstone
33. Dunlin
34. Black tailed godwit
35. Redshank
36. Curlew
37. Snipe
38. Jack snipe
39. Lesser yellowlegs
40. Black headed gull
41. Common gull
42. Herring gull
43. Lesser black backed gull
44. Great black backed gull
45. Wood pigeon
46. Collared dove
47. Great spotted woodpecker
48. Skylark
49. Pied wagtail
50. Wren
51. Dunnock
52. Robin
53. Stonechat
54. Redwing
55. Fieldfare
56. Mistle thrush
57. Blackbird
58. Cetti's warbler (heard)
59. Great tit
60. Coal tit
61. Blue tit
62. Marsh tit (heard)
63. Long tailed tit
64. Bearded reedling (heard)
65. Magpie
66. Jackdaw
67. Rook
68. Carrion crow
69. Starling
70. Chaffinch
71. Linnet
72. Goldfinch
73. Siskin
74. Reed bunting

Adder

Redshank and Lesser yellowlegs

same birds

Lesser yellowlegs (left)

Both birds for size and plumage comparison

Peregrine

Whooper swan

Masle stonechat

Memorable day trip to Abberton Reservoir near Colchester.

 Set off to Abberton this morning with a view to visit the reservoir, the hides and then check for wildfowl from the casueway that crosses the water where you can park easily and scan the huge area. Good birds, including smew, white fronted geese, solitary pink footed goose and 7 goosanders.

I parked on the Layer Bretton Causeway and immediately heard a single note, high pitched call. An otter! After 15 minutes of waiting I noted some of the bullrushes moving and out popped a young, 1st year otter. My first for England. After a few minutes it disappeared back into the vegetation but reappeared briefly some 20 minutes later. Managed to fire off these record shots.

Plenty of birds seen whilst I was present, too. Species list:

1. Great crested grebe
2. Cormorant
3. Cattle egret
4. Great white egret
5. Grey heron
6. Mute swan
7. White fronted goose
8. Pink footed goose
9. Greylag goose
10. Canada goose
11. Barnacle goose
12. Egyptian goose
13. Mallard
14. Gadwall
15. Shoveler
16. Wigeon
17. Teal
18. Pochard
19. Tufted duck
20. Goldeneye
21. Goosander
22. Kestrel
23. Common buzzard
24. Pheasant
25. Moorhen
26. Coot
27. Golden plover
28. Lapwing
29. Black tailed godwit
30. Snipe
31. Ruff
32. Black headed gull
33. Common gull
34. Herring gull
35. Great black backed gull
36. Lesser black backed gull
37. Wood pigeon
38. Collared dove
39. Great spotted woodpecker
40. Skylark
41. Meadow pipit
42. Pied wagtail
43. Wren
44. Robin
45. Dunnock
46. Redwing
47. Blackbird
48. Great tit
49. Blue tit
50. Long tailed tit
51. Magpie
52. Jackdaw
53. Carrion crow
54. Rook
55. Starling
56. House sparrow
57. Chaffinch
58. Goldfinch
59. Greenfinch

Many of the birds were distant so these are crops.

Black tailed godwit

Black tailed godwit

Distant drake Goosander

Rooks

Wigeon

Great black backed and Black headed gulls

Cattle egret

Lapwing

drake Teal

Duck Teal

Common gull

Huge number of Tufted duck

Goldfinch

Barnacle geese

White fronted geese

Great crested grebe

2 Canada geese, 7 White fronts, 1 Pink foot goose and 2 Barnacle geese

White fronted geese

Grey heron

Drake Goosander

Female Chaffinch

Pied wagtail

4 Barnacle geese, 1 White front

Very distant Great white egret

Black headed gull

Male chaffinch

Mute swan

Gadwall

Drake Goldeneye

Male Chaffinch with fungal infection of the legs

Egyptian goose

Another Grey heron, there were plenty.

Ruff and incoming Lapwing

Black tailed godwit

Final otter shot