Minsmere

Thought i'd have a day around the reserve at Minsmere today, what a place, waders galore.  I won't go into a mass of detail cos it will just bore you and to be honest I can't be arsed to write it. ;-)

So in brief first wildlife of the day was a Stoat with prey, then a Southern Hawker (I think) outside the visitor centre. Click on images to view em larger

 

Onto the main reserve and I started at North Hide with 5 Green Sandpipers, along the sea wall a Green Woodpecker feeding young, then at East Hide where there were an incredible 44 Little Gulls in various plumages, also an amazing 27 Spotted Redshanks again in various plumages, a few Little Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Sanderling,  Black-tailed Godwit including a color ringed bird and some more Green Sandpipers.

 

 

 

 

From the next hide 7 Greenshank and another color ringed bird. Further along the sea wall a Northern Wheatear. The long walk to the new wader scrapes looked quiet on my arrival but soon hotted up with 3 Wood Sandpiper, 4 Green Sandpiper and a Hobby. The best butterfly was a Painted Lady and dragonfly Black-tailed Skimmer.

On the way back the Swallows were showing well.

On the pool behind South Hide I picked up another Wood Sandpiper and then another 4 flew over but whether these were new birds or same as before i'll never know.

I then headed back to the visitor centre for some lunch and then headed for the Island mere hide where I had some cracking views of numerous Bittern and another or the same Hobby. Finally 4 Whimbrel and 2 Bar-tailed Godwit flew over. Home by 3 what  a great day had.