With migration in full swing, April is always a month of surprises, but today's star sighting was certainly more of a surprise than most, not least because it was a species that is not really known as a migrant. In fact, it is a species that is increasingly difficult to find in most areas, with just a few isolated populations remaining in Suffolk - and indeed in many other counties. The species in question formerly bred at Minsmere, but is now only a very occasional visitor, usually to the northern and western edges of the reserve, close to adjacent farmland. It certainly wasn't expected to turn up on the Scrape.
The species? A grey partridge. It was spotted very close to North Hide this morning, and showed well for most of the morning. It was certainly an unexpected first Minsmere sighting for me.
Another increasingly scarce bird is grasshopper warbler, but one has been reeling (singing) to the south of Island Mere for the last three days, and can occasionally be heard distantly from the hide. The first cuckoo of the spring was reported from Eastbridge yesterday morning.
Other passage migrants seen over the last few days have included a ring ouzel and up to five wheatears from North Wall, a spoonbill on the Levels (and over Island Mere this morning), two bar-tailed godwits and three grey plovers on the Scrape.
Breeding birds are slowly trickling in too - sedge and reed warblers in the reedbed; whitethroats, blackcaps and willow warblers in the woods; swallows and sand martins over the reedbeds; 60 Sandwich and five common terns on the Scrape. A few nightingales have arrived on Westleton Heath, but not yet around the nature trails.
Other highlights on the Scrape include the male mandarin, 60 Mediterranean gulls, up to three Caspian gulls, a few kittiwakes, plus the regular avocets, lapwings, redshanks, black-headed gulls and various ducks. In the reedbed, the bitterns are booming and regularly showing well, up to four otters are regularly seen, four great crested grebes and six tufted ducks are at Island Mere, and the marsh harriers are continuing to display. Buzzards and peregrines are often seen too. One stone-curlew can often be seen from the North Wall watchpoint. Adders, however, are best seen along the dunes at the moment, where other highlights include linnets and stonechats.
Sandwich tern by Jon Evans