I know it's a very British trait to always be talking about the weather, but when the weather is as variable as ours it's perhaps not a surprise that it's such a frequent topic of conversation. Having seen how much disruption has been caused by snow in Scotland and Northern Ireland, I suppose we've escaped largely escaped the worst of the recent stormy weather.
We certainly didn't escape the wind though. It was very wild when I woke this morning, and our garden, like many others locally, has suffered with several broken fence panels that will need replacing. The reserve escaped quite lightly, though we were without power and water when I arrived this morning. Luckily UK Power Networks restored power locally just before 10 am, allowing us open the shop and cafe as usual - and perhaps more importantly the toilets!
We may have got off quite lightly, but there are many broken and fallen branches both on the reserve and around the surrounding roads. By the time I headed out for a pre-lunch walk, the wind had dropped noticeably, leaving just a chilly, blustery breeze, but beautiful sunny skies.
Even with the wind having dropped, there were waves on East Scrape
My walk started well because just as i reached the beach our guide radioed to say that the glaucous gull was flying north. Sure enough, it passed just in front of me, following the tideline as it headed towards Dunwich. I didn't see much else out to sea, but there have been good numbers of red-throated divers and great crested grebes out there recently.
Upon reaching East Hide, it was immediately obvious that the water levels were even higher than on my last visit. Consequently the numbers of ducks were lower as there were less islands for them to roost on, and the lapwings had all headed to nearby fields to feed. Despite this, there were, of course, good numbers of wigeons, teals, shovelers, gadwalls, mallards and shelducks on view, if mostly a little more distant than usual. The drake mallard below was an exception, and he certainly looked his spectacular best in the sun.
In among the commoner ducks, I did manage to spot a couple of pintails, as well as two tiny dunlins probing in the mud on a distant island. Then, following a minor disturbance that caused several ducks to fly onto the water, the drake mandarin put in an appearance. it;s just a shame he was a little distant to photograph.
The drake mandarin with mallards for company - as usual
Returning to the visitor centre, I was treated to another flypast from the massive glaucous gull - heading south this time, before this attractive fellow posed along the North Wall.
I spent a few minutes scanning the field northwest from here for lapwings and curlews, but somehow I missed the glossy ibis that flew north over the car park at about the same time!
A dapper lapwing looking very glossy in the sun, but the glossy ibis would have been even better!
This bunny was doing his best to blend in. Not so the robin near the pond.
As ever on a lunchtime walk, it's not possible to see the whole reserve, and on this occasion i gave the reedbed a miss, though I had been lucky enough to see on otter swimming across Island Mere yesterday - even if I was standing on the Whin Hill watchpoint at the time! Several marsh harriers have been hunting there again today, and there have been one or two bittern sightings, but the wind has been less favourable for anyone wanting to find a bearded tit.
I also missed out the woodland, but did see a goldcrest and a green woodpecker in the North Bushes. I know that there were also sightings of siskins, treecreepers and bullfinches in the woods despite the wind. The feeders were also very busy, with marsh and coal tits among the commoner species. Will you see any of these scarcer garden birds during your Big Garden Birdwatch? If you're visiting this weekend you can give your birds a treat by taking part in our Big Bird Cake Off event in the Disocvery Centre. Choose from our menu of goodies and make some tasty bird treats to take home, ready for the big count.