For the first time in two weeks I strolled around the Scrape last night. I say strolled, but it was more of a route march: one hour to get right round the Scrape, including ten minutes in East Hide and a quick glance from South Hide, between leaving the office and attending a local meeting.
In such a quick visit I couldn't hope to see everything, but it was a joy to be back out on the reserve, taking in the sights and sounds of Minsmere in May. One sight in particular really brightened up my day: avocet chicks!
Avocets are almost synonomous with the Suffolk caost, and Minsmere in particular. They first returned to breed in the UK after an absence of 100 years when they settled on pools left behind by receding wartime flooding (an anti-invasion measure) at Minsmere in 1947. They also nested for the first time at RSPB Havergate Island in 1947 (it became an RSPB reserve the following year). After that initial success, the creation of the Scrape in the early 1960s attracted avocets back to Minsmere again, and they haven't looked back. Avocets are now widely established around the UK, with colonies breeding as far north as Lancashire (RSPB Leighton Moss) and Northumberland, at various sites in the Midlands and South Wales, and throughout East Anglia. They are no longer restricted to caostal lagoons, and a pair is breeding for the first time this year at RSPB Old Moor in the Dearne Valley near Barnsley.
Back in their spiritual home on the Suffolk coast, recent years have seen mixed news.it looks like there may be no avocets nesting on Havergate this year for the time since they returned in 1947, but the nearby RSPB Boyton Marshes reserve is rapidly becoming a good place to see them After breeding for the first time last year, it looks like 12 pairs might be present this year.
Here at Minsmere, although we still have up to 100 pairs annually, breeding success has been poor in recent years. One reason for this the increased predation by the large gull colony, but the story is more complicated than that. Avocets choose to nest within black-headed gull colonies for the protection the small gulls give them from bigger gulls such as herring and lesser black-backed gulls. However, in some years, the black-headed gulls seem to predate the avocets themselves. Consequently, few chicks survive at Minsmere in most years. However, last year was a good one, and early indications are positive for this year. There were certainly good numbers of avocet chick on the Scrape yesterday, and the only chick I saw being predated was a black-headed gull eaten by a huge herring gull - after several arguments with its neighbours.
Avocet chicks are not the only young birds to be seen at present. Also out on the Scrape you might spot barnacle goose goslings, greylag goose goslings, mallard ducklings, and, of course, hundreds of black-headed gull chicks. Expect shelduck and gadwall chicks to appear soon, and with lots of common terns sitting on legs we are optimistic of chicks there too. There are broods of mute swans in the reedbed pools, coot chicks on Island Mere, and various family parties of small birds now on the wing. Meanwhile, in the visitor centre you can watch a great tit family live on our nestbox camera. Very entertaining they are too.
There's still a few passage waders heading north too - although we may see the first southbound spotted redshanks in little over a fortnight! A little stint was on East Scrape yesterday, a bar-tailed godwit remains, and there are still up to 80 black-tailed godwits present. Ruff and dunlin have been seen in the last week too.
While looking out from East Hide I catch sight of "a large pink balloon with red streaks" mysteriously stuck in the mud via a long thin stick. Then the wind blew and Fiona, our now resident flamingo, lifted her head to catch her balance beforequickly settling back into her snoozing position. How could i have forgotten that she was out there?
Within the reedbed, our purple heron continues to reveal its presence with intermittant short flights. Present since 16 May, it is best seen from Bittern Hide - but be warned, you may have to wait for several hours between flights! Four spoonbills are nicely settled on the North Levels - viewed distantly from the Whin Hill Watchpoint. Bitterns and marsh harriers continue to be seen daily too.
It's good to be back at Minsmere.