One of our volunteer guides spent some time seawatching this morning and was rewarded with a dramatic encounter between two large scavengers. Pomarine skuas are usually passage migrants in the UK, but one or two often spend the winter off the Suffolk coast, and one has been seen occasionally all winter. Like all skuas, they are pirates - chasing other seabirds to force them to disgorge their last meal, or even catching smaller seabirds.
What was unusual about this morning's encounter was that the target of the piratism. A juvenile pomarine skua chased a juvenile great black-backed gull - the largest of our gulls and one that frequently attacks smaller seabirds itself. Having been unsuccessful in trying to get the gull to disgorge its dinner, the skua grabbed the bigger bird by a wing and flipped it over, before settling on the sea for a few minutes.
This wasn't the only action out at sea as there was an passage of red-throated divers, as well as several great crested grebes. There are usually a few common scoters offshore too, and a grey seal was seen earlier today.
Another slightly unseasonal species present for the last couple of days is spoonbill, with three birds settled on the South Levels. One of these is colour-ringed, confirming that it's the same three birds that have been spending the winter at RSPB Havergate Island and Orfordness NT, and have also visited RSPB North Warren. Spoonbills are more typically seen at Minsmere in April and May.
Two immature spoonbills in flight (note black wing tips which help to age these as juveniles) by Jon Evans
More typical for the time of year are the wildfowl, although we still only have one redhead smew, a couple of pairs of pintails and two whooper swans alongside the large flocks of commoner ducks. The Bewick's swan flock is up to 37 birds, but they spend most of the day feeding in fields near Blythburgh, returning to Minsmere at dusk.
Look carefully among the ducks on the Scrape and you might spot one or two waders, as the first redshanks and black-tailed godwits are beginning to trickle in - though our lone avocet appears to have moved back to a nearby estuary as it hasn't been here for a couple of days. Up to four turnstones can be seen either on the Scrape or the sluice outfall, while a few curlews are often seen on the Scrape, or feeding in nearby fields.
A turnstone eating a mussel by Jon Evans
Up to four otters are still seen every day at Island Mere. Bitterns, bearded tits and marsh harriers are regular from the reedbed hides, and up to five snipe may be spotted hiding in the cut reeds at Island Mere. Kingfishers are probably best looked for a Bittern Hide, though sightings are unpredictable, but the pair of stonechats on the North Wall are a bit more reliable.
And after the discovery of the bird's nest fungus last week, which continues to attract quite a bit of interest, we've just found a great diving beetle outside the front of the visitor centre. We don't often see the adults away from the pond, especially at this time of year, so it was a nice surprise to find this one.
That's a tough pomarine skua to take on a GBB! Lovely photos of the spoonbills and the turnstone - I saw eight of these beautiful little birds at Felixstowe Ferry earlier this week. For once they didn't scarper!
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.