The return of some milder weather this week has brought with it some superb sightings of some of Minsmere's more popular and often elusive species.
Bullfinches are beautiful birds, but despite the males' vivid red breasts, and the obvious white rump in both sexes, they can be frustratingly difficult to spot. Later winter and early spring is usually the best time to look for Bullfinches, as the absence of leaves makes them a little easier to spot, although you do need to know a few tricks of the trade to find them.
Clue one: check out patches of scrub, especially if there any remaining berries - they even eat the dried blackberries that remain. Clue two: arrive early - most Bullfinch sightings seem to be before 10 am. Clue three: be patient and remain vigilant - Bullfinches are not very vocal, and their song is quite indistinct, so they don't easily give themselves away by voice.
Patience is one thing that our volunteer photographers have in abundance, and Les Cater was certainly rewarded for his patience this week.
A stunning male Bullfinch feasting on dried blackberries. Photo by Les Cater
These photos were taken near Scotts Hall, but the best areas to look for Bullfinches are around the North Bushes and near the Discovery Centre.
A Bullfinch showing off his lovely white rump. Photo by Les Cater
The white rump is certainly as a good clue, as the only other small bird that you are likely to see in winter with this feature is a Brambling. There haven't been many of these winter visitors seen this year, so a report of two in the North Bushes was quite notable. The other bird to look for with a white rump is the much bigger and noisier Jay, several of which have been seen in the woods this week.
Elsewhere in the woods, some of the highlights have included an elusive Firecrest around the Rhododendron Tunnel, flocks of Siskins both there and at South Belt Crossroads, one or two wintering Chiffchaffs, flocks of Redwings and the odd Fieldfare, and a few Goldcrests mixed in with the many tit flocks.
Redwing by Robin Drew
Another bird that can prove very elusive is the Bearded Tit, and Les's patience has again been rewarded with this popular species this week. Although Bearded Tits are often heard and seen around the North Wall and Island Mere, the best area to see them this week has definitely been around South Hide and between there and the sluice - luckily the water levels have receded enough for this path to be passable in a good pair of waterproof shoes.
Male Bearded Tit by Les Cater
In fact, this flock has bene quite regularly feeding in the reeds close to the path, and at times they are coming down onto the path itself to ingest fine grit, which helps to grind down the reed seeds in their gut.
A pair of Bearded Tits on the path near South Hide by Les Cater
Other reedbed wildlife has been showing well, at times, too. Marsh Harriers are always relatively easy to spot, but our guides have also been seeing Bitterns, Kingfishers, Snipe and Water Rails from the reedbed hides, as well as hearing Cetti's Warblers. A pair of Great Crested Grebes has returned to Island Mere, and both Pochard and Tufted Duck were spotted there yesterday, and Otters have been seen occasionally.
The four Whooper Swans continue to commute between Island Mere and the Scrape, and up to 12 Goosanders return to roost on the Scrape most evenings. Numbers of other ducks are going up again after some birds moved to the estuaries during last week's freeze, and you should be able to find good numbers of Shelduck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler and Pintail, as well as Lapwing. Other waders to look for include a few Avocets, Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlins, Turnstones and the long-staying Purple Sandpiper. It's also been an excellent week for watching Common Gulls, with a peak of more than 1500. Scarcer gulls have included both Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls among their Herring and Great Black-backed cousins.
Common Gull by Steve Everett
Finally, many visitors have been pleased to see Water Voles, which are still active around the pond, or to watch Nuthatch, Marsh Tit or Great Spotted Woodpecker around the feeders. It's Big Garden Birdwatch next week, so I may have to spend an hour trying to count the dozens of Blue Tits using our feeders! Please don't forget to take part and submit your results - see www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch