We may be in the midst of the bitter Siberian temperatures and heavy snowfall brought in by the so called Beast from the East that have forced us to close the reserve for at least a couple of days (we will be closed again tomorrow), but spring really is just around the corner, as witnessed by the emergence of the first adders last week.
One of the surest signs that spring is advancing is the increasing variety and volume of birdsong. All of our resident species are now in full song - though less so in such cold temperatures when finding food is the biggest priority. Walking through the woods you can hear wrens, dunnocks, robins, blue, great, coal and marsh tits, goldcrests or chaffinches singing and maybe a great spotted woodpecker drumming, while out on Westleton Heath the Dartford warblers and woodlarks are in full song.
It may seem hard to believe in such cold weather, but the first chiffchaffs should return within about two weeks, followed shortly afterwards by early wheatears, ring ouzels or sand martins, and by the end of March we will have welcomed back the first willow warblers, blackcaps, swallows and probably and early sedge warbler. And, of course, the avocets, black-headed and Mediterranean gulls will have returned to the Scrape. The other summer visitors will follow in subsequent weeks.
Chiffchaff by John Bridges (rspb-images.com)
With that in mind, our popular bird song guided walks will start in early April, and bookings are now open. There are two different types of walk to choose from. On Saturday 12 May, I will be leading our dawn chorus walk, starting just before first light, at 4 am. Our volunteer guide, David, and I will take you out for a two and half hour walk to experience the wonder of the dawn chorus, before returning to the visitor centre for a delicious full English breakfast, cooked by a lovely catering team. Places are limited on this walk, so please book early to avoid disappointment
David and Charles will also be leading several Sounds of Spring walks. These start a bit later in the morning, at 7.30 am, and are designed to help to you learn different birdsongs. They also return to the café for breakfast - in this case a bacon or sausage butty (or vegetarian equivalent) and tea or filter coffee. Places are again limited, but with a choice of dates available throughout April and May, there should be something to suit everyone.
Our Birdwatching for Beginners and Magic of Minsmere guided walks for April through October are also now available to book. with further events likely to be added in the coming weeks.
We've changed the booking procedure for our guided walks this year, with all bookings now being made on-line, via the Eventbrite website. You can find the details of all walks on our website, with links to Eventbrite, or search for RSPB Minsmere on Eventbrite. We hope you can join us on some of these walks.
Just the kind of positive post we all needed to distract us from the current, charming weather!
Funnily enough I am keeping my eyes open for a few returning migrants .........
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.