Getting the oxygen pumping

After another beautiful sunny morning, I decided to wander down to Island Mere at lunchtime. I hoped that I may manage to find an otter, kingfisher, bearded tit or water rail to add to my year list, but sadly I was unlucky with all four species.

I was, however, able to watch a group of six whooper swans feeding quietly along the reed edge towards the far right hand side of the mere. These were the first ones I had seen at Minsmere this winter, and it's always a treat to watch either of our wild swans, so I was quite pleased to see them.

As I pointed the swans out to the visitors in the hide, a very obliging bittern appeared right on cue at the reed edge just behind them, allowing everyone the chance to spot this usually elusive bird. The bittern didn't stay in view for long though, and barely two minutes after disappearing she was replaced by a female marsh harrier on exactly the same patch of reeds.

Just then my radio crackled into life and Adam reported that a glossy ibis had just been watched from Bittern Hide being harried by a peregrine before landing somewhere in the South Hide area. After a quick debate with myself about whether I had time to walk to South Hide, I decided to get the oxygen pumping and stroll quickly in that direction. As I passed Bittern Hide, Christine called over the radio to say that the ibis was on West Scrape, among some black-backed gulls. This was good news, as it saved both time and distance to walk to Wildlife Lookout rather than South Hide. I even briefly broke into a jog.

Luckily, when I reached the Wildlife Lookout the ibis was still in view, albeit a little distantly. It showed well at first, then walked in front of a massive great black-backed gull and it's dark plumage "disappeared" against the gull's black back. The ibis later relocated onto the South Levels, where it fed in close company with an impressive flock of 75 white-fronted and two tundra bean geese.

A glossy ibis at Minsmere a few years ago by Jon Evans

Glossy ibises are small dark relatives of herons. They have a wide global distribution in southern Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and even parts of the Americas, but they are quite rare birds in the UK. They are, however, less rare than they were a few years ago, and sometimes even occur in small flocks. The increase in occurrence in the UK may be in part due to rising populations in southern Europe, but also due to the Spanish wetlands drying out more frequently. As a result, they are now seen in most years at Minsmere, and a couple of years ago a pair even attempted to nest on an RSPB nature reserve in Lincolnshire!

Barely 20 years ago, it was likely that most birdwatchers would only see one heron in the UK in a year - the grey heron. Bittern numbers have since recovered and little egrets have colonised, so that it's now relatively easy to see both species, at least here in Suffolk. Spoonbills and great white egrets are also becoming more frequent, but today some birdwatchers may have been lucky enough to see as many seven herons or close relatives on the Suffolk coast: grey heron, little egret, great white egret (at Dingle Marshes), cattle egret (at Iken), bittern, spoonbill (at Hazelwood Marshes), and Minsmere;s glossy ibis. That would have been unheard of even three or four years ago, especially in January!

Of course, there's more to birdwatching than spotting rarities, and the Scrape is absolutely packed with ducks, including a few beautiful pintails, and a yellow-legged gull was seen among the commoner species. Marsh harriers were very active above the reeds today, and I watched a gorgeous female kestrel perched on a telegraph post near the Whin Hill watchpoint.