Well, that's another year nearly over. As Adam Rowlands reflected last week, it's been a busy one. And certainly an exciting one.
Here's a few of my personal highlights from the year.
Springwatch. We enjoy having the BBC team with us at Minsmere. They are all friendly and knowledgeable, from presenters to producers, cameramen to catering team. This in turn rubs on on volunteers and visitors, creating an atmosphere that at times feels almost like a festival. The Springwatch experience was more exciting for me this year as I took the opportunity to have a guided tour behind the scenes in the village. I also enjoyed being part of the audience for Unsprung after one of the live shows.
New species. This was my best year for a while for seeing unusual species at Minsmere. Best of all was undoubtedly the bee-eater hunting over the North Wall and visitor centre one day in May, although the very showy bluethroat (also in May) was a close second. Honey-buzzard, barred warbler and velvet scoter were also new species for at Minsmere, while other exciting birds included red-necked phalaropes, red-footed falcon, red-rumped swallow, white-tailed eagle and osprey. What I wouldn't give to have seen the black-browed albatross in July though. Of course, I enjoy spotting our more familiar species too. Personal favourites include starlings, magpies, bitterns, dragonflies and marsh mallow. What will we find next year, I wonder?
Bee-eater by Andy Hay (rspb-images.com). My bird of the year
Lots of chicks. The new Scrape fence proved an immediate success, with lots of avocet chicks fledging, while we also had a good breeding season for bitterns, stone-curlews and lapwings. It must have been a good year for coal tits too, judging by how many are using our feeders this winter. With further management work this winter our wardens are working hard to make Minsmere an even better home for nature.
Our visitors. One of my favourite parts of the job is meeting you, our visitors. Whether you are a weekly (or even daily) visitor or a first timer, it's great to welcome you to Minsmere, and introduce you to some of our amazing wildlife. Everyone has different stories to tell. Perhaps a first bittern sighting, or a close encounter with a rabbit or butterfly. Maybe it was the help from our friendly volunteers, or singing the praises of our wonderful cafe. You all make Minsmere such a wonderful place to work, and your support helps us to keep Minsmere in tip top condition for our wildlife.
Elliot and Georgia had a close encounter with a pheasant at the Discovery Centre this week
So, with Christmas almost here, it's time for me to head off for a few days and wish you all a happy, wildlife-filled Christmas and New Year. If you are planning to visit Minsmere, don't forget that we will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, re-opening on Sunday 27 December (we are open on Christmas Eve too). Our contractors are taking a break too, so there will be no planned management work until Monday 4 January.
Luckily, the wildlife doesn't take a break, so there's sure to be plenty to see when you do visit. A probable Temminck's stint was seen briefly on the Scrape this morning - a very rare winter record, while glaucous, Caspian and yellow-legged gulls were all seen yesterday. You can't fail to see good numbers of ducks, gulls and lapwings from the Scrape hides, and nor can the peregrines as they regularly home in for a meal. The reedbed is a bit quieter, but patience should be rewarded by a sighting of a bittern, marsh harrier, otter or bearded tit. We've seen both pomarine and great skuas offshore this week too.
Wishing you all a very happy Christmas from everyone at Minsmere.
There won't be any snow for the Christmas robin this year (photo by Jon Evans)