Happy Christmas everyone
A reminder that all facilities, including the hides and nature trails, will be CLOSED from 3.30 pm on Christmas Eve until 9 am on Tuesday 27 December, when everything will be open as usual.
It will be well worth a visit after Christmas, too, as there are lots of birds to look for. As well as hundreds of ducks and gulls on the Scrape, there are one or two Avocets, Dunlins, Turnstones and Redshanks. A Kingfisher perched on the new bridge into East Hide this morning, and a Sparrowhawk used the boardwalk as a resting place while hunting yesterday.
In the reedbed, there are still regular sightings of Bitterns, Otters and Water Voles, plus Bearded Tits along the North Wall. Up to 20 Marsh Harriers come to roost at dusk. Two Goldeneyes and a Goosander have returned to Island Mere after the frost, while the big highlight today was a lovely female Smew. Hopefully this will be joined by a few more in the New Year.
Other highlights this week have included Barn and Short-eared Owls and Peregrine over the Levels, Redwings and Bullfinches in North Bushes, Stonechat and Dartford Warbler in the dunes, Treecreepers around the Visitor Centre, and Nuthatches and Great Spotted Woodpeckers on the feeders.
Unfortunately, though, the Starlings appear to have moved on to roost somewhere else.
We do, however, have exciting news that our 2023 events programme is now live. You can find details of safaris and guided walks, including Birds for Beginners, Discover Minsmere, Hire a Guide, Sounds of Spring and our Dawn Chorus Experience. These are all bookable on our website at https://events.rspb.org.uk/minsmere (excpet for the Deer Safaris which will be bookable from 1 July). Keep checking through the year as there will be further walks and family events posted in January.
Photo by Jon Evans