Have you got a plan Baldrick?

Contrary to many people's expectations, the recent warm weather has not been very conducive to seeing our adders. It's been so mild overnight that they haven't needed to spend long basking and have been active by 9 am, thus harder to spot. So, the noticeable drop in temperature overnight was very welcome - and the adders seemed to respond in style this morning. 

However, they were not seen in the usual area, where we've marked out our adder trail - no doubt once the female emerge in the next ten days or so we'll see more of Bentley, Victory and friends. The first two adders reported this morning were in the dunes, close to East Hide. Shortly after that, no fewer than four adders were found basking near the foot of Whin Hill. When I went to look at lunchtime, only one of them was still viewable, but that was a beautiful melanistic male - a black adder. 

You may have to look carefully to spot the black adder in this picture

Black adders are the same species but are darker due to an excess of melanin in the skin. If you look carefully, you can still see the diamond markings. As adders are sensitive to disturbance please observe them from a distance - our volunteer guides will usually be available to help you to see them.

I was actually making my way to Island Mere as our guides had located a water pipit there. This beautiful winter visitor has been more difficult to spot at Minsmere than in recent winters, so i was pleased to see it feeding among the cut reeds close to the hide. Better still, it was already beginning to acquire the pink chest associated with its breeding plumage.

Water pipit by Jon Evans

Shortly after I left Island Mere Hide the great white egret flew in. However, the wind was generally keeping the bitterns in cover today, though they have now started booming. In contrast, the marsh harriers seem to thrive in the wind, as did the two red kites reported over the visitor centre this morning.

Perhaps the biggest surprise over the last few days though has been the incredibly early arrival of two house martins. First seen on Sunday, I caught with up them over the North Bushes today - my first ever March house martins! These may be the two birds that spent a couple of weeks in Lowestoft from late February! A couple of sand martins arrived on Sunday too, though I haven't seen them yet. 

The two pairs of garganeys continue to move around the Scrape, with North Hide probably the best place to spot them. A drake pintail was seen from North Hide again today too. There were no sightings of the smew or goosanders today though.

Black-headed and Mediterranean gulls and avocets continue to dominate the sightings on the Scrape, with a few black-tailed godwits, dunlins, redshanks, curlews and snipe also present as well as the usual ducks and gulls.

When will we see the first swallow or hear the first sedge warbler? Both usually arrive in late March.