It's spring!

Today is the spring equinox - officially the first day of spring, and the wildlife at Minsmere has clearly responded accordingly, with spring migrants, flowers, birdsong and reptiles all reflecting the changing season.

Chiffchaffs are invariably the first spring migrants to arrive, having only traveled as far as Spain and Portugal for the winter, though their exact arrival dates are confused by the presence of one or two wintering birds around the reserve. There have been reports of singing males today, which are almost certainly new arrivals.

There is no doubt that the stunning drake garganey seen from the Public Viewpoint this morning is a new arrival. These beautiful ducks are often among the earliest migrants, but they can be elusive and difficult to spot. Hopefully it will stay for a few days.

Two other typical mid March birds have put in an appearance today, too, though both are likely to be wanders from recently established UK breeding populations. A red kite seen this morning was more likely to be a bird from the Chilterns or Northamptonshire reintroduction programmes rather than a continental migrant. With UK populations increasing rapidly, it is surely only a matter of time before these majestic birds of prey are breeding in the area. 

An even more majestic bird is the common crane, and Amy was lucky enough to see and hear a group of four flying north over the car park this afternoon. Sadly, they were only seen by one other volunteer, and neither of them realised what they were, or had a radio to hand. These cranes are likely to be from the small Norfolk Broads population that typically wanders around East Anglia every spring. Hopefully I'll be in the right place when the next ones arrive.

There are many other birds arriving or passing through, especially on the Scrape. During a visit with my family yesterday I saw eight species of gull on the Scrape, including yellow-legged and Mediterranean gulls and kittiwake, while a ninth species - Caspian gull - has been seen today. I also spotted one bar-tailed godwit among the black-tailed godwits, 70+ avocets, and a couple of ringed plovers.

I didn't get as far as the South Levels, where a spoonbill and both redhead smews were seen yesterday. We didn't manage to find an otter or bearded tit at Island Mere either (though both were seen) but did have good views of a snipe, bittern, marsh harriers, displaying great crested and little grebes, and this very obliging greylag goose and its mate.

I must try to find time to head down to the adder trail too, as there have been several sightings of adders over the last few days. The males are becoming increasingly active, and when the females emerge from hibernation over the next couple of weeks then the action will really kick off. Our volunteer guides will often be present to look for the adders, or why not book on a reptile ramble?

One of the highlights for me yesterday was spotting the delicate red female flowers of alder for the first time, with the male catkins bursting into full flower.

Then, of course, there was the cutest baby bunny around the North Bushes - just in time for the Easter holidays. Don't forget that we have lots of activities planned during the holidays, so why not bring the family?

PS: if you are visiting on Wednesday, the shop will be closing early at 3 pm for our annual stock take. The rest of the reserve will remain open as usual.