Just like waiting for a London bus, birdwatching often sees a cluster of exciting birds arriving in quick succession, after a long period of more routine species. So it has been at Minsmere this month. Following hot on the heals of the bluethroat and long-staying red-necked phalarope, we've had several more scarce visitors this week.
Our site manager heard a bee-eater flying over the Sluice early on Wednesday morning, but it wasn't seen or heard again. Bee-eaters are annual spring visitors, but rarely hang around, though one was seen while BBC Springwatch was here last year too. Thursday saw sightings of both red kite and osprey over Island Mere - the latter filmed by the live Island Mere camera. Then on Thursday evening one of our volunteers spotted a superb adult long-tailed skua flying north offshore. This is a very rare bird at Minsmere in the spring (though odd young birds are seen in late summer), leaving several of the staff rather envious.
Then this morning came news of another red-necked phalarope on East Scrape. Arriving just a couple of days after the last one left, this is definitely a different bird. It is much brighter than the last one, which was a male. This is a female, and she has been performing superbly to the massed crowds at East Hide all day. As these beautiful, yet tiny, wading birds are not annual visitors at Minsmere, to see two in quick succession is a real bonus.
A red-necked phalarope by Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com) - not the Minsmere birds
The phalaropes are not the only wading birds pausing to refuel at Minsmere this week as we've had sightings of ruff, dunlins, turnstones and a greenshank - all in summer plumage - as well about 80 black-tailed godwits on the Scrape. Although these will all be northbound birds, we'll be seeing the first southbound wading birds within the three weeks. Isn't migration amazing?
Other birds on the Scrape include several kittiwakes, four little gulls, a couple of Mediterranean gulls and about 40 avocet chicks with their parents. There's also redshanks, lapwings and oystercatchers with nests or chicks, and good numbers of nesting common terns.
Bearded tits and bitterns continue to draw in the crowds, especially at Island Mere and along the North Wall, while marsh harriers and hobbies can be seen hunting over the reedbed. Flocks of swifts, swallows and sand martins chase insects over the reeds too.
Talking of insects, the first Norfolk hawker dragonfly was reported today, along with good numbers of broad-bodied and four-spotted chasers, a few hairy dragonflies and black-tailed skimmers, and a variety of damselfly species: large red, blue-tailed, common blue, azure and variable. One or common blue butterflies are on the wing too, as are green hairstreaks, orange tips, small coppers, brown arguses and peacocks. Several lovely black-and-red cinnabar moths are flying by day too.
Four-spotted chaser by Ian Barthorpe
And, of course, we can't forget the sticklebacks. Stars of the small screen, these tiny fish continue to attract the crowds as they fan their nests below the Island Mere boardwalk. While you're watching them, don't forget to look for the yellow flag irises and the newly flowering southern marsh orchids alongside the path.
Yellow flag by Ian Barthorpe
What else will we find this week, and what will the Springwatch cameras film.
Good post and pictures. How very true about the "bus" syndrome!