In my first post since the early spring, it's great to be able to report that we've been able to open a few more facilities since Matt's last update. It's probably useful to repeat some of the points from that post too, so below is a summary of what is open and what isn't, followed by a quick summary of recent sightings.
Entry fees
We have now re-instated full entry fees for non members. As a reminder, these are £9 for adults, £6 for students, £5 for children, with one child per party and all under 5s free. Carers also enter free. All RSPB members visit free, and you can join the RSPB on arrival. Car parking is free.
Visitor centre
The shop is now open every day, but with slightly reduced hours. It is open from 10 am to 4 pm. Face coverings are essential in the visitor centre.
The cafe is also open daily, from 10 am to 3.45 pm, but on a take away basis only and with a reduced menu, which includes sandwich, bacon and sausage butties, cheese scones, cakes and hot and cold drinks. Outdoor seating is available for those who have bought food from the cafe. The is no indoor seating.
Toilets are open daily from 9 am to 5 pm only. Access is through the visitor centre, so face masks are required. We ask that only one household at a time uses the toilet block, so you may have to queue at busy times. The toilets are cleaned before opening and again in the middle of the day.
A one way system is in operation around the visitor centre to allow for social distancing on some of our narrower paths. This is signed.
We ask all visitors to complete a track and trace contact form on arrival.
Nature trails
All of the nature trails are now fully open. Most of the paths are wide enough to allow for safe social distancing, but on the few narrower sections, please wait to allow others to pass.
We have opened the seasonal North Bushes Trail this morning. This is a great place to look for migrant warblers, chats and flycatchers, as well as flocks of tits and finches. As this path is narrow in places, we ask you to follow a one way route, with access to this path from the path towards North Hide. The path then brings you out onto the start of the North Wall.
We can't currently issue paper maps, so we recommend that you take a photo of the maps in the visitor centre before heading out.
Hides
Most of the hides are now open: Island Mere Hide, East Hide, South Hide and Wildlife Lookout. Face coverings are essential in the hides, and we have marked these out to help to you maintain safe social distancing. Windows must be kept open in the hides to ensure good ventilation.
Hand sanitiser is available in all of the hides, and our volunteers are wiping down touch points such as door handles and hand rails once per day.
North Hide remains closed as hornets have made a home in the hide.
Bittern Hide and Canopy Hide remain closed due to the narrow staircases.
Wild zone and den building
Unfortunately, this area remains closed for the moment.
Dogs
A reminder that dogs are not allowed on the nature trails, or in the hides. Unfortunately we have no shaded parking available, so please do not leave dogs in the car. We can give you a map of where you can walk your dog in the area. You are welcome to bring dogs into the shop and cafe eating area. Assistance dogs are allowed on the trails.
Cycles
We encourage as many visitors as possible to arrive by bike, and provide several cycle racks - some of which are under cover. We do not allow bikes on the nature trails, so there is no access to the beach for cyclists.
No fires or barbeques are permitted due to the severe fire risk.
Sightings
The lack of rain this summer means that our water levels are quite low at the moment, so this week's rain is welcome. There are still plenty of muddy margins on the Scrape where you can find a wide variety of migrant wading birds. Many of these will only drop in for a few hours (or even minutes), while others may stay for several days. Recent highlights have included both little stint and curlew sandpiper yesterday, several green and common sandpipers, ruffs, spotted redshanks and knots, small flocks of ringed plovers, dunlins and black-tailed godwits, and the odd whimbrel. Three stone-curlews on the Scrape last were an unexpected bonus for two lucky visitors.
Other birds on the Scrape include good numbers of avocets, several little egrets and grey herons, a few lingering common and Sandwich terns, and various moulting ducks. Yesterday these briefly included a moulting garganey. Both spoonbill and great white egret have been seen on the Scrape occasionally, too.
The great white egret is more regularly seen at Island Mere, where bitterns, otters, bearded tits and hobbies have also been reported. A flock of about 200 moulting gadwalls includes up to 50 coots, a few little and great crested grebes and a couple of wigeon.
Yesterday's stormy weather grounded several migrant warblers, such as whitethroats, lesser whitethroats and willow warblers, but they all appeared to have moved on this morning. There have also been a few redstarts, whinchats, wheatears and pied flycatchers passing though over the last two weeks, while a red-backed shrike proved popular last weekend. Perhaps the most surprising sighting this week was a juvenile long-tailed skua that spent about 20 minutes resting on Lucky Pool.
This week's wet weather has probably reduced the activity along Digger Alley, but there are still plenty of notable invertebrates to look out for. Hummingbird hawkmoths and silver Y moths have been feeding on the buddleia bushes at the visitor centre, great green bush-crickets can be found along the North Wall, willow emerald damselflies feed near Wildlife Lookout and wasp spiders are present in the dunes.
We look forward to welcoming you all back soon.
Good to see you back! It just hasn't been Minsmere without you.