The mixed weather over the weekend signaled the arrival of autumn as we entered October, and the wildlife certainly has a more autumn feel to it now. A walk around the woods reveals clumps of parasols popping up from among the increasingly deep carpet of leaves. This is one of the most obvious and distinctive fungi at Minsmere, but with the arrival of wetter weather we expect to see many more species emerging over the next week or two, including the characteristic fly agaric, tiny amethyst deceiver or rather smelly stinkhorn.
Out on the heath, the red deer rut is now well underway, with the first big stags back on site and beginning to exert their authority. Our 4x4 safaris are already fully booked, but you can watch the rut and listen to the bellowing stags from the public footpath and watchpoint on the southern edge of Westleton Heath. (If you don't know where to go, then please report to the visitor centre first and we'll direct you to the best places.) You may also come across some of the deer in the woods near Bittern Hide.
Duck numbers are continuing to increase on the Scrape, with teal reaching 1000+ over the weekend, for example, and some of them are starting to acquire their finest colours after their summer moult. Wigeons, gadwall and shoveler numbers are also increasing, and a few pintails may be present. A female garganey remained last week, though could be a real challenge to locate among so many teals.
Although wader numbers are beginning to fall, there's still a good variety of speices present, including black-tailed godwits, curlews, spotted and common redshanks, grey, golden and ringed plovers, dunlins, snipe and ruffs. The odd greenshank and green sandpiper may also be seen, while the highlight has been a pectoral sandpiper that has been feeding among the marestail on West Scrape since Wednesday. It can disappear for long periods, but also shows well at times from either North Hide or Wildlife Lookout.
Pectoral sandpiper by Jon Evans
As the temperatures begin to fall, the reedbed wildlife is also beginning to show more often. Bearded tits, in particular, have put on good displays at Island Mere and North Hide this week, while bitterns and marsh harriers are regularly seen at Bittern Hide and Island Mere. A female otter and two cubs were seen at both Bittern Hide and Island Mere this morning, and the dog otter was also at Island Mere. Other reedbed species to look for include little grebe, kingfisher, Cetti's warbler, cormorant and coot, while a escaped black swan has been bossing the mute swans on Island Mere.
Most of the warblers have now left, although I saw three blackcaps in North Bushes this afternoon and a yellow-browed warbler was reported by one visitor in the woods near Canopy Hide. Goldcrest numbers are increasing as birds arrive from the continent, and the first redwings are also being report passing over. Other migrants to look out for this week include fieldfares, skylarks and meadow pipits. It's alsoa joy to hear the melancholy winter song of robins throughout the reserve.
The stormy weather conditions have brought a few interesting seabirds close to shore with reports of Leach's petrel, sooty and Manx shearwaters and great skuas last week as well as regular common scoters and brent geese passing by. More unexpected have been flocks of 18 and 14 spoonbills flying south offshore on Friday and Saturday respectively - presumably Dutch birds beginning their migration southwards.