Sky dancer surprise

After several scarce waders earlier in the month, May had at least one more surprise in store yesterday when our Bittern survey volunteers spotted a superb male Hen Harrier over the reeds.

Known as Skydancers in the uplands due to their buoyant switchback display flight, Hen Harriers used to be widespread winter visitors in eastern England, with several birds spending the winter months in the Minsmere area. However, following decades of persecution, especially on the upland moors where they nest, the population has declined to the extent that it is now a red-letter day when Suffolk birdwatchers spot one of these beautiful raptors. It's especially unusual to see a Hen Harrier as late in the year as mid May, so several of us rushed out to get a glimpse. Most Hen Harrier sightings at Minsmere nowadays are female or immature birds, known as ringtails, so to see an adult male was a real bonus.

Male Hen Harrier by Andy Hay (rspb-images.com) - this is a library image of a bird gathering nesting material on the moors as yesterday's bird wasn't photographed

The Hen Harrier proved quite obliging for at least 15 minutes as it circled above the reeds, sometimes several hundred metres high, often in company with the bulkier Marsh Harriers that are more typically seen here. In fact, it was a good day for raptors yesterday. Whilst looking for the harrier I enjoyed great views of a female Sparrowhawk over Island Mere, then later in the day I watched an incredible flock of at least 15 Hobbies hawking for dragonflies over Island Mere!

Bittern Hide and Island Mere remain good places to look for Bitterns, too , with regular sightings every day, often of more than one bird together! Water Rails and Stoats are regular at Bittern Hide, and a Cetti's Warbler is invariably singing from beneath the hide. Little and Great Crested Grebes are usually seen at Island Mere, where Bearded Tits and Reed Buntings are regular, while Reed and Sedge Warblers can be heard anywhere around the reedbed and a Grasshopper Warbler remains along the new boardwalk.

Male Reed Bunting at Island Mere

While not quite as unusual as some of the waders reported recently, this week has seen several more species calling into the Scrape on their way to Arctic breeding grounds, including a stunning breeding plumage Knot yesterday, Grey Plover, Black-tailed Godwits and Common Sandpiper. Four Sanderlings fed on the Sluice outfall yesterday too. Even more exctingly, the first Oystercatcher and Avocet chicks were feeding on West Scrape yesterday.

A couple of more unusual larger wading birds were seen today too: Glossy Ibis and Spoonbill. Unfortunately, if you weren't in the right place when they flew over, then you will have missed them (as I did).

There are still a few Little and Sandwich Terns among the nesting Common Terns, and Mediterranean Gulls in the Black-headed Gull colony. Good numbers of Common Gulls remain, having not yet migrated north. There are also a lot of Kittiwakes gathering nesting material on the Scrape to use for their nests on the Sizewell rigs. They now have somewhere else to nest, too, as this fabulous new Kittiwake Hotel has just been installed offshore from Minsmere, as compensation for one of the offshore windfarms. It may be a bit late for them to use it this year, but we look forward to watching the Kititwake colony move onto this new structure next year.

Broods of Shelducks and feral geese are keeping their parents busy on the Scrape. A few Wigeons and Teals and a drake Pintail remain, too, while a pair of Garganey have proved typically tricky to spot on West Scrape.

In the dunes, several pairs of Whitethroats, Linnets and Stonechats can be seen, with males often showing well as they proclaim their territories.

Whitethroat

The dunes are also the best place to look for one of the harder to spot butterflies at Minsmere: Green Hairstreak. This butterfly only flies for  a few weeks in the spring, and as the name suggests, it is emerald green, so easily blends into the vegetation. One lucky visitor counted at least 30 in the dunes yesterday, but I was quite excited to spot just one, hiding along the foliage of tree lupins close to the Sluice.

Green Hairstreak

Whilst looking for this butterfly I was distracted by various bees in the dunes. I'm not great on bee and wasp ID, so I'm hoping that someone can help me out with these - perhaps a job for Whistling Joe? (That's assuming the photos are good enough)