Our ongoing series featuring Minsmere's 70 species to spot challenge looks this week at one of the commonest species at Minsmere. A species that should be one of the easiest to tick of the list. However, our focus this week is not a bird or mammals, but a plant. In fact, it's a grass. Not just any old grass though, but a very distinctive, tall grass, that is in fact one of the most important species on the reserve.
Common reed, or Phragmites australis, is a common wetland grass, growing along the margins of ditches, and in almost monoculture-like stands known as reedbeds. It grows in both fresh and brackish water, almost throughout the UK, and is a vital habitat for many species of wetland wildlife, including bittern, bearded tit, marsh harrier, reed and sedge warblers, otter, water vole and Fenn's wainscot moth.
Reed in flower
Minsmere is home to the third largest freshwater reedbed in England, which is one of the reasons why we are so important for most of the species mentioned above. However, keeping our reedbeds in tip top condition takes a lot of work, which is why you'll see our wardens, volunteers and contractors cutting reeds at various times every autumn and winter.
The low winter sun shimmering through the reed seedheads
If you spend time in the reedbed hides (Island Mere and Bittern Hide), then you have a good chance of seeing marsh harriers, bitterns and bearded tits at any of year. However, for the last few weeks it's been the North Marsh reedbed that has proved to the main area of interest, with up to 40 000 starlings swirling and twisting over the marsh as dusk approaches, before funneling into the reeds to roost. This has to be one of the greatest wildlife spectacles in the UK, especially if you're lucky enough to watch them while a peregrine or sparrowhawk is after a meal. The spectacle may not last for many more days, or could continue until the end of March, but if you want to see them, don't leave it too long. Currently you want to be on the North Wall from 4.30 pm to see the action unfold.
Starlings over North Marsh
The recent cold weather has also brought in a few typical winter visitors that are always popular with birdwatchers. Two redhead smew (the term used for female and immature smew) are on the Scrape, where nine goosanders and 14 Bewick's swans roosted overnight. The swans flew north soon after first light to feed in their favoured fields the other side of Westleton. The goosanders left at a similar time this morning, and can occasionally be seen on Island Mere during the day. Five whooper swans have been showing extremely well behind South Hide today, but also move to Bittern Hide and Island Mere. A small flock of snow buntings have been seen on a few occasions in the dunes north of the Sluice, and the first winter glaucous gull continues to visit the beach and Scrape.
Whooper swans (above) and snow buntings (below)
Other highlights this week have included a water pipit at Island Mere, the long-staying glossy ibis at Eastbridge, woodlarks and Dartford warblers on Westleton Heath, a few gannets and a fulmar offshore where a long-tailed duck can sometimes be seen among a large common scoter flock. Redwings, goldcrests, treecreepers, nuthatches and great spotted woodpeckers can be seen in the woods, and large flocks of siskins are regular at the Rhododendron Tunnel, and the first daffodils will be flowering behind the visitor centre in the next few days.
Freshwater reedbeds are the most important for wildlife, but reeds also grow well in brackish and tidal water - for example there is a large tidal reedbed between Snape Maltings and Iken, and fringes of reed along many other local estuaries