With the arrival of bitterly cold easterly winds and regular snow showers, and the forecast for more snow over the coming days, I thought I'd brighten up everyone's day by featuring the golden yellow flowers of one of our most familiar native shrubs in our latest weekly focus on Minsmere's 70 species to spot.
European gorse is possibly the easiest of the 70 species to see as you only have to look out the window of the visitor centre or along the edge of the car park to see a number of the spiky bushes. You'll also spot it along the dunes and on the surrounding heaths in its more typical habitat. One thing that you won't notice in this chilly weather is the gorgeous coconut scent wafting around the reserve: you'll need much warmer sunny weather to experience it in it's full fragrant beauty.
The bitterly cold weather doesn't seem to have put off the starlings which continued to display to the gathered crowds over the weekend, along with their attendant sparrowhawks and peregrines. If you are coming to watch them, wear as many layers of clothing as possible - then add another layer. It really is that cold.
The wintry weather is likely to mean a prolonged stay for our family of whooper swans, the 14 Bewick's swans and the two redhead smew. The latter have been joined on the Scrape by two pochards - increasingly scarce birds at Minsmere. The pintail count increased to 13 today, and small flocks of tufted ducks can be seen on the Scrape and Island Mere. Coots have been almost as scarce as the pochard this winter, so it was nice to hear that three were seen on Island Mere today.
Pochard by Ben Hall (rspb-mages.com)
Other winter visitors over the last few days have included two jack snipe at North Hide on Saturday and Sunday, small flocks of redwings and siskins in the woods, and a few snow buntings on the beach.
Despite the cold weather, late February sees the emergence of the first male adders, and, sure enough, our volunteers have managed to find them basking in sunny spots along the adder trail and in North Bushes over the last few days - though they may not be so active this week! The bitterns have begun booming too, and marsh harriers can be seen sky-dancing over the reedbed - a reminder that spring is not really that far away after all.
I just hope that in a month's time we'll all be commenting on how unseasonably warm it is - I think we've earned that!
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.