Apologies that our species of the week blog is a day late again this week - I was meeting a new journalist yesterday to introduce him to the amazing wildlife at Minsmere, before giving to a talk to the RSPB Norwich local group in the evening. Like last week, I have also chosen to break from the regular rules and choose a species that is not actually listed in our 70 species to spot challenge - though as last week it is one of our more popular species.
This week, I'm taking a look at our livestock, and in particular our Highland cattle. It may seem a little out of place to see highland cattle feeding on the grasslands of the Suffolk coast, rather than the Scottish hills, but, like many traditional breeds, they are ideal animals to use to manage our wet grasslands.
Highland cattle at Minsmere by Christine Hall
Highland cattle are familiar to most people, with their shaggy hairy coats and long curved antlers. Ours come in black as well as the more typical ginger. They are hardy animals, quite able to cope with living in wet areas, and outside throughout the harshest of weather. Like our equally popular konik Polski ponies, they do a great job of grazing some of our fields, keeping the vegetation down and maintaining a varied mosaic of heights, as well as trampling the ground the break up the surface and disturb the seedbank. We don't need to artificially feed them as they can find enough food in the fields, but we do check their welfare every day.
Our highlands are currently grazing the drier grassland around the ruins of Leiston Abbey chapel, but at other times of year can be found on the Levels, in parts of the reedbed, or even on the Scrape, depending on where we need them to graze. They are sharing the Chapel Field with several our koniks, and today they've been joined by an unusual visitor in the form of a cattle egret.
Cattle egrets are smaller than little egrets, with a yellow bill, and in breeding plumage (as this one is) a lovely orange wash to the head and neck. As their name suggests, they are often found in close association with livestock and big game. They have a very wide global distribution, being found throughout the Mediterranean region, in sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, and even many part of the Americas, but they remain scarce visitors to the UK. That looks set to change though, with recent successful breeding in Somerset and Cheshire, and more regular sightings here in Suffolk. Although they are now annual visitors, this was the first time I've seen one at Minsmere, though I have seen them elsewhere in Suffolk.
A cattle egret in winter plumage, taken elsewhere in Suffolk a couple of years ago
This wasn't the only unusual visitor seen this week either. A black kite flew over North Wall on Saturday evening, while spoonbill and osprey were also reported at the weekend. The Savi's warbler continues to reel intermittently at Island Mere - it was especially vocal during Saturday's dawn chorus guided walk.
More typical mid May visitors have included a few little gulls and little terns on the Scrape, alongside the Mediterranean and black-headed gulls, kittiwakes, common and Sandwich terns, avocets and black-tailed godwits, plus a few bar-tailed godwits, knots, turnstones and an elusive garganey.
In the reedbed, there are the typical May species: marsh harriers, hobbies, bitterns, reed and sedge warblers, reed buntings and bearded tits - though some are easier to see than others. A barn owl flew over Island Mere on Saturday morning, and more surprisingly a badger ran under Bittern Hide during the dawn chorus!
In the woods you can enjoy the wonderful sight and smell of bluebells whilst listening to singing garden warblers, blackcaps, and chiffchaffs, with willow warblers and whitethroats singing at the base of Whin Hill. Cuckoos can be heard almost anywhere, and seem to be more vocal than last year. Even more excitingly, a turtle dove can often be heard purring around the car park or North Bushes area.
Turtle dove by Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
The last few days have seen a notable increase in numbers and variety of insects on the wing today. Additions to the year's butterflies today included small heath and brown argus, as well as the first cinnabar and silver Y moths of the year. Perhaps most surprising of all was an exceptionally early Norfolk hawker dragonfly - a species more typically seen in June.
Finally, we had reports of the nightjars back on the heath at the weekend, so it's worth planning an evening visit in the next few weeks to hear this incredible sound.