Well, I think we can say that winter has arrived with a bang, with reports of widespread disruption as a result of snow yesterday and today. I hope you haven't been too badly affected.
The snow has missed us on the Suffolk coast this time, although it did settle just a short distance down the coast at Rendlesham and Woodbridge. It was certainly cold over the weekend, and there were some flakes of snow, but not enough to cause disruption. Despite that, most people seemed to heed police advice not to travel - very sensible.
If the weekend was cold, this morning dawned damp. In fact, worse than that. It was decidedly wet first thing. So much so that our wardens and volunteers had to abandon their monthly WeBS (Wetland Bird Survey) count as they were drenched and getting cold. It certainly didn't help that they could barely see through the gloom. They did, however spot a beautiful drake mandarin on West Scrape, adding a touch of the exotic among the large numbers of wigeons, teals, mallards, gadwalls and shovelers.
Even on a day like today, there are still plenty of good reasons to visit Minsmere. Several families came along for our monthly Minsmere Reedlings group for under 5s, They had great fun making bird feeders and Christmas crafts in the warmth of the Discovery Centre - if you have little ones in your family, why not contact us for more details.
If you are looking for some different Christmas presents then why not pop along to the shop. There's some great offers available. And, of course, the cafe is surely a good enough reason for a winter visit, whether for a mid morning cheese scone, delicious hot lunch or afternoon cuppa with homecooked cake. If you play the National Lottery then bring your lottery ticket with you this week and we'll even give you a free cuppa to say thanks for the amazing support that we've received from the National Lottery (up to and including Friday).
You don't need to leave the visitor centre to have a good chance of seeing several of the 70 species to spot from our 70th birthday challenge either. Walking from the car park to reception you'll pass several gorse bushes, their vibrant yellow flowers brightening the gloom. In the car park you may spot the odd bullfinch. Great spotted woodpeckers may spend several minutes at the feeders.
More obvious visitors to the feeders include blue, great and coal tits, goldfinches, chaffinches and grey squirrels, with pheasants, robins and dunnocks beneath the feeders. Look carefully and you may spot a marsh tit feeding alongside their more familiar cousins on Minsmere's feeders.
Marsh tit by Christine Hall
The area around the visitor centre is also a good place to see this week's star of our 70 species to spot challenge: the treecreepers. Treecreepers are tiny brown and white birds. As their name suggests, they creep surreptitiously up tree trunks, where they can be remarkably difficult to spot. Their movements are often described as mouse-like as they search for insects in crevices in the bark, probing with their fine, downcurved bill. If you can learn their high pitched call it's often easier to spot them.
Treecreeper by Jon Evans
We often watch treecreepers creeping up trees immediately behind the visitor centre, but the area around South Belt Crossroads is also a good area to look, That's also a good place to see marsh tits and flocks of siskins feeding in the nearby alder trees. Alder is another of the 70 species to spot, so it's worth the short walk.
Of course, if you do want to brave the weather and enjoy a walk around the reserve, there is still plenty to see. The bittern is still regularly parading around close to the hide at Island Mere, where up to three otters are seen every day. An impressive 16 marsh harriers were circling over the reedbed this evening before heading to roost, and kingfishers, bearded tits and water rails are also regular.
A flock of marsh harriers over the reedbed a few years ago. Photo by Steve Everett
A glaucous gull flew past the sluice yesterday, and a snow bunting was in the dunes on Saturday - both a sure sign that winter is upon us. Good numbers of great crested grebes and common scoters and a few red-throated divers were offshore over the weekend, with a rare report of a red-necked grebe on the sea on Friday.
Up to four peregrines were seen over the weekend, with one feeding on an unfortunate black-tailed godwit on the Scrape. Two whooper swans were on the Scrape yesterday but haven't been reported today, and the Bewick's swans were last reported on Saturday, but are probably still around somewhere. At least six avocets are still on the Scrape too.
So, why not wrap up warm and see how what you can spot at Minsmere this week? Don't forget that you can also keep up to date with news from Minsmere on the RSPB Facebook page or @RSPBMinsmere on Twitter.
Tuesday morning update: we have had a light dusting of snow overnight - and very heavy frost. Some local roads are a bit slippery, so please take care