It's that time of year where young birds are appearing everywhere you look. I've had great pleasure watching the hordes of juvenile Starlings in my garden for several weeks as they squabble over mealworms and even bully the Jackdaws out of the way. We've even had a family of Pied Wagtails strutting around the lawn, as well.
Here at Minsmere, many youngsters have already left the nest. I watched a juvenile Blue Tit being ringed at yesterday's Bird Ringing Demonstration, for example, and Stonechats have already fledged their first broods on the dunes. Even more excitingly, juvenile Bearded Tits have been seen from the North Wall and Island Mere this week. This means that they should be easier to spot for a week or so until the youngsters are fully independent after which the adults will probably settle down for a second breeding attempt.
Juvenile Bearded Tit by Les Cater. Note the black lores (the area between the bill and eye) which confirm this as a young bird
As if this wasn't exciting enough, some lucky visitors have been able to spot juvenile Bitterns poking their heads through the reeds close to Island Mere Hide. Although not yet fledged, these youngsters have already started to leave the nest and clamber up the reeds to greet the female when she returns with a crop full of fish. For those who remember when Springwatch filmed our Bittern nest back in 2014 (yes, it was ten years ago!), Michaela Strachan referred to this behaviour as semi-fledging. Being semi independent and wandering away from the nest reduces the chances of the Bittern chicks succumbing to predation. The Island Mere nest is one of at least five that our wardens and volunteers have found during their weekly surveys so far this year.
Of course, some chicks leave the nest almost as soon as they hatch, and accompany their parents whilst they grow. This is the norm for game birds and many waterfowl, and there are many families of Greylag, Canada and Barnacle Geese, Mallards, Coots and Moorhens around the Scrape, plus Little and Great Crested Grebes at Island Mere. There are also two large broods of Mute Swans around the visitor trails, with a family of eight cygnets on the Konik Field and another with seven cygnets at Island Mere.
A large Mute Swan brood with attentive parents at Island Mere. Photo by David Naylor
Most wader chicks are semi-independent, feeding themselves but relying on their parents for protection from predators and the elements. The chicks' superb camouflage makes it hard to spot young Lapwings or Redshanks in the long grass, but the aggressive behaviour of their parents towards a passing Herring Gull or Carrion Crow alerts us to the presence of a nesting adult or hidden chick. Avocet chicks are easier to spot as the parents walk them down to the edge of the shingle islands so that they can start to feed in the shallow waters. One of our waders adopts a very different strategy, though. Oystercatchers are generally much more attentive parents, bringing in juicy worms or shellfish for their young, rather than relying on the chicks finding their own food.
Although many of our breeding waders already have chicks, some are still to settle on a nest. A pair of Little Ringed Plovers has been displaying on West Scrape for several days and we hope that they might stay to breed. Others, like the Dunlins, Knots and Turnstones that have been seen all week, are still heading north to Arctic breeding grounds. Many of the 150 or so Black-tailed Godwits that are on the Scrape may not even bother heading onwards to Iceland. These will be non-breeding birds, possibly last year's young, and will remain us through the summer.
Black-headed Gull chicks are appearing all around the Scrape, too, and many pairs of Common Terns have started nesting on the low shingle islands. Varying numbers of Sandwich Terns are present, too, and a couple of Little Terns continue to make regular appearances but are yet to start nesting. We also spotted a beautiful adult Roseate Tern on South Scrape yesterday. This elegant, very pale tern, which has a light pink tinge to its underparts in spring, was simply pausing on route to nesting colonies in Ireland or Northumberland. An immature Little Gull (one of last year's young) remains, too, and dozens of Kittiwakes continue to collect nesting material to take to their colony on the offshore rigs at Sizewell.
Back in the reedbed, very vocal Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers and Reed Buntings confirm that they, too, are breeding in good numbers, while we've already located at least 11 Marsh Harrier nests. These usually start fledging around mid June. Hobbies have become a bit less visible, which suggests that they may have moved on to breeding sites locally. Similarly, Whitethroats, Lesser Whitethroats, Garden Warblers and Nightingales continue to sing from scrubby areas of the reserve.
Whitethroat by Les Cater
A few other more unusual birds continue to put in an appearance too. Great Egrets and Common Cranes remain in the reedbed, both Garganey and Mandarin were seen on the Scrape on Wednesday. A Willow Warbler singing at East Hide this morning is an increasingly scarce bird at Minsmere. Possibly the most unusual sighting of the week was a Fulmar that circled the Scrape for several minutes on Wednesday. Although they pass offshore each spring, it's rare to see this close relative of the albatrosses over the actual reserve.
Of course, there are many beautiful insects to spot this week too, including day-flying moths such as Cinnabar and Silver Y as well as various butterflies and dragonflies. One of our guides was lucky to photo this stunning Hairy Dragonfly this week. Perfectly timed for the launch of our family trail for half term, following the adventures of Darren the Dragonfly. Don't forget to reserve your tickets for our family Pond Dipping sessions next week, as well.
Hairy Dragonfly by Les Cater - note the hairs along the length of its body which are lacking most similar species