First, an apology for the lack of recent sightings as a result of me taking a much needed couple of weeks off. Of course, as always happens when I go away, I did miss the excitement of one rare bird dropping in (more on that later), but at least I had been spotting a few scarce birds myself in the southwest.
Without doubt, waders have been the highlights of the last few weeks, with more than 20 different species recorded on the reserve so far this month. By far the most numerous of these have been Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits, with large flocks of both species often feeding together on the Scrape. They certainly make for a great spectacle when a passing bird of prey sends panic through the flock and sends them swirling through through the air for a few minutes before calm returns, once again.
Black-tailed Godwit by Steve Everett
It's worth checking the godwits carefully, as there have also been one or two limosa race juveniles - the mainland European race which differs subtly from the islandica birds of Iceland that form most of the flock - as well as the odd Bar-tailed Godwit. With a very rare North American Hudsonian Godwit currently joining a godwit flock in Cheshire, we live in hope that something similar could find its way to Suffolk!
In fact, there was a brief moment of excitement and panic last week when one of the waders on the Scrape bore a passing resemblance to a Great Knot, from eastern Siberia - a bird that has never been seen at Minsmere. However, it was quickly realised that this was sadly an injured Red Knot (usually simply known as Knot in the UK), with blood-staining on the breast creating a confusing plumage pattern.
As I mentioned earlier, there was one rare wader seen last week, though, when a beautiful juvenile Red-necked Phalarope was discovered on South Scrape. These tiny waders breed across vast areas of Arctic tundra, with a tiny population nesting in Shetland and the Western Isles, and spend the winter at sea. Until recently it was assumed the the Scottish breeding birds wintered in the Arabian Sea, but satellite-tracking and GPS data have shown that, incredibly, they actually fly all the way to the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ecuador! Known for their habit of spinning on the water surface while feeding, phalaropes are always popular birds to spot, but sadly this one only stayed for one evening.
Other waders seen this month have included most of the regular passage migrants plus a few locally breeding species: Lapwing, Ringed, Little Ringed and Golden Plovers, Knot, Sanderling, Dunlin, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff, Snipe, Whimbrel, Curlew, Redshank, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Green, Common and Wood Sandpipers and Turnstones.
Green Sandpiper by Steve Everett
Most of the gulls and terns have now moved off elsewhere, with the terns starting their migration south and many of the gulls moving inland, but we are still seeing a few Common, Arctic and Sandwich Terns, plus Little, Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls.
Ducks always prove tricky to identify in late summer as they undergo their post-breeding moult into a female-like eclipse plumage, but it's worth spending some time checking through the flocks of Mallards, Gadwalls, Shovelers and Teals in search of a couple of Garganeys or Wigeons. The family of Egyptian Geese remain with their fledged young, too.
Garganey in eclipse plumage by Ian Barthorpe
Godwits and Avocets aside, perhaps the most obvious birds on the Scrape are the Spoonbills that tend be seen on East Scrape. Numbers seem to vary - up to seven, but sometimes just one - and they typically spend much of their time asleep, but you may be lucky enough to spot them feeding.
Several Little Egrets and Grey Herons are likely to be seen on the Scrape, too, while Great Egrets and Bitterns continue to be seen every day around the reedbed. Marsh Harriers, Hobbies and Kestrels should be seen, with a bit of patience, around the reedbed, too, and at least one pair of Great Crested Grebes remains on Island Mere.
Smaller birds are typically harder to spot in late summer, but a few migrants are now moving south, including Whitethroats, Lesser Whitethroats, Willow Warblers and the odd Whinchat or Wheatear, while flocks of Goldfinches can be seen feeding on the abundant seeds of thistles and Ragwort.
The pond continues to be a good area to look for Water Voles, Grass Snakes and dragonflies, including Emperor, Brown Hawker and both Common and Willow Emerald Damselflies. Digger Alley is still a good place to look for bees and wasps, and a Wasp Spider was seen there this week, while Whin Hill is probably the best area for butterflies at the moment.
Wasp Spider by Steve Everett