Windy Day

Wednesday 19^th September 2018

Day at Minsmere

WEATHER

20’C in car when we arrived. Big grey Clouds, sunny and very wind. The wind was South West and it was a warm wind. We did not need our coats...

We bushes and trees from the Car Park to the Visitors Centre were full of Blue Tits, Great Tit, and Chaffinches. Once we got to the Birdfeeder just outside the Visitor Centre, the birds were flying in from all directions to the Birdfeeder.

There were two Birdfeeders outside the café this week and both feeders were just as busy with the birds coming to feed. The Blue Tits, Great Tits, Chaffinches and one or two Goldfinches were darting backwards and forwards to the feeder.

The walk from the Visitors Centre to the pond felt warm, we could hear the wind blowing in the treetops, and they were swaying in the wind. North Bush was a little bit more winder and you could feel it coming through the bushes and it felt quite strong. North wall was quiet of bird life, which could because of the strong wind this week. I started to think when we walk to the end to the Beach I am going to hold onto my hat? When we get along the path and in the open the wind was along stronger and a warm Southern wind. At the end of the path near to the Beach, the wind was really blowing and when we looked a crossed to the North Wall, the Clouds looked a bit grey but no threat of rain.

View of North Wall from the Beach

The return walk along the path was just as windy so I decided to take my hat off and put it behind me, then I had another bright idea! If I held a sail, I could sail all the way along the path in my wheelchair. The BIG BUT is where would I end up? It be ok going back down the path to North Wall, but I think going along the path could be a bigger risk because I could be the first person to sail across the North Sea in a Wheelchair and end up on a Beach in Holland (it could be fun).

The North Hide was empty when we got there, after a few minute sitting in the hide other Visitors turned up and up got quite full. Out the front of the Hide, some of the Reeds have been cut back. There are still a lot left that have not been cut down yet and still blocking the view across the Scrape.

View out of the North Hide

I still enjoy looking out of the Hide this time of year when the Reed Beds are grown, because they bring other wildlife in closer so I can see the from the Hide. It the same with the Reed Beds from the Woodland Walk down to the Sluice the Reeds are way above my head and I cannot see across the Scrape. Other visitors have said to me that they should be cut back so I can see the Bird life on the Scrapes; I said there is so much more wildlife down in the Reeds than you can see other the Scrapes. I just wish people would look more closer to them to what is going, because they are missing so much. They could still use their Binocular’s to get a closer view as most Binoculars will still focus as close as 3 to 4 Feet and some will focus closer.

As we were walking back along the North Hide Path, I saw my first Parasol Mushroom for this year at Minsmere. The very first Parasol Mushroom I saw this year was the end part of August out in the car with my Mum.

North Hide Path Parasol Mushroom (first one I've see this year at Minsmere)

Even though it was wind today, we still sat outside to have Lunch, as it was warm. After we had, had Lunch we did the second half of Minsmere through Woodland Walk and down to the Sluice.  The wind was blowing through the Treetops as we were going along the Woodland Walk Path and some of the Trees were creaking and sounded like they needed a stray of WD 40 to loosen their branches. The Reeds sheltered us from the wind as we walked along the path down to the Sluice, the only thing where they had started thin the wind did get through very easily. The rain that we had a couple of day ago have firmed the path up quite a lot so it is easier to push my wheelchair along the path. The Sluice was very windy, we did not stay there long, I did look across to the Bittern Hide and from my Wheelchair it looked like a Sea of Green with the blowing the tops of the Reed Beds they looked like Green waves going cross the Scrape.

The red carpet of Glasswort is back on the South Scrape.

Glasswort on the South Scrape (taken 20th September 2017)

Glasswort can be found all around the world on Saltmarshes and Beaches.

Glasswort is also named Pickle weed and there are about 30 species of the plant and the accumulate salts in their leaves and stems.

When Glasswort is dried and burnt, it had a large account of Potash and was used in Glassmaking.

Behind the wildlife, Hide was a Pair of Mute Swans with a large number of Ducks. Out the front of the Wildlife Hide the Reed were getting nearly bent over by the wind and there was a Little Egret sitting at the base of the Reed trying to get some shelter from the wind.

Mute Swans behind wildlife Hide

Litter Egret Wildlife Hide.

END OF A WINDY DAY