December Highlights from Minsmere

As December and indeed 2010 come to a close, I thought I would share some more images from the last couple of weeks at Minsmere, in some very varied weather.

   The 14th brought us some glorious sunshine, and a pair of very obliging Bearded Reedlings to give them their proper name and an equally confiding Lapwing......or should that be a Pewit?.....or a Green Plover......Oh well whichever It looked fabulous in that sunlight.

  The following day was equally sunny but flippin freezing, whilst walking towards the sluice via the dunes behind East hide, I heard a Dartford Warbler calling then I noticed the little bird fly up from a patch of brambles into the depth of some gorse bushes, it showed quite well eventually before disappearing back into the gorse bushes.

   The 18th another sunny day, well some of it, I did manage to see and photograph a Grey Plover on the beach, although the Sanderling and Redshank weren't so confident.

   The 21st was very quiet, the "Waxwing tree" Which had been erected by the RSPB staff Robin and Ian with help from volunteers Luke Mark and Ricky is actually a well strategically placed bunch of large branches laced with Suffolks finest apples, made to look like an apple tree, supposed to attract Waxwings, which have been reported by visitors actually feeding on the apples, sadly I have not witnessed this spectacle myself, only Blackbirds, so it is now Christened the Blackbird Tree! However the apples do not last long on there, as soon as the apples are put in the tree, the Blackbirds are eating the apples before the job is completed.

   The 27th and we are still frozen except South scrape where there are at least 5 Redhead Smew, still diving for fish in what can only be described as slush, in places where it wasn't completely frozen.