Minsmere RSPB reserve is a wonderful site for birding so when asked to spend the weekend there doing an Optics Demo the answer was always going to be yes! It was a very slow drive down on Friday with the roads jammed with traffic so no birding possible.
Saturday morning was bright, if cool, and there was just time for a little birding before setting up the demo. The large scrape at Minsmere, just behind the sand-dunes on the coast was alive with birds. Masses of Black-headed Gulls were busy setting up home on the islands and amongst them were at least six Mediterranean Gulls. We watched as the Med Gulls displayed amongst their smaller cousins, often calling their deeper “gawk-gawk” voice. A Spotted Redshank struggled manfully with a stickleback, a small fish with spines on its back, and after many attempts finally swallowed it whole, spines and all. Avocets swept their upturned bills through the shallow waters in search of shrimp or other tasty morsels. Wildfowl included Wigeon, Teal, Gadwall, Shelduck and Tufted Duck. Over the reedbeds beyond the scrape Marsh Harriers floated over the swaying sea for brown phragmities. All too soon it was time to get to work and we headed back to the visitor centre.
The Optics Demo was outside with a view over the scrape and reedbed so the birding did not stop for long, once everything was in place it was back to scanning for more birds. Marsh Tits were in the nearby trees and Marsh Harriers displayed way up above. Late morning another birder spotted three large birds approaching from the north-east, Common Cranes! These enormous birds are pretty scarce in the UK so it was wonderful to see them come right overhead. At one point the party split into a pair and a single and the birds began calling their wonderful bugle calls before joining up again and heading off south.
Sunday was a repeat of Saturday, but no cranes. Ruth spent a good deal of time walking around the reserve and picked up great birds including good views of Jack Snipe and a roosting Tawny Owl, plus all the regulars such as Avocets, Marsh Harrier and Bearded Tits.
Sadly the day drew to a close and we packed up ready for the long drive back to Wales. We popped into the reserve office to say farewell to Tim Rose and all the team at Minsmere and to thank them for looking after us so well. As we chatted two birders came in and asked if we could help with some bird identification. First thought was, Jack Snipe or Common Snipe, as much debate had been heard in the hides by Ruth earlier. But oh no! These guys had something very different. The pictures they had taken just a few minutes earlier showed a male Lesser Kestrel!!! A mega rare bird in the UK.
Within moments we had leapt into the car and tore the few hundred yards along the entrance road to the field where the guys had seen the bird. Even before we had stopped the car we could see the kestrel sitting on post very close to the road. Binoculars were frantically focused and yes there it was, an adult male Lesser Kestrel just sitting right in front of us. Like the finders we could barely believe our eyes!
Mobile phones were grabbed and we alerted the UK’s birders to this massive rarity sat before us! Andy Cook and Julian Torino had just struck birding gold and we were there to share the moment, just brilliant. We flagged down passing cars, and even a coach load on a day trip from Leicester RSPB to share in the excitement. It was just amazing to see this mega bird right there in front of us all, pretty unconcerned by the commotion it had caused. The Lesser Kestrel was happy feeding around the short grass field and often sat on fence posts before dropping down to the ground to grab an insect.
Reluctantly we dragged ourselves away and headed for home. Many thanks to Andy and Julian for their amazing find and for sharing it with us roll on the next visit to Minsmere.