SUNSHINE AND WINTER VISITORS AT MINSMERE

   The weekend at last saw an end to the murk of the last few weeks revealing bright winter sunshine so it was with some optimism that I made my way to Island Mere hide to try and see the regular Otters and Bitterns that have been making appearances there. The early dawn light was fantastic but as the morning wore on it became apparent that the stars of the show were not going to make an appearance so at about 10 am I reluctantly left the hide and walked around the reserve to see if anything else was more cooperative.

   Walking along the path past the flooded konik field I spotted some swans swimming in the shallow water and feeding at the reed edges. Closer examination revealed two of the birds to have yellow and black bills and they turned out to be Whooper swans that have recently returned from Iceland. I wonder if these two swans are the same pair that spent the winter here last year, I certainly think its possible as Whooper swans are known to favour regular wintering sites. I took some pictures of them at close quarters in the bright light but it wasn't until I moved on that I realised that the camera was still set for the murk so consequently they appeared very vivid and I had to tone them down a bit later on the computer.

   Making my way to the shore I walked along the beach and dunes on the lookout for any Snow buntings but there were none to be found, in fact wildlife of any description was very scarce so I moved back inland a little to the North bushes which are covered in berries at the moment. Almost immediately I saw a flock of thrushes moving through the bushes, stopping now and then to gorge on the berry bounty so I manouvered to a position where I was partially hidden and waited for the birds to land on the bushes near to me. As they approached I could see that they were both Redwings and Fieldfares, the latter being much larger as well as more wary but eventually they settled to feed and I managed to get some pictures of them eating the berries.

   Both of these species are winter visitors that breed mainly in Scandinavia, North-east Europe as far as Russia and some in Iceland although there are very small numbers known to have bred in this country, mainly Scotland. As well as the size difference Fieldfares are much greyer in appearance especially on the top half of their bodies whereas the Redwings have a prominant pale stripe above the eye and a reddish flank below the wings. These were super subjects to see and photograph and the way they gorging on the berries the bushes will soon be bare for the rest of the winter and the birds will move on to more productive areas. Finally as I was waiting in the bushes I felt a presence and turning to my left slowly observed a Muntjac watching me from about 20 ft away and managed to get a single shot before it hastily disappeared from view.