A time for change and some family fun
August at Minsmere is a month of change. Many of our summer migrants are leaving now – indeed, most of the local swifts have already gone. Those that remain are busy feeding, refuelling for the long journey ahead. It’s a good time to look for warblers, including whitethroats, lesser whitethroats, garden warblers and blackcaps, feeding in the bramble bushes.
Out on the Scrape, there is a real sense of the changing seasons. With the breeding season over, most of the terns, black-headed gulls and avocets have gone – just a few avocets remain with the handful of surviving chicks.
The lack of black-headed gulls makes it seem strangely quiet at times. In their place, comes a steady stream of migrant waders – black-tailed godwits, spotted redshanks, ruffs, green and common sandpipers, and a few curlew sandpipers and little stints. Consequently, no two visits will be the same.
It’s also a good test of your ID skills, with waders in all sorts of plumages, ducks returning for the winter in their drab eclipse plumage, and warblers no longer singing. There are some compensations though, with a good variety of butterflies and dragonflies on the wing – the first panted ladies are slowly arriving.
August is also the month when many families visit Minsmere, so we organise a variety of family activities to cater for their differing interests. Our Nature’s Olympics event last week was extremely popular, despite suffering from rain and wind on the second day. Thankfully, it was not quiet as bad as they have been experiencing in Beijing!
Next week (20 August) we have our first ever Summer Bug Safari, with pond dipping and crafts the following week. Why not bring the children or grandchildren for a great day out? To book your place, give us a ring.