Adnams Brewery and more (Day 2 - Minsmere)

Our room and the lovely bird wallpaper

Following a good night's sleep and after a hearty breakfast at Copperbeeches we were packed up and ready to leave.  The journey home was to be via RSPB Minsmere, It is just a few miles north of Yoxford.  It's one of those places that you arrive at, but you're not there yet.  That's probably because it is so large.  After apparently entering the site 3 times, we parked reasonably close to the Visitor centre, put our boots on and began our journey.  As far as bird watching goes, for us, it is an enjoyable pass time, not a competitive sport!  On arrival, we showed our membership cards and were waved through to the expert, who told us excitedly of the unusual visitors they had on the edge of the reserve.  It was a lovely warm day, but very gusty.

We followed his directions (badly) and ended up in completely the wrong place, having seen almost nothing. Just possibly a Marsh Harrier at the very end of the binocular's range. As it twisted and turned, trying to catch thermals, there were flashes of white and bronze, then it was stationary for a few seconds, until it was disturbed by the next gust and had to start again.  We were looking almost straight into the sun for much of the time, so it was easy to lose track of it altogether.  It did make the occasional dive, but I don't think it ever caught anything.

It was on the way back to the visitor centre that I got my best picture of the day.

Robins are pretty common, in fact they are everywhere, but few will stay perched on a finger post long enough for me to get a decent picture.

By now it was lunchtime, so we went to the restaurant for a snack.  Still too full from breakfast really, but knowing the next meal is at home and 6-7 hours away.

The afternoon took us out to the coast where the gulls were struggling with the strong winds, then back past the wetland scrapes, where life was more interesting. Here there is a good selection of birds and ducks, we watched for quite a while.  There was a book in the hide that helped us identify some, but others had to wait until we got home to the bigger, more detailed book.

Eventually, mindful of traffic around Chelmsford, we left the hide and the reserve and made our way home.  There were a few jams, the worst at the A14-A12 junction.  Arriving home as rush hour was getting underway, we were diverted around the outskirts of Billericay by Google to avoid road closures.  By then, it was raining and much colder, so I left unloading the car until the following morning.