Minsmere Excursion Report:
Initial conclusions:  Minsmere is a pleasant but overpopulated reserve.  I personally found it lacking in Bittern activity, but did see a Bearded Tit.  There used to be Bearded Tits breeding where I live but they're all dead now.  Avocet numbers were acceptable:

In fact numbers were almost excessive

I was nearly killed twice in stampedes, the first for a Water Vole nibbling on a log in front of a hide (it looked like Strathpig but not as cute) and then when a Glossy Ibis flew down in front of another hide.


The Glossy One


I did rather like the Ibis, look closely at it's eye which is cute.  Other birds included Cetti's Warbler, Marsh Harriers everywhere, Spotted Redshank, Marsh Tit, Red-Legged Partridge and Green Woodlpecker.

Afterwards I went shopping in Waitrose which I cannot afford but as my mother brought me up properly I shopped there anyway and the expense be damned! 

Monday I Returned To Work
Important work:  the Konik Ponies needed attending to.  Here they are in the little corral I helped build them, looking alert and wondering what we are about to do to them. 

They needed their hooves trimmed. They are supposed to be wild ponies and their hooves are meant to self-manage but sometimes they do not and they have to be interfered with.  Since they are wild ponies they need a little bit of chemical calming before a man can stick their hooves between his legs, so the vet gave them something to soothe them.  Below is Blondie, the ringleader and wildest of the wild ponies.  I like him because he tried to kick us when we trapped him in the corral.

In fact Blondie was given extra drugs just to make sure he was amenable to handling.  Below are the results:

Under the influence

Today I have been learning about Water Voles, or as I prefer to call them, Water Rats.  I learned about the tracks and signs and then we went out to hunt some down.  I found this rather charming burrow.  Note the charactersistic droppings to the left.

I am guaranteed by the course tutor that on a quiet evening they will be swarming about the river and ditches, and I just have to sit and let them come to me.  Or if that fails they will come to apple.  Very much like Strathpig then.

Tomorrow: Adders!