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I've often said that Island Mere Hide at Minsmere is my favourite place to watch wildlife, relax and chill out in England, and twice this week that view has been reinforced.

On Sunday afternoon I brought my wife and son, and both sets of grandparents, for a short visit after our Mothers' Day lunch. After looking over the Scrape from North Hide (avocets, Mediterranean gulls, lots of ducks, lapwings), strolled to Island Mere for about half an hour. Wow! Even for a seasoned visitor like me, and someone who has worked at Minsmere for seven years, the sight that greeted us was unrivalled.

Entering the hide we were told by the crowds already there that a bittern was in the open, and had been for 30 minutes. Sure enough, there he was, searching for frogs and invertebrates barely 20 metres from tthe hide. We hurriedly took our cameras out and were delighted to get some excellent shots - even just with a ten times zoom on my compact bridge camera! I needn't have rushed. Over the next 30 minutes the bittern came gradually closer, only disappearing into the reeds for  a few minutes, and was eventually closer than two metres from the hide! I'm sure it was too close for some of the long lenses. We were able to see almost every feather detail, and marvel at the huge feet.

Many of the visitors in the hide had never seen a bittern before. I heard comments such as "it must  be remote controlled" and "it rather demystifies the secrecy of a bittern - they shouldn't be in the open." That's the joys of birdwatching - you really never know what to expect.

It wasn't just the bittern though. Marsh harriers were skydancing, and we even saw a food pass. Bearded tits were calling. On the mere itself were a drake smew, drake goldeneye, great crested grebe and many ducks. The snipe were brilliantly camouflaged feeding close to the hide too. And the light was just incredible. The sun through the dancing reed heads shimmered like a sheen of oil, adding to the magic of the occasion.

This morning, Island Mere weaved it's magic again. Following a call from one of the wardens that there was a penduline tit on view, I nipped down for a quick look, and had a superb ten minutes. There wasn't just one penduline ti, but three, looking gorgeous in the bright sunshine. In the cut reed in front of the hide, one of our regular visitors kindly pointed out the brilliantly hidden jack snipe (probably and even better bird than a bittern for hiding), then a warden spotted three common buzzards soaring on thermals overhead. No bittern today, but I didn't really care. Island Mere had once again proved why I love the place so much. I just wish I had more time to spend there.

Since posting my last entry, we've had a period of heavy rain which once again resulted in flooding at Minsmere. Although the weather has been better for the last week, water levels remain high and part of the Scrape trail remains under water and innaccessible. While this is frustrating for visitors and staff, it should have little long term impact on the wildlife - providing the water subsides soon.

Although in my last post I confidently predicted that spring was around the corner, that corner seems to be an awfully long one. It still feels remarkably cold for mid March, especially in the recent spell of NE winds. They call and wind from the north or east a lazy wind in East Anglia. Lazy because it goes stright through you rather than going round! If you've experienced Suffolk's lazy wind, you will know what I mean.

Anyway, despite the continued cold weather, there are definite signs that spring is coming - albeit much slower than we're used to. Marsh harriers are dancing through the skies with their incredible switchback display flight. It's amazing to think that as recently as 1971 Minsmere had the UK's only surviving pair of these gorgeous birds of prey. Now there are almost 400 nesting females in the UK, including up to 15 at Minsmere, and at least eight birds are already displaying over the reedbeds. Most people expect to see marsh harriers low over the reeds, but while displaying they can rise so high in the sky that they become a mere dot, before diving steeply and sweeping back up as if riding an invisible rollercoaster. During these displays, you can also hear their high-pitched mewing calls from some distance.

One of the most obvious effects of the cold winter has been to delay the start of bittern booming season. In some recent years they'd have been booming for six weeks by now, but this year has remained spookily silent. The first faint grunt was hear early on Saturday morning by Adam Rowlands, our site manager, but it's likely to be a few more weeks before they start booming properly or regualrly - watch this space. Whilst listening to that faint grunter, Adam was stunned to watch another male bittern walking around within a few metres of the Island Mere Hide for more than an hour. (Did you know you can sex a bittern during the breeding season by the colour of the facial skin at the base of the bill, with blue for a boy and pinky-yellow for a girl?) Although Adam has seen bitterns many times, it's always a treat to have such prolonged and close views - and there was no-one to share the experience with! Will you be as lucky?

Adam had another close wildlife encounter on Sunday morning, when a male crossbill was found in a tree beside the wardens' office. It's crown feathers looked rather tatty, suggesting the bird had recently escaped a sparrowhawk's talons, and it was clearly still in shock, as Adam was able to approach to within a few metres to point the bird out to visitors. This crossbill remained in the tree for quite a while, allowing several visitors to enjoy unrivalled views of a stunning bird.

With Mothering Sunday almost upon us, it's amazing that we still don't have any flowering daffodils outisde the visitor centre, though I'm sure they won't be long before their golden trumpets are finally heralding spring proper. And we're expecting the first sand martins within the next ten days. There's already been a few elsewhere in the country, along with early little ringed plovers, wheatears and black redstarts, but they may wish they had stayed in Spain a bit longer. 

What a difference a day makes!

Yesterday (and the previous few days for that matter) was dull, wet and dreary. Not the sort of day for spending outdoors, watching wildlife. Despite that, we did welcome many visitors to Minsmere to take part in our half term activities and do a spot of birdwatching.

Today, in contrast, was gorgeous, with a real feel of spring in the air at last. The sun shone, adding a welcome touch of warmth. And the visitors flooded in. It's always great to see so many people enjoying Minsmere's facilities and wildlife.

I had a great stroll at lunchtime, with robins, blue tits and wrens in full voice, marsh harriers and ringed plovers already displaying, and lapwings and ducks looking stunning in their finest plumage. I even spotted an avocet on East Scrape - a sure sign that spring is just round the corner. Many trees are already beginning to bud, and the daffodils outside the visitor centre will soon be bursting into bloom. Woodpeckers are drumming, nuthatches piping, skylarks singing and bearded tits pinging as marsh harriers dance overhead. No booming bitterns yet through - probably due to the colder winter than in recent years.

With so many signs of spring, it seems highly appropriate that families will be making nestboxes to take home tomorrow, while others have been finding out about homes for wildlife all week.

Why not come along and see for yourself what wildlife is out and about - and spot your own first signs of spring.

That was my thought last night when I looked out of the window at 5 pm to see the most incredible dark red sky. It was already dark, but the sunset lingered for several more minutes yet. In fact, the entire western portion fo the sky glowed as if on fire. My mind drifted to the last phrase of the first half of Jeff Wayne's brilliant interpretation of "The War of the Worlds", when Richard Burton's languid tones uttered "The Earth belonged to the Martians!"

Thankfully, when I woke this morning it was clear that normality reined. Or perhaps I should say rained, as after yesterday's lovely blue skies today dawned dull and dreary, and remained that way!

But what exactly is normal in the natural world? After the long cold snap at the turn of the year, there's been a few surprises in store. Redwings and fieldfares are everywhere, yet the lcoal song and mistle thruses have been starting to sing this year. I usually expect to hear the first thrushes at Christmas, but this year my first were only singing last weekend. Now, when the sun shines, thrushes, robins, wrens and tits are already in full song.

In some years we hear the first grunting bitterns as early as the last few days of January, but I'd be surprised if they start before the end of February this year. Bitterns are one of the species that can struggle in cold weather, so we've been putting out sprats to help them through these lean times. They might not be too interested, but the water rails have been very appreciative.

One species that tends to be easier to spot in cold weather is the woodcock. These are notoriously difficult birds to spot witht heir cryptic plumage and largely nocturnal habits, but cold weather brings them into the open, often in unusual places! Many thousands of woodcocks arrive on our shores as they flee the extreme cold of northern Europe, and some even turn up in gardens. They've been quite easy to see at dusk around the car park and wardens' office at Misnmere, and I was luckily enough to distrub one at lunchtime today. I had a great view of its typical long wader's bill as it took off, with the rounded body and rapid flight so typical of these strange woodland waders.

Otters have been showing well too, but I've not bumped into one myself. Some lucky visitors have seen up to three at Island Mere recently! Winter is a great time to lok for mammals at Minsmere, with many of the rabbits, grey squirrels and muntjacs proving to be very tame. It's not so many years ago that any sighting of a otter was a once in a lifetime experience, but if you spend enough time at Minsmere there's a chance you can spot one too.

And don't forgot to take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend. For a survey form go to www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch.

What is it they say about the Brits always complaining about the weather? A few flakes of snow and the whole country grinds to a halt. Several inches, with continuously freezing conditions, and wildlife starts to feel its effects too.

I can't remember the last time we had so much snow on the Sufoflk coast - and for such a long time. And we've got away quite lightly compared to some places! There has been almost continuous snow cover for more than three weeks now, but over the last few days we've had considerably more - probably around 20 cm in total. Most of the Scrapes and reedbed pools have completely frozen over too. The white landscape is spectacularly beautiful, but eerily quiet at times.

There is still loads of wildlife to be seen, but it's difficult getting out to see it. Hundreds of ducks crowd around tiny open patches on the Scrape, although many have moved to the nearby estuaries or the salty, ice-free pools on Havergate Isand. Marsh harriers and barn owls are searching for any small mammals or unlucky creatures that have perished in the cold. The feeders are busier than ever as finches, tits and woodpeckers take advantage of the easy pickings, while pheasants, bunnies and robins forage for the scraps beneath. Many birds, though, have moved elsewhere, with gardens in all local towns literally filled with redwings, fieldfares and continental blackbirds as they search for berries, fruit and other vital resources. Please keep your feeders stocked and bird baths refreshed, to help your garden birds. Then you'll be ready to take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch on 30 or 31 January.

It's been a challenge for wardens at Minsmere too. We've had to had to work especially hard checking our livestock to ensure they remain healthy, with access to food and water. With konik and Exmoor ponies, highland cattle, Manx loghtan and Wiltshire horn sheep scattered around various parts of Minsmere, North Warren, Dingle Marshes and Snape, that's a big job, especially on the icy roads. We've had to suspend some of our management work too as it's impossible to cut reeds in the icy weather, and impractical to work on the heathland either.

Just getting to Minsmere is difficult as many local roads are extremely icy. We had to close the reserve yesterday as power cables were brought down across the entrance road by the weight of snow, leaving us with no power and mamink safe access impossible. The visitor centre remains closed for the weekend, although the reserve itself is open. Please take great care if you decide to visit.

I have only seen the reserve once since Christmas due to offsite meetings then making the, in hindsight, safe decision to work from home. With luck I'll be back there on Tuesday, and I may get the chance to take a few wintry photos. In the meantime, I'm enjoying watching redwings, fieldfares and bullfinches in my garden - the latter two both being first sightings for the garden.

I hope you've not been too badly affected by the snow.Take care.

Like much of the rest of the country, Minsmere has a very festive, Christmassy feel, having been blanketed in snow and ice since Friday. We've not had as much snow as most places, but with the temperature barely rising above zero all week it's been slow to melt.

When the sun has been shining, Minsmere has looked like the perfect Christmas card. Ducks, in all their glorious technicolour, sitting on the ice or splashing busily in the few remaining open patches. Robins, chaffinches or blue tits perching on a snowy twig, or dashing to the tearoom feeders for a much needed snack. Cock pheasants or bunnies pearing over a snowy tussock. Golden reedbeds topped off with glimmering patches of snow. If only I had more time to explore.

Over the last couple of days, I've noticed that any white birds look even brighter as their plumages gleams in the reflected light fromt he snow. Gulls almost glint like diamonds as they float lazily over the fields. A barn owl hunting over Snape Marshes last night stood out like a beacon, while a nearby little egret merged into the snow on the river bank.

As I walked down to the visitor centre this morning, I was serenaded by bugling Bewick's swans somewhere near Island Mere (the cold weather has seen more arrive in the few days, with 41 present on Monday). Long-tailed tits called excitedly around my head while a flcok of about 20 siskins twittered enthusiatically as they fluttered towards South Belt. On the feeders, a coal tit boldly stood his ground among the larger, and usually more aggressive great tits and chaffinches. Wow. What a day!

There's one winter visitor that's sure to quicken any heart thoguh, and that's a drake smew. Colloquially known as a white nun, these exquisite little ducks are scarce visitors to the UK, so will always prove popular with birdwatchers. Minsmere has become a favoured lcoation, and we've been lucky enough to see a drake in most recent winter, along with several of the chestnut headed, white faced females which ar epopualry known as redheads. Drake smew is, without doubt, one of my favourite birds, so it was with great reluctance that I headed back to the office rather than head off in search of this glorious white duck with his delicate black markings. Too much work to do. Hopefully, he'll still be here in the New Year, offering me a great start to the 2010 list.

I'm really looking forward to Christmas this year. My young son will probably be more excited by the boxes than his proper presents, but we'll treasure the memories and photos. Having children brings out the child in all of us.

I hope you've had a good 2009, and that 2010 will bring you many happy memories of close encounters with exciting wildlife, whether at Minsmere, in your garden, or maybe somewhere even more exotic.

Happy Christmas and an exciting and peaceful New Year from all at RSPB MInsmere.

Once again, Minsmere has been working its magic on me this week. I've had some superb encounters with wildlife whilst on lunch time potters. And, as usual, it's often the common species that inspire most.

In fact, earlier int he week, it was a trio of non-native species that provided the best moments. Wandering slowly through South Belt, I couldn't help but stop and admire several grey squirrels, intent on searching for food to get them through the winter. First they'd bound through the leaf litter, bushy tails held high above their heads. A quick forage and then a dart to a suitable lookout later, and they sat looking at me with their beady black eyes while munching on a tasty nut or acorn. Love them or hate them, grey squirrels are inquisitive, cheeky characters, and Minsmere's woods would a duller place without them. Long gone are the days when you could watch red squirrels at Minsmere - or anywhere else in Suffolk for that matter (a handful remain in Thetford Forest).

They'd be duller with pheasants too. A cock pheasant has been described by Bill Oddie as perhaps the most colourful bird in the UK, and in terms of the number fo different colours in their plumage he may be right. They are truly maginifcent birds, trailing that long tail behind them as they strut around the leaf litter or field margins throughout the UK. At Minsmere, pheasants can become quite tame, allowing visitors plenty of opportunities to pick out the different colours: purple, green, red, gold, black, white, bronze and brown. Several feed below the visitor centre feeders, or close to the woodland paths, but they always look strangely out fo place when they fly to the tree tops to roost, or stroll among the ducks ont he Scrape, yet these habitat reflect their origins as birds of swampy woodlands in Asia.

The third introduced species I encountered this week was the muntjac. These small deer - no bigger than a collie - can also become very tame. Many people are surprised to see deer at such close range, despite the presence of our large herd of red deer. They're also surprised by how small the muntjacs are. Although they will sometimes allow you to approach quite close, more often than not you see a flash of white from the underside of the tail as they dart to safety behind the nearest tree. That was the case this week as one charged down a bank, flushing two pheasants as they went.

Bird of the week though is probably lapwing. There are hundreds of them on the Scrape, and watching them in the low winter sun makes you realisejust how colourful they are. The green upperparts are tinged with bronze and purple on the shoulder, with pale buff feather edges and a shorter crest distinuishing the young birds from the adults. When a marsh harrier or sparrowhawk flies over, the sight of hundreds of lapwings flapping off in panic is a real spectacle.

There's a similar spectacle at RSPB North Warren, where I watched hundreds of ducks, geese and lapwings yesterday. At Snape, there were about 500 lapwings on Saturday, with 800 golden plovers and 1500 dunlins, making for a incredible sight when a sparrowhawk flew past. Superb!

Why not get out and enjoy such winter highlights this month.

For a true sense of natural colour, there's no better place to be than Minsmere in winter. The colours are simply superb at the moment. From ducks in their finest plumage to goldfinches on the feeders, golden reed stems to red and white fly agaric toadstools, it's possible to see all the colours of the rainbow and more at this time of year. Pick a sunny day, like today, and the colours glow even better.

Looking over the Scrape during a guided walk this morning was simply magical. Bewick's swans and several species of gulls glistened, their crisp white plumage almost reflecting light back towards me. Shovelers, too, stood out like beacons, their white breasts and chestnut flanks providing a superb contrast with their dark bottle green heads. The orange and green head, creamy tail sides and green wing patches of the delicate teals were clearly visible, especially on those birds that drifted closer to the hides.

Wigeons always look a treat with their chestnut head, creamy-yellow forehead, pink breast and grey body, but the tiny blue-grey beaks just adds that something extra. even the grey-brown gadwalls look stunning when seen close by, with subtle fine barring, while their black bottoms stand out at a distance. Best of all, though were the five pintails, casually feeding in deeper water in the middle of the Scrape. hey are such elegant birds, but can anything really beat that long chocolate-brown neck with white stripe stretching all the way to the creamy breast? Perhaps it can, but as we haven't had any cold weather yet we are still waiting for the first smews to arrive.

You don't have to walk far to see some amazing colours though. Simply sit outside the visitor centre and watch the activity on our bird feeders. The goldfinches are incredible, especially on a sunny day. Surely these must be among the most exotic looking of british birds. Have you ever watched them closely? Look at that gorgeous red face, bright golden yellow wingbar, and black and white flight feathers. Look, too, at the buffy-orange body plumage. Stunning!

Our goldfinches are always battling for supremacy at the feeders with greenfinches and chaffinches, both of which are far from dowdy themselves. Look closely at a male chaffinch and you'll se an amazing variety of colours: pink breast, blue-grey head, green rump, black and white wings and tail, plus patches of grey, buff and brown. All these finches are jostling with equally colourful blue tits and great tits. Look carefully, and you might spot a marsh tit or a badger-headed coal tit.

Talking of badgers, I saw another one on my journey home a few days after posting my last entry, and I'm continuing to hear tawny owls in the evening. One of my best moments recently, though, came when sitting in Island Mere as dusk approached.

Island Mere is perhpas my favourite place in the UK. Somewhere to chill out, relax, and wait for the world to unfold around you. Looking out over the golden reedbeds, swaying in the moderate south westerly wind, as the sun set orange beyond the distant line of populars, I couldn't have wished to be anywhere else (except curled up at home with my wife and baby son! - sorry, is that a bit cheesy??) Anyway, back to the story. Marsh harriers drifted in from all directions, patiently looking for a last meal of the day before carefully deciding where exactly to settle for the night. A barn owl emerged briefly fromt eh trees on the edge fo Eastbridge village, some mile and a half away, before disappearing just a quickly. I could hear the shrill whislte of a passing kingfisher, but the bird eluded me.

Then to my delight, a female type hen harrier, known by birdwatchers as a ringtail, drifted slowly over the reedbed. Once much more common, these slender birds of prey are sadly a scarce sight at Minsmere nowadays, even in the depths of winter. This may well be a reflection on the continued persecution of these moorland-breeding ghost hunters (so called because of the males pale grey plumage). This persecution must stop if we are continue to enjoy watching these wonderful birds. If you haven't done so already, please sign the RSPB's Bird Of Prey camapaign pledge at www.rspb.org.uk/birdsofprey.

Talking of spectacular sights, why not visit Snape Maltings from 3.30 pm to watch the stunning swirling flights of starling flocks gathering to roost int he reedbed. I estimate at least 12000 birds on Saturday. Don't get there too late, as the birds will be settled by about 4 pm. RSPB guides will be there most evenings (except ues/Wed) to help you to learn more about these wonderful and much under-rated birds.  Maybe I'll see you there.

Now that the clocks have changed, it can be frustrating that it's dark before I go home in the evening. This means I can't pop into Island Mere Hide or down to Bittern Hide to check for roosting harriers, bitterns or starlings - unless I go at dusk and stay in the office later instead. However, it doesn't mean that there are no wildlife watching opportunities after work.

Last night was a great example. As I left the office at 5.30 pm, two tawny owls hooted from the nearby woods. Everyone loves owls, but tawnies can be among the hardest to see as they are strictly nocturnal. But their distinctive hooting call gives away the presence of these otherwise silent hunters, and November is probably the best time to hear them.

This is because tawnies stay on their territories all year and about now they are starting to strengthen their pair bonds ready to start breeding in January! Yes, as early as that. Tawny owls are probably the earliest nesting birds in the UK.

Despite being so difficult to see, a hooting tawny owl is one of the most distinctive and familiar sounds in our countryside, and may be heard in many gardens too. Yet the familiar "two-whit-too-woo" is not actually given by a tawny owl, but by a pair. One bird calls "ke-wick" followed immediately by a reply of "hoo-hoo". Last night, I heard just the hooting "hoo-hoo", although there were certainly two birds calling.

My night time wildlife watching didn't end there, as a short distance along the entrance road I slowed down as a large, hairy shape bumbled along the verge. The distinctive backside belonged to one of our most exciting mammals. A badger! We know there are a couple of setts at Minsmere, and we often see signs of their presence, but like the tawnies, badgers are usually nocturnal, so any sightings are a bonus. This was only the second time I'd seen a badger at Minsmere this year, after bumping into a mother and two cubs in broad daylight at our Springwatch weekend in June.

A night time drive home is often a good time to search for wildlife. Rabbits regularly scuttle from the verges, seemingly on a suicide mission. More frightening is the sudden appearance of a red deer in the headlights - not a creature you'd want to hit unless you can afford an expensive repair bill. As last year, the red deer rut viewpoint was incredibly popular, with superb views of these majestic beasts. The viewpoint is now closed, but if you're visiting Minsmere keep an eye open for deer at any time. There were four close to the path at lunchtime.

The leaves have fallen from most of our trees in recent gales - a sure sign of winter's coming. Yesterday's weather, though, wouldn't have been out of place in the tropics, but for the cooler tremperature. We had several showers of monsoon-like proportions, resulting in a rapid rise in water levels in the reedbed. The Scrape's looking superb too, so the long dry summer already seems a distant memory. Winter is very definitely on its way. I usually consider my first sighting of a Bewick's or whooper swan to be a sign of the changing season, and I saw both on Island mere on Friday, and again on the Scrape today.

Roll on the first frosts, and the arrival of winter proper, with its accompanying abundant ducks, glorious sunny evening and birds coming in to roost (though not starlings yet at Minsmere - Snape Maltings is the place to see them at present). Come along and see them for yourself.

There are some days when I feel so lucky to work at Minsmere. Most people who I meet say things like "you're so lucky to do your job" to which I invariably reply, "it's a shame I spend so much time int he office". Today though, things were different.  For a start, I managed to find time for a stroll at lunchtime. The first surprise was watching a male sparrowhawk chasing a kestrel above the car park - not something you see everyday! Although at first glance the North Bushes trail seemed quiet, there were a few goldcrests around, and a superb view of a treecreeper. Careful checking through the vegetation revealed a late lesser whitehroat feeding, while a calling chiffchaff refused to reveal itself. A few swallows flew overhead, but the highlight was an incoming viistor: a stunnign male brambling. My first of the year.

A few minutes later, I was watching small groups of brent geese heading south offshore, with a red-throated diver on the sea. Winter is clearly approaching, and there was a definite nip in the air.

Soon after returning the office, Adam Rowlands relayed a message over our radios that one of our guides had found a red-flanked bluetail in the Sluice Bushes. This is an extremely rare autumn visitor to the UK. Tiny numbers breed in Finland, with the rest spread across the Siberian taiga forest. They usually head southeast to spend the winter in SE Asia. However, a few drift the opposite way and if conditions are suitable they may arrive in the UK. Until three years ago, there was only record in Suffolk, then one was found at Thorpeness. There has been one in each of the last two years too, but there had never been one at Minsmere. Until now. The wardens all rushed out in hope of finding this much-sought after visitor. The bird was very mobile in thick scrub,and being hassled by robins and wrens, but it did eventually show itself, leaving msot fo the staff very happy.

As usual with lost migrants, this is a young bird, so not as colourful as an adult male. However, it is still a gorgeous lttle bird, with a blue tail, orange-red flanks, and a white chin, plus a white ring around the eye. You might not even find it in your field guide, as they are such rare visitors tot he UK. Many people will probably ask red-flanked what?

It's not just rare birds that I've been watching recently, as last week I took four people on another Minsmere deer safari. We had superb views of our red deer, including an impressive 20-pointer stag. It's amazing how close we can get to these impressive beasts in our vehicles. The deer safaris have been so popula rthat they are now fully booked, but if you want to watch the deer, then please visit our viewpoint on Westleotn Heath. It is open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday this weekend, then daily from Friday 23 October to Sunday 1 November, from 3 pm to dusk. Why not come and visit?

The dry weather continued throughout September, but this week there is a change in the air at last. Yesterday and today we've had some strange wet stuff falling from the sky. I think they call it rain, but I almost can't remember what it's like.

So far, the rain hasn't been much more than drizzle, but I'm sure that we'll finally start to get some proper rain soon, as the autumn weather fronts move through. Several of the local and national media have picked up on the story that Minsmere's Scrape looks like a desert, but this is a bit unfair really. True, East Scrape is dry and sandy rather than being squidgy, oozy mud, but we have got water on both West and South Scrapes.

The lack of soft mud has had an effect on migrant wading bird numbers, with only the odd wader seen most days. This is disapointing for birdwatchers, and frustrating for staff, and seems to have the case at several other coastal sites this year. It should have little impact on population levels though, as many of the waders will have stopped at other sites instead (maybe inland or further south), or chosen to use the local estuaries.

Long term, we are not too concerned about the impact on the Scrape's wildlife. A natural coastal lagoon will periodically dry out, and our management is actually aimed at allowing small areas to dry out each summer. As soon as water returns to the Scrape, invertebrates will start to breed, and within a few weeks there will ample food for the birds using it.

Of course, there's much more to Minsmere than just the Scrape, and the reserve is really heaving with good wildlife spectacles at the moment.  Autumn is always the best season for watching bearded tits, as family parties erupt from the reedbed, especially on calm mornings. These tiny birds switch their diet from insects to seeds at this time of year, so can often be seen feeding on the reed seed heads, or on fallen seeds at the edge of the reedbed. There have been some stunning views on our temporary reedbed trail and from Island Mere Hide. With bitterns, marsh harriers, singing Cetti's warblers, and even a great white egret in the reedbed, Island Mere Hide has been one of THE places to sit recently.

Red deer are another autumn highlight. The annual rut has started, and there have been some stunning views from our viewpoint on Westleton Heath. As well as red deer, visitors have already been treated to close views of rabbits, a red fox, little owls and up to nine stone-curlews. The latter are secretive wading birds that have recently returned to nest at Minsmere. They are too senstive to disturbance to show them to visitors while they are breeding, but having finished breeding they've formed a small flock close to the viewpoint. Why not come to see them for yourself? The viewpoint is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays this month, from 3 pm till dusk. It will also be open throughout half term (23 Oct to 1 Nov). It is signposted from Westleton.

Finally, of course, the autumn colours are simply stunning, and worth a trip to the countryside in their own right this year. Minsmere's heaths and woodlands are a kaleidoscope of colour, with every shade imaginable of yellow, gold, orange and brown, mixed with the remaining green and the odd bit of red. Many bushes are laden with berries, simply waiting to be eaten by hungry thrushes, starlings and woodpigeons. Come along and see them for yourself.

The title might seem strange to many of you, as listening to news and weather reports there seems to be barely a day that's gone by this summer without rain being mentioned. All we seem have heard is reports about 2009 having been a wet summer, after ealy prediction for a 'barbeque summer' failed to come true.

Not here on the Suffolk coast! Far from it. We've had one of the driest summers on record. Apart from a couple of showers, usually during the night, it's been incredibly dry all summer. This is not good news for Minsmere's wildlife.

Anyone who has visited us this summer will know how dry the reserve is. The Scrape has looked more like a desert than a thriving wetland for most of the year. While we try to control the water levels, it's impossible to move water onto the Scrape if there's none to move. South Scrape has remained wet, as this is salty so we can let water flow in at high tide, but salt water would kill the invertebrates on the rest of the Scrape. Luckily, water has remained in the reedbed, so the Konik Fields have continued to attract migrant waders and wagtails, but the Scrape has at times been alomost devoid of birds.

There are some benefits to the lack of water though. It has been easier to carry out the annual vegetation cutting programme on the Scrape this summer. Most of the islands and banks have now been cut, and we are rotovating parts fo the Scrape to revistalise the nutrient supply once water levels start to rise. The sunny, dry weather during the summer holidays encouraged families to attend our very successful programme of children's activities - without getting wet for a change.

We've also opened up two new temporary trails to help visitors to spot Minsmere's hidden wildlife gems. The North Bushes Trail, as last year, has provided close views of various warblers, chats and flycatchers as they refuel on blackberries, elderberries and flies before continuing the journey south to Africa. The new Reedbed Trail, behind South Hide, gives stunning views across the reedbed, and has offered the chance to watch bearded tits taking grit from specially placed trays. This grit helps these tiny birds ot digest seeds, which form the bulk of their diet for the winter.

We've also focussed our attention on spotting some of the other widlife highlights at Minsmere, not just birds. It's been a good year for butterflies and dragonflies. Our wildflower walks have proved popular, and their have been interestign moths caught in our traps. Soon, we'll be ready for our red deer viewpoint to open again. It opens on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 25 September to the end of October, plus throughout half term (23 - 31 October), on Westleton Heath. Look out for more details soon.

I hope you'll forgive me asking for rain, but we really do need it - my garden is looking very parched, and I'll be glad when I can stop watering the veggies, quite apart from Minsmere's transformation into the Sahara.

Best wishes, I'll write again soon.

Whether you're watchng garden wildlfie or visiting the best wildlife locations in the world, watching wildlife is always unpredictable. Even at soemwhere with as many eyes watching as we have at Minsmere, smething unexpected is just around the corner.

This month the surprise as come from butterflies and moths. After the huge influx int he spring, it's perhaps not surprising that there are thousands of painted ladies around now. And peacocks. Red admirals have been well and truly outnumbered, but it's been good to see a few small tortoiseshells after last year's dismal showing. Perhaps the commonest butterfly recently though is the familiar, and to gardeners perhaps unwelcome, large white. There was an incredible influx last week. It's amazing to think that many of these butterflies have flown all the way form Africa!

Among the flocks of butterflies have been a few notable moths. We've been watching broad-bordered bee-hawkmoths and hummingbird hawkmoths on the buddlieias. These impressive insects are always a joy to see.

The biggest surprise, though, has been the arrival of a purple emperor butterfly at Canopy Hide. They've never been seen at Minsmere before. These large butterflies love to stay in the tops of the oak canopy, joining our regular purple hairstreaks, so Canopy Hide offers a rare chance to get close views at eye-level. It's likely that the purple emperor originated form a recently introduced local population, but it's still a treat to see it.

I had my own surprise a couple of weeks ago at our Snape Maltings Information Centre. Looking upstream from the tidal sluice, I noticed a movement at the base of reeds. As I stood, an otter swam out from almost beneath my feet and played int he weed for five minutes! As I left, elated, a barn owl fluttered over the adjacent field. All this at 10 am.

Returning to the centre, my colleague was annoyed to have missed the otter. His frustration grew when a visitor reported one walking across the path later that day. Otters are so elusive, so it really was a lucky day for both of us.

Why not visit us during August for our busy programme of events for all ages and abilities. Look at the events pages for details.

Did you enjoy Springwatch? Our event was very successful, despite the rain. Typically, it started raining about five minutes before Chris Packham arrived, and stopped shortly before he left. Despite thios, the crowds gathered to meet Chris, who chatted to them from the BBC marquee, pointed out warblers and nightingales in song, then had a go at pond dipping wit the many families who visited that day.

I had my own Springwatch moment that weekend, when a female badger and two half grown cubs trotted across the path just ten metres in front of me in the middle of the afternoon! Wow! I've only once before seen a badger in broad daylight, have only once got closer to wild badgers, and have never seen such small cubs before. The frustrating part of this experience was that I had my camera with me but didn't react quickly enough to take any shots, and it all happened away from the visitor paths so no-one else could see them!

The following weekend, while taking my wife, baby son, sister-in-law and her husband on a Minsmere safari, we had a couple more Springwatch Minsmere moments. While on the heath we watched a large herd of red deer as close as 20 metres away, complete with several tiny calves. (Look out for details of this year's deer rut watching events that will take place in October.) Later, just outside the office, we watched a stoat carrying an entire family of baby rabbits, presumably to cache them soemwhere to eat later. If you watched Springwatch, you'll have seen the Pensthorpe stoat doing exactly the same thing. It was a great way to finish the day.

After all the hard work organising all the Springwatch activities, it was great to take a short holiday, during which we got as close to wildlife as it's possible to get in England, being literally pecked by defensive arctic terns on the Farne Islands. Nothing beats getting a huge seabird colony for the spectacle of noise, smell and constant bustle, so it was with both surprise and pleasure that I returned to Minsmere to discover our very own huge tern colony.

In my absence, Minsmere had become home to an incredible 1000+ Sandwich terns, with about 400 pairs nesting on the Scrape. This is the first time since 1978 that more than a handful of Sandwich terns have nested here. As they arrived late in the season, we assume they have deserted a colony elsewhere, presumably in North Norfolk, and have been attracted to Minsmere by the record numbers of breeding black-headed gulls. We also the most common tern nests since 1974.

The Scrape is looking pretty impressive with all these gulls and terns, yet there is very little water remaining. The last significant rainful we had was while Chris Packham was here, almost four weeks ago, so the Scrape is looking a little dry. Even with the dwindling pools, the terns look at home, and have been joined by migrant wading birds, returning south from their Arctic breeding grounds. The stars are the spotted redshanks, looking especially dapper in their spangly black breeding dress. These will be females, returning early having left the males in charge of the family. There are a few early ruffs and increasing numbers of black-tailed godwits too, so why not visit Minsmere this month to see the amazing wildlife on offer?

Have you been enjoying Springwatch on the TV?

It's been great to watch the action from so many different nests at Pensthorpe, but there's nothing that really beats the chance to see wildlife up close and personal. And Minsmere is a great place to do just that!

We've been enjoying our own mini-Springwatch at Minsmere this week. BBC Radio Suffolk's Lesley Dolphin has been broadcasting her afternoon show from Minsmere for the last three days. We showed her some of the hidden parts of Minsmere, including the heath, livestock and reedbed. She even managed to spot a bittern, albeit only briefly.

We learnt many interesting facts from some of the guest speakers. For example, did you know that crayfish can crawl for up to one mile across land, or that prehistoric dragonflies were the size of black-headed gulls? Lesley also spotted dragonflies, butterflies and red deer, as well as avocets, mute swan cygnets and great spotted woodpeckers, showing just how varied Minsmere's wildlife is.

 This weekend we have our special Springwatch event. Guides will be around the trails showing you nightingales, swallows, avocets, bitterns (hopefully) and ponies. Warden Paul Green will be runnign his new dragonfly roadshow at the pond, showing you Minsmere's dragonflies and damselflies. Robn Harvey will show you some of Minsmere's moths in the mornings.

Families can join in with pond dipping, face painting, seed planting and craft activities, as well as iscovering more of Misnmere's wildlife on the Kid's Quiz Trail, which takes you round the Scrape.

On Sunday, we are pleased to be welcoming Springwatch's new presenter, Chris Packham, to Minsmere. He will help our guides, and answer visitors' questions, as well as finding time to talk to Lesley Dolphin, who will be here once again.

If you want to meet Chris Packham, we suggest you arrive early. If you'd prefer to enjoy the Springwatch atmosphere without the crowds, Saturday is the day to come. The weathe rforecast is better, too, although you may still need your waterproofs to avoid the showers.

Why not get out and experience nature for yourself this weekend, then sit back and watch the rest of Springwatch ont he TV next week? It's a great way to spend a few hours. See you at the weekend!