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Mid April means the start of our popular dawn chorus guided walks at Minsmere. Now, you may wander why anyone would want to get up before the lark in time to arrive at a nature reserve while it's still dark, but that's probably the best time to visit Minsmere. Just ask the 16 eager souls who...

Firstly, an apology for the lack of recent updates. I've been away for a couple of weeks and with so much work going on at Minsmere I didn't ask anyone to write an update in my absence. Also a reminder that you can see more regular, brief updates on our Twitter and Facebook pages. With spring...

It's not everyday that we get a superstar visiting Minsmere, so you can imagine our excitement when we heard that Mr Bond was at Minsmere. Yes, 007 himself. Here on the Suffolk coast. OK, so this Mr Bond is not the spy who has single-handedly thwarted every international terrorist for the last...

So another year ends. It's been an exciting one. Here's just a few of the highlights (I'm bound to have missed a few): funding received from Heritage Lottery Fund to allow us to start work on the Minsmere Discover Nature Project. For details of the other funders for this excting project...

It's been a week of contrasts, though here in Suffolk we have certainly not experienced the full force of the UK's week of wild weather. The week began with the first real chill in the air, but no sign of the snow afflicting northern counties. By midweek, we caught the tail end of the damaging...

This week has seen the return of one of our most popular birds: waxwings ! Jon Gibbs spotted a flock of about 20 outside the visitor centre on Wednesday afternoon, and they were seen later that day in North Bushes. About 30 were in North Bushes yesterday too. I've not had any news of them yet today...

The recent spell of warm sunny weather and light southerly winds has held migration up a little bit, with very few reports of birds such as redwing or brambling that we'd usually expect to arrive in late September. That's not to say that there aren't any winter migrants here yet. Two snow...

That was the quote from a keen local birdwatcher yesterday following what can only be described as exceptional conditions for seawatching. As i mentioned in a recent blog, seawatching is one of the more extreme types of birdwatching. It takes considerable patience, and many years of practice to be...

Sunday was one of those strangely unpredictable days that seem all too familiar here at Minsmere. Despite a poor weather forecast, we were actually treated to good weather, resulting in lots of visitors - avian as well as human. For some it started early. John Grant, familiar to many as a volunteer...

An old friend returned to Minsmere last week. Fiona, the greater flamingo that escaped from Marwell Zoo in December, was spotted back on the Scrape early last week. In the two months since she was last at Minsmere, we know she's spent some time in North Norfolk, and think she was probably the flamingo...

First the bad news. Fiona has left us. Yes, after a long stay at Minsmere, it seems that our resident greater flamingo has once again got itchy feet and gone on her travels. She was last seen on 30 June. Intrigingly, a flamingo was spotted on Monday afternoon walking along the runway at manchester airport...

Pardon mon ami. Je fait en vacance a la France. I hope that says "Sorry, friends. I have been on holiday in France." Although I've been back to France for what has become a regular trip in recent years, I must admit that my command of the language remains very poor. Yes, I did successfully...

Mid June is a strange time of year for watching birds. With so many species actively feeding young, many birds are settled, making it fairly predictable which species you'll see on any given visit. Yet other birds are on the move. The last of the northbound wading birds have been moving through Minsmere...

This weekend we are holding our annual Springwatch at Minsmere event, to coincide with the of Springwatch fever to the BBC. Have you been watching the action from RSPB Ynys-Hir in beautiful west Wales? Ynys-Hir is one of my favourite places to visit, especially in spring, with its wonderful mix of...

Quick update: Fiona the flamingo is still on East Scrape today, basking in her new-found fame as a TV star following an appearance on BBC Look East last night. Shame about the person talking about her referring to her as it - I didn't know she was called Fiona until we had recorded the piece....

"Our" greater flamingo is back! During the last two weeks, this bird has been well travelled, having been reported in Berkshire, then Wiltshire, where it was seen as recently as Monday. Then on Wednesday it turned up at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen and RSPB Buckenham Marshes in the Yare Valley of Norfolk...

Yes folks, it's dawn chorus time again. These walks remain incredibly popular - despite the 4 am start. Five of the six are fully booked: there are still 13 places left for the final walk on Saturday 21 May - if you are quick! This week it was my turn to lead, and Robin Harvey and I duly met 28...

Hope you all had a good Easter folks. I spent the break in Shropshire, enjoying a good list of garden butterflies and a thriving colony of house sparrows - something I don't see many of where I live. Also had a great trip to Anglesey to see a selection of birds that are absent here in Suffolk...

As the spring migration gathers pace, new birds are being added to the reserve year list ever day. The following species have already arrived: Sandwich and common terns, little gulls, sand martins, swallows, house martins, sedge warblers, reed warblers (including the earliest ever Suffolk record), blackcaps...

There's been a world cup feel to Minsmere over the last few days, as three species from three different continents have attracted most attention. The continents: Africa, Arctic Europe and South America. The species: nightingale, spotted redshank and Chilean flamingo. The reasons for a visit: to breed...