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It's been lovely to have a couple of short strolls around parts of Minsmere this week. The warm sunshine has put a real spring in my step, and it really feels like the seasons have changed at last (especially after a week in up to a foot of snow in Estonia earlier this month!) The bumblebees have...

by Lana Blakely, conservation intern We’ve been listening for bitterns this week, with the aim being to try and determine potential territories. Listening for bitterns requires a very early start! More specifically it’s ideal if you can start listening an hour before dawn, which means...

Two species of duck are stealing the show at present: two species that are rarely seen on the same day in the UK. Smews have featured heavily in our sightings blogs for the last three months. We'd usually expect the last ones to be leaving Minsmere in mid March, but the continued cold weather...

It's been a real cornucopia of weather since my last blog, with few signs of the coming spring. The weekend saw some of the wettest weather we've had for may years, followed by a couple of days of snow, more rain, strong north-easterly winds and eventually a little bit of sunshine today. The...

Last Wednesday when I had a look on the Scrape at lunchtime there was still a very wintry theme with ducks dominating include a cracking drake smew with two females. The only waders in sight were a few lapwings and a couple of redshanks. Today the scene was very different. I could tell even before...

After the closure due to snow, it's been great to be back at Minsmere and enjoying some of the wonderful winter wildlife on show over the last couple of days. The ice and snow can be a hardship for some species. We try to give some of our reedbed species a helping hand in these conditions by putting...

Water levels are finally beginning to return to normal on most parts of the reserve, with all paths now fully accessible - if a little muddy near the sluice. The Levels are a still looking superb, with shallow floodwater covering the marshes. Huge flocks of ducks are gathering out there, including...

It was bound to happen. No sooner had I blogged about migrants finally flooding in then the wind swung back to the west, the showers set in, and migration slowed down again. Typical. The main consequence of this has been a relative status quo for the last week. The red-crested pochard remains on Island...

After days of moaning about the westerly winds, many Suffolk birdwatchers have been getting excited about the prospects offered by a couple of days of easterlies. Sure enough, elsewhere along the coast there have been reports over the last couple of days of yellow-browed warblers , firecrests and a red...

After a relatively quiet week for birds during the spell of westerly winds, there's definitely been evidence of autumn migration beginning to hit full swing in the last few days. Perhaps the most obvious movements were at sea on Monday, when counts included minima of 575+ gannets , seven great...

Midsummer is often a quiet time for birdwatching at Minsmere, but luckily there's some fantastic wildlife to spot wherever you are on the reserve. Insects probably take centre stage right now, especially with the glorious sunny weather we've been experiencing this week - at long last. Butterflies...

It was a tern fest at South Hide today. Maximum counts were an amazing 5 roseate terns, 4 Arctic terns and 6 little terns as well as 62 little gulls - one of the highest counts for several years. Also on the Scrape were a greenshank, knot, common sandpiper and several little egrets. Elsewhere,...

Apologies for the lack of recent updates. We're still experiencing some problems with phones and computers following last week's lightning strike. As a result, it's difficult to update during work time. Here's a quick update on sightings. The rain has meant higher water levels on the...

With no computers or phones, I took the chance to enjoy a quick stroll around the Scrape this morning - for the first time in several weeks. After the rain, water levels were a little higher, but South Scrape remains the place to be. Counts today included six little gulls, 17 Sandwich, one little...

It's been a very good week for rarities at Minsmere, but also a case of little and large. On Monday a superb male red-necked phalarope was found on South Scrape, where it was watched busily feeding until early evening. Contrary to popular belief, Adam didn't bring one back in his luggage from...

In recent years there's been a surprising number of species colonising the UK for the first time. Many more are becoming more frequent migrants and could start breeding soon too. Among the new colonists, herons have been particularly prominent. As recently as 1995 the only species of herons breeding...

Have you been watching Springwatch on the BBC? It was heartbreaking to see those dead lapwing and osprey chicks yesterday after Friday's massive storm, but I was so pleased to see the goldcrest nest has survived - and as for those treecreepers ! After April's flooding at Minsmere, we know how...

There's been a decidedly southern European feel to Minsmere this week - and I don't just mean the lovely warm weather. The breeding stone-curlews continue to prove very obliging and popular, with good if distant views from the western end of the North Wall. We often have volunteer guides on...

Water levels are at last returning to normal, and while some parts of the visitor trails still have a few puddles, they are almost all completely accessible now. I say almost all, because a short section between South Belt crossroads and the Wildlife Lookout (West Hide) remains flooded and is accessible...

The last few weeks have seen almost unprecidented levels of rainfall in Suffolk. In a month known for its showers, April has been one of the wettest on record. Here at Minsmere, we recorded an incredible 121 mm (about 8 inches) of rain during the month. Compare that to about 12 mm from early March to...

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...

After the exceptionally dry weather of late, it's been a welcome to experience a more typical spell of weather during April. In a month known for it's April showers, the weather has been changeable to say the least in recent days. One minute you look out of the window at bright sunshine, the...

After the incredibly warm dry early spring, April has been typically damp, cool and windy. This has delayed the arrival of some of our earlier migrants. Sand martins are now being seen daily above the reedbeds, but still in small numbers, and several swallows are now present too. The first house martin...

I don't get the chance to lead guided walks very often, so when John Grant asked me to return a favour and stand in for him leading today's walk, I didn't need much persuading. It was, therefore, with great frustration that I opened the curtains this morning to see a thick cloaking everything...

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...