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Spring is a great time to visit Minsmere, even if it is a bit late arriving this year. Unusually, our earliest spring migrants are yet to arrive, but the daffodils outside the cafe are finally bursting into bloom, while the bird feeders remain a hive of activity, with constant comings and goings from...

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...

As we reach the end of another year, it seems a good time to reflect on how much has changed. This time last year we were packing everything away in the shop ready to move into our temporary winter home in a portacabin in the car park so that the visitor centre rebuild could be completed. Despite...

Guest blog by Sarah Green, Natura People Project Officer Yesterday, 5 December, was International Volunteer Day . So I think we should take this opportunity to celebrate our volunteers. The RSPB has more than 18,000 volunteers and quite simply, we couldn’t operate without them. Our volunteers...

Following my last blog about the formal launch of our new facilities, here's a quick update on how it went. The morning was the typical whirr of activity as we laid out the food, chairs and tables and a drape was installed across the sand martin tunnels. By lunchtime, we were ready. We were...

At long last, we're pleased to announce that the new family facilities at Minsmere are open from tomorrow morning. Children can learn about some of Minsmere's wildlife whilst playing in the new Wild Zone. There are tunnels to explore and become sand martin chicks. There's a forest of logs...

I last wrote in anticipation of the exciting work about to start; three months on since my last blog post and lots and lots has happened! Discover Nature is taking shape. The most visible progress has been on the bricks and mortar; the new reception building is externally complete, with the windows...

My son Thomas made me smile earlier this week. Thomas, I should point out, is not yet three, but he's growing up fast. Today was his first day at nursery, and I'm sure by the end of the week he'll be ruling the roost. On Monday I took Thomas with me for a spot of birdwatching a few...

Guest blog by Charlotte Bishop Hello It’s me again. Time has flown by and my internship is over. It’s been lovely staying on the reserve and seeing some great wildlife. I particularly liked turning around to see red deer right at the window of the volunteer chalet and then seeing...

Last night I had the pleasure of visiting the Theatre Royal in Norwich for an evening of superb entertainment as the cast and crew of The Sound of Music came to town. There are so many familiar songs in this musical, but one song in particular got me thinking - hence the title of this blog. If I was...

Guest blog by Charlotte Bishop Hello, I am a new intern at Minsmere and I have been here for three weeks. I arrived on Sunday 3 July in glorious sunshine and after spending some time wondering when the road into Minsmere would ever end I made it to the volunteer accommodation. I was told I would...

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...

Watching wildlife is a great family activity, and Minsmere is a great place for families to watch wildlife. One group of families that particular enjoys watching wildlife here is our Minsmere Wildlife Explorers group. They meet on the first Saturday of each month for a varied programme of activities...

Paul and I met a lovely group of folk today for a guided walk to celebrate the 40th birthday of one of the group. Mostly up from London for the weekend, and staying in nearby Walberswick, they joined us mid morning to discover Minsmere for the first time. Paul took a group of mainly adults for an...

Some places are just so good that you keep going back - time and time again. Minsmere is one of those places (though I probably don't need to tell most of you that!) So much so, that I came on Monday for a visit with my wife, son and parents. Even with much of the freshwater on the Scrape and...

Autumn is a great time to witness the wonders of migration, and the last week has been an excellent example. Simply standing on the beach for an hour or so has been one way. On Thursday, for example, a pomarine skua and five arctic skuas flew south just offshore, and there was regular passage of wading...

The sun is shining (at last), and the crowds are filing through the doors for our fourth family day of the summer. It's great to see so many excited faces as children dip their nets in the pond before studying the contents in a waiting white tray. A dragonfly larvae here, newt nymph there, or the...

That was the order of the day yesterday, and could be the case for the next few too if Carol can be belieive on BBC Breakfast News. Despite a wet start to the day, we had another very successful family day. We were actually quite lucky with the weather as there were torrential thunderstorms in Southwold...

Thursday's family day was a great success. About 100 children enjoyed taking part in a range of activities, and from the people I spoke to I know that amny of the parents learned something too. That's the plan - it is a family event afterall and there's always something to learn as far as...

Hi again I'm back from Derbyshire and refreshed from a week with the family. Much as I love Minsmere, it's great to have a few days away to recharge the batteries. Now I'm back, I'm already looking to the future in several different ways. Yesterday I attended the latest meeting...