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Minsmere has had a bit of purple patch in the last week or so, although you had to be quick to catcha glimpse of all our unusual visitors. Typically, I missed them all. The first week of May saw sightings of two rare herons in the reedbed: purple heron and two great white egrets. Typically, they were...

Early on Saturday morning I arrived at Minsmere to lead the first of our regular spring dawn chorus guided walks. It was crystal clear night with a huge full moon casting shadows over the reserve. As we met at 4 am the nightingale at the car park entrance could already be heard, and the first bittern...

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...

We hosted the launch of an excellent new book at Minsmere today. Suffolk's Wildlife Coast is a guide to the RSPB nature reserves on the Suffolkc oast, including details of history, management, wildlfie and seasonal highlights. This lovely guide is full of fantastic photos, many by Minsmere's...

Wildlife watching needn't stop when the light fades to dusk, and finally complete darkness. Far from it. In fact, there are certain creatures that require a night-time visit if you wish to see or hear them. Take nightjars , for example. Their mechanical song is one of the most incredible sounds...

To help us to celebrate Minsmere's 65th birthday (see Adam's guest blog earlier today), we're holding our annual Spring Celebration this weekend. This event is a great opportunity to see some of Minsmere's special wildlife and learn from our wardens and volunteers. We'll be at...

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...

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...

Guest blog by Lisa Robinson, Intern Visitor Officer Hello, I’m Lisa and I’m the new Visitor Officer Intern, here for the next six months. I’m into my second week at Minsmere, and I’ve been very busy already! In my first week, I met loads of people and started on a couple of...

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...

First, a huge thank you to all you love people who regularly read my ramblings via the Minsmere blog. I hope you all enjoy hearing updates from Minsmere. I'm sure some of you are regulars, while the rest just have to make do with dreaming about your next visit. Second, please tell us how much...

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...

Every year I lead a winter wildfowl guided walk on 2 February to celebrate World Wetlands Day - marking the signing of an international treaty to protect the world's most important wetlands for wildlfie and people. Minsmere is one of many RAMSAR sites, designated under this treaty, so it seems only...

Great walk yesterday morning to celebrate National Farmhouse Breakfast Week. It was cold but clear with a red dawn sky over the sea when we started at 7 am. Gorgeous sunrise as we reached East Hide, and not too cold when sheltered from NE wind. We had some cracking views of wildlife too, before returning...

After the excitement of New Year, the pace of the birding has slowed a little at Minsmere recently, but there's still loads to be seen. Ducks are everywhere, especially wigeons and teals , but the smews continue to steal the show. Up to nine birds have been present over the last week, including...

Question: Where can you possibly see nine different species of goose in one in the UK (of ten different forms)? Answer: RSPB North Warren nature reserve, on the Suffolk coast, just eight miles from Minsmere. What's more, there are record Suffolk counts of white-fronted geese this year, several...