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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...

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 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...

It seems hard to believe that as recently as the early 1990s any sighting of a little egret was a red letter day. Then, in 1996 a few pairs bred in Dorset and Devon and they haven't looked back. They began nesting in Suffolk a few years later, and we can now almost expect to see a little egret anywhere...

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...

In my absence on holiday there have been a few notable birds at Minsmere. Typically, some have been more obliging than others, and few people will have been able catch up with all the goodies. For many, the stars of the show have been a pair of stone-curlews that have set up home in the field behind...

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...

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...

July is often a good time to look for terns at Minsmere, and this week is no exception. There are good numbers of common terns around, many of them with young. We're also seeing other species passing through having finished or failed breeding elsewhere. Sandwich terns should be present each day,...

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...

The Spring Celebration weekend once again proved to be highly successful. The format is simple. Our wardens and volunteer guides are stationed around the reserve at key locations to help visitors to learn about Minsmere's special wildlife. The tricky part is the unpredictability of the wildlife that...

After all the furore of the last two weeks, it seems almost churlish to say that things feel a bit more settled today. That's not to say that we're lacking interesting wildlife. Far from it. It's more that the most notable species have now been here for a few days. The king eider continues...

Just occasionally, events conspire to make a good day into a special one. Today was such a day. I'd been offsite during the morning for a meeting on the National Trust's Orfordness nature reserve. Although the meeting was in the office, I did get to see a small part of this unique place on...

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...

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...

Keeping Minsmere in tip top condition for wildlife and people is a careful balancing act. We could make the reserve brilliant for one species, but it might be detrimental for others, or mean visitors can't see anything else. We could make it a brilliant place to see wildlife in one seasn, but there's...

Keeping up the insect theme (well, July is the month that many birdwatchers switch their allegiance to insects) I saw my first cinnabar moth caterpillars today. These are the yellow and black striped caterpillars that feed on ragwort plants. If you were like me as a child, you might remember "playing"...

Birdwatching is one of those past times that you can do anywhere, any time. In the last week, for example, I've a marsh harrier flying over my garden whilst I was washing up, and a green woodpecker flew over at eye height as we watered the garden last night. But if you want to see something more...

Minsmere has that special magic about it that means you never really know to expect. Take Wednesday morning, for example, when one of our regualr visitors who lives locally spotted a puffin flying north just offshore. Puffins are scarce birds in Suffolk, probably most likely to be spotted in the autumn...

I had a quick stroll to Bittern Hide at lunchtime int he hope of finally tracking down the purple heron. It was seen about half an hour earlier, but no sign during my visit. Nothing new there. No bittern either. However, I did have one of those magic moments that Minsmere is prone to conjuring up...

Springwatch returned to our screens this week, bringing a host of new stars to our lounges for the next three weeks. There's the usual mix of nest cams, night vision cams, and exciting wilflife stories to inspire viewers to take a greater interest in the wildlife around them. This weekend, we're...

And what a glorious one it was too. It's always a joy to arrive at Minsmere before first light and watch as the reserve rapidly wakens - notwithstanding the lack of sleep that accompanies such an early start. In fact, my wildlife watching began within five minutes of leaving home this morning...

Yesterday I attended a South East Regional meeting at Rainham Marshes in Essex. ‘Why South East’ you say? ‘We’re in East Anglia!’ Well, it’s because I’ve managed to get myself a new, full time, permanent job as Assistant Warden at North Kent Marshes (Elmley)...