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by Lana Blakely , conservation intern Another busy week here at Minsmere (I think there’s a bit of a theme here?!) including moving Koniks, bittern watching, territory mapping and stone-curlew nesting. At the beginning of the week another pair of stone-curlew arrived so we quickly erected...

by Lana Blakely, conservation intern It’s been quite varied this week with a variety of survey and practical tasks being carried out, as well as a few college visits. At the beginning of the week we had Eastern College come in to assist with cutting pines near a footpath that were smothering...

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...

by Lana Blakely, conservation intern This week started with the last of the water rail surveys being completed for the season and the first of the butterfly transects being undertaken. Unsurprisingly we didn’t see much in the way of butterflies! We’ve also been doing a bit of marsh...

by Lana Blakely, conservation intern Last week began with a check of the Scrape's anti-predator fence. We checked that the voltage was at the correct level and whether any trees had fallen onto the fence in the strong wind we have been having, as well as checking for any holes which had been dug...

by Lana Blakely, conservation intern We have got off to a good start regarding surveying, with two water rail and a harrier survey being undertaken this week. Water rail surveys involve two people, tape playback, and getting up just before dawn! This was my first survey so with much anticipation...

A guest blog by Adam Rowlands, Senior Site Manager, North Suffolk Reserves Today is the anniversary of the beginning of my personal journey working with the RSPB. This morning, 25 years ago, I started as a volunteer at the RSPB Northward Hill nature reserve in North Kent. I had been a member of...

As most of you will be aware, managing a nature reserve is not simply a case of buying land and letting nature get on with it. It takes a lot of work, from wardens, volunteers, contractors - and livestock. Much of this work is done in autumn and winter to avoid disturbing breeding species. We've...

Guest blog by Ricky Whelan, Minsmere Reserve Assistant After 15 short months at Minsmere it is time to move on. Having served as a volunteer for 6 months and then moving on to the role of Reserve Assistant for the remainder, I have witnessed Minsmere through the seasons, through floods and droughts...

Every season at Minsmere has its specific jobs. The winter signifies the end of reedbed work as the water levels are too high. Winter is a time for focusing on the dry habitats. Mel our dry habitat warden is now at his busiest planning, instructing and getting stuck in. We have currently just...

This week we said goodbye to one of Minsmere's popular wardens. Scott Paterson, our Site Manager, has headed back to his homeland to work on the RSPB's Futurescapes project in the Forth Valley, Scotland. Best wishes Scott and family. We welcomed two new winter residential volunteers, who will...