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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...

For the first time in two weeks I strolled around the Scrape last night. I say strolled, but it was more of a route march: one hour to get right round the Scrape, including ten minutes in East Hide and a quick glance from South Hide, between leaving the office and attending a local meeting. In such...

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...

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"...

First, apologies for the lack of updates for a few days. No excuses really, but I ran out of time on Friday and had the day off on Saturday to spend with my parents who were visiting - and of course with my wife and son. Second, I'm writing this update having not even seen Minsmere since Friday...

I was asked a question today that was perhaps only part in jest: "Where's the big screen on the Scrape?" The reply from one of our volunteers was "how many birds watch football?" My reply to that, looking at huge picture of a robin in the reception area was "Robinho for one...

The saga of the nightingale nest had a happy ending over the weekend, as the brood successfully fledged on Sunday. At least one chick was subsequently found - a great reward for the efforts of the parents, and our volunteers who spared several hours helping to reduce disturbance and allowing the adults...

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...

We had another great weekend at Minsmere. Our staff and volunteers spoke to many visitors, helping them to spot our special species and make the visit more enjoyable. It was great to see so many families, especially on Saturday when the weather was superb. Sunday remained dull and dreary, with the forecast...