As part of our 70th birthday celebrations, this weekend we're launching an exciting new challenge this weekend: 70 species to spot.
We hope this challenge will appeal to all visitors, young and old, beginner and experienced birdwatcher, increasing an element of fun to your visit as you try to see more species on the list than your family or friends.
There are some really easy to spot species, and others that are a bit more difficult. It will also require more than one visit per year to find all 70 as some can only be found at certain seasons. However, it should be possible to find about half of them on any one visit.
So, what sort of things will you be looking for? A bit of everything really. There will be species for which Minsmere is famous, such as avocets, bitterns, bearded tits and otters, as well as commoner, more familiar species like mallards, red admirals and gorse. There will be a mix of birds, mammals, insects, plants and even a couple of fungi and a fish to find.
We've made things a little easier for you by including a photo of each species on the sheet, and our volunteer guides will be happy to help to find some of the trickier species,
We're launching the challenge this weekend, so next time you visit, don't forget to ask for your 70 species to spot sheet and get spotting. In the meantime, here's a few species to look out for.
Avocet by Jon Evans
Marsh harrier by Jon Evans
Mallard by Oscar Dewhurst
Gorse by Ian Barthorpe