It was touch-and-go whether we would go out with an unsettled weather forecast, but just 15 minutes before our start time the rainclouds cleared, and a beautiful double rainbow appeared over the scrape.

We started through the woodland looking for signs of badgers, some lovely lilac bonnet fungi and a little herd of red deer – which our sharp-eyed youngsters picked out from the bushes. It’s always surprising just how…

As is typical in October, you never quite know what to expect on a countryside walk. That has certainly been true this year, where it has alternated from heavy rain to bright sunshine, sometimes in the space of just a few minutes, making the choice of clothing a tricky one. I do, however, recommend that you wear waterproof footwear if you are planning a visit as some of the trails are quite wet in places.

The changeable…

In my last blog I suggested that the weekend's weather forecast looked ideal for bringing in a few tired migrants from the continent. In particular, I raised the prospect that we might find a yellow-browed warbler or two. Although I was proved to be right in my predication, I'm not going to claim to be a soothsayer as this species is becoming an increasingly regular visitor every autumn.

Yellow-browed warblers…

The current spell of stormy weather has brought a bit of unpredictability to a day out. With conditions changing from full sun to torrential rain in the space of few minutes, it's definitely a case of timing your walk well. My drive home last night was interesting, to say the least, but at least we haven't suffered from the flooding affecting many people this week

As a birdwatcher, autumn gales also bring the…

Sometimes it's nice to walk around the reserve without paying too much attention to the birdlife. It makes you pay more attention to some of the smaller creatures at Minsmere. Being autumn, there's the added bonus of some great colours. Although most of the trees are yet to change, and the reedbed remains predominantly green, the bracken and brambles are already turning a fabulous mix of golds and reds.

Despite…

After the glorious late summer weather over the weekend, it was a bit of a shock to the system to wake up to dull, wet and windy weather this morning as autumn arrived with a vengeance.

In fact, it has been looking more and more autumnal over recent days even before the change in the weather. As I sit in the office I can see beech trees with golden leaves standing out among the dark green oaks, while bramble bushes are…

It’s been a good week for birdwatchers, although some of our more unusual visitors have proved to be a bit elusive at times.

Up to three cattle egrets have been seen occasionally, but distantly, on the South Levels. Another, still bearing some orangy breeding plumes, has been seen on the Scrape on several occasions, where its presence has not been welcomed by the resident little egrets. Sightings of cattle egrets…

It's that time of year when birds are on the move, and you never quite know what to expect. That has certainly been the case over the last few days, with sightings of a very late swift and a juvenile cuckoo yesterday despite a sudden drop in temperature and a late autumn feel to the weather. 

Yesterday's cuckoo, by Clare Carter

A shift in the wind to a northeasterly on Sunday saw the arrival of a beautiful juvenile…

Autumn is a time of change in the natural world, but it's also one of change among the management team here at Minsmere.

Last week we bid farewell to our Visitor Operations Manager, Louise Gregory, who many of our visitors will know well. Louise has moved just up the coast to work for the Suffolk Wildlife Trust at Carlton Marshes, where she will be managing their new visitor centre when it opens next spring. This…

Regular visitors to Minsmere, or readers of these blogs, will know that our wardens are helped in their management of our important habitats by various four-legged creatures. The most popular of these are our konik Polski (AKA Polish ponies), which can currently be seen grazing on the Konik Field. Where the ponies are, you can often find several wagtails and pipits feeding around their hooves, searching for flies that…

The late August bank holiday heatwave was a mixed blessing. As the holiday hordes headed to the coast, anyone choosing to walk around our nature trails needed to be prepared, with suncream slapped on, a wide-brimmed hat, and, most importantly, a drink in their bag. There were, of course, opportunities to cool down by dipping your toes into the sea, seeking out shady patches for a rest, or making the most of the cooler…

On 15 September we'll be hosting the first-ever Love Minsmere Festival, to celebrate the reserve, its rare wildlife and to send a powerful message to EDF that we all Love Minsmere and want to see it protected from the impacts of Sizewell C.

Earlier this year, over 20,000 people like you emailed EDF Energy telling them why they must protect RSPB Minsmere nature reserve in their plans to build a new twin-nuclear reactor…

It's amazing what a difference two weeks makes. After a relaxing couple of weeks with the family, I returned to find the reserve looking decidedly different too. That said, many of the changes are subtle, and there's still an amazing variety of wildlife to spot.

Vegetation grows quickly in warm, wet weather, so our wardens have been busy clearing small patches of pathside vegetation to improve the views onto the…

Recent sightings from this week:

16 Aug – Little gull – 10 on East & South Scrapes

16 Aug – Wood sandpiper – one on East Scrape

16 Aug – Spotted redshank – six across Scrape

16 Aug – Dunlin – 20+ on the East Scrape

16 Aug – Black-tailed godwit – 12+ on East Scrape

16 Aug – Ringed plover – two on East Scrape

16 Aug – Avocet – 100+ on the…

A quick round up for this week: 

9 Aug – Wasp spider – four in the dunes between Public hide and North Wall – please watch where you walk
9 Aug – Spotted redshank – 19 on East & South Scrapes 
9 Aug – Avocet – 420+ on East Scrape
9 Aug – Little ringed plover – two on East Scrape 
9 Aug – Dunlin – 40+ on the Scrape
9 Aug – Black-tailed godwit – 230+ on East…

With the school holidays in full swing the visitor team have been busy running our usual popular family activities. If you are planning a visit with your children or grandchildren, then there's plenty for them to do, apart from the amazing wildlife watching. Old favourites like den building and the sand martin tunnels have been joined by a nature library in the woods and our Discovery Trail, complete with brass rubbings…

On Monday 12 August, RSPB Minsmere’s café will be closed all day as staff and volunteers will be attending the funeral of our colleague, Chris Offin. The visitor centre and shop will be open for light snacks, and family events will run as normal.

Chris was a Catering Assistant at Minsmere for more than 21 years and was one of the longest serving members of the team. He was a dedicated member of the team,…

I'm just back from a long week away at a major music festival. When I say away, I mean in a tent less than 10 miles from home, surrounded by thousands of other families, with long queues for the showers, loud music until the early hours, and an amazing array of entertainment for all interests - rock, pop, gospel, soul, dance and folk music from upcoming bands and chart-toppers alike, comedy, theatre, dance, lectures,…

Last week's marsh sandpiper headed off elsewhere after just a couple of days, but there has been no let-up in the wonderful wildlife sightings since its departure. Waders have continued to pass through in good numbers, often lingering close to East Hide, in particular.

One of the joys of watching passage waders in midsummer is that they are still sporting their breeding finery. The spotted redshanks look particularly…

Yesterday was an interesting day to say the least. It didn't start well but certainly finished on a high. In fact, by 9.30 am I felt like I should perhaps go home, following a series of incidents that meant the day didn't really start as planned. Thankfully that was as bad as it got, though the tills continued to misbehave throughout the morning. These things are clearly sent to test us.

I was, however, buoyed…

Insects were very definitely the theme of my lunchtime walk today, but not quite in the way that I had hoped. 

Buoyed by the reports from our guides over the weekend, I set myself the task of tracking down some of our more interesting butterflies. Here, for starters, are the full butterfly and dragonfly lists from last week's butterfly transect, with thnks to our guides Phil and Derek for sharing the lists.

Butterfl…

Yes folks, it's that time of year again. 

Although the red deer rut doesn't start until late September, we've opened bookings for our very popular 4x4 deer safaris already. Demand is always high, and spaces are limited, so don't wait, reserve your place today.

The tours will run for three weeks, from Saturday 28 September to Sunday 20 October only. On weekdays there is just one tour, starting at 2 pm. At…

Guest blog by David White, Assistant Retail Manager 

Veganism is on the rise and there are lots of different reasons why so many people are taking up the plant-based diet. A well-planned vegan diet can have some excellent health benefits. Some research has linked vegan diets with lower blood pressure and cholesterol. As well as lower rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer.

The other ethological…

One of the most important lessons that any beginner birdwatcher can learn is, "don't be afraid to ask." If you don't know what something is, then someone else probably does, but if you don't ask them, you'll never learn. The second part of this lesson is, "don't be scared to make mistakes." We can't be expected to know everything, and as with everything else in life, we can only learn from our mistakes.…

As anyone who has visited Minsmere in summer will know, when you plan a "quick walk to East Hide" it usually turns something more akin to a "slow meander along the North Wall." That was certainly the case today.

I skipped quickly past the pond, with little but a quick glance at the sand martins and a scan for dragonflies - there were four-spotted chasers, azure damselflies and blue-tailed damselflies…