Last Updated on April 26, 2026

Springtime Splendour: A Return to RSPB Minsmere

My wife and I visited RSPB Minsmere today, a place that has always loomed large in my mind. I grew up nearby in the village of Wickham Market, so this felt like a homecoming of sorts. For this trip, we stayed in a wonderful shepherd’s hut at Fen Lane Shepherd’s Huts, located just a short drive away.

I was certain I’d visited Minsmere many times in my youth, but I didn’t recognise a thing when we arrived. It has clearly been a long time; the visitor centre was entirely new to me. My wife once dragged me here at four in the morning to see the bitterns, but that was years ago, and my memories are vague at best.

Birdwatching at the Minsmere Scrape

What I saw today was truly impressive. I remembered Minsmere being mostly woodland, perhaps because I’d only ever walked the Bittern Trail on previous visits. This time, we walked the full perimeter of the scrape; the famous shallow lagoons that draw so many species here. We finished our day in the Bittern Hide and, unbelievably, caught sight of a bittern in flight. We also spotted a marsh harrier, which was a real highlight of the afternoon.

My Personal Highlights (Merlin Life List)

While the reserve was teeming with life, I was particularly thrilled to record 14 species for the first time on my Merlin Life List during this visit:

• Reedbed & Predators: Bittern, Marsh Harrier, Grey Heron
• Waders & Terns: Sandwich Tern, Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit
• Waterfowl: Egyptian Goose, Shoveler, Gadwall, Teal
• Songbirds & Others: Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Reed Bunting, Sand Martin

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The Official Reserve Record

Note: The following data is not from my personal sightings. To provide a full picture of the reserve’s current biodiversity, I transcribed the official sightings recorded on the whiteboards in the visitor centre and within each individual hide.

North Hide Highlights

• 20/4: Bittern (flypast), Brent Goose
• 22/4: Bar-tailed Godwit (x3), Ruff
• 25/4: Little Egret

South Hide Highlights

• Waders: Whimbrel, Turnstone, Red Knot
• Terns: Sandwich Tern (c.200), Little Tern
• Gulls: Hybrid Med x Black-headed Gull

West Hide Highlights

• Ducks: Garganey Pair, Wigeon, Shoveler
• Raptors: Hobby, Red Kite, Marsh Harrier
• Waders: Whimbrel (East)

Bittern Hide Highlights

• 25/4: Bittern (x3), Hobby (x2)
• Mammals: Water Vole
• Reptiles: Adder

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A Unique Industrial Backdrop

The history of Minsmere is fascinating. Originally flooded during WWII to prevent enemy landings, it became a sanctuary when avocets arrived from Holland. Today, there is a striking juxtaposition: the massive structures of Sizewell A and B, and soon Sizewell C, loom on the horizon, sitting right next to this pristine habitat.

Facilities & Tips

The cafe is excellent; I can personally vouch for the sausage rolls and vegan pasties. We covered about four miles over six hours, including a refreshing walk along Dunwich Beach to move between hides. If you don’t have your own gear, you can hire binoculars for £7 at the shop.

I can heartily recommend the shepherd’s hut we stayed in for those visiting from further afield. If you’d like to find out more about those, you can click here.

RSPB Minsmere gallery

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All the birds (and other creatures) on the ‘spotted’ boards at Minsmere

Star Species

• Avocet: At least 100 now back on the Scrape.
• Bearded Tit: Best seen at Island Mere, North Wall + near South Hide.
• Bittern: Seen regularly at Bittern Hide + Island Mere; several now booming.
• Marsh Harrier: Best seen at Bittern Hide + Island Mere – regularly displaying.
• Sand Martin: Active around colony + feeding over reedbed.
• Nightingale: Singing in North Bushes + on Westleton Heath.

Regular Sightings

Coastal Trail – Scrape

• Cormorant, Little Egret, Grey Heron
• Greylag, Canada + Barnacle + Egyptian Goose
• Shelduck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler, Moorhen, Coot
• Avocet, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank
• Gulls: Black-headed, Mediterranean, Common, Herring, Lesser + Great Black-backed
• Sandwich + Common Terns, Kittiwake

Island Mere Trail

• Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant
• Bittern, Little Egret, Great Egret, Grey Heron
• Mute Swan, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Coot
• Water Rail, Kingfisher, Bearded Tit
• Cetti’s, Sedge + Reed Warbler, Reed Bunting

Woodland

• Tawny Owl (heard), Green + Great Spotted Woodpeckers
• Blackbird, Song Thrush, Nightingale
• Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest
• Blue, Great, Coal, Marsh + Long-tailed Tit
• Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Jay, Chaffinch, Goldfinch

Reeds, Dunes & Bushes

• Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Stonechat, Dunnock
• Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Chiffchaff
• Goldfinch, Linnet, Reed Bunting

Reptiles + Amphibians

• Adder, Grass Snake, Slow worm, Common Lizard
• Common Frog, Common Toad, Smooth Newt

Recent Sightings

Species	Location	Date
Hobby	Over reedbed	25/4
White Stork	Over carpark	24/4
Swift (x1)	Over Levels	25/4
Grey Plover	Scrape	25/4
Common Gull	Scrape	25/4
Mediterranean Gull (x120)	Scrape	25/4
Sandwich Tern (x200+)	Scrape	25/4
Common Tern (x12)	Scrape	25/4
Spoonbill	Scrape	25/4
Ruff	West Scrape	24/4
Black-tailed Godwit	Scrape	25/4
Little Tern	Scrape	25/4
Common Sandpiper	Scrape	25/4
Garden Warbler	North Bushes	25/4
Greenshank	Scrape	25/4
Peregrine	Over reedbed	24/4
Common Crane	Reedbed / South Levels	24/4
Spotted Redshank	Scrape	25/4
Whitethroat	North Bushes / Sluice Bushes	25/4
Lesser Whitethroat	North Bushes	25/4
Reed Warbler	Reedbed	23/4
Sedge Warbler	Reedbed	25/4
Cuckoo	Calling North Marsh + Island Mere	25/4
Nightingale	North Bushes	25/4
Woodlark	Singing above car park	24/4
Whimbrel	Near Chapel Field	24/4
Bar-tailed Godwit	Scrape + near Chapel Field	25/4
Iberian Chiffchaff	Westleton Heath (see map)	24/4

Other Wildlife

Mammals

• Red Deer
• Muntjac
• Chinese Water Deer (Levels)
• Otter
• Stoat
• Weasel
• Badger (possible at dusk)
• Red Fox
• Grey Squirrel
• Rabbit
• Water Vole
• Bank Vole
• Common + Pygmy Shrew

Butterflies

• Peacock
• Red Admiral
• Comma
• Speckled Wood
• Small Copper
• Small White
• Large White
• Green-veined White
• Orange Tip
• Brimstone
• Holly Blue
• Green Hairstreak

Other Insects

• Dark-edged Bee-fly
• St. Mark’s Fly
• Tawny Mining-bee
• Buff-tailed Bumblebee
• Ruby-tailed Wasp
• Mason Bee
• Large Red Damselfly
• Hairy Dragonfly
• Green Longhorn Moth (Adela reaumurella)

Sightings From North Hide

19/4 (General List)

• Ducks & Waterfowl: Mallard, Gadwall, Teal, Shoveler, Shelduck, Pintail, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan
• Geese: Grey Lag Goose, Canada Goose, Barnacle Goose, Egyptian Goose
• Waders: Avocet, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Lapwing, Ringed Plover, Snipe, Godwit
• Gulls & Others: Black Headed Gull, Lesser BB Gull, Coot, Moorhen, Crow, Pied Wagtail
• Raptors: Harrier

20/4

• Gosling
• Bittern (flypast)
• Brent Goose

22/4

• Bar-tailed Godwit (x3)
• Ruff
• Egyptian Goose

25/4

• Little Egret (NW Shore)

Sightings From South Hide (25/4 – 26/4)

Waders & Shorebirds

• Whimbrel
• Turnstone
• Dunlin
• Avocet
• Ringed Plover
• Oystercatcher
• Redshank
• Black-tailed Godwit
• Red Knot
• Common Sandpiper (Back)
• Bar-tailed Godwit (21st)

Wildfowl (Ducks & Geese)

• Teal
• Shoveler
• Shelduck
• Gadwall
• Mallard
• Barnacle Goose
• Canada Goose
• Egyptian Goose + Young

Gulls & Terns

• Mediterranean Gull
• Black-headed Gull
• Common Gull
• Hybrid Med x B-H Gull
• Sandwich Tern (x200)
• Common Tern
• Kittiwake
• Herring Gull
• Lesser Black-backed Gull
• Little Gull
• Little Tern

Other Species

• Spoonbill
• Bittern (booming)
• Cetti’s Warbler
• Sedge Warbler
• Reed Warbler
• Marsh Harrier (25.04 / 26)

Sightings From West Hide (26/4)

Wildfowl (Ducks & Geese)

• Mallard
• Gadwall
• Teal
• Wigeon
• Shelduck
• Shoveler
• Tufted Duck
• Garganey Pair
• Mute Swan
• Greylag Geese
• Barnacle Geese
• Canada Geese
• Egyptian Geese

Waders

• Avocet
• Lapwing
• Oystercatcher
• Whimbrel (East)

Gulls & Terns

• Black-headed Gull
• Common Gull
• Lesser Black-backed Gull
• Greater Black-backed Gull
• Mediterranean Gull
• Little Gull
• Sandwich Tern
• Common Tern

Raptors

• Hobby
• Red Kite
• Marsh Harrier

Other Species

• Coot
• Cetti’s Warbler
• Sedge Warbler
• Great Cormorant

Sightings From Bittern Hide

General List

• Marsh Harrier
• Black Headed Gull
• Mediterranean Gull
• Carrion Crow
• Mallard
• Gadwall
• Shelduck (x3)
• Common Crane (x2)

Outside / Nearby

• Blackcap
• Cetti’s Warbler (heard)

25/4 Specific Sightings

• Cetti’s Warbler
• Bittern (x3)
• Hobby (x2)
• Water Vole
• Adder