Minsmere RSPB Reserve
Grid Ref TM474672
Detailed aerial view of RSPB Minsmere showing the hides
Minsmere has everything the visiting birder could want over 300 species have been recorded at the site. Of these, about 100 species breed on the reserve each year.
The rich variety is the result of the wide range of habitats in the reserves two thousand acres. Birds can choose from heathland, coastal lagoons, dunes, farmland, reedbed, grazing marshes and woodland
The reserve opens at 9am - if you arrive in the area much earlier earlier you will find rewarding birdwatching on the adjoining Aldringham walks and Dunwich Heath nature reserves. If you park at Dunwich Heath NT TM476676 you can walk down the beach path and look over the Scrape from the public viewpoint at any time. The sun is right behind you in the morning giving excellent viewing.
There are two main trails at Minsmere, described in the Minsmere tour which gives you a overview of what you can expect to see from the various hides. One goes round the Scrape, a manmade lagoon much favoured by waders like the iconic Avocet. The other trail goes through woodland and reedbeds, good for woodland birds, birds of prey and the reclusive Bittern.
To get a feel for the layout, take a look at the aerial map with the hides marked out
history
The reserve is on land which was originally reclaimed from the sea, then deliberately flooded in the Second World War to hamper enemy invasion. The concrete cubes on the bath path are remnants from this time.
Reeds flourished in the brackish water, and as human disturbance was reduced, the Avocet returned to breed once again. The RSPB leased the site in 1947 and purchased it thirty years later.
RSPB Minsmere diary - monthly summary of what's been seen
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