Wildlife lovers on the Suffolk coast are invited to celebrate spring at RSPB Minsmere nature reserve on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th April 2010 at the annual Spring Celebration.

RSPB wardens and volunteers will be on hand throughout the weekend to help visitors to spot and identify Minsmere’s special wildlife. Highlights should include booming bitterns, melodic nightingales, dancing marsh harriers and elegant avocets.

The Spring Celebration weekend, which runs from 10 am to 4 pm each day, also includes a large demonstration of binoculars, telescopes and digital camera for visitors to try. In addition, the Waveney Bird Club will run a demonstration of bird ringing, where visitors will get to see familiar birds such as blue tits and greenfinches from an entirely new perspective – in the hand.

RSPB spokesman Ian Barthorpe said, “Spring Celebration marks the anniversary of Minsmere becoming an RSPB nature reserve in April 1947. We are celebrating the beauty of the Suffolk coast, and the incredible variety of wildlife found there. Many of those species, including avocets, marsh harriers and bitterns, owe their survival in the UK to Minsmere, and the work of the RSPB to maintain high quality habitats.

“The bunnies and sand martins outside the visitor centre are bound to prove popular, and if the sun’s out we expect to see the first damselflies emerging, to join the butterflies and bumblebees that are already flitting over Minsmere.”

Normal reserve entry fees apply for the weekend, but all activities are free.

Ian Barthorpe added, “If you love nature and love Minsmere, why not join the Minsmere group on the new RSPB Community web pages at www.rspb.org.uk/community/groups/minsmere? It’s free and you can to others who love nature too.”