All of the events below are at RSPB Minsmere nature reserve, Westleton, Suffolk, IP17 3BY unless otherwise stated.

Guided walks

Costs: Adults £7, RSPB members £5, children half price, unless otherwise stated
Places limited. Unless stated, booking is essential. Call 01728 648281 or email [email protected]

Weekend wildlife walk
April: Sat 3rd, Sun 11th, Sat 17th & Sun 25th
Start at 9.30 am (2.5 – 3 hours)
Join us for a seasonal weekend walk to look for spring migrants, breeding birds and a host of other wildlife highlights that may be present at the time.

Introduction to the Wildlife of the Alde Estuary, Snape Maltings
April: Sat 3rd
Start at 11 am (1.5 hours)
Join an experienced RSPB guide to learn about the wildlife, landscape and history of the beautiful Alde Estuary. These walks coincide with the regular farmers markets, giving you the chance to shop for local produce before enjoying this relaxing walk. No booking required. Adults £3, children £1. Meet at the RSPB Wildlife Information Centre on the quay at Snape Maltings.

Birdwatching for beginners
April: Wed 7th
Start 9.30 am. (2.5 – 3 hours)
Many people have started birdwatching at Minsmere. Join us on this beginners’ walk where you will learn how to use binoculars properly and which field guides are best for you. You can then use this information to enjoy watching birds as we show you some of Minsmere’s wildlife.

Dawn chorus and breakfast
April: Sun 18th. Start at 4.30 am
Dawn chorus can be an unforgettable Minsmere experience, with everything from bitterns to nightingales, Cetti’s warblers to avocets, joining in the chorus as the sun rises. A hearty breakfast in the tearoom rounds off a perfect start to the day. These are our most popular walks, so please book early. Costs are adults £20, RSPB members £15, children £13, or RSPB Wildlife Explorers £11

Learn your bird song
Part 1: Sun 7th March – start at 6:30
Part 2: Sun 18th Apr – start at 6.00
Part 3: Sun 9th May – start at 5.30
Always wanted to learn your bird song? Why not come and join one of our guides for these three events aimed at beginners to help learn a range of different bird songs over the course of the season. Each date consists of a walk lasting about 2.5 hours, followed by a light breakfast at the Visitor Centre. This special three date package costs £60 per person, RSPB members £45, including your walk and breakfast. Places are limited, so book early.

Nightingales and warblers
April: Thurs 15th, Mon 19th, Sat 24th and Wed 28th
Start at 7 am (2 – 2.5 hours)
This is a later start than our dawn chorus walks, but still timed to experience all the variety of spring birdsong at Minsmere, from the bittern’s strange booming call to the nightingale’s glorious notes. The tearoom will be open early after these walks so you can warm up with a hot drink and light breakfast.

Spring birds
April: Thurs 1st, Fri 9th, Mon 12th, Fri 23rd & Thurs 29th
Start at 9.30 am (2 – 2.5 hours)
Birds, birds, and more birds! That’s what we offer you on this walk. Minsmere in the spring is possibly the best place in the country to see and hear the widest variety of birds, and we will aim to show you as many as possible.

Special events for families

Minsmere’s Easter bunny hunt
Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th April
10 am – 3 pm (Allow about one hour to complete)
Discover real, wild Easter bunnies at Minsmere and have fun on our bunny hunt trail. Follow the bunny clues and answer all the questions to claim your milk chocolate bunny at the end. Cost: £2 per child, Wildlife Explorers 50p. Normal reserve entry fees apply for adults. Booking advisable to guarantee your bunny doesn’t hop away.

Hop into spring at Minsmere
Monday 5th to Thursday 8th April
10.30 am to 2.30 pm (Allow about two hours to complete)
Go wild at Minsmere this spring. Get mucky in mud by making funny mud faces (you may want to bring a change of clothes for afterwards). Come and make your own booming bittern – you may even hear the boomer himself. Go green and plant your own sunflower. There’ll be a range of other craft activities for all the family too. Cost: £5 per person, Wildlife Explorers £3.50, adult members free. Booking advisable.

Special events
Places limited. Booking essential. See details for costs.

Spring Celebration
April: Sat 24th and Sun 25th
10 am to 4 pm
Minsmere in spring is a real delight. Watch and listen as birds establish breeding territories and start to nest. Many will already have young, and we’ll show you the highlights with our experienced guides and wardens at key points around the reserve. We’ll also show you early insects and flowers, and look for Minsmere’s popular livestock. This is a great opportunity to discover what makes Minsmere so special.

Havergate’s hares
April: Sat 10th and Sun 11th
Boats depart at 9.30 am and 10.30 am (4 hours)
Havergate is a great place to watch brown hares, especially in spring. Join us a trip to this special island in search of these fantastic mammals. Will you be lucky enough to see them boxing? There will be a good variety of migrant wading birds, late departing ducks, barn owls, little egrets and much more to see. Book early to avoid disappointment. Members £12, non-members £15 (no child discount). Boats depart Orford Quay. Call Minsmere Visitor centre to book.

Binocular and telescope demonstration
April: Sat 24th and Sun 25th
10am to 4pm
Expert advice on choosing the right binoculars, telescopes and accessories. Run in conjunction with Viking Optical of Halesworth, there will be a wide range of optics available to test and buy, so whether you’re choosing you first binoculars or looking to upgrade, we’ll have the right optics for you.

Digi-scoping demonstration
April: Sat 10th
10am to 4pm
Have you ever wanted to take excellent wildlife photos with your compact digital camera? Talk to our experts about how to attach your camera to a telescope and discover the art of digi-scoping. There will be a selection of products to try and buy.

Art and photo exhibitions
All year
Visit the Minsmere tearoom gallery throughout the year to see a range of superb exhibitions of art or photography depicting some of Suffolk’s most spectacular wildlife. Contact us for details of each exhibition, or go to www.rspb.org.uk/events.

Events April 2010, by date

Events at North Warren
Events at Havergate Island
Events at Snape Maltings (all other events at RSPB Minsmere)
Family events
Free events

April:
Thurs 1st – Spring birds: 9.30 am
Fri 2nd – Minsmere’s Easter bunny hunt 10 am – 3 pm
Sat 3rd – Weekend wildlife walk: 9.30 am
Sat 3rd – Minsmere’s Easter bunny hunt 10 am – 3 pm
Sun 4th – Minsmere’s Easter bunny hunt 10 am – 3 pm
Mon 5th – Hop into Spring at Minsmere: 10.30 am – 2.30 pm
Tue 6th – Hop into Spring at Minsmere: 10.30 am – 2.30 pm
Wed 7th – Birdwatching for beginners: 9.30 am
Wed 7th – Hop into Spring at Minsmere: 10.30 am – 2.30 pm
Thurs 8th – Hop into Spring at Minsmere: 10.30 am – 2.30 pm
Fri 9th – Spring birds: 9.30 am
Sat 10th – Digiscoping demo: 10 am – 4 pm
Sat 10th – Havergate’s hares: first boat 9.30 am
Sun 11th – Weekend wildlife walk: 9.30 am
Sun 11th – Havergate’s hares: first boat 9.30 am
Mon 12th – Spring birds: 9.30 am
Thurs 15th – Nightingales and warblers: 7 am
Sat 17th – Weekend wildlife walk: 9.30 am
Sun 18th – Dawn chorus and breakfast: 4.30 am
Sun 18th – Learn your birdsong, part 2: 6 am
Mon 19th – Nightingales and warblers: 7 am
Fri 23th – Spring birds: 9.30 am
Sat 24th – Nightingales and warblers: 7 am
Sat 24th – Spring Celebration: 10 am – 4 pm
Sat 24th – Binocular and telescope demo: 10 am – 4 pm
Sun 25th – Weekend wildlife walk: 9.30 am
Sun 25th – Spring Celebration: 10 am – 4 pm
Sun 25th – Binocular and telescope demo: 10 am – 4 pm
Wed 28th – Nightingales and warblers: 7 am
Thurs 29th – Spring birds: 9.30 am

Visiting arrangements at Minsmere

Entry charges to the reserve:
Adult £5,
Child £1.50 (under 5s free),
Families £10 (two adults and up to four children),
Concession £3.
Free for RSPB and Wildlife Explorer members.
Your entry fee will be refunded if you become a member on the day of your visit.

Opening times
Nature trails and hides open daily.
From 1 February to 31 October:
Visitor centre open from 9 am to 5 pm.
Shop open 10 am to 5 pm.
Tearoom open 10 am to 4.30 pm, with last orders 15 minutes before closing.
Hot food served 11.30 am to 2.30 pm.
From 1 November to 31 January:
Visitor centre open 9 am to 4 pm
Shop and tearoom open 10 am to 4 pm.
Reserve and all facilities closed 25 and 26 December.

Facilities at Minsmere
Access to the visitor centre is free. At the reception desk, you can hire binoculars or borrow a free children’s Explorer Backpack and Discovery Trail booklet. You can also find out more about the reserve and the RSPB. The shop stocks a wide range of books, outdoor clothing, gifts, binoculars and telescopes. You can enjoy a light meal or snack in the tearoom. There are toilets, with baby changing facilities, and a large car park beside the visitor centre.

A permit is needed for the two nature trails, which are each about 1.5 miles long. Two of the eight birdwatching hides are accessed via steps, and two via the beach. The rest of the hides and trails are accessible to wheelchairs and pushchairs. A free trail guide is available from reception. Sorry, no dogs on the nature trails, but they are welcome around the visitor centre and car park, where there is a limited amount of shaded parking.