Guided walks at Minsmere Autumn/winter 2006/7
Birdwatching for beginners
Several walks per month. Start 10 am. (2-3 hours)
Where better to start birdwatching than at Minsmere? Aimed at beginners, 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.

Discovering Minsmere
Several walks per month. Start 10 am. (2-3 hours)
Join us to learn about the reserve's habitats, birds and other wildlife. Our guides will show you Minsmere's varied wildlife, give tips on good fieldcraft, and help you to get the most from your visit to one of Britain's premier birdwatching spots. Suitable for all abilities. Please note that there will be several additional Discovering Minsmere walks, especially on Sundays, subject to availability of guides. For details of these, please visit www.rspb.org.uk or enquire at the reserve.

Minsmere safari
Two dates per month. Start 9.30 am or 1 pm (2-2.5 hours)
Discover what it takes to keep Minsmere in tip-top condition from the comfort of a 4-wheel drive vehicle. This tour takes in less well-known parts of the reserve, while reserve staff explain about habitat management and what makes Minsmere such a superb place for wildlife. Places are strictly limited. Costs: adults £12 and children £8.

What's about at Minsmere?
One walk per month. Start 7 am. (2-3 hours)
Ever wondered who it is that sees all the birds on the 'What's about?' sheet each day? Join the Minsmere birders on their early morning walk and pick up tips on finding birds.

All of our children's events are closely supervised and run by our trained field teachers. Pre-booking is recommended, and children must be accompanied at all times. There may be extra events for families during the school holidays; these will be advertised at the reserve and on the RSPB website, www.rspb.org.uk

Feed the Birds Day
Tuesday 24 October, 10.30 am to 2.30 pm (Allow at least one hour)
Get ready to feed your garden birds this winter. Craft activities on a garden birds theme. Learn more about the types of food to put out to attract birds to your garden. All materials supplied. Cost £3 per child, accompanying adults free.

Make a bird feeder
Sunday 21 January, 10.30 am to 2.30 pm (Allow at least one hour)
Your chance to make your own bird feeders and bird cake to attract birds into your garden. You will learn more about feeding garden birds, and how to take part in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch on 27 and 28 January. All materials supplied. Cost £3 per child, accompanying adults free.

Minsmere Easter egger
Tuesday 3 April, 10.30 am to 2.30 pm (Allow at least one hour)
Come and learn about nests and eggs and have fun making a nest of your own. Easter crafts to take home. All materials provided. Cost £3 per child, accompanying adults free.

Family wildlife walk
Friday 27 October and Tuesday 13 February. Start at 10 am (2 hours)
Minsmere is a great day out for all the family. Our guides will show you some of Minsmere's special wildlife, from mini-beasts to birds. You will learn how to find animals using signs as well as sight and sound.

RSPB Wildlife Explorers
Minsmere's group for junior members currently meets in the visitor centre every other month, usually on the third Saturday. The meetings start at 2 pm and will last for about two hours. Parents are welcome to accompany their children, and must accompany any children who are under eight. RSPB staff or volunteers will lead a range of activities, including pond dipping, minibeast hunts and birdwatching. For details of dates and further information, please contact the visitor centre on 01728 648281.

In the rut
Sunday 15, Saturday 21, Wednesday 25 and Sunday 29 October at 7 am (2-2.5 hours)
Rutting red deer stags fight each other for harems of hinds. Join us to search for these awesome beasts on Minsmere's fields and heaths. Please wear inconspicuous clothing. Tea, coffee and a light snack are available afterwards if booked in advance (add £2 per person).

Starling roost
Free event. Autumn - dates dependent on the birds!
One of the most spectacular sights at Minsmere is the large flock of starlings that gathers to roost in the reedbed on autumn evenings. Numbers usually peak in late November. The timing of these roosts is unpredictable, so we cannot offer a programme of walks to watch them. When the roost forms, we will often have an RSPB guide available to show them to visitors. Please enquire at the visitor centre for details, or see the RSPB website, www.rspb.org.uk.

Reedbed early risers
Sunday 3, Saturday 9 and Sunday 17 December. 7 am start. (2-2.5 hours)
This is the best time to look for one of Minsmere's most elusive species, the otter. We cannot guarantee to see one though, but will look for evidence of them in the form of spraints, footprints and trails. Join us at first light as we look for marsh harriers and starlings leaving their reedbed roosts. We may see a hen harrier or barn owl too. Tea, coffee and a light snack are available afterwards if booked in advance (add £2 per person).

World Wetlands Day
Friday 2 February. Start at 10 am (2-3 hours)
Help to celebrate World Wetlands Day by joining us on a walk in search of the wetland wonders at Minsmere, from whistling wigeons to secretive snipe.

Valentine's day family walk
Wednesday 14 February. Start at 10 am (2 hours)
Valentine's day is traditionally the date when ducks pair up for the spring. Join us as we search for early signs of spring, including birdsong and courtship behaviour. Will there be any frogspawn yet? This will be a fun walk suitable for all the family.

Monks, tanks and avocets
Sunday 25 March. Start at 10 am (2-3 hours)
There is more to Minsmere than wildlife. Join us as we explore Minsmere's fascinating history, from the 12th century monks of Leiston Abbey to the battle to keep Hitler at bay, and why this led to the arrival of the RSPB in 1947.

Optics days
Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 November, 10 am to 4 pm
An opportunity to view and buy from a wide range of the best binoculars and telescopes, with expert advice on hand. Special offers may be available. A selection of optics are always in stock, and our staff are happy to discuss your requirements. Look out for more optics days in the new year. See www.rspb.org.uk/events or contact Minsmere visitor centre for details on 01728 648281. Days run in conjunction with Viking Optical of Halesworth.

As always there will be an exciting and varied series of exhibitions in the tearoom featuring some of the UK's top wildlife artists. All pictures will be for sale. Contact the visitor centre for more details.

Entry to the reserve is free. A trail guide is for sale at Minsmere. Please book these walks through the Minsmere visitor centre on 01728 648281. Guided walks cost: £5 adult (£4 RSPB members), £2.50 child (£2 RSPB Wildlife Explorers).

Getting to RSPB North Warren
North Warren is a short walk north from Aldeburgh town centre. Buses run from Woodbridge and Saxmundham railway stations to Aldeburgh. By car, park in the large pay and display car park on Thorpe Road, Aldeburgh (TM467575), next to the Scallop sculpture. There are cycle racks here. Walks start from this car park.

Winter wildfowl at North Warren
Saturday 13 January, Sunday 4 February and Saturday 24 February. Start at 9 am (3 hours) This is the best time to visit North Warren. We should see wigeons and white-fronted geese on the grazing meadows. Look out for their rarer cousins among the throng, and enjoy the spectacle of wildfowl flocks.

Famous for its avocets, Havergate Island is a special place where you will also see a wide range of other wading birds, wildfowl and brown hares.

Visiting Havergate Island
Access is by boat from Orford Quay, and places are strictly limited. From September to March, boats go on the first Saturday of the month only. From April to August, boats visit every Thursday, and on the first and third weekends of the month. Boats depart at 10 am. A guide will usually be available on the island. To book your visit to Havergate Island, please contact the Minsmere visitor centre on 01728 648281. Cost: adults £5, RSPB members £3, children £2.50, Wildlife Explorers £1.50.

Avocet cruises
Saturday 28 October, Sunday 12 November and Monday 11 December at 10 am (2 hours) Join an RSPB guide on 'Regardless' looking for avocets and other waders on the Alde-Ore Estuary and Butley River at low tide. This is one of the best places to see large flocks of avocets in winter. We will look for other wading birds and wildfowl from the boat as we explore the estuary around Havergate Island. The boat will leave Orford Quay at 10 am for a two hour trip. Cost £10, children £5. Places are limited so advance booking is essential. Ring Minsmere on 01728 648281. We may need to cancel these trips at short notice, for example in the event of severe weather.

Snape Maltings Farmers Market walks
First Saturday of each month. Start at 11.00 am. (About 1.5 hours)
Enjoy this popular farmers' market (which starts at 9.30 am), then join an experienced RSPB guide for an introduction to the wildlife of the beautiful Alde Estuary. We should see avocets (several hundred are usually here in winter) and other wading birds, and will enjoy superb views of the estuary. The walk starts outside the information centre at Snape Maltings.
Cost £1 per person, to go the Suffolk Coast and Heaths CONNECT scheme, helping to fund conservation projects in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Booking not required.
Getting to Snape Maltings Follow the brown tourist signs from the A12, via the A1094 and B1069. Buses from Aldeburgh and Woodbridge stop at the Maltings.

Spring on the Suffolk coast
Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 April
A celebration of the wildlife of the beautiful Suffolk coast
Guided walks, children's activities and optics demonstration. Contact the Minsmere visitor centre for details, or visit www.rspb.org.uk

RSPB spring concert
Saturday 28 April. Start at 7.30 pm at Snape Maltings Concert Hall
Inspirational music supporting birds and wildlife. The RSPB's corporate partner Viking Optical has organised an evening of music at Snape Maltings Concert Hall with the City of London Sinfonia. For further information, please contact the Snape Maltings Box Office on 01728 687110.