RSPB Suffolk

RSPB members free entrance. Non members: adults £5

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has several popular sites in Suffolk. These locations offer a variety of different scenery as well as a diversity of wildlife and birdwatching opportunities. Here are a selection of great places for a recreational day out, or for some serious birdwatching. Many of the sites also offer a range of activities from guided birdwatching to safaris and events for the children. Just click on the link to each site to see what's on.

RSPB Minsmere
RSPB Minsmere is one of the RSPB's most famous nature reserves. It has been an RSPB reserve for over 50 years and pioneered the use of observation hides and management of wetland areas to enable visitors to see a sample of the huge range of birds that pass along the Suffolk coast.

If you'd like to see avocets, marsh harriers and bitterns, RSPB Minsmere is the place to visit in spring and summer. In winter, the shallow lagoons attract many wading birds and waterfowl including black-tailed godwits, wigeons, teals and Bewick's swans. The spring and autumn migration seasons are exciting times to visit the reserve. However, RSPB Minsmere is more than just a birdwatchers' site. There is a wide network of paths and trails, enabling you to experience heath, woodland, and the beach and dunes. Ideal for ramblers and serious walkers.

At the visitor centre, informative staff and volunteers can help you plan your visit. You can also enjoy a meal in the cafe (famous for its scones!), and browse around the shop. Special 'Explorer backpacks' for children and families are available for free loan during your visit.
RSPB members free entrance. Non members: adults £5, children £1.50, concessions £3, family £10. Great Value Day Out for the family


RSPB Suffolk
RSPB North Warren
For great hiking or bird watching, RSPB's North Warren reserve near Aldeburgh is a fantastic and easily accessible getaway. Way-marked trails lead you through a wide variety of habitats within a relatively small area. Stroll across the heathland to hear Dartford warblers and woodlarks, while bitterns and marsh harriers can be seen in the reedbeds. The wet grassland supports breeding waders and wintering wildfowl, including some of the UK’s only regular tundra bean geese.

The grazing marshes support nationally important numbers of wigeons, gadwalls, shovelers, and European white-fronted geese. This is one of the few regular wintering sites for tundra bean geese in the UK. At high-tide, up to 2,000 dunlins and lapwings may be present. Offshore, views of red-throated divers are likely as internationally important numbers winter off the Suffolk coast. On mild mornings from January onwards, woodlarks may be heard in song. At dusk, look for marsh harriers and starlings gathering to roost in the reedbed. Foxes often hunt for rabbits.

The nearest railway station is Saxmundham, 6 miles (9.6 km) away. By bicycle, follow signs for Leiston, then take the Aldeburgh road. Buses (First Buses service 64) run regularly between Saxmundham and Aldeburgh. If you're driving, leave the A12 on the A1094 for Aldeburgh. Follow this to Aldeburgh town centre. After passing the church, go straight on at crossroads, then left onto Thorpe Road, towards Thorpeness. After leaving the town, and shortly before the 40 mph speed limit ends, there is a large pay-and-display car park on the right. The reserve is also easily reached on foot from Aldeburgh and Thorpeness.

RSPB Havergate Island
RSPB Havergate Island is famous for its breeding avocets and terns, which can be seen throughout the spring and summer. In autumn and winter, the island provides a haven for large numbers of ducks and wading birds. Boasting five hides and a viewing screen, there's great scope for birdwatching on Havergate Island. A trail cuts through the island, allowing walkers to enjoy a gentle mile and a quarter long stroll across it. The boat trip to the island adds to the interest of your day out, and helps you really feel you’re getting away from it all.

The reserve is open from April to the end of August on the first and third weekends of the month and every Thursday. From September to March, the reserve is open on the first Saturday of the month. The boat leaves Orford quay at 10 am and returns from the island at 3 pm. The boat journey takes approximately 20 minutes. Advance bookings are essential as places are strictly limited on the boat, and can be made via the RSPB Minsmere reserve visitor centre on: 01728 648281. The entrance charges are as follows--Adults: members £5; non-members £7. Children (under 16): members £2; non-members £3.

RSPB Suffolk RSPB Lakenheath Fen
Twelve years ago, the land that is now Lakenheath Fen nature reserve was a carrot field with little to offer in the way of wildlife interest. Now it’s a wetland area filled with life: marsh harriers, hobbies, bearded tits and warblers. It is one of the few places in the UK where golden orioles breed. There is a flexible nature trail network, four viewpoints and a visitor centre. Lakenheath is home to several types of birds including the bearded tit, bitterns, golden orioles, marsh harriers, and hobbies.

Children-friendly events take place regularly at RSPB Lakenheath; more are planned for the future. Click here for more information on RSPB Lakenheath Fen


See Birdwatching in Suffolk for more bird watching sites in Suffolk

(Top image David Tipling)