With its wide variety of habitats - encompassing woodland, heathland, reedbed, saltmarsh, estuaries, shingle beaches and low cliffs - the Suffolk Coast is one of the UK’s prime destinations for birdwatching

The list of species you might see here is vast and whether an expert birdwatcher - or someone completely new to the pastime - the prospect of watching a magnificent black and white avocet as it wades through the water or beautiful bearded tit flitting speedily over the reeds is not to be missed.

The RSPB has three nature reserves along the Suffolk Coast, the best known of which is Minsmere. An RSPB reserve for almost 60 years, Minsmere pioneered the use of observation hides and management of wetland areas and can boast the fact that the avocet (which, incidentally, features on the organisation’s logo) returned to this very site in 1947, having been extinct in Britain until then.

With its woodlands, grasslands, heaths and beaches, Minsmere is a mecca for birdwatchers throughout the year. Spring and summer are a great time to see avocets, marsh harriers and bitterns, and the spring and autumn migration seasons are especially exciting times.

Don’t rule out a visit in winter either - not only is this a very atmospheric time to explore the county of Suffolk, but take yourself down to the shallow lagoons and you can observe the beautiful spectacle of wading birds and waterfowl which thrive in this habitat.

Other RSPB reserves are at North Warren and Havergate Island. The former comprises grazing marshes, reedbeds, heathland and woodland. It is populated by thousands of wildfowl in the winter months and a super place to see breeding bitterns, marsh harriers, nightjars, woodlarks and nightingales in summertime, not to mention butterflies and dragonflies.

And Havergate Island - a small island in the River Ore, which is accessible by boat from Orford Quay - is an important breeding place for common terns and avocets.

If you would like more information about the RSPB’s Minsmere, North Warren and Havergate Island nature reserves please telephone 01728 648281 or email minsmere@rspb.org.uk

Ten species to get you started:

Avocet

Description: Very distinct in appearance, the avocet is a patterned black and white wader with a long, curved-up beak said to resemble a shoemaker’s tool. The avocet was chosen as the logo for the RSPB, testament to how symbolic it is of the UK’s bird protection movement.

Did you know? The avocet was extinct in Britain until 1947, when it returned to Minsmere in Suffolk. It is now fairly widespread in eastern England.

Where and when to see it: The famous scrape at the Minsmere nature reserve hosts a large colony of avocets, which can be seen at close quarters from the hides overlooking the man-made wetland from early spring until autumn. And Havergate Island is an important breeding place for the species, which is found here in good numbers throughout the year.

Bearded Tit

Description: This brown, long-tailed bird is usually seen flying speedily across the top of a reedbed. A sociable and quite noisy species, you can identify the male from its ‘moustache’ as opposed to ‘beard’.

Did you know? A bird of changing fortunes, the bearded tit population has sadly declined in recent years and the species is particularly vulnerable during very cold winters. It is now an ‘Amber List’ species.

Where and when to see it: The bearded tit is only found in reedbeds, therefore head to Minsmere (where the reedbeds are the third largest in England) or North Warren reserves. The species can be seen all year round.

Bittern

Description: The bittern is a thickset heron, characterised by its all-over bright, pale, buffy-brown plumage covered with dark streaks and bars.

Did you know? The bittern is a very rare bird indeed (a ‘Red List’ species in fact) but numbers are on the increase thanks to the work of the RSPB; Minsmere holds between one quarter and one third of the UK population of bitterns.

Where and when to see it: The secretive bittern isn’t the easiest bird to see, although Minsmere and North Warren offer a better chance than most places - all year round. In springtime you can hear the bitterns ‘booming’, or watch parents making feeding flights in summertime.

Common Tern

Description: This silvery grey and white coloured bird has a long tail, hence the nickname ‘sea swallow’. Graceful in flight, it will often hover over water before plunging for a fish.

Did you know? The species breeds on shingle beaches, rocky islands and saltmarshes along co asts, on islands in gravel pits and rivers and also on artificial rafts at reservoirs. Common terns are very noisy in company.

Where and when to see it: Another one to look out for at the North Warren nature reserve; and a bird you might see all year round.

Dartford Warbler

Description: A small, dark in colour, long-tailed bird often seen as a small flying shape which bobs between bushes.

Did you know? Another ‘Amber List’ species, there were just a few pairs in the UK during the 1960s but the population has since recovered. The species returned to breed in Suffolk during the mid 1990s - after a 50 year absence.

Where and when to see it: Another one to look out for at the North Warren nature reserve; and a bird you might see all year round.

Green Woodpecker

Description: This species is the largest of the three woodpeckers that breed in Britain and has a heavy-looking body with short tail. Colour wise, it is distinctively greeny-grey on its upper parts with bright green rump and partly red head.

Did you know? The green woodpecker is a lowland species which breeds in open deciduous woodland, parks, orchards and farmland. It can also be seen feeding on heaths, downland and pasture.

Where and when to see it: A common bird in Suffolk, you might see one in the woodland areas at Minsmere or North Warren - all year round.

Marsh Harrier

Description: This is the largest of harriers, with a heavier build, broader wings and absence of white on the rump. It is also recognisable for its long tail and light flight. Females tend to be larger than males and have creamy heads.

Did you know? The marsh harrier’s future in the UK is now more secure than at any other time during the last century. There was just one pair of marsh harriers at Minsmere in 1971; this had increased to 350 pairs in Britain by 2005.

Where and when to see it: Minsmere and North Warren. Marsh harriers are back in their breeding areas by April and leave during September/October. They can now be seen at Minsmere throughout the year.

Nightingale

Description: The nightingale is just slightly larger than the robin and has a robust, broad-tailed, rather plain brown appearance.

Did you know? Famous for their sweet melodies (day and night), nightingales are very secretive in nature and extremely local in their distribution in the UK, with the highest densities found in the south east.

Where and when to see it: Suffolk is one of the top five or six counties in which to observe this delightful little bird and the Minsmere and North Warren reserves are both good. Nightingales arrive in April, sing until late May/early June and leave again from July to September.

Nightjar

Description: A nocturnal bird, the nightjar is similar in shape to a kestrel or cuckoo - with pointed wings and a long tail. The bird’s grey-brown, mottled, streaked and barred plumage keeps it well camouflaged during daytime hours.

Did you know? The nightjar is known for its silent flight and mythical ability to steal milk from goats, hence its generic name - Caprimulgus - which in Latin translates as ‘goat-milker.’

Where and when to see it: North Warren nature reserve. These evocative birds arrive in the UK from late April to mid-May and mainly leave in August/September time. Dusk on a warm, serene June evening affords the best chance of hearing and seeing one.

Woodlark

Description: Quite similar in appearance to the skylark, this streaky brown bird has a short tail, buffy-white eye stripe and well developed crest on its crown.

Did you know? Now a ‘Red List’ species owing to recent population declines, the woodlark breeds mainly in eastern and southern England and its generic name - Lullula - derives from its fluty song.

Where and when to see it: Suffolk heaths offer a good chance of spotting a woodlark; try Minsmere and North Warren nature reserves, where it is possible to see them all year round.

What is the significance of classification as a ‘Red List’, ‘Amber List’ or ‘Green List’ species?

Birds in the UK can be split in to three categories of conservation importance - red, amber and green. Red is the highest conservation priority (with species needing urgent action), amber is the next most critical group and green list means there is no identified threat to the population’s status.