Best sites in Suffolk in May?

[wendelio]

Hi All,
I am planning a week in Suffolk (Based in Aldeburgh) and I would welcome any recommendations for good places to go other than Minsmere.
Thanks in advance,

Wendelio.

[Stephen Dunstan]

Depends whether you want lots of birds or the chance of something special. Landguard might be worth a look if the latter and you can go that far south.

Stephen.

[Andy Bright]

Hi All,
I am planning a week in Suffolk (Based in Aldeburgh) and I would welcome any recommendations for good places to go other than Minsmere.
Thanks in advance,

Wendelio.
Aldeburgh is obviously ideal for North Warren RSPB, it's right on your doorstep. I expect your lumping Dunwich Heath in with Minsmere? Benacre and Covehithe broads up towards Lowestoft are always worth a trip. Boat trips to Orford Ness?
Cheers,
Andy

[MikeDale]

Walberswick is good too. Dont forget Dunwich Heath for Nightjars.

[robinm]

Dont forget Dunwich Heath for Nightjars.
And Dartford Warbler and Woodlark.

[dbradnum]

The Lowestoft area is very good for migrants - see their website <here (http://home.clara.net/ammodytes/)> for details of the area, and an idea of what's likely/possible.

I agree with Mike - the (lengthy) circular walk around the Walberswick area is surely one of the classic British birding routes...

See map <here (http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?client=public&X=649000&Y=274000&width=700&height=400&gride=&gridn=&srec=0&coordsys=gb&db=&addr1=&addr2=&addr3=&pc=&advanced=&local=&localinfosel=&kw=&inmap=&table=&ovtype=&zm=0&scale=25000&downleft.x=7&downleft.y=6)> for an overview. I'd park at Westwood Lodge, walk down to 5-ways (far left of map), and then back east all the way through the reedbed to the windmill, cut back up past Hoist Covert to the road to complete the loop. You can also park at 5-ways, or at Hoist Covert.

PM me if you want more details.

Have a good trip,

David

[david2004]

I can't believe it! I stayed in Walberswick twice last summer - and knew nothing about this! Oh well. I know you have already stated Minsmere wendolio, but it really is an amazing reserve. Sorry, other than that I can't think of anything else - besides Dunwich Heath. Have fun!

[Ivan]

Hi All,
I am planning a week in Suffolk (Based in Aldeburgh) and I would welcome any recommendations for good places to go other than Minsmere.
Thanks in advance,

Wendelio.

Hi Wendelio
When are you planning your trip for? Some areas are better at certain times of the year. The area around Aldeburgh can be good for waders (Hazelwood Marshes) The reed beds around Snape for warblers and Bearded Tit. Marsh Harriers everywhere. Blaxhall Heath for Crossbill, Wood Lark, Nightjar. Further afield the Broads are as rich an area as you would hope to find. It all depends on what you want to see and how far you want to travel. If you want more info PM me.
Ivan

[wendelio]

Many thanks for all your ideas. I will have a busy week I think.
I will be there from the 7th.
I made several trips to north Norfolk last year, but only made it down to Minsmere twice. It is a wonderful reserve. I only excluded it because it is the only Suffolk site I am in any way familliar with and I will certainly be visiting again during my stay. Rumour has it that it is possible to see 100 species in a day during May. If I am feeling energetic I might just have a go at that!
But I am also getting to the point with my birding where I am enjoying quieter palces and finding my own birds (or trying to!). Experience tells me there is no subsitute for local knowledge. Thank for sharing yours.

[cuddy]

hi wendy i posted a similar topic for Suffolk in autumn but the response has been ;low key so far how did your trip go ?


regards Brian

[Steve Babbs]

Many thanks for all your ideas. I will have a busy week I think.
I will be there from the 7th.
I made several trips to north Norfolk last year, but only made it down to Minsmere twice. It is a wonderful reserve. I only excluded it because it is the only Suffolk site I am in any way familliar with and I will certainly be visiting again during my stay. Rumour has it that it is possible to see 100 species in a day during May. If I am feeling energetic I might just have a go at that!
But I am also getting to the point with my birding where I am enjoying quieter palces and finding my own birds (or trying to!). Experience tells me there is no subsitute for local knowledge. Thank for sharing yours.

If you enjoy quiet places avoid Minsmere during the day and go in the evening, it's open till dark. Literally anywhere on the Suffolk coast can be good for migrants. The area north of Thorpness, just north of Aldeburgh, has lots of excellent habitat and has turned up a fair few rarities. If you want to do wader watching without the crowds Trimley Marshes is good but a fair way south of you. Agree with North Warren being very good, but a bit difficult to see some areas. Walberswick attracts many less birders than you would expect, so is a good place to get away from others, although the beach is very popular with tourists. I would probably give Languard a miss, unless something turns up, most of the habitat is behind the observatory fence and not really viewable. Shingle Street, Bawdsey is another good south Suffolk area.

Steve

[wendelio]

My trip to Suffolk was good thanks.
Inevitably I spent a good deal of time at Minsmere. After a rather frustrating time on Sat. when it was almost impossible to move, I found it was not so bad during the week and late pm - eve. is a good idea. Didn't quite manage to get 100 sp. in a day there but only missed by 3 or 4. Pretty impressive for a single site.
Other places I visited were RSPB North Warren, Dunwich heath, Blaxhall heath , Walberswick and Sizewell.
Dartford warblers were surprisingly easy on Dunwhich - I got some great photos. Sizewell did not yield the hoped for Black redstart but the Kittiwakes on the outflow rigs were nice to see. One of my other local targets eluded me until I tried Blaxhall on my last day. The most unpromising scrap of heath (when compared with the other much larger heaths around the area) produced 3 woodlarks feeding quietly on the heath fringes. Minsmere produced good views of Bitterns in flight, Bar-wit, knot, Whimbrel, little gull, med gull, little stint etc. but nothing really unusual. But the most exciting sight during my week was of a hobby taking a large juicy dragonfly from right under my nose in the woody fringes to the reedbed on North Warren. It came through the canopy like a sparrowhawk and the shot out back over the reeds.
The only thing I wanted to do but didn't, was to spend some time on the estuaries. Time and tide were against me on that one.
A good week but typically sod's law prevailed and on my return to the Midlands I found that a red backed shrike had turned up at minsmere the day after we left and I missed a temminck's stint on my local patch the day before!
Still you can't be everywhere can you?


hi wendy i posted a similar topic for Suffolk in autumn but the response has been ;low key so far how did your trip go ?


regards Brian

[cuddy]

My trip to Suffolk was good thanks.
Inevitably I spent a good deal of time at Minsmere. After a rather frustrating time on Sat. when it was almost impossible to move, I found it was not so bad during the week and late pm - eve. is a good idea. Didn't quite manage to get 100 sp. in a day there but only missed by 3 or 4. Pretty impressive for a single site.
Other places I visited were RSPB North Warren, Dunwich heath, Blaxhall heath , Walberswick and Sizewell.
Dartford warblers were surprisingly easy on Dunwhich - I got some great photos. Sizewell did not yield the hoped for Black redstart but the Kittiwakes on the outflow rigs were nice to see. One of my other local targets eluded me until I tried Blaxhall on my last day. The most unpromising scrap of heath (when compared with the other much larger heaths around the area) produced 3 woodlarks feeding quietly on the heath fringes. Minsmere produced good views of Bitterns in flight, Bar-wit, knot, Whimbrel, little gull, med gull, little stint etc. but nothing really unusual. But the most exciting sight during my week was of a hobby taking a large juicy dragonfly from right under my nose in the woody fringes to the reedbed on North Warren. It came through the canopy like a sparrowhawk and the shot out back over the reeds.
The only thing I wanted to do but didn't, was to spend some time on the estuaries. Time and tide were against me on that one.
A good week but typically sod's law prevailed and on my return to the Midlands I found that a red backed shrike had turned up at minsmere the day after we left and I missed a temminck's stint on my local patch the day before!
Still you can't be everywhere can you?

Thanks Wendy thats just the kind of information i was seeking, so ta for that,
i hope to try a few of the above reserves, i would like to see woodlark again many years since i last encountered these.

Regards Brian.