Abstract

Minsmere, which celebrated its 70th anniversary as an RSPB reserve in 2017, has been an inspiration to naturalists and birdwatchers through its variety of habitats and species, its role in saving some of the UK’s most iconic breeding birds and the sense of space, peace, connection with nature that it provides. The essence of Minsmere was perhaps best captured by Simon Barnes: ‘Minsmere has a quality of vividness. It is a place that opens your eyes and ears, your heart and mind to birds: and to everything else that lives as well. There is a quality about Minsmere that inspires delight in life, all kinds of life: wildlife of every sort and, as an added bonus, your own life as well. The place is almost outrageously life-enhancing.’ (Flying in the Face of Nature, 1992)