Walberswick
Walberswick National Nature Reserve (NNR) is situated near Southwold and is one of Suffolks most diverse and scenic reserves. It is part of the Walberswick-to-Minsmere Special Protection Area (SPA), an area designated under European law to protect certain particularly threatened species and migratory birds.
The reserve is managed by English Nature and has a wide variety of habitats including lowland wet grassland, reedbeds, coastal lagoons, saltmarsh, vegetated shingle ridge, woodland, acid grassland and heathland.
Although bitterns already breed at Walberswick, not all nesting attempts are successful. In 2001 there was only one successful bittern nest out of two attempts. As part of the EU LIFE bittern project, additional feeding places were created. 0.5 hectares (ha, 1.2 acres) of pools were excavated, 500 m of new ditches created, and 4,000 m of existing ditches re-shaped to increase the movement of fish. It is hoped this will increase the availability of food for the current population of bitterns and provide habitat for two additional pairs of breeding bitterns.
This work will help to increase the bittern population on the Suffolk coast and then encourage them to colonise other areas of the UK.
Walberswick also supports marsh harriers, bearded tits and water rails. In winter, hen harriers and red-throated divers can be seen. Of the 280 species of birds recorded at Walberswick, over 120 species have bred on the reserve.
A variety of other wildlife is found at Walberswick. Resident mammals include otters, water voles and brown hares. Invertebrates are numerous with rare butterflies such as the silver-studded blue and white admiral regularly recorded, and there is an enormous diversity of plant life.
