Assistant Broads Warden Gaving Durran spotted a bittern through a screen of reeds at Carlton Marshes this month.

A rare and shy heron, the bittern spends almost all its time hidden away in large reedbeds, where it feeds on eels and other fish. It has wonderfully camouflaged plumage, helping it to blend into the reeds. It can also stand motionless for long periods to avoid detection.

Over the Spring Half Term, our teams at Carlton Marshes and Lackford Lakes hosted work experience students, giving them an insight into the work we do at the reserves and more widely at the Trust.

Emily Reddick, Visitor Engagement Officer at Lackford Lakes, said: "Our Work Experience students worked extremely hard during their week placement here with us at Lackford Lakes. They started their week by getting out on the reserve with our Assistant Warden and getting stuck into some practical conservation work. They got to work on spreading woodchip on a path and removing old tree guards from the trees.

"During their week, they also met with the Brand and Communications Officer to discuss how we use social communications to tell people about our work, our reserves, and the events we have going on. The students will be having a go at this by writing a blog about their week.

"They also helped the me with some event preparation by preparing resources for our Easter event, which they helped run on their last day. They also helped prepare some resources for a hedgehog event we have coming up, creating a trail and fact sheet, and also creating a membership board to go up in our Discovery Room. Their week was wrapped up by a spot of pond dipping to discover what was in one of our ponds."

We're excited to see (and hear!) that nightingales have returned to some of our reserves across Suffolk. The beautiful photograph below was captured by Cathy Curley and captures one of the first nightingales to be spotted at Lackford Lakes since last year. 

This shy bird, similar in size to a robin, is beloved for its song which is a key identifier to the birds presence. Nightingales have also been heard at Trimley Marshes and Newbourne Springs this month, plus many other species that are harbingers of spring such as sedge warbler, blackcap, willow warbler and cuckoo have been heard at our reserves over the past few weeks.

Connecting with nature through activities at sites across the county, our Engagement teams have had a busy but wonderful time hosting events for families across the Easter Holidays. 

From exploring reserves 'after dark', making clay nests, and learning about the incredible invertebrates that call our waterways and ponds home, our wider range of events provide help to inspire more people to feel connected with nature and to take actions for wildlife in their homes and schools.

The first cattle are now happily grazing on the marshes at our Martlesham Wilds nature reserve.

Conservation grazing is an important element of managing the habitats of many of our nature reserves. As the cattle go about their day, their footfall and feeding on vegetation helps to maintain and diversify grassland habitat structure that benefits a wider range of fungi, wildflowers, invertebrates, birds and small mammals.

Thanks to the generous support we've received from Biffa Award, our Martlesham Wilds team have been able to install livestock shelters, fencing, and troughs (powered by a solar-powered water pump). 

We are delighted to receive 40 dormice nest boxes from our Investor in Wildlife member, TMJ Interiors. These beautifully crafted boxes were made by their apprentices at their site in the heart of Suffolk and delivered to our head office in Ashbocking by Clare Taylor, Procedures and Team Coach at TMJ Interiors. Thanks to Clare Taylor and Michael Strand, Community Fundraising Manager at Suffolk Wildlife Trust, for standing in the rain for a photo!  

We will be installing these nest boxes on our reserves to help our dormice populations to stabilise and thrive. Thank you to TMJ Interiors for their generous donation in making these boxes and for being a Suffolk Wildlife Trust Investor in Wildlife, as it's through support like this from businesses that we are able to do what we do by working towards a positive future for the people and wildlife of Suffolk . 

We have crossed the £200,000 mark for our Worlingham Marshes fundraising appeal! Thank you to everyone who has donated so far, with your help we move a step closer to restoring this precious stretch of the Suffolk Broads for wildlife.

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