There have been exciting and rare birds recorded at Trimley Marshes this week, including a ring ouzel passing through, a short-eared owl, and a rare purple heron! 

Purple herons are resident in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern and Eastern Asia, with breeding populations in continental and Southern Europe. Purple herons are very scarce visitors to the UK. Here, they usually make a journey on warm southerly winds during the spring, potentially staying into the summer. The purple heron is smaller and more evasive than the grey heron, their preferred habitat being dense waterside vegetation such as reedbed. Purple heron is under threat from the destruction and fragmentation of wetland habitat, which emphasises the importance of fantastic wetlands like Trimley Marshes. 

Come and experience Trimley’s wonderful wetland wildlife at Trimley Marshes Open Day coming soon. 

Last year’s coppice coupe at Bradfield Woods is covered in a carpet of colourful and rare plants at the moment, a testament to how coppicing benefits floristic diversity. 

Surveys this week confirmed a healthy water vole population and otter presence at Martlesham Wilds. These are excellent records to add to our species baseline for this new reserve. 

Reserves Intern Anneke Emery heard her first nightingale for Black Bourn Valley this week. 

Redgrave and Lopham Fen is looking lovely with water violet in flower. 

More amazing slow-motion bee footage from Lackford Lakes, this time a bumblebee coming in to land. 

The north east reserve teams have been up at dawn doing bird surveys recently, their early starts have been rewarded with an array of bird species as well as sunrises and misty views. 

The team at Carlton Marshes has also been busy preparing for summer visitors by foot and boat, and repairing fences for our conservation grazing cattle that are now back on site.  

With a wonderful nature reserve on the doorstep, this robin has chosen to nest alongside the wardens in the workshop at Foxburrow. The chicks are sometimes getting supplementary flakey pastry when it’s lunch time! 

Lound Lakes Warden Andy Hickinbotham gave an informative and rewarding tour of the reserve for WIGGY (Women in Gorleston and Great Yarmouth) recently. Naturally, it finished with tea and cake!