About the reserve

From the river and salt marsh, the fields sweep gently upwards, framed by thick hedges and ancient oak, eventually leading to precious woodland.

Situated between Martlesham Heath, Woodbridge and Waldringfield - and across the river from the burial site of Anglo-Saxon royalty at Sutton Hoo - this is a landscape rich in nature and brimming with history. As an internationally important estuary for waders and wildfowl - curlew, shelduck, lapwing and redshank are often seen feeding on the marsh and saltings. 

Already home to a wonderful array of plants, animals and invertebrates, under our stewardship, the fields will gradually ‘wild’ into an intrinsic mosaic of natural habitats, maintained by grazing. Our wardens will be enhancing the natural environment by restoring existing ponds, establishing new ponds, and creating shallow wetland scrapes that will all enhance the landscape for wildlife. The emergence of this new pastoral landscape will be thrilling to watch as nature is allowed to recover and restablish.