Almost 30 years on from the founding of RSPB Lakenheath Fen, a new wetland creation project at the nature reserve is echoing the past, as 67 hectares of arable land begins its transformation into a wildlife-rich wetland oasis.
Rewind to 1995... the RSPB was on the lookout for land to create more wetland for wildlife in the Fens. Once an available area had been found, the first site manager, Norman Sills, who had managed the creation of RSPB Titchwell Marsh in north Norfolk, was drafted in to revert the arable land into wildlife habitat.
At this time, Bitterns were perilously close to extinction in the UK and conservationists concluded that the way forward was to create suitable reedbed habitat inland, away from their last strongholds at the coast, where coastal erosion was a serious threat. Norman saw the potential of this patch of land to become a future nature reserve to support Bitterns, and other fenland wildlife, at a time when a great deal of imagination, ambition and courage was needed.
Between 1995-1997, diggers moved in to create the pools, ditches and earth banks visitors see today. Blocks of reedbed were created next to the river, which were constantly replenished by the trickle of water through the flood bank, keeping the reeds very wet – key to their survival.
A small army of staff, volunteers and contractors worked tirelessly to hand-plant the newly sculpted land with young reed seedlings. It wasn’t long before Bitterns moved in; ‘booming’ – a deep sound the males make from their throat when courting – was first recorded in 2006, followed by confirmed breeding in 2009.
A wealth of other fenland species also made their home here. Soon, dozens of pairs of Bearded Tits and Marsh Harriers began to visit, as Marsh Harriers continued a slow recovery from their own perilous position in the early 1970s, when there was just one breeding pair in the UK.
Over the course of a few years, in the second half of the 1990s, the reserve became a sanctuary for many seriously threatened fenland species that found refuge there.
Today, the reserve measures roughl
y six kilometres from east to west, and two kilometres from north to south at its widest point, and is roughly 423 hectares in total. But it is set to get much bigger and give a massive boost to wildlife in Suffolk.
In early 2023, thanks to support from the Morgan Sindall Group, a leading UK construction and regeneration group, the RSPB announced plans to restore another 67 hectares of arable land adjacent to the current nature reserve. The new land offered the opportunity to create wetland and to re-wet arable land.
Wetter land means not only better carbon storage, which helps to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in the fight against temperature raising climate change, but also potentially better foraging and nesting habitat for wading birds.
As time moves on and the new wetland becomes established, there is no doubt that many of the species already found at RSPB Lakenheath Fen will move in and make the most of this new habitat. In spring, Hobbies return to the reserve from Africa, along with a plethora of warblers, Cuckoos and the well-known and loved Swallows, Swifts, House Martins and Sand Martins.
All these birds are here for one thing – insects. With 22 different species of butterfly and 22 species of dragonfly spotted at the reserve in 2023, including some more unusual species such as Norfolk Hawker and Variable Damselfly, Lakenheath Fen is well able to support these beautiful birds as they raise their new families here.
As spring turns to summer, numbers of all birds and mammals build up as youngsters fledge and we get our first reliable sightings of Kingfishers. Autumn brings a switch in birdlife; African migratory species depart and swap places with Redwing, Fieldfare and Whooper Swans. We welcome back many ducks including Shoveler and Teal, and a few waders such as Oystercatcher, who will use the reserve to find food and shelter in the colder months ahead.
Whilst the reserve goes through its annual cycle, so do we, with a regime of reedbed maintenance, selected scrub clearance and maintaining our infrastructure, such as viewpoints, benches, Mere Hide and the car park. Our events programme runs alongside this, providing opportunities for visitors of all ages and backgrounds to connect with nature and to learn about the wildlife of the Fens.
Morgan Sindall Group has supported our work to re-wet much of the new land so that its value for wildlife improves greatly. Some of the funding was used to work in partnership with ecologists to investigate what wildlife was already using the site. Surveys revealed that dozens of Water Voles have spread across the new land; this is a species we hope to support in the future, helping the population of this threatened mammal to grow.
The new land purchase provides more breeding and foraging habitat for wading birds such as Lapwing, Redshank and Common Snipe, species that are really struggling to sustain their populations that need wet, quiet places, free from pesticide use and disturbance, to find food and raise young.
By raising the water level across much of the new land, we hope to see certain changes; the plants growing in the soil will change, as the wetter conditions favour sedges, rushes and perhaps delicate plants like Ragged Robin and Purple Loosestrife. This plant community will be more suited to what ground-nesting waders need to build sheltered nests on the ground.
The wetter soil, free from pesticide use, will support more insect life, which will be key for growing wader chicks and supporting adult birds of many species to forage year-round. Our ‘old’ reserve south of the river supports multiple pairs of Crane each year and the new wetland should support foraging adult birds, especially in late summer and autumn when any chicks are able to fly and follow their parents further afield to look for food. Birds of prey such as Marsh Harrier, which have already been spotted hunting for prey on the new wetland, Hobby and Kestrel will also be able to make use of the new wetlands too.
As our vision to provide more fenland habitat is now a reality, we will continue to nurture this young wetland and the hope and promise it brings for nature in Suffolk.
To find out about RSPB Lakenheath Fen and how you can support the work of the RSPB go to www.rspb.org.uk/lakenheathfen. Follow us for updates on the new wetland on X and Facebook @RSPBLakenheath
