Reserves and species

Posted by suffolk
2011-05-03 14:19

Mickfield Meadow

Mickfield Meadow is a stunning flower-rich hay meadow that has never been sprayed or fertilised. As a result it contains a host of wildflowers, many of which are now scarce in Suffolk. To maintain this rich flora, the meadow is managed by a summer hay cut and then grazing the late summer growth.

Reserve details
Trust: 
Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Trust Website: 
http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org
Size: 
1.70
Short Description: 
Mickfield Meadow is a stunning flower-rich hay meadow that has never been sprayed or fertilised.
Smartphone Description: 
Mickfield Meadow is a stunning flower-rich hay meadow that has never been sprayed or fertilised. As a result it contains a host of wildflowers, many of which are now scarce in Suffolk. To maintain this rich flora, the meadow is managed by a summer hay cut and then grazing the late summer growth.
Location
Address: 
Wetheringsett Road, Mickfield
Town: 
Stowmarket
County: 
Suffolk
Postcode: 
IP14 5LN
Grid ref: 
TM143633 <p>GPS Info<br>Parking limited to hard standing opposite Brook Lane. Walk east along field edge to reserve.
Facilities
Visitor centre: 
No
Shop: 
No shop
Picnic Area: 
No
Opening hours: 
Open at all times. Best to visit before hay cut in July.
Toilets: 
No toilets
Disabled toilet: 
No disabled toilet
Baby changing facilities: 
No baby changing facilities
Dogs: 
Dogs must be on lead
Access: 
No
Access info: 
Please note that access to the reserve is along an uneven field margin and through a kissing gate.
Parking: 
Yes
Parking info: 
Limited to one vehicle roadside hard standing
Walking information: 
Short walk along field margin to meadow from parking space. To avoid damage to the flora and hay crop, please keep to the edge of the meadow
Grazing animals: 
Sheep graze after hay cut
Contact details
Reserve manager: 
Susan Stone
Reserve phone number: 
01473 890089
Reserver deep link: 
http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/reserves/mickfield-meadow
Photos
Photo: 
Mickfield Meadow
Species: 
Snake's-head Fritillary
Meadowsweet
Ragged-Robin
Best time to visit
Start: 
April
End: 
July
Admission
Admission fee?: 
No
Admission amount: 
no
Location type: 
Wildlife or nature reserve
Posted by suffolk
2011-05-03 14:19

Mellis Common

Framed by cottages and farm houses it is a place that has changed relatively little over hundreds of years.While many great commons were enclosed and lost forever, Mellis somehow escaped this fate and now provides a glimpse of what large parts of the county used to look like.

Reserve details
Trust: 
Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Trust Website: 
http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org
Size: 
59.00
Short Description: 
It’s hard not to be taken aback by the sheer scale and prettiness of Mellis Common.
Smartphone Description: 
Areas of Mellis Common are strewn with wildflowers having been farmed for centuries. In summer rare plants such as green-winged orchid, sulphur clover and adder’s tongue fern flourish. The abundance of small mammals also makes the site a favourite hunting ground for barn owl and tawny owl.
Location
Address: 
Mellis
Town: 
Diss
County: 
Suffolk
Postcode: 
IP23 8DW
Grid ref: 
TM100746 <p>GPS Info<br>Park at the village hall off Mellis Road to the west of the railway line.
Facilities
Visitor centre: 
No
Shop: 
No shop
Picnic Area: 
No
Opening hours: 
Open at all times
Toilets: 
No toilets
Disabled toilet: 
No disabled toilet
Baby changing facilities: 
No baby changing facilities
Dogs: 
Dogs must be on lead
Access: 
No
Parking: 
Yes
Parking info: 
Next to railway line
Walking information: 
Informal paths cross the common. Can be muddy and uneven in places. Soft even in summer. During grazing electric fencing encloses some areas. Please don't walk on the Common when the grass is tall as this will damage the crop
Contact details
Reserve manager: 
Steve Aylward
Reserve phone number: 
01473 890089
Reserver deep link: 
http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/reserves/mellis-common
Photos
Photo: 
Mellis Common
Species: 
Adder's-tongue Fern
Green-winged Orchid
Great Crested Newt
Oxeye Daisy
Best time to visit
Start: 
April
End: 
July
Admission
Admission fee?: 
No
Admission amount: 
no
Location type: 
Wildlife or nature reserve
Posted by suffolk
2011-05-03 14:19

Martins' Meadows

As they have never been fertilised, sprayed or drained, the site supports a wide range of wildflowers. To maintain the meadows’ diversity management is by a summer hay cut followed by aftermath grazing.

 

Reserve details
Trust: 
Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Trust Website: 
http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org
Size: 
4.00
Short Description: 
These three meadows are among the few flower-rich hay meadows still left in Suffolk.
Smartphone Description: 
These three meadows are among the few flower-rich hay meadows still left in Suffolk.
Location
Address: 
Rookery Road, Monewden
Town: 
Framlingham
County: 
Suffolk
Postcode: 
IP13 7DF
Grid ref: 
TM226572 <p>GPS Info<br>Look out for signed entrance on east side of road linking Clopton and Monewden and please ensure gateway remains free for farm machinery access at all times
Facilities
Visitor centre: 
No
Shop: 
No shop
Picnic Area: 
No
Opening hours: 
Open at all times. Best to visit before hay cut in July.
Toilets: 
No toilets
Disabled toilet: 
No disabled toilet
Baby changing facilities: 
No baby changing facilities
Dogs: 
Dogs must be on lead
Access: 
No
Parking: 
Yes
Parking info: 
On the entrance track, but please ensure gateway remains free. Please note ground conditions can be soft during wet periods
Walking information: 
Access is through a five bar gate, it’s a short walk around the meadows but this can be wet and uneven. To avoid damage to the flora and hay crop, please keep to the edge of the meadow. Ground conditions can be very wet
Grazing animals: 
Sheep graze after hay cut
Contact details
Reserve manager: 
Susan Stone
Reserve phone number: 
01473 890089
Reserver deep link: 
http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/reserves/martins-meadow
Photos
Photo: 
Species: 
Early Purple Orchid
Green-winged Orchid
Meadow Saffron
Best time to visit
Start: 
March
End: 
July
Admission
Admission fee?: 
No
Admission amount: 
no
Location type: 
Wildlife or nature reserve
Posted by suffolk
2011-05-03 14:19

Market Weston Fen

A wildlife paradise home to a dizzying array of some 250 flowering plants, scores of butterfly, invertebrates and animals, it is a must visit place for anyone wishing to study or simply enjoy a quiet landscape that drips with life.

A circular trail takes in most of the reserve’s 91 acres, past grassland, dykes, scrub and fen and up on to higher sandy ground that offers a view that has remained relatively unchanged for hundreds of years.

Reserve details
Trust: 
Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Trust Website: 
http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org
Size: 
37.00
Short Description: 
There is something special about Market Weston Fen.
Smartphone Description: 
There is something special about Market Weston Fen.
Location
Address: 
Fen Street, Hopton
Town: 
Diss
County: 
Suffolk
Postcode: 
IP22 2RF
Grid ref: 
TL983789 <p>GPS Info<br>Heading south west along Fen Street from Hopton village, park on verge just beyond reserve entrance situated on south-easterly side of road.
Facilities
Visitor centre: 
No
Shop: 
No shop
Picnic Area: 
No
Opening hours: 
Open at all times
Toilets: 
No toilets
Disabled toilet: 
No disabled toilet
Baby changing facilities: 
No baby changing facilities
Dogs: 
Dogs must be on lead
Access: 
Yes
Access info: 
The gates have ‘Radar’ locks but access is not easy , with uneven, soft ground and a step at either end of a narrow footbridge giving access to the fen.
Parking: 
Yes
Parking info: 
You are most welcome to visit the nature reserve, but please park with consideration for our neighbours. Limited space in Fen Streetpast last cottage
Walking information: 
Can be quite wet in places
Grazing animals: 
Cattle and ponies graze the fen
Contact details
Reserve manager: 
Richard Young
Reserve phone number: 
01379 687618
Reserver deep link: 
http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/reserves/market-weston-fen
Photos
Photo: 
Market Weston Fen
Species: 
Kingfisher
Linnet
Great Crested Newt
Best time to visit
Start: 
May
End: 
September
Admission
Admission fee?: 
No
Admission amount: 
no
Location type: 
Wildlife or nature reserve
Posted by suffolk
2011-05-03 14:19

Levington Lagoon

Simply one of the best places for estuarine birds on the Orwell.

Reserve details
Trust: 
Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Trust Website: 
http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org
Size: 
5.00
Short Description: 
This brackish lagoon by the River Orwell was formed as a result of a breach in the sea wall during the notorious 1953 floods, which affected much of the east coast of England.
Smartphone Description: 
This brackish lagoon by the River Orwell was formed as a result of a breach in the sea wall during the notorious 1953 floods, which affected much of the east coast of England. This sensitive site is a magnet for breeding, wintering and passage estuarine birds of which there are exceptional numbers and variety. For this reason Levington Lagoon makes a fantastic bird-watching site throughout the year. Seasonal specialities include greenshank, spotted redshank, dunlin, short-eared owl and flocks of pipit. You may also be lucky enough to spot kingfisher which seem to be something of a
Location
Address: 
Bottom of Strattonhall Drift, off Church Lane, Levington
Town: 
Felixstowe
County: 
Suffolk
Postcode: 
IP10 0LH
Grid ref: 
TM238389 <p>GPS Info<br> Heading east from Levington village along Church lane and Strattonhall drift look out for hard standing on southern side of road just beyond national speed limit signs.
Facilities
Visitor centre: 
No
Shop: 
No shop
Picnic Area: 
No
Opening hours: 
Open at all times
Toilets: 
No toilets
Disabled toilet: 
No disabled toilet
Baby changing facilities: 
No baby changing facilities
Dogs: 
Dogs must be on lead
Access: 
No
Parking: 
Yes
Parking info: 
Off Strattonhall Drift road at head of Levington Creek by footpath. Car park will be closed mid August 2013 until mid September.
Walking information: 
Grass track on river wall to reserve viewpoint is part of local public footpath route. Generally quite level, but can be slippery after rain. Small car park close to site entrance.
Contact details
Reserve manager: 
Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Reserve phone number: 
01473 890089
Reserver deep link: 
http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/reserves/levington-lagoon
Photos
Photo: 
Levington Lagoon
Species: 
Greenshank
Redshank
Dunlin
Short-eared Owl
Best time to visit
Start: 
January
End: 
December
Admission
Admission fee?: 
No
Admission amount: 
no
Location type: 
Wildlife or nature reserve
Posted by suffolk
2011-05-03 14:19

Lackford Lakes

Listen to the sound of singing birds in spring with the arrival of nightingales and warblers from Africa. The first bees and butterflies start to make appearances on bright spring days.

 

Reserve details
Trust: 
Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Trust Website: 
http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org
Size: 
128.00
Short Description: 
Lackford Lakes is a wildlife oasis with a landscape of lakes, reeds, meadow and woodland. There is wildlife in close-up all year round with iridescent kingfisher, dazzling dragonflies and colourful ducks.
Smartphone Description: 
This is a superb site for wildfowl in both winter and summer, attracting tufted duck, teal, pochard and shoveler. A large winter gull roost here can hold as many as 28,000 birds. This is one of the best places in Suffolk for kingfisher, and comorant are often seen fishing at the sailing lake. Various plants grow at the water's edge, including gypsywort, figwort, and purple loosestrife. Otters have become frequent visitors. There is also a busy education centre
Location
Address: 
Lackford
Town: 
Bury St Edmund's
County: 
Suffolk
Postcode: 
IP28 6HX
Grid ref: 
TL799706
Facilities
Visitor centre: 
Vistor centre?
Shop: 
Shop
Picnic Area: 
Picnic area
Opening hours: 
Visitor Centre : Open Tues-Sun 10am to 5pm. Reserve open from dawn until dusk.
Toilets: 
Yes Toilets
Disabled toilet: 
Disabled toilet
Baby changing facilities: 
Baby changing facilities
Dogs: 
No
Access: 
Yes
Access info: 
Fully accessible visitor centre with allocated parking and toilet for disabled people. The 1.5km Kingfisher Trail is negotiable by wheelchair, with ramped access to five hides. The Orchid Hide, reached by a firm 150m path from the car park, offers easy access for all visitors. Parts of this reserve are accessible by mobility scooter.
Parking: 
Yes
Parking info: 
Park at centre car park
Walking information: 
Very good, mostly surfaced paths
Contact details
Reserve phone number: 
<p>Visitor Centre and Education Officer <p> 01284 728706 <p> Reserve enquiries <P> 01284 728541
Reserver deep link: 
http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/reserves/lackford-lakes
Photos
Photo: 
Lackford Lakes by Emma Kerridge
Flickr group URL: 
https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=suffolk+wildlife+trust
Species: 
Kingfisher
Tufted Duck
Teal
Goosander
Lapwing
Otter
Pochard
Gadwall
Snipe
Stoat
Starling
Goldeneye
Fieldfare
Redwing
Bittern
Best time to visit
Start: 
January
End: 
December
Admission
Admission fee?: 
No
Admission amount: 
Charges apply for school visits to the education centre
Location type: 
Wildlife or nature reserve
Posted by suffolk
2011-05-03 14:19

Hutchison's Meadow

A superb colony of southern marsh orchid

Hutchison's Meadow is an interesting flower-rich grassland that is a mix of spring fed wet grassland and drier grassland associated with sand and gravels.

Reserve details
Trust: 
Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Trust Website: 
http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org
Size: 
1.00
Short Description: 
Hutchison's Meadow is an interesting flower-rich grassland that is a mix of spring fed wet grassland and drier grassland associated with sand and gravels.
Smartphone Description: 
Hutchison's Meadow is an interesting flower-rich grassland that is a mix of spring fed wet grassland and drier grassland associated with sand and gravels. The wet grassland includes species such as ragged-robin, common fleabane, square-stalked St John's-wort and there is a superb colony of southern marsh orchid. The drier parts of the meadow support typical meadow species such as sweet-vernal grass, red clover, yellow rattle, meadow and bulbous buttercups
Location
Address: 
Melton Road, Woodbridge
Town: 
Woodbridge
County: 
Suffolk
Postcode: 
IP12 1PD
Grid ref: 
TM280502 <p>GPS Info<br> Park near recreation ground on road side, reserve entrance 50m further north east along B1438.
Facilities
Visitor centre: 
No
Shop: 
No shop
Picnic Area: 
No
Opening hours: 
Access via kissing gate off Melton playing field. Best to visit before hay cut in July.
Toilets: 
No toilets
Disabled toilet: 
No disabled toilet
Baby changing facilities: 
No baby changing facilities
Dogs: 
No
Access: 
No
Parking: 
Yes
Parking info: 
Roadside parking
Walking information: 
Walking conditions can be very damp and uneven
Grazing animals: 
Sheep summer graze or after hay cut
Contact details
Reserve manager: 
Susan Stone
Reserve phone number: 
01473 890089
Reserver deep link: 
http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/reserves/hutchisons-meadow
Photos
Photo: 
Hutchinson's Meadow
Species: 
Ragged-Robin
Red Clover
Sweet Vernal-grass
Meadow Buttercup
Best time to visit
Start: 
April
End: 
July
Admission
Admission fee?: 
No
Admission amount: 
no
Location type: 
Wildlife or nature reserve
Posted by suffolk
2011-05-03 14:19

Hopton Fen

Located within walking distance of Market Weston Fen, the footpath into the reserve slopes gently into a world of waterlogged peat and bristling stands of saw sedge, reed and rushes.

Reserve details
Trust: 
Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Trust Website: 
http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org
Size: 
15.00
Short Description: 
A soggy slice of rare beauty, Hopton Fen is one of a string of valley fen sites that conjure up a wetland landscape that once dominated this part of Suffolk.
Smartphone Description: 
A soggy slice of rare beauty, Hopton Fen is one of a string of valley fen sites that conjure up a wetland landscape that once dominated this part of Suffolk.
Location
Address: 
Nethergate Street, Hopton
Town: 
Diss
County: 
Suffolk
Postcode: 
IP22 2QZ
Grid ref: 
TL990796
Facilities
Visitor centre: 
No
Shop: 
No shop
Picnic Area: 
No
Opening hours: 
Open at all times
Toilets: 
No toilets
Disabled toilet: 
No disabled toilet
Baby changing facilities: 
No baby changing facilities
Dogs: 
Dogs must be on lead
Access: 
Yes
Parking: 
Yes
Parking info: 
Street parking in Hopton village
Walking information: 
Soft & wet. Avoid fen peat which has deep holes
Contact details
Reserve manager: 
Richard Young
Reserve phone number: 
01379 687618
Reserver deep link: 
http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/reserves/hopton-fen
Photos
Photo: 
Hopton Fen
Species: 
Barn Owl
Sedge Warbler
Reed Warbler
Nightingale
Adder's-tongue Fern
Devil's-bit Scabious
Best time to visit
Start: 
May
End: 
September
Admission
Admission fee?: 
No
Admission amount: 
no
Location type: 
Wildlife or nature reserve
Posted by suffolk
2011-05-03 14:19

Hen Reedbeds

A rich mosaic of wonderful wetland habitat and a real treat for anyone interested in birds

Reserve details
Trust: 
Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Trust Website: 
http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org
Size: 
55.00
Short Description: 
Hen Reedbeds is a blend of reedbeds, fens, dykes and pools created in 1999 to provide new breeding habitat for bittern and other wildlife.
Smartphone Description: 
Hen Reedbeds is a blend of reedbeds, fens, dykes and pools created in 1999 to provide new breeding habitat for bittern and other wildlife. In summer look out for bittern, marsh harrier, heron, bearded tit, norfolk hawker and even hobby hunting over the reeds and dykes. Reed and sedge warblers sing to their hearts
Location
Address: 
A1095 Halesworth Road
Town: 
Southwold
County: 
Suffolk
Postcode: 
IP18 6SH
Grid ref: 
TM471771 <p>GPS Info<br>Heading east towards Southwold along A1095 (Halesworth road) after sharp left hand bend take next left turn to Wangford (brown sign post to reserve) and then left in to carpark.
Facilities
Visitor centre: 
No
Shop: 
No shop
Picnic Area: 
No
Opening hours: 
Open at all times
Toilets: 
No toilets
Disabled toilet: 
No disabled toilet
Baby changing facilities: 
No baby changing facilities
Dogs: 
Dogs must be on lead
Access: 
Yes
Access info: 
Access for wheel chairs and visitors with poor mobility to the Bittern platform close to the car park. All other viewing platforms and hides accessed by crossing road which has steps from bridge and onto river wall. Paths can be uneven in places.
Parking: 
Yes
Parking info: 
Car park signposted from the A1095
Walking information: 
Wheelchairs can be pushed over the 75m grass path to a viewing area with seating
Grazing animals: 
Ponies graze areas
Contact details
Reserve manager: 
Alan Miller
Reserve phone number: 
01502 478788
Reserver deep link: 
http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/reserves/hen-reedbed
Photos
Photo: 
Species: 
Bittern
Marsh Harrier
Bearded Tit
Otter
Starling
Best time to visit
Start: 
March
End: 
July
Admission
Admission fee?: 
No
Admission amount: 
no
Location type: 
Wildlife or nature reserve
Posted by suffolk
2011-05-03 14:19

Hazlewood Marshes

Extending out from the northern shore of the Alde estuary, the marshes are splendidly quiet and isolated. It is easy to use the word breath-taking but there is also a sense of otherness, of power and of uplifting melancholy.
The river wall that once separated the marsh from the estuary, once also acted as a physical barrier between the saline inter-tidal world and the fresh water habitats of Hazlewood Marshes.

Reserve details
Trust: 
Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Trust Website: 
http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org
Size: 
64.00
Short Description: 
If there is a landscape that encapsulates dynamic and dramatic change, it is here on the edgelands of the Suffolk coast.
Smartphone Description: 
If there is a landscape that encapsulates dynamic and dramatic change, it is here on the edgelands of the Suffolk coast.
Location
Address: 
Marsh Lane, near Aldeburgh
Town: 
Aldeburgh
County: 
Suffolk
Postcode: 
IP17 1PG
Grid ref: 
TM442582 <p>GPS Info<br> Heading towards Aldeburgh on A1094 parking on right immediately beyond red post box before golf course. Take track and footpath south and west to reserve.
Facilities
Visitor centre: 
No
Shop: 
No shop
Picnic Area: 
No
Toilets: 
No toilets
Disabled toilet: 
No disabled toilet
Baby changing facilities: 
No baby changing facilities
Dogs: 
Guide Dogs only
Access: 
No
Access info: 
Caution advised if visiting around high tide a day or two either side of a full, or new moon as the path to the hide can be covered for up to half an hour.
Parking: 
Yes
Parking info: 
Off Aldeburgh Rd, 0.5km from reserve. Please park responsibly and avoid blocking access for residents.
Contact details
Reserve manager: 
Andrew Excell
Reserve phone number: 
01394 411019
Reserver deep link: 
http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/reserves/hazlewood-marshes
Photos
Photo: 
Species: 
Redshank
Lapwing
Avocet
Marsh Harrier
Curlew
Black-tailed Godwit
Dunlin
Admission
Admission fee?: 
No
Admission amount: 
no
Location type: 
Wildlife or nature reserve