Wildlife
The East of England is renowned as a nature lovers paradise (especially for birdwatching). Come and explore our unique habitats, home to some of the country's most rarest and endangered wildlife.
Coastline
Crumbling cliffs, estuaries, shingle spits and Britain's best mudflats and saltmarshes - our coastline provides a home for a rich and diverse range of flora and fauna. Start your journey at the outstanding coastal wetland of The Wash - one of the most important winter feeding areas for waders and wildfowl. Travelling north, the high tide at RSPB Snettisham creates a great wildlife spectacle, as thousands of birds are forced off the mudflats onto the reserve's lagoons. Holme Bird Observatory has recorded over 300 species of our feathered friends since 1962 - how many can you spot? Further east, RSPB Titchwell Marsh is home to wetland birds and marsh harriers. One of the most extensive, diverse and dramatic nature reserves can be found at Holkham - look out for several thousand pink-footed geese in winter. Whilst at Stiffkey, the saltmarshes are turned a vivid purple by the sea lavender in summer. Take a boat trip from Morston or Blakeney to see around 500 common and grey seals on the 3½ mile long sand and shingle spit of Blakeney Point Alternatively enjoy the views over the pools and reedbeds at NWT Cley Marshes - with its bitterns and avocets.
RSPB Minsmere is famous for its rich habitat of reedbeds, coastal lagoons and woodlands - home of the ‘boomin' bittern. Stretching 10 miles south from Aldeburgh is Orford Ness, Europe's largest vegetated shingle spit - noted for its breeding/passage birds and shingle flora. Take a boat trip to see RSPB Havergate Island, an important site for avocets and terns. The wildlife-rich river estuaries of Essex can be explored at RSPB Stour Estuary or Fingringhoe Wick, where over 200 species of birds have been recorded, such as the chorus of the nightingale in spring. At Copt Hall Marshes, follow the grassy paths to view the saltmarshes of the Blackwater Estuary, home to wintering birds and seals.
Forest and Woodland
Hatfield Forest is a rare surviving example of a Medieval Royal Hunting Forest, noted for its magnificent pollarded trees, wood-loving insects and grazing deer. The region has splendid ancient woodlands to explore: Bradfield, Brampton, Broxbourne, NWT Foxley Wood, Norsey and Wolves Wood Spring sees a carpet of bluebells and wonderful birdsong, whilst summer brings colourful butterflies and wildflowers, this is followed by the ever-changing colours and extraordinary fungi of autumn. Many of them are still managed in the traditional way, with coppicing to encourage a variety of wildlife. At RSPB The Lodge, take a guided walk to spot woodpeckers, grass snakes and fungi. Thetford Forest Park is Britain's largest lowland pine forest, a patchwork of corsican and scots pines, heathland and broadleaves. Rich in animal, bird and plant life - look out for three species of deer, the nightjar and woodlark, and rare plants such as the purple-stemmed cat's tail.
Wildlife Events
Enjoy our range of wildlife events - take a guided tour to see rutting deer, watch a wild swan feed, experience the bird's dawn chorus, or take part in a workshop to learn about fungi, bats or wildflowers.
Top 10 Wildlife
1. Bittern: basically a small heron, listen out for the ‘boomin' sound of this shy and elusive bird amongst the reedbeds.
2. Emperor Dragonfly: Britain's biggest - this blue/greenish creature takes flight over water between June and August.
3. Deer: several species live in our region, either wild or as herds within the grand estates of our country houses.
4. Marsh Harrier: a bird of prey seen between April and October. In spring, the males perform dramatic aerial dances.
5. Nightjar: nocturnal bird, coloured a cryptic pattern of greyish brown. Listen out for their distinctive ‘churring'.
6. Red Kite: bird of prey, with a russet red plumage and forked tail. Almost extinct, it has been successfully reintroduced.
7. Seals: home to both grey and common seals - the region has the largest UK colony of the latter.
8. Stone Curlew: strange-looking bird, with long legs and yellow eyes. See it on heathland between March and October.
9. Swallowtail Butterfly: Britain's largest butterfly - and one of the rarest, only seen on the wet fenland of The Broads.
10. Swans: the region is famous for its migrating swans. In winter, thousands descend onto our open water.
Get up early to hear the dawn chorus, watch the aerial dance of the marsh harrier and listen out for the 'boomin' bittern
Inland Waters
Stretching out from The Wash across Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, the vast expanse of The Fens are one of the country's most important wildlife areas. At Wicken Fen, you can see how the landscape looked before extensive drainage by man. This renowned wetland site is home to more than 7,000 species including otters, water vole and tree sparrows. Two other ‘watery treats' are RSPB Ouse Washes and the WWT Welney Wetland Centre, both noted for their large flocks of wintering bewick and whooper swans. Don't miss the famous wild swan feeds at Welney.
The Broads are Britain's largest nationally protected wetland - a haven for some of Britain's rarest flora and fauna. Look out for the fen orchid, the Norfolk hawker dragonfly, water lilies and the ‘boomin' bittern. Start your tour at the floating wildlife centre of NWT Ranworth Broad, then take a trip through the marshes at How Hill aboard the ‘Electric Eel'. NWT Hickling Broad is a good place to seek out Britain's largest butterfly - the swallowtail. Whilst tens of thousands of wildfowl make RSPB Berney Marshes and Breydon Water their winter home. Carlton Marshes is the ‘broads in miniature' - take a dusk walk through grazing marsh and fens to spot magical glow-worms.
The Lee Valley Park is a wonderful mosaic of lakes, watercourses and nature reserves. The wetlands are one of the major inland wintering areas for birds in Britain. At the River Lee Country Park, explore the idyllic dragonfly sanctuary or go in search of wintering bitterns at the special watchpoint. Other places to visit: enjoy a cycle ride around the bird-rich wetlands of the Marston Vale Millennium Country Park; Paxton Pits are restored gravel pits, now famous for its nightingales in spring; whilst Abberton Reservoir is internationally important as a safe haven for wild duck and swans. Pensthorpe is a wildlife paradise, allowing you to ‘get up close and personal' with many species, such as cranes and otters.
Open Countryside
The pockets of remaining heathland in The Brecks are fiercely protected and managed - a rich haven for flora such as military orchid and fingered speedwell. Spiders, butterflies, moths and rabbits thrive here. There are also special features such as fluctuating ‘meres' and ‘pingos' - which date from the last Ice Age. Visit Weeting Heath, home to the rare and elusive stone curlew. On the rolling chalk hills of The Chilterns, look out for the rare Pasque flower, several species of orchid, the red kite and the chalkhill blue butterfly. Spot them with a walk on the Ashridge Estate or the Dunstable Downs - both offering spectacular views over the surrounding countryside. The Sandlings are an area of lowland heaths which once stretched right along the Suffolk coastline - visit Dunwich Heath, a unique remnant of the area, great between June and September, when the heather is in bloom. Look out for the ant-lion, dartford warbler and silver-studded butterfly, whilst on summer evenings the ‘churring' of the nightjar can be heard.
Seasonal Treats
Spring: the best time for birdwatching in the region - get up early to hear the dawn chorus, watch the aerial dance of the marsh harrier and listen out for the ‘boomin' bittern. Enjoy carpets of bluebells in our ancient woods. Summer: explore after dark for bats, moths and glow-worms. Meadows and grassland come alive with wildflowers, orchids and butterflies. Stroll along our inland waters for dragon and damselflies. Go pond-dipping or on a mini-beast hunt. On the coast, saltmarshes are covered with sea lavender. Take a magical walk to find the mysterious nightjar. Autumn: discover our forests and woodlands ablaze with the colours of autumn. See deer rutting and join a ‘fungi foray'. Winter: the region's marshes and open water become home to huge numbers of wildfowl.
