• What do wrens and terns have in common?

    Aaron

    This month we received the fantastic news that we had been successful in receiving a sizable grant application to undertake wetland enhancement works at our Boyton and Hollesley reserves. This project is imaginatively titled the South Alde-Ore Estuary - Future for Coastal Wetlands Project.

    At Boyton there are several fields on the reserve that are higher and drier which means there is an area of the reserve that is not…

  • A Difficult Spring

    Aaron

    Boyton, like most of our coastal wetland reserves has had more than its fair share of rain over the last two months. The breeding birds at Boyton have found it difficult it rear any young due to the cold and difficult weather. However, there has been some good news, the avocets returned to the flash once again with up to twelve pairs nesting and today there are at least six healthy chicks walking around the flash. Also…

  • Winter wonderland

    Aaron

    Winter is the time of the year that Boyton is truly left to its avian inhabitants. With the onset of winter the farmer starts to take off this Hereford cattle and we start increasing the water levels on the fields. By pushing the water up it floods the fields and provides great wintering habitat for wigeon, teal and a multitude of waders. It also has the added benefit of suppressing the grass growth over the winter…

  • A tall story

    Ian Barthorpe

    Until this week, if anyone had told me that I would see a sandhill crane in the UK I'd never have believed them. OK, so there were three previous UK records, but these were predictably in the far flung corners - Orkney and Shetland, plus a record in County Cork.  Surely there was no chance of seeing one in deepest Suffolk.

    Sandhill crane is a North American species, breeding in the plains of Canada and the northern…

  • Summer update:

    Kieren

    Sadly, I have not had the time to write much about Boyton marshes of late but that doesn’t mean its not worth a visit.

    There are at least 12 pairs of avocets nesting on the summer flash with astonishing numbers of chicks around. It must be one of the best sites to see chicks anywhere on the Suffolk coast. This counts is a rough estimate but it definitely looks like more pairs have nested this yeat than…

  • Concerning Grove Marshes

    Kieren
    Whilst this blog post isn’t strictly about Boyton marshes it does concern Grove marshes our other lowland wet grassland site just down the coast.
    For those have not visited the site and in fairness not many do, it is around 83 hectares in size and consists predominantly of wet grassland. During the summer it is home to Lapwing and several pairs of Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler and Cetti’s warbler and a wide host…

  • What’s all that noise down at Boyton Marshes?

    Kieren

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  • The plight of the water vole

    Kieren
    It’s easy to think of the RSPB as only being about birds but in fact our remit or interest goes far beyond just birds. The work of the RSPB touches on subjects as diverse as human influence on marine environments to campaigning about proposed cuts to environmental funding.
    Recently as part of the ongoing work in the South Suffolk reserves we’ve been considering how we could improve Boyton marshes and RSPB…

  • Reunited with an old friend

    Ian Barthorpe

    I often describe boyton Marshes as a "gem of reserve that you'll want to go back - if only you can find it." Sadly, since moving to North Suffolk four years ago, I've had few opportunities to visit myself. Indeed, I hadn't been for almost a year - since three glossy ibises took up residence for a few eeks last autumn.

    Until Wednesday that was. Better still, I was able to visit with Aaron, Keiren…

  • The breeding season draws to a close

    Kieren
    As the season draws to a close and the summer months give way to autumn migration. Now feels like the time to wrap up the season at Boyton marshes and give an update on the key species in the breeding season.
    Lapwings had a marvellous season with 20+ birds fledgling; these can be regularly seen commuting between Boyton and Havergate, where they roost to avoid Foxes and other predators.
    The final count of Avocets was…

  • A success story!

    Kieren
    The nesting Avocets at Boyton marshes are doing well. Their where still a few chicks present on the site on the 30th of June. An accurate count was hard to gauge but given that at least three pairs appeared to be territorially suggests that some chicks are still alive.
    One of the biggest dangers and risks seems to be coming from the Hereford cows, specially the young uns. Who have taken a liking to the islands built…

  • Mooching around

    Kieren
    I had a spare half an hour after finishing on Havergate on Sunday, so went for a quick mooch around Boyton (Yep, mooch is a technical term).
    The summer is in full swing now and because I went just after a quick rain shower the reserve had that wonderful fresh feel that is highlight of British summers. Sunday afternoon must be a good time to visit, as I had the reserve to myself. The contrast between the two reserves…

  • A red letter day

    Kieren
    Yesterday was a red letter day for me. Having dragged myself away from Havergate for a quick look around Boyton marshes.
    When people visit Havergate they often ask me about other places to visit in the South Suffolk region, despite being spoilt for choice in the South Suffolk region, with many fabulous reserves to visit including Snape Warren and  Hollesley marshes amongst others but I always recommend a visit to Boyton…

  • Spring has sprung

    Aaron

    Boyton Marshes are truly stunning at this time of year, the sun is out and the birds are singing. I was on the reserve yesterday and was fortunate to get very close to a purring turtle dove, he was very on the edge of the visitor car park and was singing to attract a mate. Sadly purring turtle doves have become increasingly rare following substantial population declines which has placed them on the Red List.

    The marshes…