Hazelwood Marshes & Snape Marshes

The fine weather is allowing the contractors to make good progress with maintenance work on the sea wall at Hazelwood.

A pair of Mute Swans and four cygnets at Snape



Trimley Marshes

Birds on the reserve today included Buzzard 4, Marsh Harrier, Barn owl, Water Rail 2, Kingfisher, Jack Snipe and Short-eared Owl. We caught the first fieldfare and Goldcrest for this winter.

Trimley Reserve

Winter migration part one. http://www.felixstowetv.co.uk/video-archive/viewvideo/562/swt-conservation-documentries/trimley-marshes-migration-pt1

Trimley Marshes

A long day at Trimley, David, Mike and Margaret carried out more management work on the summer flood and John topped another field.

Observations included Buzzard 4, Sparrowhawk, Jay 5 and Greenshank.  Birds ringed included Chiffchaff 4, Song Thrush 3 and a Jay.

Mike

Dave has been volunteering for over twenty years

Margarete and Mike

Trimley Marshes

Beachwatch results from Andrew Cassy, a short update for this years event, thanks to you all for making it such a great success yet again.

http://atadastral.co.uk/2011/10/10/largest-beachwatch-in-the-uk-again/

Conservation Day & 50th AGM

The Suffolk Wildlife Trust Conservation Day and the 50^th AGM was held in the Corn Hall at Diss.  Following the opening remarks by Lord Cranbrook we had excellent talks by Mike Harding on ‘The Remaking of a Fen’, Tim Pankhurst on ‘The Importance of Redgrave & Lopham Fen’, Dr Helen Smith on ‘Fen Raft Spider on the move’ and Nick Mason on ‘The Changing Fortunes of Suffolk’s Dragonflies’.

The AGM was carried out quickly and efficiently.  The Chairman Sir Kenneth Carlisle in his report thanked the staff and all of their volunteers for their hard work and dedication to conservation.

In the afternoon we enjoyed a walk at Redgrave and Lopham Fen led by Andrew Excell and Richard Young.

Trimley Marshes

Reserve management with the mid-week volunteers and insects.  A Felixstowe TV video http://www.felixstowetv.co.uk/video-archive/viewvideo/555/swt-conservation-documentries/trimley-marshes-insects

Trimley Marshes

Litter Pick

A video from Felixstowe TV. http://www.felixstowetv.co.uk/video-archive/viewvideo/557/community-a-charity/beach-watch-litter-pick

Trimley Reserve

Freeing a blocked  sluice between the reservoir and lagoon area.

Big John getting stuck in (photo by Anna Alam)

Trimley Reserve

Thankfully we have almost finished cutting and raking the grassland on the summer flood; I am also purposely draining the flood so that I can have a heavy tracked vehicle on to recontour the scrape area.  The work should be taken place in a week or two.

Observations included Wheatear 3, Greenshank and Marsh Harrier.

Summer flood being drained

Trimley Reserve & Levington

Birds today at Trimley included Little Stint, 3 Egyptian Geese and a Short-eared Owl.

At Levington there was a Dotterel, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper and Spoonbill.

Hazelwood Marshes

I had a site meeting this morning with Dorothy (line manager) and Mike Pratt and Mervyn Miller our two voluntary wardens.  The photo shows us standing on the sea wall inspecting the maintenance work that is being carried out by the Environment Agency.  The grazing and the annual marsh management work is going exceptionally well.  While we discussed the winter work programme a Hobby appeared over our heads hunting for dragonflies.

Mike, Dorothy and Mervyn