In spring 1937, Billy Bishop made contact with Dr Sydney Long to share the news that he had found the first bittern nest ever recorded at Cley. The doctor, Billy records in his book Cley Marsh and Its Birds, was sceptical, believing it more likely that the new warden had found a pheasant nest. But Billy was adamant and later wrote that ‘Dr Long arrived at Cley in the shortest possible time it took to get from Norwich to confirm my discovery.’
Bitterns have since bred many times at Cley, including in summer 2022, after a breeding absence of several years. Spoonbills also bred at Cley this summer, on land adjacent to the reserve. For the very first time, freshly-fledged spoonbill chicks could be seen from the hides, begging for food from their parents, fulfilling a dream held for many decades, first by Billy and later by his son Bernard who followed him as warden.
Bittern, Nick Goodrum
After 96 years in the care of Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Cley remains a flagship reserve, a vibrant freshwater wetland, and — as evinced by the breeding success of bitterns and spoonbills this year — a constant source of amazement. It would be naïve, however, to think that Cley will forever stay the same. Sea level is rising, thanks to climate change, and winter storms hit the beach with increasing ferocity. When the Environment Agency took the decision no longer to shore up the shingle ridge, following the flood of 1996, it was clear that – although the natural shingle ridge has proven to be a more effective sea defence – Cley would in time revert to being saltmarsh, as it had been before it was embanked in the 1600s.
Over the next eighteen months, under a significant partnership with the Environment Agency, with generous further funding from a private donor, we will be undertaking major work at Cley, to help the reserve and its wildlife adapt to rising sea level and protect its freshwater habitats for as long as possible. In recent winter storms, huge volumes of shingle have been pushed by waves onto the reserve and the New Cut has increasingly become blocked with shingle. The New Cut is the drain on the north side of the reserve which essentially marks the boundary between brackish and saline habitats to the north and freshwater habitats to the south. It is important for the longevity of the reserve’s freshwater habitats that the New Cut remain clear, and able to drain saltwater from the reserve during floods, for as long as possible.
This project will see the most vulnerable section of the New Cut moved to the south, making it far less likely to become clogged with shingle. The North Scrape, beloved of winter waterfowl and waders, will also be reprofiled. And the reedbed – which has again been breeding habitat for bitterns in 2022 – will be rejuvenated by the addition of meandering freshwater channels, accompanied by water control structures and sophisticated equipment to monitor water levels, salinity and contamination. Termed pseudo-creeks, for the time being these channels will serve as secluded hunting habitat for bitterns and other reedbed species. Crucially, they will also increase the speed at which we can remove saltwater from the marsh in future storms. Finally, at such a time when the marsh reverts to saltmarsh, they will become tidal creeks.
Most excitingly, we are also working towards installing a new hide overlooking the North Scrape. Since the loss of the old Swarovski North Hide to a storm in winter 2013-14, building a replacement has been judged too risky. But we are now commissioning a hide on wheels, which can be towed to the safety of higher ground when a major storm is forecast. In this way we hope that our members can again watch the North Scrape from the comfort of a hide, without the risk of our losing it to a violent winter storm.
For the installation of the new North Hide, we are deeply grateful for a significant donation made by Robert Gillmor and for donations made in his memory following his recent death. Robert was a pioneering bird artist, illustrator, author and teacher, who co-founded the Society of Wildlife Artists, and whose work is instantly familiar to naturalists all over the world. He moved to Cley with his wife Susan in 1998 and remained a stalwart supporter of NWT and Cley and Salthouse Marshes for the rest of his life. We hope a new hide, from which visitors can watch the avocets, shelduck, curlews and black-tailed godwits Robert loved and illustrated, will prove a fitting way to mark his extraordinary legacy.
Header Image - Cley by Richard Osbourne