One of Europe’s largest and rarest birds is set to benefit from newly acquired land in Broadland that will protect and enhance its valuable habitat.
Thanks to a generous donation by Tim Collison made in memory of his parents, Ken and Doreen Collison, we were able to secure new land at South Walsham Marshes.
The 25 acres of largely undisturbed grazing marshes, which includes fen and open water, is ideal habitat for a number of species including Norfolk’s resident
common cranes. These birds, which are on the UK Amber conservation list, require secluded, undisturbed wetland. We will manage the marshes to ensure they remain attractive for feeding and breeding crane.
The land has
NWT Ranworth Broad to the north and
NWT Upton Broad and Marshes to the south. NWT is working hard in this area – the
Bure Valley Living Landscape – on landscape-scale conservation to connect land to create space for wildlife to thrive.
Tim Collison, who made the donation said: “My parents moved to Norfolk in the 1980s to spend their retirement here. They loved wildlife and walking their dogs; and the Norfolk Broads were an area of particular pleasure for them. This donation will not only mark their love of Norfolk’s countryside, but will help to protect some of our rarest wetland species too.”
Chief Executive of Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Brendan Joyce said: “We are incredibly grateful for this generous donation which has enabled us to secure important land in Broadland. This will benefit the important wildlife of the area but also be a permanent reminder to the memories of Ken and Doreen Collison.”
The crane was once quite common in wetlands across East Anglia, but died out during the 17th century as a result of draining of the wetland habitat and excessive hunting. Since 1979 a small breeding population has been established in the Norfolk Broads. These birds are slowly increasing in number. Possibly the best place in Britain to view wild common cranes in winter is NWT Hickling Broad. Between November and February from the Stubb Mill raptor roost viewpoint, common cranes can be seen coming in to roost at sunset. As well as the cranes, large numbers of
marsh harriers are almost guaranteed in the roost, with occasional sightings of hen harrier, merlin and
barn owl.