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Our work here
Our Berney Marshes and Breydon Water reserve protects an area of wet grassland, intertidal mud and saltmarsh in the Norfolk Broads. The RSPB is helping manage these habitats for all their wildlife, especially breeding and wintering birds.
Supergrass
We are maintaining 267 ha of improved wet grassland for up to 65,000 wintering raptors and wildfowl, the latter including pink-footed geese and wigeons, as well as breeding lapwings, redshanks and avocets. We use winter flooding to regulate water levels and grazing with cattle to create the right sward structure. We also control foxes and crows, conduct patrols, and maintain wet edges and rough grassland. We aim to extend this habitat by converting neighbouring arable land.
Ditches
We are managing our ditches for the benefit of aquatic invertebrates and other wildlife, carefully regulating the balance between brackish and freshwater conditions. We do this on a 7–10 year rotation, so that flora and fauna can re-colonise some areas while we work on others.
Mud and marsh
We are working to maintain 375 ha of intertidal mud and saltmarsh as a refuge for wintering wildfowl and breeding common terns. Other important wildlife here includes the threatened plant bug, Orthotylus rubidus. We use aerial photography to monitor these habitats, and check water quality regularly.
Finding out more
Monitoring and research help us to manage the reserve and also contribute to national surveys. Our projects include ringing lapwings and redshanks to study their breeding behaviour, counting roosting harriers and surveying under-recorded invertebrates. We also study the effects of manure on soil invertebrates and the importance of foot-drains to breeding waders.
People power
We are building up our supporters network and aim to attract 4,000 visitors a year, targeting the local community through events and the media. Services will remain low key, but we will maintain viewing platforms, continue winter boat trips and look into running Land Rover safaris.
We aim to raise reserve income, and will encourage volunteers and research students. We are also building the support of key stakeholders and conservation bodies, while using the reserve to demonstrate how to convert arable fields into wet grassland and to integrate commercial grazing with breeding wader conservation.