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Map of Elmley Marshes
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Redshank calling from fencepostAvocet chick in waterMale and female wigeon swimming
Marsh frogMale yellow wagtail jumping over puddleDamselfly at the Lodge nature reserve
Little egret hunting for fishMarsh harrier gliding over reedbedSpotted redshank
Male red-breasted merganser on lakeFemale hen harrier hunting over estuaryGrey plover and dunlin roost at Copperas Bay, RSPB Stour Estuary reserve

Wildlife awards

Elmley Marshes is one of the best places for wildlife in the UK.

Top things to do in Spring

  1. Enjoy one of the highest nesting concentrations of redshanks and lapwings in the country, when the spring air is full of their evocative display flights and calls
  2. Get close views of the nesting avocets in front of Wellmarsh hide
  3. See the other rare breeding species like yellow wagtails, grey partridges, garganeys and black-tailed godwits

Top things to do in Summer

  1. Hear the marsh frog, up to three times larger than our native frog, with its loud 'laughing' croak
  2. See both slow-worms and common lizards basking in the sun on the seawalls
  3. Observe the dragonflies and damselflies patrol the freshwater ditches. Crickets and grasshoppers can be heard in the grasslands

Top things to do in Autumn

  1. Waders en route from the Arctic to Africa, such as green sandpipers and spotted redshanks, can be seen on the pools
  2. Marsh harrier numbers are boosted by new youngsters
  3. Little egret numbers are at a peak

Top things to do in Winter

  1. See wildfowl descend on the reserve from Siberia, eastern Europe and Scandinavia, including up to 20,000 wigeons, 5,000 teals and pintail in their hundreds, as well as others such as Bewick's swan, white-fronted geese, red-breasted merganser and various grebes
  2. See peregrines, hen harriers and short-eared owls hunt over the marshes
  3. The wader roost can include several hundred grey plovers and black-tailed godwits and several thousand dunlins

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Your photos

  • Wagtail
  • Reed Bunting
  • Hare
  • Wheatear
  • Meadow Pipit
  • Stoat at Wellmarsh
  • Black or Bar tailed Godwits?? winter plumage.
  • Avocet

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Downloads

Map of Elmley Marshes

Map of Elmley Marshes

178Kb, PDF

Date: 3 April 2012

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WildSquare Bingo

WildSquare Bingo

2.8Mb, PDF

Date: 21 June 2010

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Extend your stay

Other places to visit

Dark-bellied brent goose

Nor Marsh and Motney Hill

Saltmarsh and mud in the Medway estuary - nationally important for wintering wildfowl

Black-tailed godwit in display flight

Nene Washes

Tranquil meadows managed for breeding waders and flocks of waterfowl

Tree pipit singing from pine tree

Farnham Heath

We're bringing back historic heathland from a dark conifer plantation

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