Havergate Island

Address: RSPB Havergate Island, Quay St, Woodbridge IP12 2BU, UK

Grid ref: TM425495

This small island in the River Ore is famous for its avocets, terns and spoonbills. In autumn and winter, the island provides a haven for large numbers of ducks and wading birds. Havergate is also a great place to see brown hares at close range.

Plan your visit

Access via boat on pre-booked trips only. Boats leave Orford Quay at 10 am on first Saturday of every month (maximum 12 people) except May, June and July. Also selected weekends for special events.

Free entrance to RSPB members: No

Adults: £17.50 (RSPB members) £22 (non-members)

Children: £8.50 (RSPB members) £11

Car park cost

Pay and display at Orford Quay.
Blue Badge holders are exempt from car parking charges at Orford Quay.

Facilities

No visitor centre
Car park off-site
Toilets
Accessible toilets off-site
No Refreshments
Picnic area
Guided walks
Viewing point
Nature trails
Shop off-site

Accessibility

How to get here

By train

The nearest station is Wickham Market Station. From the station, follow the B1078 east through Tunstall to the B1084. Turn left and follow through to the village of Orford.

By bus

You can take Route 160: Ipswich - Bealings - Woodbridge - Orford. From the village centre, follow signs to Orford quay.

By bike

This reserve is close to Route 1 of the National Cycle Network.

By road

Access by boat from Orford Quay. The village of Orford is located 17 km (11 miles) to the north-east of Woodbridge; the village is signposted off the A12.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

Other ways to get there

Prior booking is essential. The boat leaves Orford quay at 10am and returning to Orford at about 2pm, on the first Saturday of each month only. The boat journey takes approximately 20 minutes. Bookings can be made via the RSPB Minsmere reserve visitor centre. Tel: 01728 648281.

Get directions from Google Maps

RSPB reserves on Google Earth

Group bookings accepted. Please contact the warden in advance on havergate.island@rspb.org.uk.

22 degrees, Cloudy

Contact Havergate Island

RSPB Havergate Island, Quay St, Woodbridge IP12 2BU, UK
havergate.island@rspb.org.uk
01394 450732
@RSPB_S_Suffolk
Find us on facebook

What will you see?

Our star species

Avocet

Watch avocets 'scooping up' microscopic, aquatic life in their sickle-shaped beaks. Or see mini colonies nesting.

Barn owl

When the barn owls have young to feed, you could see them at any time of day.

Common tern

Watch common terns raising their young in spring and summer by visiting the hides.

Pintail

Pintails flock to the estuary here in autumn and winter.

Wheatear

The arrival of wheatears from March is a sure sign that spring has arrived at Havergate.

The hares on the island are most active in early spring. Wading birds and ducks display and nest on the islands in the lagoons. Flowering thrift turns the saltmarshes pink. Common terns, with a few Sandwich terns, return to breed.

Grassland butterflies - skippers, small coppers, wall and meadow browns and gatekeepers - are common in summer. Migrating wading birds stop off on the lagoons to feed and roost. In late summer, wheatears can be seen on the paths and shingle.

In autumn, sea aster comes into flower on the saltmarshes. The numbers of winter wildfowl also start to increase and wading birds such as spotted redshanks pass through on migration. Short-eared owls and barn owls hunt for mice and voles along the river walls.

Numbers of wigeon, pintail and teal peak in mid-winter. Birds of prey such as short-eared owls and marsh harriers hunt over the island. Common seals can occasionally be seen in the river at this time of year.

About Havergate Island

Habitat

This small island in the River Ore is made up almost entirely of saltmarsh but also encompasses a coastal habitat.

Conservation

Our conservation efforts at Havergate Island include managing saline lagoons, shingle, and grazing marsh.

We are managing the island's saline lagoons to suit breeding and wintering birds, including avocets, common terns and Sandwich terns. Techniques include restricting ground cover on breeding islands, while controlling water levels and salinity. We will also provide more feeding edges, create deepwater refuges for invertebrates, and control nest predators such as foxes and gulls.
We will manage our 4 ha of vegetated shingle for the benefit of its specialised invertebrates and plants, such as smooth yellow vetch, ensuring that it remains undisturbed.
We will maintain 57 ha of coastal grazing marsh at Boyton to suit its breeding redshanks and lapwings, wintering wildfowl, and aquatic plants and invertebrates. Work will include selective winter flooding, grazing with cattle, controlling invasive vegetation and maintaining water levels. We will also create more feeding edges, manage hedges and conduct regular patrols. The marsh will offer a good example of wet grassland management.

The Alde-Ore estuary is important for many species of European importance. Because of this, a new EU Life+ funded project has been set-up. This new project builds on work supported by previous LIFE grants and work already carried out on by us at Havergate Island and The National Trust at Orford Ness.

The main aims of this project are:

To enable adaptation to the effects of climate change, the project aims to establish efficient and sustainable water management of the lagoons at Havergate Island and the lagoons and marshes at Orford Ness.
Improving the breeding success of avocets and sandwich terns is one of the major aims of this project. To achieve this, work will involve creating new breeding sites as well as improving the existing sites and habitats.
Currently there is disturbance and damage to the southern section of Orford Ness spit. Managing and controlling improper access onto this site will prevent the increasing damage to shingle habitats and protect breeding little terns.

Site information

Access via boat on pre-booked trips only. Boats leave Orford Quay at 10 am on the first Saturday of every month (maximum 12 people) except May, June and July. Also selected weekends for special events - see events section for details.