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Trimley Marshes is a 77-hectare (200 acre) wetland of international importance managed by Suffolk Wildlife Trust.
This area has been deliberately breached to encourage salt marsh regeneration, which we would like to monitor over time.
What am I looking at?
Tidal flooding has created a mosaic of islands, lagoons, mounds and salt marsh habitats.
Within a salt marsh, more species occur at the uppermost edges (high tide line), such as glasswort and salicornia where they’re exposed to salt water for a shorter time.
Surrounding the central reservoir there are maturing reedbeds which are found in the zone between water and land, they are transitional habitats that are thickly vegetated yet waterlogged.
What lives here?
This landscape is important due the variety protected bird species it attracts, such as wigeon, teal, brent geese, ringed plover and black-tailed godwit and marsh harrier.
The reserve provides a variety of nesting sites throughout the year for avocet, redshank, lapwing, and several duck species, while in spring and autumn the muddy margins make excellent feeding grounds for migrating waders such as common sandpiper, curlew sandpiper and greenshank.
Looking back…
- Trimley Marshes were established in 1990 to offset the loss of mudflats due to the expansion of the Port of Felixstowe.
- It was a major development project to create a wetland habitat, with shallow lagoons, reedbeds and a reservoir from former arable farmland.
Walks and more
The Trimley Marshes circular walk is a popular 9.6km route, which you can view via the Suffolk Wildlife Trust website.