Surlingham Church Marsh RSPB Nature Reserve

Formerly grazing marsh, Surlingham Church Marsh was abandoned in the 1960s following a series of floods. By the time the RSPB bought the site in 1984, a diverse wetland had developed, with shallow pools surrounded by mixed fen and scrub. The site is part of the Yare Broads and Marshes SSSI in recognition of the national significance of its wetland vegetation and bird populations. The RSPB manages the site to maintain a varied vegetation structure, with a proportion of willow scrub, with pools and ditches.

Public Access

Access is possible along the public footpaths at Surlingham Church Marsh, Coldham Hall and Rockland Broad. Due to the wet nature of this area, much of the reserve is inaccessible.

Managing the Reserve

The reserve is managed by a team of 5 staff and over regular 30 volunteers, from a base at Strumpshaw. The reserve management plan is reviewed every 5 years in consultation with English Nature, the Broads Authority and others. For more information write to
RSPB Mid Yare Reserve, Staithe Cottage, Low Road, Strumpshaw, Norwich, NR13 4HS
Telephone 01603 715191 or Email strumpshaw@rspb.org.uk

Reserve Management

A new 5 year plan has been produced for 2004-2009 for the Mid Yare. Some of the main work planned for Surlingham and Rockland are outlined on the map.

Conservation Management

A £250,000 Fen Restoration Project will involve removal of around 18 ha of scrub, together with other works, to restore a significant area of open fen with ditches, having huge benefits to a range of wildlife and enhancing the landscape. This work is required to meet the statutory conservation objectives of the site as defined by English Nature 6 kilometres of old choked ditches will be reinstated at Surlingham Marshes and Rockland Island, as part of the Fen Restoration Project, providing new habitat for bitterns, breeding waterfowl, aquatic plants and invertebrates, and an additional 5 km of ditch at Surlingham will be maintained.

At Rockland Marshes, the gateways have been reinstated and ditches slubbed out, and light cattle grazing will allow the fen meadow flora to recover and maintain good small mammal populations - food for harriers and owls.

We graze the fens between Coldham Hall and Wheatfen with a small herd of highland cattle, and have now extended this to Surlingham Church Marsh.

Improving Access

• At Rockland we have worked with the Broads Authority to upgrade the access to the hide overlooking the broad, and adapt the hide for wheelchair users, in conjunction with the development of the "Wherryman's Way" long distance footpath
• A new riverside footpath at Surlingham Church Marsh will allow safer access and better viewing
• New 24hr moorings on the Short Dyke has been agreed in principle with the Broads Authority
• New information signs are planned at Surlingham Church Marsh, Coldham Hall and Rockland
• The unstable tall poplars at Coldham Hall will be felled and other dangerous trees may be pollarded to extend their life

Why We Need to Manage Fens

Fens were created in pre-mediaeval times when man cleared the natural floodplain woodlands, and began to farm the wetlands by grazing, or by harvesting reed, sedge or hay. As these traditional practices became increasingly uneconomic in the early 20th century, fen management was largely abandoned, and trees and bushes have gradually re-colonised the floodplain. This has led to the loss of many important plants and animals that depend on the open fen. Open fen and wet woodland are both internationally threatened habitats, and the management policy adopted by the RSPB and other conservation organisations working in the Broads is maintain a balance by continuing or reinstating management to some areas while allowing other areas to revert to woodland.

Managing Fens with Highland Cattle

In 1998, the RSPB bought 12 Highland cattle to graze 40 hectares of fen at Surlingham. The aim was to try to simulate the way native large herbivores (horses, wild ox, bison, deer, etc) would have maintained open areas in primaeval forests, by grazing year round with a permanent herd. Highland cattle were chosen for their tolerance of wet conditions, cold weather and poor quality food. As this was very experimental, the vegetation composition and biomass, mollusc and breeding bird populations and cattle movements were monitored for five years. The results have been encouraging and suggest that the cattle can prevent colonisation by trees and create a more varied structure within the fen, without over-grazing the vegetation. For the next five years we plan to extend this management over a greater area but at a lower stock density.