Barnby Broad and Marshes is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk. The site is in size. It is in the parishes of

North Cove North Cove is a village and civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is part of the East Suffolk district, located around east of Beccles and west of Lowestoft. It merges with the village of Barnby and the villages s ...

and Barnby, located between

Beccles Beccles ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 and A12 roads, north-east of London as the crow fl ...

and Lowestoft in the north of the county. The site is bordered on its southern edge by the East Suffolk railway line and to the north by the

River Waveney The River Waveney is a river which forms the boundary between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads. The "ey" part of the name means "river" thus the name is tautological. Course The source of the River Wavene ...

. It is a

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and a ...

, a

Special Protection Area A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certa ...

under the EC Birds Directive, and a

Ramsar Ramsar may refer to: * Places so named: ** Ramsar, Mazandaran, city in Iran ** Ramsar, Rajasthan, village in India * Eponyms of the Iranian city: ** Ramsar Convention concerning wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran ** Ramsar site, wetland listed in ...

internationally important wetland site. There are two

Suffolk Wildlife Trust Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT) describes itself as the county's "nature charity – the only organisation dedicated wholly to safeguarding Suffolk's wildlife and countryside." It is a registered charity, and its headquarters is at Brooke House in ...

nature reserves in the site, Castle Marshes and

. The site consists of a mixture of

grazing marsh Grazing marsh is a British Isles term for flat, marshy grassland in polders. It consists of large grass fields separated by fresh or brackish ditches, and is often important for its wildlife. History Grazing marshes were created from medieval ti ...

, carr woodland,

fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich Groundwater, ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetlands along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as ...

and open water habitats stretching from the edge of the villages of Barnby and North Cove northwards across flood plains to the river. Much of the site floods seasonally and provides a habitat for a variety of bird species.

Barnby Broad

Barnby Broad is an open water habitat around in size.Mud pump restoring new life to Suffolk Broad
, Press release, Broads Authority, 2007. Retrieved 2013-01-25. It was formed as a result of medieval peat cutting in the same way as much of the Broads system. The broad is privately owned. In 2007 it was cleared of silt to provide an improved habitat with agricultural run-off being diverted from the Broad at the same time. Flora found in and around the Broad includes the white water-lily ''

Nymphaea alba ''Nymphaea alba'', the white waterlily, European white water lily or white nenuphar , is an aquatic flowering plant in the family Nymphaeaceae. It is native to North Africa, temperate Asia, Europe and tropical Asia (Jammu and Kashmir). Descrip ...

'', common reed ''

Phragmites australis ''Phragmites australis'', known as the common reed, is a species of plant. It is a broadly distributed wetland grass that can grow up to tall. Description ''Phragmites australis'' commonly forms extensive stands (known as reed beds), which may ...

'' and the rarer tussock-sedge '' Carex appropinquata'' as well as species such as marsh arrowgrass '' Triglochin palustris'' and southern marsh-orchid '' Dactylorhiza praetermissa''. It is surrounded by an area of mature

Alder Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...

carr woodland with species such as Ash and

Oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

Castle Marshes

Castle Marshes makes up the gazing marsh section of the SSSI. These cover the flood plain of the

from the edge of the wooded area to the south to the remains of Castle Mill in the north. The marshes are drained with dykes and are managed using traditional cattle grazing. Rare species breeding here include the

Norfolk hawker ''Aeshna isoceles'' is a small hawker dragonfly that is found in Europe, mostly around the Mediterranean, and the lowlands of North Africa. Its common name in English is green-eyed hawker. In Britain it is a rare and local species and is known ...

. The protected fen raft spider has been reintroduced onto the site as part of a project organised by

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

and Suffolk Wildlife Trust and partly funded by a grant from the BBC Wildlife Fund.Spiderlings to descend on Suffolk broads
BBC news website, 2010-10-21. Retrieved 2013-01-25.Over a thousand rare spiders released on Suffolk Broads
, Press release, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, 2010-10-21. Retrieved 2013-01-25.Rare spiders set up home on nature reserve by Lowestoft- with help of Redgrave and Lopham Fen
, ''Eastern Daily Press'', 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2013-01-25. The marshes are flooded in winter, providing overwintering habitat for bird species such as

teal alt=American teal duck (male), Green-winged teal (male) Teal is a greenish-blue colour. Its name comes from that of a bird — the Eurasian teal (''Anas crecca'') — which presents a similarly coloured stripe on its head. The word is oft ...

shoveler The shovelers or shovellers are four species of dabbling ducks with long, broad spatula-shaped beaks: * Red shoveler, ''Anas platalea'' * Cape shoveler, ''Anas smithii'' * Australasian shoveler, ''Anas rhynchotis'' * Northern shoveler, ''Anas c ...

and gadwall and breeding grounds for

lapwing Lapwings (subfamily Vanellinae) are any of various ground-nesting birds (family Charadriidae) akin to plovers and dotterels. They range from in length, and are noted for their slow, irregular wingbeats in flight and a shrill, wailing cry. A gro ...

and

common redshank The common redshank or simply redshank (''Tringa totanus'') is a Eurasian wader in the large family Scolopacidae. Taxonomy The common redshank was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ...

. Bird of prey species such as

marsh harrier The marsh harriers are birds of prey of the harrier subfamily. They are medium-sized raptors and the largest and broadest-winged harriers. Most of them are associated with marshland and dense reedbeds. They are found almost worldwide, excluding ...

and

hobby A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing oth ...

are also present. Much of the marshland area on the site is owned and managed as a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

by the

. This area is in area and extends along the southern backs of the Waveney towards Lowestoft outside the SSSI area. Access to the reserve is restricted, although public footpaths run along the river wall.

North Cove Nature Reserve

A smaller area of is privately owned but managed by Suffolk Wildlife Trust as a nature reserve. This area includes a mix of woodland, pools and marshland habitats and was previously a game reserve.Group helps North Cove reserve flourish
''Eastern Daily Press'', 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2013-01-25. The nationally scarce marsh fern is one key species, whilst

woodcock The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of wading birds in the genus ''Scolopax''. The genus name is Latin for a snipe or woodcock, and until around 1800 was used to refer to a variety of waders. The English name ...

and the Norfolk hawker dragonfly are both found around this site.

References

{{SSSIs Suffolk Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Suffolk Special Protection Areas in England Special Areas of Conservation in England Ramsar sites in England Waveney District

Barnby Broad

Castle Marshes

North Cove Nature Reserve

See also

References