Berney Marshes and Breydon Water RSPB reserve is 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 ...

managed by the

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charitable organisation registered in England and Wales and in Scotland. It was founded in 1889. It works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment throug ...

(RSPB). Berney Marshes is situated south of the

River Bure The River Bure is a river in the county of Norfolk, England, most of it in the Broads.Ordnance Survey (2005). ''OS Explorer Map OL40 - The Broads''. . The Bure rises near Melton Constable, upstream of Aylsham, which was the original head of ...

while Breydon water is the combined estuary of the River Waveney and the

River Yare The River Yare is a river in the English county of Norfolk. In its lower reaches it is one of the principal navigable waterways of The Broads and connects with the rest of the network. The river rises south of Dereham to the west to the villag ...

inland from

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Berney Marshes is part of the larger area of the

Halvergate Marshes The Halvergate Marshes are an area of grazing marsh in the east of the English county of Norfolk. They form part of the area of The Broads and lie between the River Bure and the River Yare, bordering Breydon Water on the east. The marshes cover a ...

. The Berney Marshes and Breydon Water habitats are being managed by the RSPB to benefit all of the wildlife in the area but in particular the breeding and wintering birds. The area managed by the RSPB extends to of improved wet grassland and in winter the total numbers of wildfowl and waders can reach 85,000. Species the reserve is important for include pink-footed goose, Eurasian wigeon and

black-tailed godwit The black-tailed godwit (''Limosa limosa'') is a large, long-legged, long-billed shorebird first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It is a member of the godwit genus, ''Limosa''. There are four subspecies, all with orange head, neck and chest ...

. The water levels are kept high into the Spring so that the grasslands are in a good condition for breeding common redshank and

Northern lapwing The northern lapwing (''Vanellus vanellus''), also known as the peewit or pewit, tuit or tew-it, green plover, or (in Ireland and Britain) pyewipe or just lapwing, is a bird in the lapwing subfamily. It is common through temperate Eurosiberia. ...

, this being helped by the grazing of cattle which helps to make the grassland sward more suitable for breeding waders. The ditches are amanged on a 7-10 year cycle to optimise the diversity of insects and other aquatic invertebrates within them. In addition, the RSPB manage of intertidal mud flats as a sanctuary for the wintering birds. The reserve cannot be accessed by car, it can be reached by foot from Great Yarmouth or by taking a train from either

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

or Great Yarmouth and requesting it to stopat Berney Arms Station.

References

External links

Berney Marshes and Breydon Water (RSPB site)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berney Marshes Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserves in England Nature reserves in Norfolk