Nature & Wildlife
You don’t have to be a naturalist to appreciate the incredible beauty of the Suffolk nature reserves. Extraordinary in their variety, and rich in Suffolk wildlife, these special habitats are great places to explore all year round.
Perhaps the most famous of the Suffolk nature reserves is RSPB Minsmere, home to BBC Springwatch from 2014-16. Undoubtedly one of the finest nature reserves in the country, RSPB Minsmere is a patchwork of lagoons, marshes, woodland and wetland that’s home thousands of rare birds, animals and native Suffolk wildlife.
Neighbouring Dunwich Heath is a sea of colour on The Suffolk Coast, where you can see rare birds and perhaps catch a glimpse of majestic red deer. Nearby, the Suffolk nature reserves of Orfordness and RSPB Havergate Island offer a fascinating mixture of habitats, providing a haven for hares and rare coastal plants, and an internationally important site for breeding birds.
The Common Lands in Sudbury are similarly rich source of biodiversity, having never been ploughed or treated with chemicals.
Many of the wetland Suffolk nature reserves are found within the Suffolk Broads, such as Carlton Marshes, where you can spot birds of prey, and even an insect-eating plant. Others are found in the south of Suffolk, like Alton Water, a wildflower meadow and woodland nature reserve on the edge of a reservoir on the Shotley Peninsula.
Of the Suffolk natures reserves in the heart of The Brecks, Redgrave and Lopham Fen is home to Konik ponies and Britain’s largest spider, while nearby Knettishall Heath is a Bronze Age landscape typical of The Brecks, grazed by a herd of Exmoor ponies.
Towards Bury St Edmunds are two more spectacular Suffolk nature reserves: Bradfield Woods, where you’ll find coppiced ash stools that are the oldest living things in Suffolk, and Lackford Lakes, a wildlife oasis home to iridescent kingfishers and elusive otters.