Landscape Lens: Focus on Trimley Marshes

Trimley Marshes showing the River Orwell and grey skies
Trimley Marshes showing the River Orwell and grey skies

Landscape Lens is our fixed-point photography project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to encourage residents and visitors to connect with the landscape. 

One location as part of the project is the Trimley Marshes in South Suffolk.

The view featured in our Landscape Lens fixed-photography location is an area which is beyond the nature reserve, located at Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Trimley Marshes.

This area of land has had the sea wall breached to encourage salt marsh regeneration. Through tidal flooding, islands and mounds are created and salt marsh plants will naturally develop.

The reserve represents a mosaic of habitats, covering 77 hectares (200 acres). It is now a wetland of international importance, which is a measure of the success in creating a fantastic place for birds and visitors.

What lives here?

This landscape is important due the variety of wildlife it attracts, often species that are declining. You will often see wigeon, teal, brent geese, redshank and clack-tailed godwit as well as the marsh harrier. 

The reserve provides a variety of habitats throughout the year, providing ideal nesting sites for avocet, redshank, lapwing, ringed plover 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.

Did you know….

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.

More details coming soon! Find out more about the Landscape Lens project.

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