A bird-rich wetland oasis

Micklemere is a small wetland area close to Ixworth near Bury St Edmunds. Something of a fluke Micklemere is not a piece of ancient countryside naturally rich in wildlife, nor is it the product of a clever habitat creation project. What was once improved grazing marsh with little wildlife interest has become in a few short years the wonderful wetland habitat we have today.

Micklemere lays in a valley next to the river Black Bourne, part of what was once a corridor of grazing marshes running from Elmswell to Euston. The Ixworth Bypass constructed in the early 1990's cuts across the north west corner of the site and as a result the site now regularly floods. This constant flooding has created a large area of bare ground which when wet attracts large numbers of wetland birds.

Since the Trust acquired the reserve in 2002 with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, we have undertaken work to enhance the wetland habitat and provide new facilities for visitors. Shingle Islands have been created for nesting birds and a shallow scrape has been excavated that provides an important feeding habitat for waders in the spring and autumn. In the summer the Mere can dry out as ground water and river levels fall. Vegetation quickly colonises the open ground and when the Mere re-floods this creates an ideal habitat for wildfowl and provides great feeding opportunities.

Reserve Extension

In 2007 the Trust purchased a further 6.8 ha of adjoining land. The new acquisition is a delightful mix of rough pasture and dykes and includes the river and mill stream. The new land has made Micklemere into a viable grazing unit and we have recently introduced cattle. Native black poplar trees have been planted along the river Black Bourn.

	The new watergate is part of the livestock fencing that has been erected to allow both the reserve extension and the original reserve to be grazed by cattle
	An excavator has been used to create an ideal profile for the islands in the scrape to ensure that they will attract breeding waders in the summer
	Ditches have been carefully cleaned out and reprofiled to create the right conditions for both marginal plants and water voles.
	Old willow trees have been re-pollarded. Willows can put on over 2 metres of new growth in a year

The end result of all this work is a wonderfully diverse wetland nature reserve in the middle of Suffolk. The river Black Bourne acts as a corridor along which birds and wildlife move between areas of rich habitat.

A bird-watchers paradise Micklemere constantly attracts a rich variety of bird life. Species such as breeding redshank, lapwing as well as migrant waders including green sandpiper and greenshank can be seen. It is the sort of site that has always has something of interest and can occasionally turn up a rarity. Barn owls are becoming a regular sight at the Mere breeding in an artificial box on the Reserve. To cater for this interest a hide has been erected on the edge of the reserve, in addition on-site interpretation explains the wildlife interest of the reserve.

The hide which overlooks a scrape allows visitors to get far closer to the birds without causing unnecessary disturbance		Why not combine your visit with a trip to Pakenham Water Mill. Ring for further details on 01359 270570 or 01359 230629

The hide is wheelchair-accessible along a short path from the road.
No toilets.

The reserve extension and management work was partly funded by a generous grant from Biffaward of £49,784