A nature reserve tucked away on the Broads and home to some of Norfolk’s most threatened wildlife is celebrating 50 years. Strumpshaw Fen covers 450 hectares (1,112 acres) of diverse wetland — the equivalent of 630 football pitches. Reserves manager Helen Deavin said the site supported “rare and unusual species”, including nesting bitterns, the swallowtail butterfly and a pair of cranes that successfully raised a chick this summer. “One of the lovely things about Strumpshaw is that the wildlife is quite accessible,” added Deavin, who called the reserve a “hidden gem”.
Marsh harriers, bearded tits, flocks of waders and overwintering ducks and geese are a regular sight for visitors, along with otters, water voles, fen raft spiders, orchids and rare sharp-leaved pondweed. “There’s this incredible, really quite rare wildlife but actually it’s really possible for people to see it, get some great views and really experience the magic of the Broads,” added Deavin. “By developing habitats where wildlife feels safe and can find the right food and places to shelter and raise a family, teams across the years have created a reserve that helps populations of rare species not only survive, but thrive.” She said the summer’s heatwaves had been “tough”, but they were hoping for a cooler, wetter autumn, with the reserve braced for flood events and “saline surges” with seasonal tides. Strumpshaw is hosting various events to celebrate the milestone, including guided walks around the site on Sunday.
The reserve started off as unmanaged fenland and was taken over by the RSPB in the mid-1970s. BBC Look East camera operator Shaun Whitmore has always loved Strumpshaw Fen and in his own words, he explains why. Away from my job as a BBC TV cameraman, I have always had an interest in wildlife photography, and Strumpshaw is a perfect place to indulge in this passion. Alongside that, Strumpshaw is somewhere I can take a step back to pause and think about my life.
In 2016, it was the place I went to, when everything in my life became too much for me. Nature provided me with a way out of the breakdown I was having at the time. On my birthday, in December 2019, Strumpshaw Fen was the place I took my future wife to propose. I was asked in 2020 to make a film about my favourite place as I was shielding because of the Covid risk – I had to choose Strumpshaw Fen!
Maybe my timing was off, because we went into lockdown two days into the filming. I did make a film and it went out on Look East the following week, showing what we were all missing while we were having to stay indoors for a while. I have beautiful memories of this stunning part of Norfolk, with its reed beds, grazing marshes, woodland area and river frontage, along with an abundance of birds and other wildlife. It’s a perfect place to relax and enjoy the fresh air and freedom that we all need in our busy lives.
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