Snape Marshes is an area of newly created wetland designed in part to compensate for the loss of wetland at Minsmere due to coastal erosion. It is an RSPB reserve but is not yet opened to the public except for the odd guided tour. However from the back roads behind the reserve you can park a car in a layby and follow an informal path to look over the newly created scrape, tucked in by scrub and not causing any disturbance.
The usual DUCKS were about with a pair of EEGYPTIAN GEESE. LAPWING and OYSTERCATCHER were both present in good numbers, the type of bird you would expect to nest in newly flooded grassland. At the moment the area is wet meadow but the plan is to plant a reedbed. Its all still pretty new and would take a great amount of imagination to see how it would eventually plan out, but over the years its possible to witness its creation.
In the surrounding scrub from my watch point I saw my first WHITETHROAT of the year and there was the odd explosion of CETTI'E WARBLER song.
Only time will tell how the reserve will look when its finished, but in the hands of the RSPB, it should be good.
Foxburrow Wood
Foxborrow is a tiny little wood that slots into the countryside around Snape in Suffolk. It is locally renowned as the best BLUEBELL wood and rightly so, its absolutely stunning. However I was maybe a week or so early and the BLUEBELLS were still emerging, and although the plants made a good display, it could actually be better.
Also around were some WILD GARLIC, which was just barely emerging. If you rub the leaves in your hands you get a garlicky smell, hence its name. Also about were some PRIMROSES growing in the hedge bank bordering the wood.
WILD PRIMROSE
BLUEBELL woods are always worth a visit, a wildlife spectacular of which we have so few in the UK. The thing is that every locality has a wood so that they're accessible everywhere. But be quick it doesn't last for much longer and then you'll have to wait another year.
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