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Nunnery Lakes Nature Reserve

Nunnery Lakes is the British Trust for Ornitholgy’s only reserve and lies in the valleys of the rivers Thet and Little Ouse. There are 1.7 km of footpaths that take in a variety of habitats, which include unimproved pasture, river, woodland and open lakes, and the newly improved wetland and scrape, the latter being overlooked by a public hide.

Highlights: About 60 species of bird breed on the reserve and many more over-winter or pass through. Kingfisher is regularly seen along the river, and the lakes are home to the beautiful Great-crested Grebe, and Lapwings, Redshank, Little Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher have all started nesting on the new wader scrape.

Other wildlife includes Roe deer, Otter, Grass Snake, Common Lizard and a wide variety of butterflies and dragonflies.

Several scarce Breckland plants occur on the site including Tower Mustard and Mossy Stonecrop.

Location: The reserve lies alongside the national headquarters of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and can be accessed from Nuns Bridges, via a kissing gate on the north side of the Little Ouse, 100m east of the bridges. There is a car park to the south of the river opposite Mill Lane. The reserve is open daily during the hours of daylight.

Grid reference: TL873822

 

 

 

New wader scrapes at Nunnery Lakes. The British Trust for Ornithology has just completed £27,000 of improvement works at its Nunnery Lakes nature reserve on the southern edge of Thetford. The work, which began in 2003 with the creation of a scrape to provide valuable habitat for breeding birds, has also seen the re-profiling of water meadow to create a wetland for wading birds, and the addition of an artificial Sand Martin colony. Created to provide nesting and feeding opportunities for some of our scarcest breeding birds, the new wetland has been given the stamp of approval by the birds, with eight pairs of Lapwings, and single pairs of Redshank, Little Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher already breeding. It is hoped that more will follow suit. Chris Gregory, Nunnery Lakes site manager, said, ‘This project has helped us create wetland habitats for breeding waders along the Little Ouse. The scrape is also an important wetland feature, not least because of its proximity to the hide, which enables visitors to enjoy close views of the many different kinds of birds that can be seen here.’ The Transnational Ecological Network in partnership with the BTO, the Environment Agency, Norfolk County Council and Suffolk County Council, made this project possible.

British Trust for Ornitholgy The BTO is the UK’s leading bird research organisation. Over thirty thousand birdwatchers contribute to the BTO’s surveys. They collect information that forms the basis of conservation action in the UK. The BTO maintains a staff of 80 at its offices in Norfolk and Stirling, who analyse and publicise the results of project work. The BTO’s investigations are funded by government, industry and conservation organisations. Click here for more information about the BTO.

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