Starlings stay around Suffolk this winter

This Winter, we have been treated to spectacular displays of starling murmurations over our nature reserves, with sightings at Lackford Lakes and Redgrave and Lopham Fen.

Usually, the starlings are only here in Suffolk until December, having migrated from Scandinavia and central Europe. But this year, the starlings have decided to stay around a bit longer and have been spotted our nature reserves this January. At Lackford Lakes, over 10,000 individual starlings have made up the murmuration.

Hear from our Visitor Experience Officer, Katy: "this has made it a bumper Winter for Lackford Lakes, as we have welcomed more January visitors than ever before! Visitors were left with feelings of awe, wonderment and a truly deep connection to nature after witnessing this spectacle in such close proximity - many were particularly astounded by the ethereal flutter of 20,000 wings passing overhead. Thank you to all our murmuration-gazers for their generous donations, helping to protect our reedbeds for next winter’s starling murmuration and making a real difference for wildlife in Suffolk".

Check Lackford Lakes Instagram (@swtlackfordlakes) for updated information around sightings. 

Take action against the Fingleton Review

Recommendations from a new report called the Fingleton Review will take away the protections that make legally protected sites and landscapes in Suffolk safe havens for wildlife, nature and people. 

We’ve made it easy for you to tell Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, exactly what you think.

Thank you to everyone who has emailed their local MP so far. These proposals are not policy yet, so there is still time to stop them from becoming law. We have an easy to use template you can use to send an email to your MP today: Nuclear Regulatory Review Campaign

Artist Residency call out in partnership with Suffolk Libraries

We are a partner of this exciting opportunity run by Suffolk Libraries, who are looking for six Creative Health artists with an interest in nature and community practice to take part in a residency intensive at Lowestoft Library!

This residency will explore the potential of community health interventions that connect with and are inspired by environmental advocacy - exploring the role of libraries as places at the intersection between creativity, wellbeing and environmental responsibility.
 

Applications close Monday 16 February! Apply via Suffolk Libraries website https://lnkd.in/e8X8GQFw

World Wetlands Day highlights

February 1^st was World Wetlands Day, and we asked the Wilder Landscapes team to share a few highlights of projects they are working on to protect and restore wetland habitats.

Work is underway delivering habitat and floodplain improvements along the River Glem in West Suffolk. Suffolk Wildlife Trust is working with the Environment Agency and local landowners to deliver projects at three sites in the River Glem floodplain. We will be creating wetland scrapes and lowering the riverbank in select locations to reconnect the river and floodplain and to improve wildlife habitat. This is following on from work completed in the Glem catchment in autumn/winter 23/24 and both projects were funded by the EA Water Environment Improvement Fund, with support from Anglian Water and Essex and Suffolk Water. These habitat improvement projects at multiple sites along the Glem will help improve habitat connectivity in the landscape.  

Wetland scrapes are important feeding areas for breeding wading birds, as well as habitat for other wildlife. They are shallow, wet features which usually hold water in the winter and spring through to early the summer when they draw down slowly, leaving insect-rich, shallow, muddy edges behind. These are very important feeding areas for breeding wading birds, such as redshank and lapwing.  

On the other side of Suffolk in Melton, the community have been working together to restore a pond.

Tucked away behind a popular recreation ground, a freshly restored pond beckons wildlife in. Suffolk Wildlife Trust visited the pond in Burkes Wood, Melton in 2020 and found many positives, but also discovered a non-native invasive species had established itself and become overgrown. As the location name suggests, this is a woodland pond so has supporting habitat for amphibians such as frogs and newts to forage and overwinter in when not in the pond for breeding. 

The Parish Council took action to eliminate the unwelcome pond weed and now five years on, sought further advice on managing the pond to support biodiversity. Melton Parish Council and community members have done amazing work taking charge of restoring the pond. It will take a while to settle down, but it is now fit for dragonflies, toads, grass snakes and a myriad of other pond creatures. A bench nearby is perfect for reflecting on the wildlife abounding in the pond and surrounding woodland and meadows. 

Suffolk Wildlife Trust offer advice to Parish Councils and Community wildlife groups across the County, get in touch if you would like guidance to steer your project forward by emailing cathy.smith@suffolkwildlifetrust.org

Business Netwalking at Foxburrow Nature Reserve

We hosted our first Business Netwalking event of 2026, thank you to everyone who joined us!

The event took place at Foxburrow Nature Reserve, with a range of businesses joining from across sectors including ecology, travel, tourism and marketing. Hosted by Julie and Charlotte from our Corporate Partnerships team, we networked and connected with nature, and explored social value across local businesses. 

A special thanks to our guests Jenni Murphy, from Harwich Haven Authority and Cameron Campbell from Suffolk Chamber of Commerce for sharing engaging talks around their work and services. This event particularly focussed on Social Value and the TOMS framework, and offered a unique opportunity to explore how businesses can embed meaningful impact into their work.

Keep your eyes peeled on our social media and our website for future Business Netwalking events. 

If you're interested in becoming a Business Member and supporting the work we do, find out more Become a Corporate Supporter | Suffolk Wildlife Trust