Carlton Meres Country Park - Birdwatching
The county of Suffolk, like the rest of East Anglia, is a gem for birding. Few have mastered its diversity. From the Stour in the South, to the Waveney and Broads. From the Brecks in the West to the coast in the east, the county provides something for everyone.
The Breckland sees Goshawk, Stone Curlew, Crossbills and other coniferous woodland and heath specialities. The Breckland is a unique habitat and Suffolk has more of it than Norfolk. The Fens provides wetland species. Wintering ducks and geese. Breeding birds such as Harriers and Golden Orioles. Please remember in this and other cases the land is private and action has and will continue be taken against any trespassing and disturbance. Hopefully details will be published on where to see some of these birds which have their only foothold in Britain in East Anglia. The levels and chalk grassland around Newmarket is good for wintering raptors and also Skylarks. The river valleys hold the odd gravel pit, where migrant passerines and wildfowl congregate.
In the East of the county are the river valleys, and many warblers amongst the reeds. The estuaries of Suffolk have their own variety. There is one main reservoir in the county, Alton Water, near Ipswich which continues to be a good birding spot. The coast however is a world of its own. Minsmere, Landguard, Orfordness all spring to mind. Bittern, Marsh Harrier, and Avocet all breed here.
