Marsh walk at Oulton

Last Saturday Oulton parish councillors were taken on a guided walk of Oulton marshes by the local Suffolk Wildlife Trust warden Matt Gooch to see for themselves the major works going on. The Trust was working with the Broads Authority and other bodies including local farmers and the work was being carried out by the Broads Environmental Services Ltd (BESEL). It involved moving the river wall at Oulton Dyke back by some 20 to 30m and heightening it to prevent future flooding, widening the dykes and re-profiling the edges so they were less steep to encourage wildlife, and planting reedbeds. An area at Horseshoe Point was to be flooded so that wintering ducks would use it. Once the improvements were finished it was hoped to attract bearded tits, bitterns and marsh harriers (a male of which species was seen on the walk) and other wildlife. Already water voles were on the increase and otters had been seen in Oulton Dyke. Meanwhile the Trust was negotiating to purchase further marshes and turn them into species rich grazing marsh with cattle grazing on them. Mr Gooch said this was the largest project undertaken in the area for many years and it would hopefully be finished by late summer when he would arrange a public walk in the area to explain the work carried out and its benefits to wildlife and improvements for public access to the marshes.