RSPB Minsmere

RSPB Minsmere.
RSPB Minsmere is a nature reserve owned and managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds at Minsmere, Suffolk, England, since 1947. The 1,000-hectare (2,500-acre) site covers areas of reed bed, lowland heath, acid grassland, wet grassland, woodland and shingle vegetation. It is conserved as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area and Ramsar site. It supports bird species such as the bittern, stone-curlew, marsh harrier, nightjar and nightingale, as well as a wide variety of other animals and plants. The Minsmere marshes were the site of a medieval abbey and a Tudor artillery battery. Reclaimed as farmland in the 19th century, they were re-flooded during World War II to protect against possible invasion. The reserve has a visitor centre and eight bird hides. Potential threats to the site include coastal erosion and flooding or salination as climate change causes rising sea levels.