Wildlife wetland expansion plans

The extended reserve will include the Black Bourn River valley

Plans have been unveiled to almost double the size of a Suffolk nature reserve to incorporate more wetland.

Micklemere Nature Reserve, which covers 25 acres along the Black Bourn River near Bury St Edmunds, is home to wintering and breeding birds.

Suffolk Wildlife Trust has said a grant secured from Landfill Tax credits will enable it to purchase 17 acres of extra land to develop grazing marsh.

The new reserve will add the river valley into the seasonal wetland area.

The habitat improvements should benefit water vole and otters, the trust said.

Joe Davis, site manager for the trust, said: "Seasonal flooding of the reserve has created a locally important wetland for both wintering and breeding birds.

"The site holds significant numbers of wildfowl during winter and several breeding pairs of lapwing, little ringed plover and redshank.

"There are few areas of seasonally flooded land in central Suffolk - therefore areas such as Micklemere are rare."