Looking After Norfolk’s Wild Spaces: An Interview with Norfolk Wildlife Trust

As Norfolk Wildlife Trust celebrates its centenary year, few people are better placed to reflect on the county’s remarkable wildlife than those working on the front line of conservation. Managing more than 60 nature reserves, the Norfolk Wildlife Trust is helping to ensure that its unique biodiversity thrives for future generations. From the sweeping reedbeds and grazing marshes of Cley to the waterways of the Broads, Norfolk is home to some of the UK’s most important habitats and rarest species.

We talked to George Baldock, the Norfolk Wildlife Trust's Coastal Reserves Manager, about the landscapes, wildlife and people that make the county so special. He shares memorable encounters, conservation successes and reasons for hope as nature recovery gathers momentum across Norfolk.

Conservation Success Stories & the Changing Seasons of Norfolk Wildlife

What's your favourite spot on a reserve and why?
I always love being on East Bank at Cley Marshes. You get amazing, panoramic views across different habitats on the reserve and the view gets better the further you walk, ending up on the shingle beach. You can see waders and geese on the grazing marshes, bearded reedling, marsh harriers soaring above and if you’re lucky, an occasional bittern flying over the reedbed. There’s something very special about witnessing the view change with seasons; it’s a privilege to work here.

What makes Norfolk so unique nationally in terms of its variety of habitat and species connected to it?
Norfolk is an incredibly special place for nature, home to a high proportion of the UK’s most wildlife-rich habitats. From the sand dunes and saltmarsh of the North Norfolk Coast to the uniquely wild and watery world of the Norfolk Broads.

Nature reserves like NWT Cley Marshes are renowned across the UK for their special wildlife – from huge flocks of pink-footed geese flying overhead in the winter to the delicate black and white avocet feeding in the pools. The Broads are home to the iconic swallowtail butterfly, which isn’t found anywhere else in the UK. And our ancient woodlands, heaths and commons have seen rare birds, butterflies, frogs and toads thrive in recent years.

Creating and maintaining these vital wildlife habitats gives Norfolk’s wildlife a lifeline and, thanks to a wide variety of publicly accessible nature reserves, people have a chance to enjoy time in these unique pockets of wilderness.

What unsung species form part of the patchwork of Norfolk wildlife?
It’s natural that our iconic birds, butterflies and plants get the lion's share of attention, as they are often easier to spot when out and about. However, there are so many other amazing creatures that are harder to spot due to being tiny or often tucked out of sight.

The fascinating fen mason wasp, once considered extinct in the UK, can be found along the paths at Hickling Broad. The large marsh grasshopper is the UK's largest native grasshopper and one of its rarest, found only on wetlands in a few parts of England. We’ve been part of a partnership project led by Citizen Zoo to release thousands of these rare grasshoppers across suitable sites in Norfolk which have now formed a self-sustaining population!

Britain’s noisiest amphibian, the rare natterjack toad recently reached record numbers at NWT Syderstone Common, thanks to decades of careful conservation work from reserve staff and volunteers.  And from toads to frogs – we worked in partnership to successfully introduce the northern pool frog, England's rarest amphibian, to NWT Thompson Common in Norfolk in 2021.

People often focus on the negatives, species and habitat decline - what are some of the more positive stories of impact that the Norfolk Wildlife Trust has been able to achieve in recent years?
There are many species that have suffered decline, even extinction, in Norfolk but - through the vision and hard work of NWT and partners across the landscape, volunteers and a great many supporters over the years – they have now returned and are thriving once more in our county.

This list includes the marsh harrier, which, by the late nineteenth century, had become extinct as a breeding species in the UK. Following a huge amount of conservation work, you can now see these majestic birds soaring over the reeds at Cley Marshes and other wetland sites.

By the end of the 19th century, except for the odd wintering bird, the bittern too had become nationally extinct as a breeding species, remaining so for over 40 years. Thanks to conservation organisations such as Norfolk Wildlife Trust and the RSPB working with landowners and government bodies to restore can create reedbeds, the bittern population is going from strength to strength. It’s now not uncommon to hear booming bitterns (these are male birds trying to entice a mate through their unique ‘booming’ call) from reedbeds across NWT nature reserves and beyond – including NWT Cley Marshes.

In 2025, following many years of work to improve the water quality, we were delighted when an osprey pair successfully hatched two chicks at NWT Ranworth Broad and Marshes. This made the nature reserve the first known site in the region to make a home for breeding osprey in hundreds of years.

And it’s not just birds - with less than a thousand individual plants across the whole of the UK, the fen orchid was classified as an “Endangered” species. At NWT Upton Fen, concerted conservation work that involved annual cutting of vegetation, the removal of scrub and improvement of waterflow increased the fen orchid population there. Yearly counts at this one site reached over two thousand by 2025. Following similar work across other sites, the UK population is now so large it has been taken off the ‘Endangered’ species list.

There are so many more stories like this – we've brought northern pool frogs back from regional extinction, seen butterflies such as the silver studded blue significantly increase in number in Norfolk despite continuing national declines, and had record-breaking years for numbers of rare natterjack toad at NWT Syderstone Common.

The natural world needs us more than ever, but there is great hope when we all get into nature’s corner and create more space for our wildlife across the county.

Do you have any wildlife firsts that have stuck in your memory?
Seeing bittern successfully breed at Cley in 2022, after an absence of 14 years, was amazing. A male had been heard booming for a few years and in 2022, a female was regularly spotted carrying out feeding flights, back to the nest to feed the young. Later, two fledged young were seen in flight, across the reed bed. A huge amount of passion and commitment has gone into returning bittern to our landscape and it’s always incredibly rewarding when we see evidence that our efforts have been successful.

What small step might someone at home take to support wildlife in Norfolk?
Wildlife definitely needs all of our help right now. The brilliant thing is that everyone can do it – you don’t need to be a conservationist - and it’s often great fun! As we celebrate our 100th birthday we’re asking everyone to do one thing for wildlife this year. There are lots of simple things you can do at home, or in your community, from putting out water for wildlife, creating a pond or planting for pollinators like bees and moths. Sometimes it even means doing less work – leaving piles of logs in your garden makes a home for hedgehogs and letting your grass grow long helps bees and butterflies find food and shelter. If you have a bit more time, you might want to consider volunteering at your local nature reserve or with a community nature group. You can find out more by visiting: www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/DoOneThing

What's been your most surprising wildlife moment, something which caught you off guard or felt unexpected?
Norfolk sees many rare birds turn up in spring and autumn. Some are somewhat expected, but a snowy owl that turned up on the coast in 2018 was a highlight for me. First spotted near King’s Lynn, it was then seen on other areas of the coast at Titchwell and Scolt Head Island and then Frampton and disappeared two months later.

Could you talk a bit about the conservation aspect of your role and any traditional practises which play into it, for example, reedbed management?
Work at Cley is very seasonal. September through to March is when we can carry out habitat management, either managing contractors to create new wet areas and maintaining the ditch system, reed cutting in the winter to maintain habitat for species like bittern or carrying out larger infrastructure repair work. A lot of this work is done with the help of my team of two reserves assistants and several willing volunteers, who all do an amazing job in helping to maintain the special habitats on the reserve. Some areas of the reed bed are still cut commercially. The same areas of reed are cut every year (whereas the conservation cut is done on rotation). You can often see the contractors cutting, bundling up and stacking the reed through the winter months.

March through to September is seeing the results of our management work over the winter, with lapwing nesting on the grazing marshes, marsh harriers and various warblers nesting in the reed beds. This is when we monitor and collect data of how successful the breeding season is for different species. This time of year is also when we have to keep an eye on water levels and adjust them according to the conditions, to maintain feeding habitat for waders and their young.

Could you describe a couple of special seasonal moments and why they matter to you - signs that things are changing and something new is emerging?
The reserve changes through the seasons, with the colour of reeds changing from golden brown in winter to a lush green in summer. I’ve always loved seeing the movement of migrating species throughout the year, with large numbers of Brent and pink footed geese, wigeon and teal visiting the site during the winter months, slowly leaving for their respective breeding grounds in the spring and being replaced by reed and sedge warblers singing in the reedbed, avocet and lapwing breeding on the scrapes and swallows nesting in the bird hides (which are amazing to watch whizzing past you, whilst you’re scanning the scrapes!). It’s such a privilege to look after the reserve and be a small part of its story.

Many people think of bitterns and swallowtails when it comes to quintessentially Norfolk wildlife, what else might take people by surprise?
In recent years, we’ve seen different species moving into Norfolk and are either breeding or overwintering, when they would ordinarily migrate south. At Cley, we’ve seen spoonbills move into the heronry on the edge of the reserve, which can often be seen feeding in the pools. These were then joined by cattle egret (as the name suggests, they are often feeding on insects, stirred up by the cows). We are also seeing more glossy ibis on the coast – these birds may be the next species to take up residence in Norfolk.

What's something you've seen change in recent years about how people engage with Norfolk Wildlife Trust and wildlife more generally?
I think being outside in nature and birdwatching has become more popular in recent years and it’s always great to see young people and families with children on site, learning about the wildlife they can see. At Cley, over the past 100 years, we’ve seen visitor numbers go from just 6 people a day to over 100,000 visitors a year!

Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s membership is at an all-time high too – we have over 41,000 members – the highest membership in our history. Getting outside is such a great tonic in our busy, digital lives, so I hope that we only see interest and support for Norfolk’s incredible natural spaces and wildlife continue to grow into the future.

You can join the Norfolk Wildlife Trust here: www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/join

Conclusion

Norfolk’s wildlife story is one of variety & dedication. This conversation highlights not only the extraordinary species that call the county home, but also the decades of careful management and invaluable volunteer efforts that make these successes possible. While challenges remain, there is clear optimism for the future and a shared commitment to protecting nature. We encourage you to explore Norfolk’s remarkable species and habitats; visit a reserve, become a volunteer, or make space for wildlife at home. Norfolk Wildlife Trust relies deeply on its supporters all year round and welcomes people of all backgrounds and levels of experience with nature. Your nearest reserve is probably closer than you think, so why not show your support for the Norfolk WIldlife Trust on your next adventure. We'd love for you to share your favourite spots with the Nor-Folk community and help keep the conservation growing.