The chicks fledged back in mid August, and the juvenile birds have now left the reserve to head to winter grounds, possibly as far away as Africa.

There are very few breeding records of this species in Cornwall, and this is the first in North Cornwall since the 1860s. Historically marsh harriers would have been widespread across England until becoming temporarily extinct at the end of the 19th Century. Numbers subsequently rose, until crashing again to leave just one pair in 1971.

A ban on oraganochlorine pesticides, reduced persecution and the restoration of wetlands has led to an increase again in breeding pairs, with the latest UK estimate being 500 pairs.

Middle Amble Marsh is co-owned by Cornwall Wildlife Trust and Cornwall Birds (CBWPS) and is adjacent to their Walmsley Sanctuary. It was acquired in 2012 as an extension of Walmsley. At this time the reserve was principally a seasonally wet pasture with perimeter ditches. In 2013 Cornwall Wildlife Trust entered a ten year Higher Level Stewardship management agreement with Natural England. As part of the agreement, Natural England funded extensive wetland enhancement works, which took place in 2016.

These works allowed us to restore the reserve to a healthy wetland habitat. It included raising water levels, re-instating old tidal channels and creating new scrapes. A joint appeal launched at the same time raised funds to build a hide. Since these works were completed the grazing marsh habitat that dominated the reserve has transitioned towards a wetter mosaic of fen, reedbed and wet grassland, benefiting the wealth of wildlife there.

All this hard work has paid off this summer, with the fantastic successful breeding of this pair demonstrating the quality of habitat that this reserve now supports. Further works have also recently taken place to improve access for visitors, so that this fantastic site can be more easily accessed and shared by members of the public.

East Cornwall Reserves Manager Peter Kent said:

“The fact that these birds have bred here shows what a healthy habitat the wetland at Middle Amble Marsh has become.

“The works have enabled the birds to have access to the breeding habitat that they need to be able to thrive. Their presence is an indicator of the abundance of suitable nest sites and foraging opportunities within the two reserves.

“We are now really keen to share this wonderful reserve with members of the public. We’ve been doing extensive works this summer to make the site more accessible and are looking forward to receiving visitors.”

Through the autumn and winter months, Middle Amble Marsh is a haven for wildfowl, including teal and wigeon.

Visit the hide and see what you can spot. At any time of the year there is a good chance of seeing barn owls traversing the reserve as dusk approaches.

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Visit Middle Amble Marsh