Reserve hailed best site again

RSPB Frampton Marsh has been named as Site of the Year in the 2018 Birders Choice Awards, a national poll organised by the Birdwatch magazine.

It is the second time in three years that the attraction has won the accolade, also claiming it in 2016.

Thousands of votes were cast in the poll.

John Badley, senior site manager, said: “We really were not expecting this. It is a great honour to receive this award for the second time. And a fitting tribute to all the effort that staff and volunteers have put into creating a place ideal for birds and those who love to see them.”

Since RSPB Frampton Marsh opened in 2009, the site has proven to be a popular venue for nature-lovers, from die-hard ‘twitchers’ to those with a more casual interest in wildlife.

Annually the nature reserve clocks up more than 50,000 visits.

And it is not just people who have flocked to the attraction, star birds have also made their way to it.

In 2014, the UK’s first nesting attempt by a glossy ibis occurred there, and each year there is a sizeable list of unusual birds that visit.

A rare stilt sandpiper, over from America, drew the crowds last summer with 5,000 people coming in a two-week period.

The spring, meanwhile, brought a snowy owl to the site – a bird which calls the arctic, rather than the UK, home.

The reserve is open every day, all day. The visitor centre is closed on Christmas Day only, and opens 9.30am to 4pm at all other times. There is an entry charge of £2 per person, with RSPB members getting in for free.

For more information call 01205 724678 or email [email protected]