Bird reserve reopens after savage heathland fire

People have returned to a bird reserve which was closed following an extensive heathland fire lasting almost two weeks.

The blaze which broke out on 29 July tore through Dunwich Heath and also damaged large parts of neighbouring RSPB Minsmere on the Suffolk coast.

Firefighters spent almost two weeks tackling the "unprecedented" inferno, which engulfed an area the size of 210 football pitches (150 hectares or 370 acres), destroying wildlife habitats.

The RSPB said it was "wonderful to see people back".

Adam Rowlands of the RSPB is hoping the area will recover [John Fairhall/BBC]

The bird charity has launched an "emergency fundraising appeal," which its area manager for Suffolk, Adam Rowlands, said could make all the difference.

Rowlands said the reserve team had been out with the fire service to see the damage caused by the fire.

He said: "It's really early days; it's been really shocking to see the devastation.

"But we know from fires elsewhere, if you have a burn of this intensity, the impact on the wildlife - the time it takes to recover - will be significant."

Rowlands added they had been very "fortunate" in that the wind conditions, the vegetation, and the marshland had kept the fire away from part of the reserve.

"It's encouraging to see the population down here on the marshes have held up," he said.

"There's good numbers of birds to see, and the birds that were nesting here have still got some young on the lagoons.

"They've still got plenty of chicks, so that's really, really encouraging."

A large area of the reserve remains out of bounds to the public [John Fairhall/BBC]

On the heathland, where vegetation has burnt, birds including the Dartford Warbler, Woodlark and Nightjar were able to escape the flames, but their habitats have been lost.

Rowlands said, "again, we won't really start to see the full picture for some time until we can get out and count the numbers.

"Some of those birds will be migrating south for the winter, so again, when they return next year, we will be able to get a fuller idea."

Slower-moving wildlife such as adders, invertebrates, and rare butterflies, meanwhile, may have suffered significant losses.

The scorched landscape at Dunwich Heath and RSPB Minsmere after the large wildfire that took hold two weeks ago [Suffolk Fire Service]

Only part of the bird reserve is open to the public, with some trails closed.

People have been urged to go first to the visitor centre for information about where they can walk safely and are asked to observe all warnings and signs.

"The marshland areas, the wetland areas, the beach south of here is all open, so we can show you where the safe routes are," Rowlands added.

Visitors told the BBC about how they were feeling as they returned to show their support.

David Bryant said: "It's absolutely wonderful.

"The first thing we did when we came in was congratulate the staff on getting it open."

Liz Roberts said: "It's good news - we've had a good look around and seen lots of nice things again.

"It's such a relief this part at least is safe at the moment."

Charlotte Du Cann, who lives nearby, said she was "thrilled" Minsmere had now reopened.

She said she was first on the scene of the fire and tried to stamp out the flames before her friend called the fire service.

"I wanted to find out how I could volunteer and how I could be of help," she said.

"It's fantastic, Minsmere itself and most of the wetlands and a lot of the woods are totally fine ... but as soon as you hit the heathland, it's decimated."

The RSPB says it will be some years before it will fully understand the exact impact the fire has had on the reserve and its inhabitants [John Fairhall/BBC]

Rowlands said the appeal has had "fantastic support" already, for which the RSPB is "grateful".

The money could be spent on fixing groundworks damage, research and how they go about creating habitat restoration, including the recovery of gorse and heather.

He explained evidence showed that where these shrubs are subject to less severe fires, the vegetation could regrow.

However, a "higher burn" fire on National Trust land in Dorset, "twelve months on, there's been no recovery".

He added they have been in workshops with scientists and others "trying to learn as much about these wildfires, what we can do".

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