Natural England - The Wash: what makes it special?

The Wash: what makes it special?

The Wash is the most important wetland site in the UK.

Saltmarsh

Saltmarshes are one of the most important natural habitats in England, with around 10% of the country’s saltmarsh found in the Wash.

It’s a vital habitat for migrating birds, with plants such as saltmarsh grass offering grazing for wintering birds like brent geese and wigeon, while the seeds of sea purslane, sea blight and samphire, provide food for flocks of teal, twite and linnet.

In spring, when much of the marsh is covered with the white flowers of scurvy grass, while in summer other salt tolerant plants such as sea aster and sea lavender attract hoverflies and butterflies. Birds such as redshank, skylark and reed bunting feed and nest here too.

When the tide covers feeding grounds further out in the estuary, the saltmarsh also provides valuable high tide roosts for birds like curlew, oystercatcher, knot and dunlin.

Of course, wherever you find large flocks of birds, you also find aerial hunters. Peregrines, merlins and harriers are all frequent visitors to the Wash, while short-eared and barn owls use the sea wall and saltmarsh as hunting and roosting areas.

For centuries the saltmarshes of the Wash were traditionally grazed by cattle, sheep and horses. Today, this is limited to around half of the marsh as part of a management plan that produces areas of short grass, that attract ducks and geese during the winter, and also areas of tussocky vegetation, which are preferred by breeding birds like redshank.

Sand and mud

Intertidal mudflats team with life, and the Wash is famous for the vast numbers of worms, shellfish, shrimps and other small crustaceans that live here.

This protein rich gloop attracts enormous numbers of migrants wading bird which arrive in the autumn to take advantage of this rich feeding ground.

Spectacular numbers of pink-footed geese also arrive from Iceland and Greenland in early winter, and many roost on the offshore banks of the reserve.

The Wash also supports one of the largest populations of common seals in England, and Seal Sands is one of the biggest basking sites along the English coast. Boat trips to see the seals are available daily during the summer from Hunstanton.

Under the waves, the wash plays an important role as a nursery for fish, notably plaice, sole, cod and whiting.