Our Wildlife Reserves & Recording Area

A photograph taken by Nik Mitchell on our Open Day 25th August 2019. It shows the Field Centre and all the reserves we own and/or manage although things have moved on since this picture was taken.

A map can be obtained from the Field Centre or by clicking on the following links: SBBOT Reserves or SBBOT recording area or join us on the first Sunday morning in each month throughout the year at 9.00am for a guided walk around the area.

When visiting our reserves we request that you respect the wildlife and put it first. Please stick to our Disturbance and Invertebrate Collecting Policies. You can access them HERE.

Our Reserves

We own and rent several areas around the Sandwich Bay estate, which our voluntary conservation team manage under the direction of the conservation committee for the benefit of the flora and fauna of the area.

The jewel in the crown is Restharrow Scrape, which was created in 2002. Thanks to our award from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and public donations for the Restharrow Scrape Project, SBBOT purchased this area in 2018 for further development. It is an ideal place to watch Lapwings and Little Grebes raise their broods, and in 2018 Avocets bred here for the first time. Hares can be seen boxing in the adjacent grassland and many smaller birds such as Linnets and Wagtails come to drink and bathe. Much extended and with a second hide Restharrow Scrape is a maturing reserve fit for waterbirds to breed and pass through.

On the opposite side of the road is Restharrow Dunes Nature Reserve. The area has a considerable entomological, botanical, geological and ornithological interest. One of the main reasons for attracting grant-aid in the 1980s was the occurrence of a tiny moth, a leaf miner on the rare Dwarf Willow, Stigmella zelleriella, at the time found nowhere else in Great Britain. It is primarily a botanical reserve of grazed dune grassland with the three gullies and an Elm plantation.

In 2024 we gained funding and support to purchase and develop the Jubilee Field and Dragonfly Pond Field (which had been on lease for about 10 years). This work was prompted by another rare species - this time an odonata species - the Dainty Damselfly. Again at the time this was only one of a very few places it was then found in the UK. This project included having three more ponds dug under a scheme to provide ponds for Great Crested Newts. These had not been recorded on the Estate prior to this development. However since this work we have now recorded them on this reserve. Various other habitats have been provided or enhanced to encourage mainly invertebrates. A nature trail has also been set up with activity booklets for children available from the shop.

All of the areas above are accessible to the public. Please note that some parts of our wider recording area have some areas with restricted public access.