Rare Wildlife You Can Spot on a Windmill Lodges Holiday

At Windmill Lodges, one of our unique selling points is the amount of wildlife you can spot during a holiday with us – not just on site, but across the whole county. Here is a rundown of some of the more unusual flora and fauna to look out for during your stay at one of our lodges with hot tubs in the heart of Suffolk.

Birds

Avocets (above) – these ground-nesting birds like coastal lagoons and wetlands, so they are a natural fit for RSPB Minsmere. They have also been spotted a few miles to the north of us, at Kessingland Beach near Lowestoft.

Bittern – again spotted at Minsmere, and also at RSPB Lakenheath Fen if you fancy a trip out to the west of the county. Notable for its booming call, they are now making a comeback in the UK after near extinction a few years back.

Other rare birds which you may be able to spot include the red-footed falcon (seen at Carlton Marshes near Lowestoft earlier this year), and the white-tailed eagle (spotted on the Shotley Peninsular in the spring. This type us more common in Scotland).

The best place to go to see most of these is Minsmere, as they have the proper viewing facilities (and the information on hand). Check out our previous blog here for more information about the RSPB site, which is about 15 minutes’ drive to the east of Windmill Lodges.

The Fen Raft Spider (above) –  one of the largest in the UK, with a leg span of up to 7cm. It has a large chocolate brown body with white or beige stripes. The endangered species can walk on water, and its preferred habitat is fens and wetlands (two of the seven sites on which they can be found are in Suffolk, at Carlton Marshes and Redgrave and Lopham Fen in North Suffolk). A cartoon version, nicknamed Rodney, used to be the logo for the Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT).

Stag Beetles – the UK’s largest insect is actually quite rare, but you can find them at Holywells Park in Ipswich (and in some nearby gardens). Their larvae eat rotting wood, which is plentiful in the park, and they can spend up to seven years feeding on this before emerging. New habitats are also being created for them by the SWT at the Martlesham Wilds Nature Reserve near Woodbridge.

Flowers

Oxlip (above) – this was named as Suffolk’s county flower in a poll by conservation charity Plantlife. It has dark green leaves and pale-yellow flowers. It’s reasonably rare because it only thrives in ancient woodland – climate change and deer grazing has also reduced its numbers. In Suffolk, you can mainly find it in Bulls Wood and Reserve and Bradfield Woods Nature Reserves, both to the west of the county near Bury St Edmunds, but you may find it further east.

The Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty also supports a range of heathers (including Bell and Cross-Leaved varieties), which are less common in the rest of the UK.

Water voles (above) – there numbers have declined across the UK in recent years thanks to a loss of habitat, poor river water quality, and the American mink – a non-native species which preys on them. However, there are still plenty of river banks, ponds and marshland where it can thrive, including the River Alde (near Aldeburgh), the Thorpeness Hundred, the River Deben (near Woodbridge), and the Minsmere Nature Reserve.

The Hazel Dormouse – is a protected species and is found in parts of Suffolk. The best place to see them is in the Dedham Vale National Landscape area on the border with Essex.

Closer to Home

There’s plenty of wildlife closer to home. Our Saxtead site has plenty of birds and wildflowers close at hand (although they may not be as rare as some of the species listed above). We have both bee and pyramid orchids blooming onsite as well as ox-eye daisies. Little owls and barn owls can be seen surveying the hedgerows and kingfishers have been spotted over the lake.

So you can appreciate the beauty of nature without venturing too far from your cabin, which has all the facilities you will need for a relaxing holiday, including your own private hot tub. And your pet is welcome too – Woodpecker and Wagtail are our dog friendly lodges at our Suffolk site.

To check the availability of any of our lodges, follow this link, or call us on 01728 685338 if you have any questions.