A stretch of fenland that has been visited by only 50 people in the past century has been bought by the RSPB to form its 200th nature reserve.

Sutton Fen in the Norfolk Broads is described by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds as one of the finest examples of unpolluted valley fen in Western Europe.

Graham Wynne, the society’s chief executive, said that it was a fitting purchase to mark the 200th acquisition since 1930, when the society bought its first reserve.

Bitterns, marsh harriers, the garganey duck and Cetti’s warbler are among the birds that already flourish in the fen.

Alongside the birds is a wide mix of vegetation and “a nationally important population of insects”, including the rare Norfolk hawker dragonflies and swallowtail butterflies.

The RSPB intends to improve the fenland’s condition to attract additional bird species such as cranes, which are known to breed nearby.

Bought after a fundraising campaign, Sutton Fen is one of three land purchases to be announced by the RSPB today.

The other sites are Hesketh Out Marsh in the Ribble Estuary in Lancashire and Saltholme, Teesside.

Mr Wynne said: “[Sutton Fen] is . . . a timeless and beautiful corner of the English countryside and home to a stunning array of birds, insects and plants. Sadly, such sites are becoming increasingly rare, so it is wonderful to have the opportunity to look after what is nothing less than a national treasure.

He added that the three new reserves were a “fabulous example” of the RSPB living up to its stated aim of providing space for wildlife and for people in a changing world.

The RSPB’s reserves are now so extensive that they cover more than 131,000 hectares (324,000 acres), an area bigger than Greater Manchester.

The society’s policy of buying land as nature reserves developed from its system of appointing watchers, such as gamekeepers, to keep an eye on rare breeding birds. The first watcher was paid to guard pintails at Loch Leven in Kinross in 1901.

Romsey Marsh, the first purchase, was sold in 1950 after neighbouring land was drained, which caused the birds to desert the area. The oldest surviving reserve is Dungeness, which was bought in 1932. There are now RSPB nature reserves in every region of Britain.

At Hesketh Out Marsh work will begin in March to recreate a saltmarsh habitat by flooding 170 hectares of farmland that was claimed from the sea 25 years ago. The wetland is expected to provide a haven for wintering birds including black-tailed godwits, dunlins, avocets, redshanks and widgeons. Saltmarshes are disappearing at a rate of 100 hectares a year.

Lakes, pools, grasslands and reedbeds are to be created at the 380-hectare Saltholme site, a former industrial area, to attract wildlife such as marsh harriers and avocet kingfishers.

Bird reserves are home to . . .

All 6 native amphibians

39% of British bitterns

37 of 39 native dragonflies

2,000 species of fungi

Source: RSPB

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