Carlton and Oulton Marshes is a 151 hectare nature reserve in Lowestoft in Suffolk. It is managed by the

Suffolk Wildlife Trust Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT) describes itself as the county's "nature charity – the only organisation dedicated wholly to safeguarding Suffolk's wildlife and countryside." It is a registered charity, and its headquarters is at Brooke House in ...

. Carlton Marshes is part of the Sprat's Water and Marshes, Carlton Colville Site of Special Scientific Interest, the Broadland

Ramsar Ramsar may refer to: * Places so named: ** Ramsar, Mazandaran, city in Iran ** Ramsar, Rajasthan, village in India * Eponyms of the Iranian city: ** Ramsar Convention concerning wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran ** Ramsar site, wetland listed in ...

internationally important wetland site, the Broadland

Special Protection Area A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certa ...

under the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds, and The Broads

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and a ...

. Carlton and Oulton Marshes are separated by

Oulton Dyke Oulton Dyke is a freshwater stretch of water in the Norfolk Broads, located in Suffolk within the United Kingdom. The dyke connects Oulton Broad near Lowestoft to the River Waveney by means of a confluence near the village of Burgh St Peter. Oul ...

. Birds of prey include

marsh harrier The marsh harriers are birds of prey of the harrier subfamily. They are medium-sized raptors and the largest and broadest-winged harriers. Most of them are associated with marshland and dense reedbeds. They are found almost worldwide, excluding ...

s, barn owls and

hobbies A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing oth ...

, and there are many wintering wildfowl and breeding waders. Semi-aquatic

fen raft spider The great raft spider or fen raft spider (''Dolomedes plantarius'') is a European species of spider in the family Pisauridae. Like other ''Dolomedes'' spiders, it is semiaquatic, hunting its prey on the surface of water. It occurs mainly in neutr ...

s were released on the site in 2012 to boost the low British population, and underwater insectivorous

bladderwort ''Utricularia'', commonly and collectively called the bladderworts, is a genus of carnivorous plants consisting of approximately 233 species (precise counts differ based on classification opinions; a 2001 publication lists 215 species).Salmon, Br ...

s trap water fleas. The Angles Way footpath passes through Carlton Marsh south of Oulton Dyke, and Oulton Marsh north of the Dyke is also accessible by footpaths.

References

{{Suffolk Wildlife Trust Suffolk Wildlife Trust Suffolk Broads Marshes of England