
“It is such a privilege for our members to be able to view an Estate that had channelled so much energy into management techniques that are sympathetic to wildlife.” – Steve Piotrowski, President of the Waveney Bird Club, 2013

- Improving the resilience of nationally important habitats (such as Ditchingham’s ancient woodlands) to climate change
- Reversing the decline of farmland birds
- Securing the recovery of nationally important species of flora and fauna
- Reducing the damage caused to undesignated below-ground archaeological sites (such as our archaeological earthworks) by cultivation
- Fig-leaved Goosefoot – Chenopodium ficifolium
- Many-Seeded Goosefoot – Chenopodium polyspermum
- Dwarf Spurge – Euphorbia exigua
- Small-flowered Crane’s-bill – Geranium pusillum
- Sharp-leaved Fluellen – Kickxia elatine
- Round-leaved Fluellen – Kickxia spuria
- Field Madder – Sherardia arvensis
The increased range of flowers has been beneficial for many pollinators, including our bees. If you happen to be a registered Bee Keeper and would like to keep bees on the estate, please contact the Estate Office on 01508 482700 or email estate@ditchingham.org.uk.
Although they may be subject to less formal protection in the UK than elsewhere in Europe, we are still encouraged by the rise in our Brown Hares.
We have created beetle banks to act as biological pest control on our arable fields. On some field strips, we have put down a specialist wildflower mix to act as a natural catalyst for biodiversity. In other places, we have let nature take its course – leading to a rise in poppies, thistles, and various different grasses.
Areas of game cover provide another opportunity for natural regeneration of the landscape at Ditchingham. The Estate is gradually reintroducing the English (Grey) Partridge (Perdix Perdix): the Ditchingham population reached 23 breeding pairs in 2013. Ditchingham is also home to muntjac deer, Chinese water deer, roe deer and red deer, and of course, pheasants.
Many of our trees hold bird boxes, or specialist owl boxes. A recent Dawn Chorus bird walk counted 57 species of birds present on the Estate – in just one morning!
We can arrange outings for groups to see some of the willdlife on the Estate, please contact estate@ditchingham.org.uk