View source for Ouse Washes

{{Short description|Nature reserve in the United Kingdom}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2015}}
{{Infobox SSSI
|image= The Ouse Washes - geograph.org.uk - 411346.jpg
|image_caption =  In flood
|name=  Ouse Washes
|aos=  Cambridgeshire<br />Norfolk
|interest=Biological
|gridref={{gbmappingsmall| TL 490 879  }}<ref name=dsv/>
|area=   {{convert|2513.6| hectare|acre}}<ref name=dsv/>
|notifydate=        1984<ref name=dsv/>
|map=[http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271000503%27  ''Magic Map''] 
|footnotes={{maplink|frame=yes|frame-align=center|plain=yes|type=shape|id=Q3358495|frame-height=200|frame-width=250}}
}}
{{Designation list
| designation1 = Ramsar
| designation1_offname = Ouse Washes
| designation1_date = 5 January 1976
| designation1_number = 77<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ouse Washes|website=[[Ramsar Convention|Ramsar]] Sites Information Service|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/77|access-date=25 April 2018}}</ref>}}
'''Ouse Washes''' is a linear {{convert|2513.6| hectare|acre|adj=mid}} biological [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] stretching from near [[St Ives, Cambridgeshire|St Ives]] in Cambridgeshire to [[Downham Market]] in Norfolk, England. It is also a [[Ramsar site|Ramsar]] internationally important wetland site, a [[Special Protection Area]] for birds, a [[Special Area of Conservation]] and a [[Nature Conservation Review]] site, Grade I. An area of {{convert|186| hectare|acre}} between [[March, Cambridgeshire|March]] and [[Ely, Cambridgeshire|Ely]] is managed by the [[Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire]] and another area near [[Chatteris]] is managed by the [[Royal Society for the Protection of Birds]]. The [[Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust]] manages another area near [[Welney]].

The site lies between the [[Old Bedford River]] in the north-west and the [[New Bedford River]] in the south-east. The Washes are a flood storage area and are often under water in the winter. It is internationally significant for wintering and breeding wildfowl and waders, especially [[Anas crecca|teal]], [[Anas acuta|pintail]], [[Eurasian wigeon]], [[Anas clypeata|shoveler]], [[Aythya ferina|pochard]] and [[Bewick's swan]]s. The site also has rich aquatic fauna and flora, and areas of unimproved grassland.
==History==
After the last [[glacial period|glaciation]] between 100,000 and 10,000&nbsp;years ago the sea level in eastern England was about {{convert|30|m|ft}} lower than at present. As the ice retreated during the Mesolithic, the sea level rose, filling what is now the [[North Sea]], and bringing the Norfolk coastline much closer to its present line. Coastal woodland was drowned by the returning sea and slowly degraded to [[peat]] overlying deposits of marine clays and creating the [[The Fens|Fens]].<ref name= NAE15>{{cite book | last = Robertson | first = David | author2= Crawley, Peter|author3=Barker, Adam|author4=Whitmore, Sandrine | title = Norfolk Archaeological Unit Report No. 1045: Norfolk Rapid Coastal Zone Archaeological Survey | year = 2005 | location = Norwich | publisher = Norfolk Archaeological Unit | pages= 9–10|url = http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/norfolk-rczas/naurpt1045coastalsurvey.pdf }}</ref>

Prior to the seventeenth century the Fens of eastern England were tidal [[marsh]]land. frequently flooded and suitable for little more than summer grazing. In 1630, King [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] granted a drainage [[charter]] to the [[Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford |4th Earl of Bedford]] and his [[Bedford_Level_Corporation#Creation_of_the_Bedford_Level_Corporation|Adventurers]], who constructed the [[Old Bedford River]] between [[Earith]], Cambridgeshire and [[Downham Market]], Norfolk, to facilitate drainage of the large area that became known as the Bedford Level. The Dutch engineer [[Cornelius Vermuyden]] was engaged to complete the project and constructed the [[New Bedford River]] parallel to the old. The start of the works was interrupted by the [[English Civil War]], but recommenced under [[Oliver Cromwell]] in 1649, and was completed in 1656.<ref name=AEDA>{{cite web|author=Environment Agency Anglian Region|title=The Ouse Washes|url=http://www.environmentdata.org/archive/ealit:1187 |access-date= 2 August 2022}}</ref><ref name=lostfen>{{cite book|last1=Rotherham|first1=Ian |title=The Lost Fens: England's Greatest Ecological Disaster|publisher=The History Press|location=Cheltenham|year=2013| isbn=978-0-75-248699-4}} From ebook section "The Southern Fen of Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire"</ref>

==Water control==
{{Ouse washes map}}
The Ouse Washes are part of the system for controlling the flow of the [[River Great Ouse|Great Ouse]] when water levels in the river are high. In normal conditions, the waters of the Great Ouse run through the New Bedford River (or Hundred Foot Drain) to join the tidal stretch of the river at Welmore Lake Sluice, where another automatic system controls outflow. High water levels open the automatic [[sluice]] at Earith, thereby releasing water to the Old Bedford River, which eventually overflows onto the [[washland]] between the Bedford rivers, with the Welmore automatic sluice controlling outflow. When levels drop, the washes drain back into the Old Bedford River.<ref name=AEDA/> 

The [[Environment Agency]] sets the trigger level for the sluices, allowing higher levels in the Great Ouse in summer than in winter.The enclosed area of washland runs from Earith northeast to Downham Market where it links via the New Bedford River to the tidal Great Ouse and hence to the sea. At capacity, the site can accommodate {{convert|90000000|m3}}, although it only completely filled in 1947.<ref name= BB115>{{cite journal | last1 = Taylor| first1 = John| title = Great bird reserves: The Ouse Washes| journal = British Birds| volume = 115 | issue =8 | pages = 421–480 | year =2022 }}</ref> 

The washland area between the rivers is {{convert|32|km}} long and about {{convert|1|km}} wide and acts as a [[floodplain]] during the winter and, increasingly, also in the summer. The area between the outer barrier banks of the two artificial rivers covers about {{convert|1900|ha}}. As the [[peat]] underlying the Fens has dried out through drainage, it has shrunk and lowered the level of the washlands, making flooding more frequent.<ref name=AEDA/> The Washes and its banks have a total area of {{convert|2400|ha}}, and newly created wet grasslands adjacent to the washes increase the total area to {{convert|2750|ha}}. About 10% of the area is open water, but most of the habitat is grassland with [[Phalaris arundinacea|reed canary-grass]] in the wettest locations, transitioning through [[Glyceria maxima|reed sweet-grass]] to the [[Agrostis stolonifera|creeping bent]] that dominates in the drier areas.<ref name= BB115/>

==Ownership and conservation==

[[File:Peter scott in 1954 arp.jpg|thumb|[[Peter Scott]] in 1954|upright=0.75]]

The Ouse Washes are important as one of only two remaining large regularly flooded washlands in Britain, the other being the nearby [[Nene Washes]] in Cambridgeshire. When at [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge University]], [[Peter Scott]], who would become a [[Natural history|naturalist]] and founder of what is now the [[Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust]] (WWT) became a regular visitor to the washes, and in 1967 he purchased {{convert|100|acre|ha|order=flip}} for £4000{{efn|About £77,000 at 2021 values using [https://www.measuringworth.com/index.php MeasuringWorth] }} to form the core of what is now WWT Welney Wetland Centre. The [[Royal Society for the Protection of Birds]] (RSPB) also actively purchased large areas of land, and the Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely Naturalists' Trust (now the [[Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire]] (WTBCN)) bought {{convert|186| hectare|acre}} .<ref name= BB115/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wildlifebcn.org/reserves/ouse-washes  |title=  Ouse Washes|publisher= Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire|access-date =  4 August 2022}}</ref> 

By 2010, the three conservation bodies owned {{convert|1540|ha}} of the site. {{convert|200|ha}} is held by other organisations, including the Fenland Wildfowlers Association ({{convert|132|acre|ha|order=flip}}, the Spalding & District Wildfowlers Association ({{convert|62|acre|ha|order=flip}} and private individuals. The wildfowling clubs work closely with the conservation bodies to protect breeding birds.<ref name= BB115/><ref name="fwa">{{cite web |title=Fenland Wildfowlers Association |url=https://www.fenlandwa.org.uk/inshore |website=Fenland Wildfowlers Association |access-date=7 August 2022}}</ref><ref name="sdwa">{{cite web |title=Spalding & District Wildfowlers Association |url=https://www.spaldingwildfowlers.co.uk/ |access-date=7 August 2022}}</ref>

The [[Ouse Washes Landscape Partnership]] scheme (OWLP) was a £1&nbsp;million, 3-year project supported by the [[Heritage Lottery Fund]] which ran from 2014 to 2017. The scheme focused on the promotion of the area surrounding the Ouse Washes, the heart of the Cambridgeshire and Norfolk Fens, and on encouraging community engagement with the area's diverse heritage.<ref name="owlp">{{cite web |title=Ouse Washes Landscape Partnership |date=12 March 2014 |url=https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/cy/news/ps1million-investment-ouse-washes |publisher=Heritage Lottery Fund |access-date=7 August 2022}}</ref> The area is mostly within {{convert|1|km}} of the SSSI but outside the barrier walls. A survey of the ditches showed that they were important for [[amphibian]]s [[European water vole |water voles]], [[odonata|dragonflies and damselflies]]. More than 100 [[water beetle]] species included five for which the Fens are their national stronghold, and the 175 drain plants included eight of conservation concern.<ref name=ditch>{{cite report|title=Investigating ditch biodiversity and management practises in the arable landscape of the Ouse Washes Landscape Partnership Area: a survey of vegetation and aquatic Coleoptera|first1=Jonathan |last1=Graham|first2=Martin|last2= Hammond|year=2015|publisher= Fens for the Future}}</ref>
===RSPB Ouse Washes===
[[File:Rickwood Hide and Old Bedford River - geograph.org.uk - 587147.jpg|thumb|An RSPB hide overlooking the [[Old Bedford River]]]]
RSPB Ouse Washes is a nature reserve, managed by the [[Royal Society for the Protection of Birds]] at Welches Dam. It is signposted from [[Manea, Cambridgeshire|Manea]] village which is {{convert|6|mi|km|order=flip}} east of [[Chatteris]] on the [[A142 road|A142]]/[[A141 road|A141]] between [[Ely, Cambridgeshire|Ely]] and March.<ref name=rspbouse>{{cite web|url=https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/find-a-reserve/reserves-a-z/reserves-by-name/o/ousewashes/|title=Ouse Washes|publisher=Royal Society for the Protection of Birds|access-date=  4 August 2022}}</ref> The RSPB facilities also cover the area owned by WTBCN.<ref name="WTBCN">{{cite web |title=Ouse Washes |url=https://www.wildlifebcn.org/nature-reserves/ouse-washes |publisher=Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire |access-date=12 August 2022}}</ref>

The reserve is on the western side of the washes, south of the [[A1101 road]]. Its unstaffed visitor centre is open from 9&nbsp;am to 5&nbsp;pm, the car park, toilets and the reserve itself are always open, but there is no shop. There are two birds hides south of the visitor centre, the nearer, {{convert|300|m}} from the centre, is wheelchair accessible, the further is {{convert|850|m}}. there are six hides north of the visitor centre, the furthest being {{convert|2800|m}} from the centre. In wet conditions, the path along the bank can be very muddy.<ref name=rspbouse/><ref name="hides">{{cite web |title=Ouse Washes trail Guide |url=https://www.rspb.org.uk/globalassets/downloads/documents/reserves/ouse-washes-trail-guide.pdf |publisher=RSPB |access-date=7 August 2022}}</ref>

===WWT Welney Wetland Centre===
[[File:Welney Wetland Centre - geograph.org.uk - 590132.jpg|thumb|Welney Wetland Centre: the bridge accesses the hides]]
The {{convert|1000|ha}} of the Welney Wetland Centre is one of ten wildfowl and wetland reserves managed by the [[Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust]] (WWT). It lies north of the A1101 road where it crosses the washes. It has a visitor centre and café, and viewing facilities include an observatory with two wing hides. There is a further bird hide south of the observatory and four to the north. All the main hides are accessible except the third to the north. There are also some two-person hides accessed by steps. Road access to the reserve car park is via Hundred Foot Bank, [[Welney]], Norfolk.<ref name=welney>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/welney/|title=Welney Wetland Centre|publisher=Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust|access-date=  4 August 2022}}</ref> 

There is an entry charge for non-members of the WWT. The visitor centre is open from 10&nbsp;am to 4&nbsp;pm, although the café closes at 3.30&nbsp;pm.<ref name=welney/> The centre received 29,372 visitors in 2018.<ref name="ALVA 2018 visitor numbers">{{cite web |title=ALVA – Association of Leading Visitor Attractions |url=http://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=423 |website=www.alva.org.uk |access-date=9 October 2019}}</ref>

===Extensions===
Increased summer flooding led to declines in the numbers of breeding waders from the 1970s onwards, and to counteract this areas of former farmland adjacent to the washes were acquired and converted to wet grassland. The WWT's Lady Fen is adjacent to the Welney Wetland Centre and was converted from farmland between 2007 and 2013.<ref name="ladyfen">{{cite web |title=Lady Fen |url=https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/welney/experience/lady-fen/ |publisher=WWT |access-date=15 August 2022}}</ref>  The RSPB, WWT and WTBCN have also modified land adjacent to the RSPB reserve. The eventual aim is to expand this to {{convert|1000|ha}}, although as of 2022 only  {{convert|135|ha}} had been acquired. The total additional area of the "new"  meadows is {{convert|350|ha}}.<ref name= BB115/>

==Flora and fauna==
===Birds===
====Breeding species====
[[File:Gallinago gallinago a1.JPG|Common snipe|thumb]]
The Ouse Washes are the most important site in England and Wales for breeding [[common snipe|snipe]], and also hold good populations of [[northern lapwing|lapwings]] and [[common redshank|redshanks]] and [[Eurasian oystercatcher|oystercatchers]]. [[Black-tailed godwit]]s were found breeding in 1952, and reached a peak of 65 pairs by 1972, but flooding severely reduced breeding success until the extension projects enabled up to 19 pairs to breed. [[Corn crake]]s released on the Nene Washes from 2005 as part of a reintroduction scheme found the Ouse Washes more to their liking with up to seven calling males each year, and several [[spotted crake]]s also call in the spring.<ref name=BB115/> 

Breeding ducks include 15% of the UK's [[garganey]]. Recent colonisers include the [[little egret]] (77 pairs in 2020), [[great white egret]] and [[Eurasian bittern|bittern]], while some former breeders including [[ruff (bird)|ruff]] and [[Savi's warbler]] have been lost. [[Little gull]]s, [[black tern]]s and [[black-winged stilt]]s have occasionally bred. Waders breed on the extension areas at a density of about four pairs per hectare (two pairs per acre), 18 times the level on the main site. [[Hobby (bird)|Hobbies]], [[western marsh harrier|marsh harriers]] and [[Western barn owl|barn owl]]s all breed around the washes, as do [[Western yellow wagtail|yellow wagtail]]s, [[corn bunting]]s and [[Eurasian tree sparrow|tree sparrows]], and [[common kingfisher|kingfishers]] nest in artificial banks.<ref name=BB115/>

====Wintering birds====
The Ouse Washes hosts [[Bewick's swan|Bewick's]] and [[whooper swan]]s in winter, which feed on nearby farmland during the day, returning to the washes in the evening,<ref name=BB115/> where visitors can watch them being fed under floodlight near the visitor centre.<ref name="winter">{{cite web |title=Wildlife:winter |url=https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/welney/wildlife/#tab_winter2 |publisher=WWT |access-date=16 August 2022}}</ref> More than 12,500 whooper swans wintered in 2021, about 5% of the world population. The number of Bewick's swans reaching the UK has fallen dramatically in the current century, as milder winters encourage them to remain in continental Europe, but several hundred still visit the washes.<ref name=BB115/>

The washes are of international importance for six species of wintering ducks, notably more than 20,000 [[Eurasian wigeon|wigeon]]. High waters levels prevent wigeon grazing on grass, and the extension areas were designed with this species in mind, so that they could feed when the main site was flooded. Up to 40 [[tundra bean goose|tundra bean geese]] and 130 [[Greater white-fronted goose|white-fronted geese]] visit annually. [[Gull]]s roost overnight, as do [[hen harrier]]s, and [[common crane]]s also spend the night on the washes after foraging for maize stubble on the arable farmland. A paid of cranes bred successfully on Lady Fen in 2018.<ref name=BB115/>

====Migrants and rarities====
Large numbers of [[bird migration|migrants]] may seek temporary refuge on the marshes, including 2&nbsp;million [[sand martin]]s (1968) 5,000 common snipe (1979), 500 ruffs (1989) and 130 [[red-breasted merganser]]s (1956). Major rarities recorded include a [[pied-billed grebe]] in 1968, a [[falcated duck]], Britain's first, in 1986, and a [[canvasback]] in 1997. More recent visitors have included a [[northern harrier]] in 2013, a [[Baikal teal]] in 2014, an [[isabelline wheatear]] in 2016 and a [[gull-billed tern]] in 2017. Scarce waders such as [[pectoral sandpiper]], [[Temminck's stint]] and [[red-necked phalarope]] are almost annual.<ref name=BB115/>

===Other animals===
[[File:Tansy beetle on Tansy flower heads 2.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|[[Tansy beetle]] on [[tansy]] flower heads]]
Of the large mammals, [[Roe deer]], [[water deer]], [[European badger|badgers]] and [[Eurasian otter|otters]] are common on the washes, with [[European hare |brown hare]] on the adjacent grasslands and small numbers of [[European water vole |water voles]] in the wet areas. Regularly recorded bats include [[soprano pipistrelle]], [[Common noctule|noctule]] and [[Daubenton's bat]]. The large fish population includes [[European eel]] and [[spined loach]].<ref name= BB115/>

There is a rich invertebrate fauna, including [[tansy beetle]], which here feeds on [[Mentha aquatica|water mint]] rather than the normal [[tansy]]. Scarce insects include the [[variable damselfly]], [[scarce chaser]], [[wall brown]] and [[clouded yellow]].<ref name= BB115/>

===Plants===
Apart from the grassland, there are small patches of trees and [[Salix viminalis|osier]], but the main interest lies in rare aquatic plants such as [[Sium latifolium|greater water-parsnip]] and [[Nymphoides peltata|fringed water lily]], although the diversity and numbers of such species has reduced due to nutrient deposition by floodwater. The areas neighbouring the washland, used for intensive [[arable land|arable farming]] for 50 years, have now been reseeded with grasses and associated plants such as [[Ranunculus acris|meadow buttercup]], [[Vicia cracca|tufted vetch]], [[Plantago lanceolata|ribwort plantain]].<ref name= BB115/> and [[Butomus|flowering rush]].<ref name= WTBCN/>

==Management and protection==

The washes are managed for traditional grazing and hay-making using professional livestock managers to determine a regime that minimises the amount of disturbance to the breeding waders and controls water levels within the washes. There are also "scrapes", areas of bare mud situated so as to be readily visible to birdwatchers. The new areas outside the washes are kept wet through a closely spaced network of ditches filled from ground [[aquifer]]s by submersible pumps, and protected by [[red fox|fox-]] and [[European badger|badger-proof]] fences.<ref name= BB115/>

It is anticipated that a combination of lower flows in the Great Ouse and higher sea water levels will make it harder to manage drainage, although more areas of shallow water might benefit potential colonising breeders including the [[glossy ibis]], [[black-winged stilt]] and various [[heron|heron and egret]] species.<ref name= BB115/>

Because of its importance to wildlife, the Ouse Washes is a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]]<ref name=dsv>{{cite web|url= https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteDetail.aspx?SiteCode=S1000503&SiteName=ouse+washes&countyCode=&responsiblePerson=  |title=Designated Sites View: Ouse Washes  | series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|access-date =  2 August 2022}}</ref><ref name=map>{{cite web|url= http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%271000503%27|title=Map of Ouse Washes|series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|access-date=  2 August 2022}}</ref> a [[Ramsar site|Ramsar]] internationally important wetland site,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/pdf/RIS/UK11051.pdf |title= Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands (RIS): Ouse Washes  |publisher=Joint Nature Conservation Committee|access-date=  2 August 2022}}</ref> a [[Special Protection Area]] for birds,<ref>{{cite web|url= http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/pdf/SPA/UK9008041.pdf |title= Special Protection Areas under the EC Birds Directive: Ouse Washes |publisher=Joint Nature Conservation Committee|access-date=  2 August 2022}}</ref> a [[Special Area of Conservation]],<ref>{{cite web|url= http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/ProtectedSites/SACselection/sac.asp?EUCode=UK0013011 |title= Ouse Washes SAC |publisher=Joint Nature Conservation Committee|access-date=  2 August 2022}}</ref> and a [[Nature Conservation Review]] site, Grade I.<ref>{{cite book|editor-first=Derek |editor-last=Ratcliffe  |title=A Nature Conservation Review|volume=2 |page= 138|publisher= Cambridge University Press|location =Cambridge, UK  |year=1977|isbn= 0521-21403-3 }}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==

{{Portal|Wetlands}}
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Saul|editor1-first=A.J.|title=Floods and Flood Management|date=1992|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-94-011-1630-5 |volume=15|pages=69–89|doi=10.1007/978-94-011-1630-5_5|chapter=Washland Management in the Ouse Washes Conservation Area|series=Fluid Mechanics and its Applications }}

==External links==
{{commons category|Ouse Washes}}
*[http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/o/ousewashes/about.aspx RSPB Ouse Washes]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120404222349/http://www.wwt.org.uk/visit-us/welney/ WWT Welney]
*[http://www.jncc.gov.uk/ProtectedSites/SACselection/sac.asp?EUCode=UK0013011 SPA designation]
*[http://ousewashes.info The Ouse Washes Website]

{{coord| 52.46| 0.19   |type:landmark_region:GB-BNE|display=title}}
{{SSSIs Cambridgeshire}}
{{SSSIs Norfolk}}
{{Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire}}
{{Wetlands}}
{{Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Ramsar sites in England]]
[[Category:River Great Ouse|Washes]]
[[Category:Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserves in England|Ouse Washes]]
[[Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cambridgeshire]]
[[Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Norfolk]]
[[Category:Special Protection Areas in England]]
[[Category:Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust centres]]
[[Category:Special Areas of Conservation in England]]
[[Category:Landforms of Cambridgeshire]]
[[Category:Landforms of Norfolk]]
[[Category:Nature reserves in Cambridgeshire]]
[[Category:Nature centres in England]]
[[Category:Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire reserves]]
[[Category:Nature Conservation Review sites]]