Stiffkey, sometime pronounced Stookey has huge horizons and a vast open expanse of salt marshes with twisting creeks and muddy basins that are subject to tidal flooding twice a day. The salt marshes create a perfect habitat for a wide range of birdlife, mainly waders and wintering wildfowl and an array of unusual plant life. The Norfolk Coast path passes along the perimeter of the salt marshes either towards Morston and Blakeney or on to Wells-Next-The-Sea offering an amazing walk with breathtaking views and sightings of birds. Stiffkey is also famous for cockles which still retain the old name of "Stewkey blues". These are stained blue by the mud in which they live. Blakeney National nature reserve includes over 1000 hectares of coastline, comprising the 4 mile shingle spit of Blakeney point, pristine saltmarsh from Blakney to Stiffkey, sand dunes, intertidal mudflats and sand, freshwater marshes and reedbeds. The reserve also is famous for its seal colony and birdlife. Hundreds of seals bask on the tidal sands and in some years the western end of Blakney point can host one third of all the sandwhich terns in the UK. The majority of the breeding birds nest on the ground, making them extremely vulnerable to disturbance from human activities. Populations of beach nesting species like ringed plover and little tern are declining in England and need special protection to ensure their survival. The large expanses of this rare habitat at Stiffkey are a maze of winding creeks, endless views of scarce wildlife. Specialist plants like the shrubby sea-blite, sea aster and carpets of purple sea lavender, flourish in the salty conditions. In the summer you can see the noisy redshank using the slightly higher areas as nesting grounds, and are quick to warn you when you approach the nest too closely. Durning the winter large flocks of brent geese arrive from Siberia and hen harriers and short-eared owls can be spotted quartering over the marshes. For more videos, photos and blog posts like this please visit http://www.wholesomeday.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/wholesomeday/ Tumblr: http://wholesomeday.tumblr.com/ Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/wholesomed/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wholesomeday

• published: 08 Jun 2015
• views: 193