Landguard Penninsula suffolk

[metalfish]

Hello folks, I've just found out the fantastic news that I've got a job interview for a seasonal post as a ranger working for Suffolk District Council at the Landguard Penninsular.

My question is--has anyone been there, what've you seen & what do you think of the place? I've not been myself and I can only gleen so much from the internet so I'm interested in getting a bigger picture of the place

[Tursiops2]

Hi metalfish - congratulations!

I know Landguard quite well, I've been visiting regularly over the last 18 months. In fact, I was thinking of going for that job myself, but decided not to - there's something better on the horizon

What can I tell you about Landguard? Well, it's a shingle peninsula across the mouth of the Stour/Orwell confluence. It was extensively fortified during the Napoleonic Wars, and again during the 2 World Wars. The fortifications are well preserved - the Napoleonic fort houses a museum, and the WW2 bunkers house the bird observatory. It's very popular with visitors during the summer.

The landscape is flat and exposed, but much of the fortification consists of an extensive earthen "berm" running N-S, which provides shelter. It can be unseasonably cold there. The vegetation is mainly rabbit-grazed grass with patches of bramble scrub, except for the shingle beach down the east side, and more extensive Holm Oak and Tamarisk scrub along the berm. It has rare plants and a colony of Little Terns. It's also a migration hotspot, with a respectable tally of scarce and rares.

It's right next door to Felixstowe Docks (Britains largest container port) which is very noisy. Felixstowe town is a busy holiday resort with several caravan parks, one of which sits at the north end of the reserve. I imagine your principle duty will be to keep holiday makers and dog-walkers off the tern colony

Some relevant websites:
http://www.lbo.org.uk/
http://www.freewebs.com/proldfield/
http://www.freewebs.com/suffolkbirding/index.htm

Anything else you need to know, drop me a PM

T2

[metalfish]

Thank you