Top facts about reedbeds

A feathery fringe between water and land, reedbeds form when tall, tightly packed Common Reeds grow on the margins of floodplains, estuaries, rivers and open water. Despite a lack of plant diversity, reedbeds support a wide range of wildlife. RSPB Ouse Fen is the UK’s largest quarry-to-reedbed phased restoration project.

Discover how the RSPB is working with landowners to manage reedbeds.

The quarry operator at RSPB Ouse Fen, Brice Aggregates, will gradually hand the restored wetland over to the RSPB as our previous partner, Heidelberg Materials, has done. With neighbouring RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes and the Ouse Washes, the reserves will form a near-continuous 3,000ha of wetland habitat.

Reedbeds were once harvested for roof thatch, which helped stop them from accumulating litter and drying out. Many reedbeds have been lost through drainage. At others, cessation of management has allowed them to dry out and be colonised by scrub and woodland.

Reedbeds slow and absorb floodwater. They act as a carbon sink and highly effective filtration system. Micro-organisms living on the root system help purify wastewater and act as a buffer against pollutants from industry, roads and farming.

Bitterns hunt for fish at the water’s edge, disguised by their reedy plumage. Reedbeds also provide safe winter roosting for thousands of Starlings and are home to Harvest Mice, Otters and Water Voles.

Reedbed at RSPB Leighton Moss. Photo: Jennie Smith (rspb-images.com)