RSPB Minsmere is a nature reserve owned and managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds at Minsmere, Suffolk, England, since 1947. The 1,000-hectare (2,500-acre) site covers areas of reed bed, lowland heath, acid grassland, wet grassland, woodland and shingle vegetation. It is conserved as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area and Ramsar site. It supports bird species such as the bittern, stone-curlew, marsh harrier, nightjar and nightingale, as well as a wide variety of other animals and plants. The Minsmere marshes were the site of a medieval abbey and a Tudor artillery battery. Reclaimed as farmland in the 19th century, they were re-flooded during World War II to protect against possible invasion. The reserve has a visitor centre and eight bird hides. Potential threats to the site include coastal erosion and flooding or salination as climate change causes rising sea levels.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSPB_Minsmere
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1775:
American Revolutionary War: Continental Army Colonel Henry Knox arrived at Fort Ticonderoga in New York to arrange the transport of 60 tons of artillery that would be used to strengthen the Siege of Boston. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_train_of_artillery
1916:
Amid the First World War and following his loss of support in Parliament, British Prime Minister H. H. Asquith resigned. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._H._Asquith
1958:
Britain's first motorway, the Preston By-pass, opened to the public. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston_By-pass
1995:
Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 56 crashed shortly after takeoff from Nakhchivan Airport, killing 52 people on board. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijan_Airlines_Flight_56
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
shrinking violet: (idiomatic) Often in the negative form no shrinking violet: a very shy person, who avoids contact with others if possible. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shrinking_violet
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
I do not mistrust the future; I do not fear what is ahead. For our problems are large, but our heart is larger. Our challenges are great, but our will is greater. And if our flaws are endless, God's love is truly boundless. Some see leadership as high drama, and the sound of trumpets calling, and sometimes it is that. But I see history as a book with many pages, and each day we fill a page with acts of hopefulness and meaning. The new breeze blows, a page turns, the story unfolds. And so today a chapter begins, a small and stately story of unity, diversity, and generosity — shared, and written, together. --George H. W. Bush https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_H._W._Bush