File:View across marsh pastures - geograph.org.uk - 908447.jpg

English: View across marsh pastures The dunes and part of the pine woodland - planted on the dunes by the 3rd Earl of Leicester in the late 19th century, with the intention of creating a shelter-belt to protect the reclaimed farmland - can be seen in the far distance. The marsh pastures were reclaimed in the 18th and 19th centuries, beginning at Burnham Overy in 1639 and ending with the construction of the sea wall at Wells in 1859. Up until the 1940s this area was used for grazing sheep and cattle but due to modern farming methods the water table of the marsh had to be lowered; as a consequence the old grazing marshes dried out and became much less attractive for wildlife. In recent years, however, a system of dams and water control points was developed in order to again raise water levels, and the wildlife returned. Avocet, shoveler and marsh harrier have re-colonised the marshes and wintering wildfowl have made a come-back, with recent peak counts of 20,000 pink-footed geese, 7,000 brent geese and 13,000 wigeon. http://www.holkham.co.uk/naturereserve/reclaimedsaltmarsh.html