"The HomeSounds:NSF project invites young people aged 11-14 and living in Norfolk to become sound explorers, acoustic ecologists and deep listeners. By visiting selected sites across Norfolk participants will tune into the sounds of their local environment using specialist listening equipment (including their ears!) and learn about the fascinating world of acoustic ecology. They will then install a live-streaming microphone at the location they have visited.

Each live-streaming microphone will share the live sounds of their location to the world 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 1 year for participants, and the public, to tune into. Participants will be encouraged to use these sounds, and their experiences in capturing them, for creative, educational and therapeutic purposes.

Participants will be invited to take part in Norwich Science Festival in October 2019 to share their experiences, demonstrate the live-streaming microphones and encourage others to tune in to the sounds of the world around them.​

The project particularly reaches out to young people who have not experienced the festival before or who might find accessing the festival difficult because of their location or circumstances."

The project is made possible by the support of the British Science Assoication and United Kingdom Research and Innovation.


RSPB (Royal Society for the Protestion of Birds) TITCHWELL MARSH

Located on the north coast of Norfolk, between the villages of Titchwell and Thornham, Titchwell Marsh is blessed with diverse habitats that include reedbeds, saltmarsh and freshwater lagoons.

Titchwell is renowned for its wading birds, wildfowl and geese. These gather in significant numbers from mid autumn onwards and with the arrival of migrant birds from Scandanavia and Northern Europe the fresh water lagoons are soon filled with a variety of resident species and visitors.

During autumn, marsh harriers can be seen soaring low over reedbeds as the light falls but in spring, visitors can watch them spiralling high overhead in a courtship skydance.

Avocets can be seen on the fresh marsh all year round but in late spring they will be guarding newly hatched chicks. At this time of year it's possible to hear the mating calls of two wetland birds. Listen out for the booming call of the bittern from deep within the reedbeds whilst the metallic 'ping-ping' of the much smaller bearded tits can be heard above the rustle of the reeds.

The freshwater reedbeds are incredibly important for a wide variety of species including rare breeding birds. Otters and water voles are also well established here. Ongoing management work in the reedbeds such as winter reed cutting helps to create and maintain a mosaic of habitats including reedbed edges and muddy margins which benefit these species.

The freshwater lagoon and islands are important habitats for other breeding species including avocets, black-headed gulls and Mediterranean gulls; as well as being vital for wintering wildfowl and wading birds. Subtle management of the water levels and control of vegetation are all part of making the freshmarsh so special.

Wild and windswept at times, the coastline has a great variety of wildlife. In the summer, ringed plovers breed within protective cordons and annual surveys monitor tiny dune tiger beetles. Other coastal habitats including saltmarsh, shingle and sand dunes are allowed to develop through natural processes and account for the changing landscape on this part of the reserve.

We are also managing woodland and grassland areas around the reserve for their wildlife. The coastline at Titchwell is eroding and we know that the site is becoming more vulnerable to damage caused by surge tides and storms.

The nature reserve has been under threat from the effects of coastal change, the impact of sea level rise and increasing storm events. The Titchwell Coastal Change Project was designed to save the reserve from the effect of these coastal changes. We have realigned the sea defences to the north and reinforced the sea banks around parts of the reserve to the west and east.