Editing Titchwell Marsh (section)

===RSPB era===
[[File:Recurvirostra avosetta -Titchwell Marsh, Norfolk, England -swimming-8.jpg|The [[pied avocet|avocet]] features on the RSPB's logo.|thumb]]
Between 1970 and 1972, a pair of [[Montagu's harrier]]s, Britain's rarest breeding [[bird of prey|birds of prey]], nested in the reed bed. The RSPB bought the reserve in 1973 for £53,000 (£{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|53|1973|r=0}}}},000 in 20{{CURRENTYEARYY}}).{{Inflation-fn|UK}} The Montagu's harriers did not return, but [[western marsh harrier|marsh harriers]] did, and the RSPB commenced improving the habitat and facilities, including embanking the lagoons and building a car park and visitor centre. Avocets, then still very rare in the UK, first bred here in 1984. The visitor centre facilities were improved between 1987 and 1989 to cope with the numbers of visitors.<ref name= afterrspb>''The RSPB and Titchwell Marsh''. RSPB information sheet.</ref>

In 1991, the sea broke through the dunes at the eastern end of the beach near the former Tern Hide, and the dunes started to [[erosion|erode]]. The remains of the Second World War tanks first appeared around this time. In the following year the boardwalk at the beach end of the west bank was constructed to protect the dunes, and the [[seawatching]] platform was added at its northern end. {{convert|12|ha|acre|abbr=off}} of land to the east of the reserve was bought in 1993; much of this was formerly part of the firing range, and large amounts of [[barbed wire]] caused problems when the area was being converted to reed bed and wet grazing meadow. Over the winter, an old hide on the West Bank was demolished and replaced with the current Island Hide. Storms in February 1996 removed most of the dunes east of the boardwalk, and eroded those to the west. The Tern Hide, now cut off at high tide, was dismantled. Developments at the end of the 20th century included the 1997 extension of the visitor centre, which included building a cafe, and the erection of Fen Hide in 1999, together with a boardwalk path to the hide, and a dragonfly pond.<ref name= afterrspb/>

The reserve covers {{convert|171|ha|acre|abbr=off}},<ref name =hammond/> and is of international importance for its breeding and wintering birds. It was designated as a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI) in 1973, and in 1986 it was subsumed into the {{convert|7700|ha|acre|abbr=off}} North Norfolk Coast SSSI. The larger area is now additionally protected through [[Natura 2000]], [[Special Protection Area]] (SPA) and [[Ramsar Convention|Ramsar]] listings, and is part of the [[Norfolk Coast AONB|Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]] (AONB).<ref name=encitation>{{cite web |title=North Norfolk Coast |work=SSSI citations |url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1001342.pdf |publisher=Natural England |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202212559/http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1001342.pdf |archive-date=2014-02-02 }} Retrieved 8 November 2011.</ref><ref name = rspbmain>{{cite web| title= Titchwell Marsh| work= Reserve guide| url=http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/t/titchwellmarsh/ | publisher= RSPB}} Retrieved 6 November 2011.</ref><ref name = aonb>{{cite web | title= Other Conservation Designations within the AONB December 2009 | work= Norfolk Coast AONB Management Plan 2009–14 | url= http://www.norfolkcoastaonb.org.uk/mediaps/pdfuploads/pd001159.pdf | publisher= Norfolk Coast partnership | access-date= 8 November 2011 | archive-date= 31 March 2012 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120331161613/http://www.norfolkcoastaonb.org.uk/mediaps/pdfuploads/pd001159.pdf | url-status= dead }} Retrieved 8 November 2011.</ref> This is the RSPB's most visited reserve, with about 92,000 visitors annually.<ref name=rspbfacts>{{cite web|title=Fact File |work=Reserves |url=http://www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/pdf/1390-42b%20Birdwatching2.pdf |publisher=RSPB |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719080254/http://west-norfolk.gov.uk/pdf/1390-42b%20Birdwatching2.pdf |archive-date=2012-07-19 }} Retrieved 17 November 2011.</ref>