Just a few miles outside of Norwich lies a series of connected RSPB reserves collectively known as the Mid Yare Reserves. They snuggle along the river Yare within The Norfolk Broads national park, an area made up of all sorts of wetland habitat, that's great for a wide variety of birds, many rare. Its not only the birds that are rare but all sorts of plants and insects that attract and feed the birds, in some of the last remaining freshwater wetland in the country. So as a birdwatcher I was naturally attracted to such a place.
On a truly terrible day I decided to have a look at two reserves from the area, Strumpshaw Fen and Buckenham Marshes. Unfortunately due to the weather and other reasons, at Strumpshaw I failed to see anything at all. Oh well, such is life.
Strumpshaw Fen is the Gateway to the Mid Yare Reserves, having facilities like hides and a coffee machine, and has nature trails winding their way through the different habitats on the reserve. These habitats are mainly made of reedbed with small areas of open water, fen meadow and woodland. Unfortunately the very strong winds and heavy rain made a lot of birds put their heads down. The only animals stupid enough to go out in this weather was us homo sapiens, even more stupid as we saw so little.
The only sightings came from the reception hide where a flock of COOT were out on the water whilst a BLACK SWAN rested and some SHOVELLER kept their heads down in the foreground. All the other pools were completely empty, which was a bit disappointing.
On the way round we came upon some work men working on restoring an old pump house, on the river wall in the reserve. One of the guys was pretty friendly and told us that this was a series of restoration work on different pump houses in the Broads, using students from Norwich College. The building they were restoring on the reserve was typical Victorian, overwrought and a gothic masterpiece, completely over the top for a pump house, but great in the same way.
With heavy winds keeping everything down, only a few MARSH HARRIERS braved the turbulence, the best bird on the reserve was a female BULLFINCH on the reserve feeders.
This is the fourth time I have been to Strumpshaw, and the first in Winter. I have previously visited in Spring/Summer and then the reserve was full of birds, those species who inhabited reedbeds, and lots of nesting waterfowl. I guess the reserve just isn't a winter one, certain reserves are like that. To any time stretched birders out there - visit Strumpshaw in Spring or Summer, not Winter, I have saved you the bother.
Buckenham Marshes
After a fruitless visit to Strumpshaw, I decided on a visit to Buckenham Marshes just down the road from the other reserve. Its a different kind of habitat, being a huge area of grazing marsh, which attracted large numbers of birds, in stark contrast to Strumpshaw.
Grazing marsh is in theory a fairly simple habitat to create and in turn attracts lots of birds, the grassland flooding in winter attracts hordes of DUCKS, whilst drying them out over summer attracts breeding WADERS like snipe and lapwing. However the reserve is a complex system of water management and grazing by cattle to provide the variety of habitats to attract the greatest range of birds.
The Cantley Beet Factory looms over the reserve
The reserve had flooding but not much, so the DUCKS were mainly represented by WIGEON, which graze the grassy areas. There were around several thousand present all in groups a hundred or so strong.
There was a hide on the reserve - the only token of civilisation in an otherwise wild place - which looked over a large pool which attracted some TEAL and a couple of SHOVELLER.
The large area of grazing marsh was particularly attractive to GEESE, and through a very simple count I saw fifty WHITE FRONTED and a hundred PINK FOOTED GEESE, they, as wild GEESE do, kept as well away from any humans on the other side of the reserve.
One of three CHINESE WATER DEER on the reserve - they really have found a niche not occupied by native fauna.
LAPWING flocks were diminishing with birds starting to claim territories for the breeding season, being one of our earliest nesters. Amongst them I spotted two RUFF, and a SNIPE flew right over me.
I only had a short visit - a couple of hours - so I barely scratched the surface really, if I was able to stay longer and have a thorough look I would have seen more, because there was a lot out there.
I have only been to this reserve once before, in June, fifteen years ago, so this was the first real experience of the place. In Winter it really is a wind swept bleak area, but that's part of its charm, and why I like these places, they really have character, a poetry about them.
It wasn't an overly successful trip to the Norfolk Broads really, with a disappointing visit to Strumpshaw Fen, but with some success at Buckenham Marshes. With the weather so turbulent at the moment it is hard to predict a decent day for birding, especially as I only have a small window off from work. However I have hardly visited these places before so its good experience to just see them and appreciate them for what they are, great reserves where a lot of hard work is put into looking after the land for wildlife.
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