Situated in the Wensum valley, an internationally important chalk stream, Pensthorpe Nature Park, encompasses a range of habitats that form a largish nature reserve. From dry and wet woodland, water meadows, a scrape and lakes the place proves to be an attractive back drop to a couple of hours bird watching. However in addition to the more natural surroundings the park also contains formal gardens and captive wildfowl, things a bit different to your usual bird reserve. This would also prove to be the last visit of my holiday in North Norfolk, so it feels a little sad to be writing about it now. But Pensthorpe was a good place to end on.
As a nature reserve Pensthorpe isn't as good as a lot of the birding sites nearby in North Norfolk, so I seldom visit much. I often pass by the reserve on the way to Cley and don't really have the time to visit in the time allowed and in fact this is only the second time I've visited the place. Its only with an extended stay in North Norfolk that I eventually had the time to go.
The main attention of the reserve is mainly drawn to the lakes and the scrape. The lakes are the usual gravel pits, with reedy and wooded edges, whilst the scrape is a small body of shallow water and islands whose water levels today were relatively high today.
The lakes had a scattering of TUFTED DUCK, COOT and GADWALL, the usual gravel pit birds in small numbers. Elsewhere, on the scrapes there were around 50 TEAL. An early female GOLDENEYE on Old Squaw Lake, was the first in for the winter. There were also around 40 EGYPTIAN GEESE on site as well. And finally there was a BLACK SWAN on the Wensum Wetland, an obvious escapee, as they come from Australia, but I'm guessing it didn't escape from Pensthorpe.
Its not really for the wild birdwatching that you visit Pensthorpe. The grounds are beautifully landscaped with its many formal gardens. However its the captive birds and the way they are presented that entices the nature lover. The Wader Aviary is simply inspirational. Inside there are large numbers of native birds, some quite rare, that are literally within arm's reach. What would in the wild be difficult to photograph, are handily just a few metres away. To see a CORNCRAKE strolling around in front of you is worth the admission fee alone. Its this that makes Pensthorpe worth going to.
Elsewhere there were captive CRANES, RED SQUIRRELS, FLAMINGOES and DUCKS. The flamingoes looked in pretty grot condition it has to be said, looking shabby in a muddy pond. In various enclosures and on two lakes there were various ducks and geese from around the world, including that favourite the nene, the Hawaiian goose, a bird I've seen in the wild. For the cranes, there was a hide which looked over their pens, with each different window overlooking a different species of bird, a nice imaginative touch. And the red squirrels had a large cage to roam about in.
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