Hickling Broad NWT 2nd May 2019
We got up in a pretty bad mood at the hotel because we had no hot water and a cooked breakfast wasn’t even included in the £140 a night room we had for 2 nights ! We had to wait for the manageress to arrive to complain about it and this meant that we did not get going until 9am. We put that aside, however, and got on with what turned out to be a lovely day and another boat trip.
Hickling Broad Site Map
A long time ago we did a boat trip on Hickling Broad and we were keen to do it agai. I was a bit wary because the boats in the adverts look like they take about sixteen people and I though that that might be a bit too crowded for my taste. We decided to go for it anyway and walked from the visitr centre down to the view point and then along the edge of the water to the Water Trail departure point ( see here).
We waited for a while and eventually our boat came into view and it wasn’t long before we were off on the water. This morning, as it happened, there were not many people booked and it turned out that only us and another couple were on it so four and a skipper was just fine.
The great thing about this particular boat trip is that it stops off at two hides that can only be reached by boat. On the way out to the first hide we saw a large flock of Greylag Geese and the skipper explained to us the damage to the reeds that they can do in winter when their numbers get to bew enormous. He also explained the measures they used to mitigate this and we got another lesson on succession in reed beds and broads.
Other birds on the water included Black Swan and Egyptian Goose and we even got year tick Eurasian Cranes flying in the distance – one of our target birds and a great year tick.. There were Marsh Harriers pretty much always in the air somewhere.
The great thing about this particular boat trip is that it goes through very narrow passagewayes inthe reeds and it creates a wonderfully atmospheric experience. Eventually you get to the two hides. At these hides there were scrapes holding both Black and Bar tailed Godwits, Common Snipe, Common Sandpiper, Avocet etc.
After these two hides we sailed on to another staithe where we disembarked and took a public path leading to an ingenious hidden bridge over a gully that rotates to allow passage. THis is back to the private part of the reserve so there were only us around. We climbed a long way up the Tower Hide until we were above the tree canopy and below us spread the entire reserve. Our skipper/guide explained a lot about the reserve and pointed out landmarks to us. From here we got more views of three Cranes feeding in a field a fair way off. As they moved, however, they became a bit easier to see. A Few Hobbies started showing and some of them were very close indeed. A Kestrel and a Buzzard also flew over.
We returned to the boat and, as with all boat trips, it was a little cooler on the open water on the way back. We were regaled with stories about how the broads had been regarded as a dangerous possible landing place for sea planes during the second world war and how the risk was reduced by the sinking on Wherries at various points. All very interesting.
Back on land again we went back to the reception for something to eat before venturing out again to the two mainland hides, the Cadbury Hide and the Secker Hide. At these hides we heard a Bittern booming but did not manage to see it. We did see Little Egret and Great White Egret together. Generally there were Sedge and Reed Warblers everywhere and also Blackcap and Willow Warbler, Blackbird and Song Thrush were singing. Swallows and House Martins Flew overhead and we heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker.
We had had a great day out and, although we only added one more year tick (Cranes) to our list we had had a fantastic range of birds clocking up fifty-four species and had had a very informative and amiable skipper and guide for the day. It was an absolute bargain and a wonderful day.
Bird Sightings NWT Hickling Broad 2nd May 2019
| Greylag Goose | 40 |
| Mute Swan | 30 |
| Black Swan | 1 |
| Egyptian Goose | 2 |
| Common Shelduck | 7 |
| Gadwall | 16 |
| Northern Shoveler | 2 |
| Common Teal | 2 |
| Tufted Duck | 2 |
| Red-legged Partridge | 6 |
| Common Pheasant | 2 |
| Great Crested Grebe | 10 |
| Great Cormorant | 8 |
| Great Bittern | 1 |
| Grey Heron | 1 |
| Great Egret | 1 |
| Little Egret | 1 |
| Eurasian Marsh Harrier | 8 |
| Common Buzzard | 2 |
| Common Crane | 6 |
| Pied Avocet | 20 |
| Northern Lapwing | 2 |
| Common Sandpiper | 1 |
| Black-tailed Godwit | 20 |
| Bar-tailed Godwit | 2 |
| Common Snipe | 2 |
| Mew Gull | 18 |
| Common Tern | 20 |
| Stock Dove | 1 |
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | 1 |
| Common Kestrel | 2 |
| Eurasian Hobby | 6 |
| Eurasian Magpie | 2 |
| Eurasian Jackdaw | 8 |
| Rook | 20 |
| Carrion Crow | 6 |
| Barn Swallow | 3 |
| Common House Martin | 3 |
| Great Tit | 2 |
| Eurasian Blue Tit | 2 |
| Eurasian Wren | 2 |
| Cetti’s Warbler | 3 |
| Willow Warbler | 3 |
| Sedge Warbler | 2 |
| Eurasian Reed Warbler | 6 |
| Blackcap | 2 |
| European Robin | 2 |
| Eurasian Blackbird | 2 |
| Song Thrush | 1 |
| Common Chaffinch | 2 |
| European Greenfinch | 1 |
| European Goldfinch | 4 |
| House Sparrow | 2 |