H. Scott—Bird Watching on Bidding Broad



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BIRD WATCHING ON HICKLING BROAD


By Hamilton Scott


Having spent two enjoyable trips bird watching on Hickling Broad

it has been suggested that a few notes on the subject might be of

interest to readers of the Avicultural Magazine. Both visits were

made during the Easter holidays. The first was in 1935, and the party

consisted of four. This year the same four went again with an additional

one, all keen bird men. Unfortunately this Easter was a week earlier

than last year, and this deprived us of seeing some of the rarer and

later migrants which we were more fortunate in seeing on the previous

trip. The weather too this year was far from ideal, with a much lower

temperature and a persistent wind blowing most of the day. We

stayed at the village “ pub ”, “ The Pleasure Boat ”, a most excellent

spot in every way. The inn is right on the edge of the broad and from

our bedroom windows we had a magnificent view right down the

broad. The weather was very fickle, in the early morning the water

was as still as a mill-pond and with the sun shining brightly the broad

looked wonderfully blue against the tawny masses of reeds. Then as

“ sure as eggs ”, about 8 o’clock each day it clouded over and the

wind would get up and blow with an unpleasant force most of the

day. This had the effect of keeping what few earlier migrants had

arrived silent. We used to take out a rowing boat for the whole day

and row up the reed-fringed dykes and channels ; the tall reeds and

the dwarf willows here kept off the cold wind, and having drawn

to the bank we would lie listening for any unusual bird sounds. Last

year, as I said, Easter being a week later and the weather considerably

warmer, we were fortunate in hearing on the first night Bitterns booming

in various directions—one quite close. It is a most unique sound.

We were lucky too in putting up one and watching it wing its way

over the reeds—a sort of “ owl-like-heron ” flight. This year they

were not nearly as vocal, but one was very near and we could distinctly

hear the “ intake ”.


Perhaps I should explain to those who have not visited this beautiful

piece of water that bird life is very strictly preserved by the owner,

Lord Desborough, and the sanctuary is in charge of Mr. Jim Vincent,



