H. Scott—Bird Watching on Rickling Broad



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of our party had an intimate knowledge of it as it nests in his grounds

in North Norfolk. The single bird we did see I fear I should not have

recognized unless I had been put wise ; I should have passed it for

a Marsh Tit. But apparently the note was somewhat different and

the black of the head is of a duller tint.


The weather being cold and blustering kept the birds very quiet,

and only when the sun shone strongly for any length of time did we

get any bird notes and then only the more ordinary ones. Chief of

which were Willow Warblers and numerous Common Wrens whose

joyful song was heard in all directions ; also a fine Robin miles away

from any houses. It was too early for the Grasshopper Warbler, whose

curious song was heard quite frequently in 1935. Reed and Sedge

Warblers were much in evidence then. That year too a single Bewick’s

Swan had chosen to stay and was consorting with the Mute Swans

which live on the broad. We had several good views of it and its

very straight neck was quite a distinctive feature. We did not see

it this year, and I did not hear if it had remained. Coots were extremely

tame and confiding and a pair used to swim up the narrow water-way

to the door of the inn. There were several pairs of Mallard, most of

which were fairly tame.


It occurred to me that such a wonderful expanse of water and

reeds and preserved as it is, ought to hold a wonderful lot of waterfowl

and I believe that if several pairs of the various species of British

wild fowl—a few pairs pinnioned and the rest with the flight feathers

of one wing clipped—were turned down, say in the autumn, those

with clipped wings would still be unable to fly till the following autumn

and would probably have nested in the meantime ; and from these a

nucleous of breeding birds would be established. I understand both

Gadwall and Pintail have become nesting species in Norfolk by similar

means.


While still on the subject of British birds—this, however, has

nothing to do with the broads—I should like to record the somewhat

curious habit of some Nightingales. There are many pairs round here

(Ipswich) though none actually nest in my garden, the nearest nest

would be three or four hundred yards away. But for the last three

years, from about the beginning of July until well into August, a single



