Broads Tours, 25/04/11

The Broads looked great yesterday, a pleasure to be out and about, even with a few holidaymakers!

We began at Barton, hoping to catch more than just the tail end of the Black Tern passage. I had a feeling we had left it too late, and that was the case. We did however enjoy watching the now resident Common Terns here, and looked very hard at a few incase an Arctic was amongst them. 2 Common Sandpiper were seen, but not by us. The scrub around the boardwalk offered good views of Treecreeper and Blackcap.

Ranworth Broad was a first time visit for us, which again was heaving with Common Terns, and this time the scrub allowed us a close up of both a Cettis Warbler and a Willow Warbler. More was heard than seen, the trees and vegetation thickening by the day.

Upton Fen was not as hard to find as we expected, and is somewhere that will keep me coming back, this is a great reserve. It reminded me of a mini Hickling Broad, and as at Hickling there is potential for rare, with a vast reedbed surrounded by grazing marshes. A Savi's Warbler apparantly took up residence in 2000 (fast becoming a bird that I am setting my sights on to 'find' in the broads), and Red-footed Falcons have been seen in the last 5 years. We had great views of a hunting Barn Owl around midday, a pair of Marsh Harrier and 2 Hobby- my first of the year. Always a buzz seeing that first Hobby. Great variety of insects and Butterflies here too, not all we could put a name to, but will try to one day. No rush though, this is a great reserve to soak up. With so many good pubs located around and between, I think the odd evening visit here will be in order during midsummer. Bloody love The Broads.

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Notes from the valley

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