Mel Kinder in the Norfolk Broads
August 2007
Mel Kinder recently spent a week in Norfolk, where she witnessed how this area has benefited from EU funding to help certain breeds of bird return:
When I decided to book a weeks boating holiday in Norfolk, it was primarily to be able to spend time with my family and relive childhood memories of taking a boat on the Broads with my family when I was the age of my children now. I knew I would see the usual number of coots and moorhens, but was pleasantly surprised by the other varieties and numbers of birds we saw, including Cormorants, numerous Herons, Great Crested Grebes, several Kingfisher sightings and even one catching a fish!
In fact, the wildlife was outstanding, with dragonflies and damselflies in abundance - just too quick for a mediocre photographer like me to capture on film! This abundance in wildlife in certain areas is due to a number of different factors. Firstly, the majority, if not all the hire boats in the area, have now been adapted so that sewerage waste is contained within the boat instead of being discharged directly into the water.
Secondly, thanks to the aforementioned projects and education, many household and agricultural phosphates are no longer filtering into the waterways, polluting the environment. In fact, the water is clean enough in places now for lilies to flourish. Thirdly, reedbeds are being reintroduced and managed more successfully, allowing habitats to emerge for scarce wading birds such as the Bittern. This species died out in the 1890's after much of its habitat had been drained for agriculture, but was reintroduced again in the early 20th century. At the end of the 1990s only 11 males were remaining in Britain. With the reintroduction of nature reserves and reedbeds, Bitterns are now gradually making a comeback (We weren't lucky enough to spot one though).
We were are able to learn a lot about the wildlife projects being carried out in the Broads area, by taking the electric and solar powered boat trips. The Electric Eel glides through the reed-fringed dykes of the How Hill National Nature Reserve. Here we were surrounded by Hawker dragonflies, and beautifully vivid azure-blue demoiselle damselflies. We were watching for Swallowtail butterflies, but none were forthcoming.
All in all it was an extremely relaxing, fun and informative week. However, I will be trying to improve my photography skills on our Photography Weekend in January 2008 with Nick Garbutt and Chris Mattison. If you would like to join us please contact me directly by email or on 0845 130 6982.
