Hickling Broads and Marshes is a nature reserve run by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT).
Since my trip here followed the NDPS club trip to Brancaster the day before, I was maxing my benefits of club membership, and this was my first attendance with the club’s wildlife group.
I’d not visited this reserve before, and it was a real treat. Club members met around 10:00 and it was nice to meet and chat to some members I’d not really talked to before.
As we chatted in the car park, a minibus of ‘twitchers’ (bird spotters) turned up with their scopes and I knew this must be a good location.
We went into the visitor centre and for non-members of the NWT, it’s a reasonable fee of £5 to get in.
The centre had a new webcam monitor set up and those inside could observe a water vole eating an apple that was placed out in the reserve near the webcam.
Hickling reserve has several hides with the first two hides (Cadbury and Secker) close to the visitor centre.
Sitting here for a while, I got a couple of shots of a marsh harrier.
I also got this closer shot of a black headed gull.
Moving round to the Secker hide, things were quiet with a couple of egrets gliding back and forth.
One of the exciting things about wildlife photography is you never know what you might see, and whether or not you’ll get any photos.
I was chatting to a club member quietly while we watched the egrets on my left when there were suddenly loud splashing sounds to my right. As I glanced over, a swan was flapping and running up and along the water to take off.
I quickly turned my camera round and grabbed some shots. The two shots below are my best ones, not just of the swan but of the whole visit.
The shot of the swan running and flapping does not include the whole wingspan, as I had my lens fully extended and zoomed in and did not have time to adjust. However, I still think it’s a great shot, and I like the way the water droplets are visible from all the splashing.
For the second shot, the wings are fully visible, and I like the grasses in the foreground
It was time to move on, and I walked up towards the observation tower. On the way, there were a group of people standing on the path looking into the reeds.
It turned out a swallowtail butterfly was just sitting there static. It was positioned such that getting a clean shot was impossible but I got the shot below.
Moving on to the Bittern hide, there seems to be a lot of egrets enjoying this part of the reserve. I got the shot below but it’s taken some enhancing to make the best of it.
As I sat in the Bittern hide, a man said he had got a shot of a kingfisher earlier but hovering quite high rather than sitting anywhere lower. I had no such luck but i did get the shot below of a passing heron.
I then walked down the track of the reserve and headed back to the car park. Fellow members had also finished but we had all stayed at the reserve significantly longer than planned, which demonstrates how enjoyable it is as a reserve.
I went back to the reserve a couple of weeks later later in the day, and didn’t get so many shots but did get another egret, and a reasonable shot of a mallard in flight which took a shutter speed of 1/5000sec.
Hickling is a superb reserve, for the variety of what you get. Several hides, an observation tower, wooded areas, different paths, and the broad at the back.
I have yet to explore more because there is the raptor roost and Stub Mill to see as well. The reserve is a great place to enjoy a walk, whether it be a short one or a long one. This is very likely to be a regular visit for me.
Onwards and upwards…