Old Frank wandered outside early on a beautiful Easter morning, mug of tea in hand, ears ringing mildly to the strains of 'My Way', by the other Frank;.... Sinatra that is. Well it worked for him  Frank thought, total bloody disaster for me though, ah well bit early for self deprecating hindsight.

As always venturing towards the bank Frank instinctively looked up just as the first Hobby of the season described oblique circles above..... things, as usual, turned out better than expected. 

With a short respite from DIY Frank & the Guide visited a few trusted favourites such as Strumpshaw, Buckenham, Hickling by canoe and Upton. First Swallow of the year was provided courtesy of a still and chilly evening in the Fen hide at Strumpshaw Fen on the twelfth of April. Only one, and a fleeting glimpse at that, as four Harriers quartered around at varying distances , and following the display of a small flight of Snipe. The next day the intrepid pair donned boots & rucksacks and at the behest of the all knowing guide, carried unfeasible quantities of water, food, stove  and other weighty provisions on a walk down along the Yare to Buckenham & then back over the fields.

Nothing at first (but minor moaning from Frank about the weight of water at standard temperature & pressure , and the predictable steadfast retort for the Guide concerning health & fitness etc. ) , but once down on the marsh there were plenty of signs of spring. Flowering Marsh Marigold already in evidence, and in the dykes lilies were slowly coming to the surface. Walking along the Yare bank, the guide (ahead of course) stopped and pointed out (as a Guide does) a stately golden female Marsh Harrier around twenty yards ahead directly in their path. She waited a few seconds then took to the air , with what Frank thought looked like a sniff of derision, and sallied off with hardly a beat.

After a bit of dinner they wandered up over the fields, stopped for a brew, and watched  a Chinese water deer and a number of Hares, boxing and scampering around, as a (this time) male Harrier drifted through, sniffing at the Hares, but only idly interested, bit like Frank really.

Later on in April, and another early morn' Frank glanced out of the window to spy a pretty sizable Sparrow hawk firmly affixed to the remains of something particularly unfortunate and not 10 feet away in the garden. After twenty minutes watching,  the Sparrow hawk, sated & full, at second attempt, lifted into the air with a struggle, & alighted in the lower branches of an old oak opposite, to watch. Frank & the Guide tinkered out to take a look at the grizzly remains. On closer inspection of what was left (by careful forensic examination of the legs) the general consensus was to be a Red legged Partridge. Our friend the hawk watched over the remains of her meal the rest of the night and when Frank awoke was happily tucking into breakfast. There were another three encounters with the hawk before Frank disposed of the bones in good time honoured fashion using the 'correct' wheelie bin, kindly provided by a benevolent local authority.

Later that day, in the face of a stiff easterly breeze, the canoe was given an airing & after preliminary discussions of the wind & water level with old Harry, our pair paddled out onto Hickling for a breath of fresh air. No Bittern  early this season, but there were sightings of a couple of cranes, and flight of around ten Avocet as well as acrobatic turns by a number of male Marsh Harriers, obviously out to impress the ladies. Frank found it difficult to summon up the enthusiasm to see the point of this! On stopping for a brew, the guide noticed a frog in the canoe, must have come all the way from Southwood on the car roof, didn't seem unhappy about his trip however and was more than please to be given the chance to swim off free in the direction of Horsey mere, when scooped up & out of the canoe.  In hindsight he must also have been pretty clean as Frank ate the obligatory cake & sandwich only moments later, to no ill effect, there being little point in an interval for ablutions at this time of life.

See you next time
 

Wilds of Norfolk was set up because of our unquenchable enthusiasm for the Norfolk Broads,  our small part of the natural world. We thought we'd like to try and give something back by helping other people enjoy the countryside and it's wildlife as well as do our own little bit to promote an interest in the natural world and it's conservation , not only for the wildlife but for the sheer exuberance of the precious life we're lucky enough to get the chance to live.

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