March opened up with a bit of a cold snap for 2005. It certainly didn't seem like we were going to get any snow this year, in spite of the collective panic brought on by zealous forecasters a couple of weeks back. Must have  been luck perhaps, but the sight of snow is rarer than a Bittern's boom these days, so it's always worth getting out to experience the change in  scene.  The snow's pretty soft and wet, with oozing mud all around supporting reasonable numbers of rather indifferent looking wildfowl waiting for the sun. Plenty of Widgeon still about,  and looking over towards the old pump at Strumpshaw; there's Shovelor, Teal, and Mallard together with the obligatory Coots to keep us interested.  Rooks, intermingled with Jackdaws and Starlings wheel around together,  with the ever present 'pee wit' of  Lapwings noisily completing the avian scene.
Wandering down to the Yare, there's the occasional pungent smell, of a Fox's territorial marker.  Must be  pretty tough for him, desperately  sneaking up to a Moorhen without the camouflage.

High above a clamorous honking  announced a flight of around 40 Bewick swans, heading east, perhaps going back to the Tundra, maybe just off to graze out the day at some appealingly precipitous spot closer to the coast.

There's plenty of tell tale tracks around, with the easily recognisable Chinese water deer just about everywhere along the track, but occasionally there's signs what looks very much like a rat, but it's not easy to identify in these conditions. Once we  saw tracks of an Otter down at Strumpshaw on a  snowy January a couple of years back, preceded and followed  by  holes in the ice where he'd climbed out and back into the dykes. Never caught a glimpse of him though, perhaps one day.

Still, there's  time to gravitate to Strumpshaw after Buckenham, and wandering past the mill we take time to watch a flock of Fieldfare ( and the odd redwing) fly through, no point bothering with the binoculars though, they'll just steam up in the chilly atmosphere. No sign of the Barnacles today but plenty of Greylag and Canada, with a couple of Egyptians thrown in. Very difficult to see old Frank today, but he's always there buttoned up like a Dickensian school master, he merges wonderfully into the background. The dykes are only partially iced over so hopefully he won't have to go hungry today.

Hanging around, winter's magic wears off in the bitter wind, but this will probably be all the snow we get for the next twelve months so it's worth holding on , & watching your breath for a little longer whilst flocks of birds are put up by unseen raptors and the inevitable cycle of natures magic continues. Can't really imagine a day when we won't be able to get down here any more, but it will surely come, so lets take it in and build up those memories, as they, in the end will be all we have, but Buckenham will continue to be a magical place long, long after then.

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.

Webmaster:  Old Frank , 1 Hall Cottages Freethorpe Road Southwood Norfolk NR13 3LR
copyright Wilds of  Norfolk 2003,