#norfolk broads

[vox-anglosphere]

Railway posters from a bygone era

The curiously named Broads are a series of scenic inland waterways.

#Norfolk Broads #East Anglia #British Rail #vintage posters #UK #Great Eastern Railway #English countryside #The Fens #boating #waterways #holidays #nostalgia #rural britain #picnic #1920

[dansnaturepictures]

08/07/2023-Swallowtail and more at Hickling Broad

Photos in this set are of: 1. The dragonfly that caught my eye and us stopping to look at put us in the right place at the right time to see the Swallowtail, a dazzling insect to watch itself with its worn but still impressive wings glistening in the emerging sunlight, a Four-spotted Chaser. 2, 4, 8, 9 and 10. Views at this beautiful broads spot, I really enjoyed coming here last year and did again. A truly lovely place. 3. A key flower of the site which I very much enjoyed seeing, hemp agrimony. 5. Goldfinch. 6. A nice little toad we liked coming across. 7. A Black Clock beetle one of a few new insects I enjoyed discovering on the walk round this reserve.

Of course when it comes to other highlights this is dominated by one of my greatest ever wildlife watching moments, as that sensational Swallowtail emerged and heavily glided through the air; flashing its racy bright colours and grand, intricate and emblematic markings like a sightly cathedral on wings. This was such a big and long awaited moment for me, I can already see it's one of those moments I just want to replay in my mind over and over. It was an insect fest with my first Brown Hawkers seen from the off at the car park, rustic Ruddy Darter and Emerald Damselflies of the year alongside many Black-tailed Skimmers a smashing day for dragon and damselflies. Red Admiral, Peacock, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper were other good butterflies to see. Fine caterpillars, Peacock butterfly and Garden Tiger moth moments after the Four-spotted Chaser and dream Swallowtail sighting furthered the delve into new species and little things of nature on the walk. It was a great one for birds too with typical Norfolk bird Marsh Harrier, Great White Egret, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Lapwing, Egyptian Goose, Pheasant, Reed Bunting and fittingly Swallow other key birds seen. Other flowers enjoyed on the walk were my first melilot of the year, bird vetch, yarrow, bindweed, nightshade, red campion, herb-Robert, pineappleweed, buttercup and honeysuckle. As we did when we visited last year on the way out we saw a Kestrel closely on a wire nearby. What a phenomenal day.

#swallowtail #hickling broad #norfolk broads #norfolk #england #uk #world #nature #butterfly #butterflies #marsh harrier #great white egret #swallow #ruddy darter #brown hawker #hemp agrimony #emerald damselfly #happy #lapwing #egyptian goose #birdwatching #insects #dragonflies #flowers #europe #2023

[pushingthewave]

In this week's column, I examine how climate affects our attitudes towards life, and reconnect with my past in Norwich Cathedral.

#writers life #writing #writer #writers #weather #cultural attitudes #france #cote d'azur #nice #britain #bbq #barbecue #norwich #norwich cathedral #norfolk broads

[writinginnorthnorfolk]

Breath of the Norfolk Broads

Breath of the Norfolk Broads

I was standing by water, dreaming of the summer, when she appeared, a wherryman’s daughter on a black-sailed trader among the whispering reeds. A grebe on her shoulder, a spring breeze in her hair, she brought it with her on the breath of the Broads: the tinkle of laughter, swans swimming in sunshine, and the ghosts of wherrymen lost in the mists of the fens. Kim M. Russell, 25th April…

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#2022 #Aisling #Day 25 #NaPoWriMo #Norfolk Broads #Wherryman

[griffmeistergeneral]

Eddie on a boat

#my cat #cat #cats #catblr #animal photography #photography #Edward #ginger cat #Boat #Norfolk Broads

[newnamesameme]

Boats At Great Yarmouth Harbour #port #harbour #shipping

https://youtu.be/nCzU1RU-r2g

#youtube #norfolk broads #new video #please subscribe #nature #travel #holidays #staycation #travel photography #youtuber new name same me #traveling #uk tourism #norfolk broads youtuber #boating #uk holiday destination #ships #boats #Great Yarmouth Harbour

[cgmcreative]

A misty March morning on the Norfolk Broads.

(120 Agfa Optima colour negative, taken with a Yashica 635)

#norfolk broads #norfolk #art #120film

[princessvicky-nature]

Norfolk - England - My pup admiring a winter sunset it.

#nature #landscapes #norfolk broads #sunset #cocker spaniel #my photos

[ghostcatcherire]

Drumbeats of the Past: Uncle Gerald's Fateful Meeting with the Hickling Drummer Boy

Embrace the chill and dive into the eerie beauty of the Norfolk Broads with my latest blog post—a winter ghost story that will send shivers down your spine! 👻✨

(Phantom Drummer. Image Source: Bing Image Creator) My step-uncle Gerald lived in the village of Hickling, nestled in the heart of the Norfolk Broadlands. He was one of the few remaining reed cutters, a job with a long, proud tradition in the area but sadly dying out as fewer people needed thatch for their homes. (Gerald Nudd 1940-1999. Artist unknown. Image Source: ©E.Holohan) It was back in…

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#drummer boy #drummer boy hickling broad #gerald nudd #ghost #ghost story #ghosts of norfolk #haunted #haunting #hickling #hickling broad #norfolk #norfolk broads #paranormal #potterheigham #reed cutter #spirit #swim coots #uk

[vox-anglosphere]

The River Nar gently passes through the Fens of Norfolk - East Anglia

#River Nar #Narborough #Norfolk Broads #East Anglia #Fens #English countryside #Rural Britain #wetlands #scenery #UK

[dansnaturepictures]

Seeing a Swallowtail at Hickling Broad 8th July 2023

Two weeks ago another dream of mine came true this year when we were lucky to see a Swallowtail late on in their flying season at Hickling Broad. I felt like doing a post delving a little deeper into the experience and what it means to me. 

As mentioned in previous posts about seeing it, it was something that I had wanted to see for years. I look back on my childhood after getting into birdwatching, and as I have said before the big moment that got me into butterflies - and was really as much of a life changing moment as when I first got into birds or rather a life defining moment for me getting into this amazing interest - was seeing a Silver-washed Fritillary in the summer of 2010 at Bolderwood in the New Forest and saying I’d like to know what that is. The next day a lepidoptera ID book turned up and I’ve not looked back for butterflies and other insects since. But the interesting thing is I didn’t not notice or acknowledge butterflies prior to that. It actually came to light from a photo taken that I first saw Silver-washed Fritillary a year earlier at Acres Down in the New Forest and I recall a picture of a Brimstone being in a pack I had when a member of the RSPB youth group the Wildlife Explorers and seeing one back then. And I recall somewhere within those pre-seriously into butterfly days me hearing of Swallowtail and feeling impressed by their beauty. So it’s long been a butterfly I’ve known and been one I so wanted to see. I think I was also fascinated by the idea of (bar continental ones coming over that I learnt of years later) them only being found in the Norfolk Broads in the UK. There was a certain unattainable quality about them which made them exciting through the years as my butterfly interest intensified and from Purple Hairstreak to Northern Brown Argus we were lucky to see many wonderful species. And it was something I dreamed of. 

It was something we were meaning to do over the years, get to Norfolk where we have been a fair few times now in the season at the right place to try and see one. We first discovered Hickling Broad when going there when seeing the Bee-eaters in July 2022 in the quarry at Trimingham. One week later than our summer Norfolk visit this year, we called in there and saw some fantastic stuff at a wonderful wild site on the off chance a late Swallowtail might be about. We had toyed with the idea of a Swallowtail attempt trip among everything else this year but it didn’t really look to be materializing, until the sensational Bee-eaters returning lured us to Norfolk. RSPB Strumpshaw Fen was where we planned to head the day after going to Trimingham for the Bee-eaters on short weekend trip to try and see a Swallowtail, ultimately the weather possibly proved not on our side overall to see a Swallowtail at that big site for them on the Sunday but seeing our first ever Norfolk Hawkers, Marsh Harrier and many other brilliant things was fantastic. Amazingly seeing the Bee-eaters again early in the time we spent at the quarry on the Saturday left us with enough time to head to Hickling again, where a year before we had seen a new butterfly for us in the form of an Essex Skipper, to see if we could repeat this on a pretty hot day with sunny spells and the sun sitting on the edge of clouds nicely at times. 

In a few utopian minutes at Hickling Broad we managed it. We felt hopeful taking a shortcut path going well into the wetland habitat and the sun came out more prominently. Me spotting a gorgeous Four-spotted Chaser dragonfly landing well led to us pausing for a bit. And then it happened. In an unbelievable few minutes I saw the unmistakable humongous, creamy, starkly and divinely black and white patterned butterfly dash past me. I instantly said “Swallowtail” and ensured my Mum could see it, who was in disbelief as this butterfly sailed through the air strongly flying over vegetation allowing us a real good look before disappearing - interestingly as I drew comparisons to the other large butterfly we’ve been so lucky to see over the years and had seen this year at Knepp a week earlier the Purple Emperor as this is the tree associated with them - up towards and over an oak tree. We were ecstatic that our on the off chance had paid off, it was a thrilling and glee-filled few minutes taking in this amazing butterfly. We were astonished, and felt so fortunate to see it.

On an afternoon where we’d already seen the splendid Bee-eaters at the Trimingham quarry and seen our first Brown Hawker, Ruddy Darter and Emerald Damselfly of the year at Hickling Broad, we proceeded seeing beautiful Peacock butterfly and Garden Tiger moth caterpillars and I was jubilant. Just like the Otters on Mull in April after so many years of hoping, I sort of had dared to imagine this moment and in a flash it had happened. I nicknamed Swallowtail my Lesser Spotted Woodpecker of butterflies being a bird I had wanted to see for years before we did, and we had done it. I felt enriched by now being able to say I had seen a Swallowtail. At this stage in our wildlife watching it’s quite frequent that something we see for the first time is something we might not really know of until the sighting is reported or not be something we know well, but a Swallowtail we knew exactly what to look for in terms of the adult butterfly so there was an added sense of satisfaction to finally seeing one. What a place, what a species, what a weekend! 

It wasn’t a landing sighting so no photos, so I thought I would post five from the walk at Hickling Broad below. 

The Four-spotted Chaser, in a totally jocular way I said this could be the greatest of this species I’ve ever seen as had I not spotted it we wouldn’t have stopped and further down the path who knows whether we’d have seen the Swallowtail. 

A view taken quite a way before the point we saw it, but showing similar habitat and conditions to how we did. 

Another view from the walk round. 

The Peacock caterpillar, a momentous day for me for butterflies capped off as this is the first butterfly caterpillar I have ever knowingly seen, every caterpillar I’d seen and managed to identify before that point was a moth.

Ruddy Darter 

#swallowtail #photography #birdwatching #butterflies #bee-eaters #bee-eater #hickling broad #norfolk #norfolk broads #england #ruddy darter #brown hawker #marsh harrier #norfolk hawker #emerald damselfly #dragonflies #peacock #brimstone #silver-washed fritillary #purple emperor #happy #east anglia #world #nature #july #dreams #uk #earth #2023 #europe

[duncanswallow1]

Norfolk Broads

I keep going on about the detective novel I’m working on, to such an extent you may feel it’s a fabrication. Well, it isn’t. And to prove it, here’s a bit from it. I did post a link to this back in early November, but nobody followed it, so I’m going to be a bit lazy and resurrect it. A bit of background. The main character is Blain. That’s it. Just Blain. Never called by his given name. It’s in…

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#cats #kickass #lawyers #Louisiana #Norfolk #Norfolk Broads #Norwich #private detectives #religious zealots #soap operas #soaps #television

[archaeologicalnews]

Ancient hoard of gold Roman coins discovered in plowed UK field

A cache of gold coins found buried on farmland in the United Kingdom has caught the attention of coin experts, who have linked the treasure trove to the Roman Empire.

So far, metal detectorists have discovered 11 coins on a remote stretch of cultivated field located in Norfolk, a rural county near England's eastern coast, and experts remain hopeful that more could be unearthed in the future.

Damon and Denise Pye, a pair of local metal detectorists, found the first of several gold coins in 2017, after local farmers finished plowing the soil at the end of the harvest season, which made the land prime for exploration. The haul has been dubbed "The Broads Hoard" by local numismatists (coin specialists and collectors), for its geographic location near The Broads, a network of rivers and lakes that run through the English countryside. Read more.

#archaeology #gold coins #archeology #united kingdom #norfolk #the broads hoard

[agelessphotography]

The Broads, Norfolk, John Topham, 1934

#photography #vintage #vintage photography #john topham #1930s #1934 #norfolk #the broads #england #uk #english #british

[griffmeistergeneral]

Fisheyed boat gremlin

#my cat #cat #cats #catblr #animal photography #photography #Edward #ginger cat #Norfolk Broads

[newnamesameme]

Watching The Boats At St Benets Abbey And Ludham Bridge #boats #holidays #river

https://youtu.be/xnY7bYnOJdg

#youtube #norfolk broads #new video #please subscribe #nature #travel #holidays #staycation #travel photography #traveling #youtuber new name same me #norfolk broads youtuber #uk tourism #uk holiday destination #boating #wildlife #ludham bridge #sailing on the norfolk broads #st benets abbey #Jamie Oliver’s boat