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Wildlife along the River Yare
The River Yare offers an abundance of walking and wildlife, with nature reserves at Berney Marshes, which even has a station (smallest on the national network), Strumpshaw, Surlingham and Wheatfen. Breydon Water, the confluence of the Rivers Yare and Waveney, is a spectacular place for birds, whether you visit by land or water.
The River Yare, as for the region as a whole, is a haven for wildlife, some of which no longer exists anywhere else in the UK, as in the example of the swallowtail butterfly and the norfolk hawker dragonfly.
In terms of flora there are a whole host of species, including hemp agrimony, rare varieties of orchids and the more common yellow flag.
On the water glide the commonly seen coots, moorhens and mallards, sometimes alongside elegant mute swans, or great crested grebes. And in the reeds and trees witness small bearded tits, bigger booming bitterns and herons.
Aquatic plants play a vital role in this freshwater system. Water soldier, holly-leaved naiad, waterlilies, hornwort and bladderwort are just a few species that flourish in the open water of the broads. The open water of the larger broads provides a winter home for teal and wigeon.
However of major concern are the murky waters which have led to the extinction of many plants and animals in this area and which is now a focal point for local and national conservation groups.
At Strumpshaw Fen Nature Reserve you can see many varieties of wildlife, including the reed warbler, water rail, bearded tit and marsh harrier, as well as lapwing and redshank.
Breydon Water, a site of Special Scientific Interest, and in 1996 designated as a Special Protection Area, is the UK's most easterly estuary. It is the only estuary habitat in the Broads. It acts as a staging post for numerous migratory birds, and is one of the most important estuaries in the country, at times supporting internationally important numbers of birds.
At low tide extensive areas of mud are exposed which are an abundant food source for wintering wildfowl and waders. Nationally important wintering flocks of wigeon, shelduck and an internationally important flock of Bewick's swans have been recorded. Other important species include goldeneye, pintail, white-fronted goose and pink-footed goose, golden plovers, curlew, lapwings and dunlins.
Protection of the site, largely in the face of extensive wildfowling, dates back to 1888 when the Breydon Wild Birds Protection Society was formed, making it one of the country's first nature reserves. Today the majority of Breydon Water (85%) is in the care of Norfolk County Council and sub-leased to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The remaining part of Breydon is in the hands of Great Yarmouth Borough Council and managed by the Breydon Committee.
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Ted Ellis Nature Reserve »
Address: Wheatfen Broad, Norwich, Norfolk NR14 7AL
Services: Nature reserve
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