Norfolk wildlife

I am still trying to catch-up with posts on my blog and am now up to just after mid-April when I went to East Anglia for a few days.  The following photographs were taken during a short walk along the River Yare in the outskirts of Norwich.

There I saw an aggressive Mute Swan with it's wings up in the air.

A female Mallard on the bank of the river was protesting quite loudly.

Well she might as she was being surrounded by several Mallard drakes.

On the river, swimming alongside a Mute swan, was quite a strange-looking Mallard drake with long curly tail feathers.

I believe he is a hybrid Mallard/Northern Pintail mix.

Across the river, standing on the roof of a shed, was a white dove.  There was a dovecote nearby.

A day later I went for another walk in Wroxham/Hoveton, which are in the Norfolk Broads.

There were more aggressive Mute swans there - I guess it was the season for aggression!

A robin obligingly posed for me at eye level on the branch of the tree at the side of the boardwalk at the edge of the river.

It was very pretty along the river.  Tree cutting had been taking place on the opposite side of the river and logs were nearly piled up.  I love the reflection of the trees in the water.

A swan was sailing elegantly in the distance.

Another Mute swan accompanied me on my walk along the path at the side of the river.

So did a very attentive Greylag goose.  They were both expecting to be fed but, sadly, I had nothing with me that was suitable for giving them.

As I was in an area of the Norfolk Broads, every so often a cruiser sailed by.

Here a couple of aggressive Mute swans are sailing hastily past the neat piles of logs on the opposite bank.

There was only a short walk possible along the river and I came to this handy sign at the point of no return!

I had no option but to turn round and repeat my steps.  Back on the boardwalk I came across a singing robin - possibly the same friendly bird that I had met when I began my walk.

As I was sitting on a bench in order to eat my lunch, I saw a male blackbird gathering lunch for his family hidden in the bushes.  He certainly had managed to collect a beakful!

Later the same day I went for a walk in a local nature reserve - Thorpe Marshes.  To get to the reserve, I had to cross the railway line and here is the large local train.

Unfortunately there was not much wildlife around within viewing distance and I really needed a pair of binoculars, which I did not have with me.  There was a very informative board by the lagoon, which showed all the birds that I was not seeing!

A couple of the usual suspects sailed past a fallen tree on the river Yare.

Another cruiser headed along the river and past the bare-branched trees.

At the end of the walk, in the distance, there were a couple of Mallards with their large brood of baby ducklings.  Once again, too far away for a decent photograph - but at least this one reminds me of them swimming across the river.