Birdwatching

The Broads with its many nature reserves is a primes areas for birdwatching. Look and listen for a flash of iridescent blue and the piping call of a kingfisher, or notice the dark shape of a perched cormorant holding his wings out to dry. You might even be lucky enough to spot a rare bittern. Use the map below to look up nature reserves.

You can find out more about the birds of the Broads.

Stories of the Broads

Chris Packham, Springwatch TV presenter

"My introduction to the Broads was when I crept out of my battered old car in the early eighties on a freezing morning to peer through my telescope at a group of cranes. As the light came up a unique landscape unfurled and I was struck with an...

See the Broads

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Just a glimpse of its iridescent blue coloration as the Kingfisher flashes over the water is enough to identify it. It also has a large, pointed beak, chestnut chest and short, stubby tail. Eats mainly small fish, insects and tadpoles. It nests at the end of a burrow that it digs into a bank, usually near the water. They may lay 6 or 7 eggs that hatch after 3 weeks. Chicks leave the nest at 3 to 4 weeks of age and are independent within a week. The adults may raise 2 or 3 broods in a season.