Wildlife at Kingfisher
To the south of the dividing stream we have the apartments, the Clubhouse, the children’s play area, the outdoor swimming pool, the barbecue area and all the facilities that make for the ideal holiday. To the north of this stream, lie sixty-five acres of some of England’s most lovely countryside.
The Kingfisher site truly is a haven of lakes, river and unspoilt valley. The area has been in the hands of the Roger’s family now for generations and the care and love that they have bestowed on this precious area is now clear for all to see.
The trees are especially magnificent, the sweeping willows an exciting example. There are wildflowers everywhere and extensive reed beds. Bird life, as a result, is rich and varied. Cuckoos, tits, warblers, woodpeckers, owls and buzzards mingle with an astonishing variety of water fowl. We’re proud of our large head of kingfishers, our grebes, swans, geese and ducks of all varieties.
Deer visit the area to drink in the evening. There’s always a chance of seeing fox and badger and the site is particularly famous for the frequent appearance of wild otters. The Wensum valley is a noted thoroughfare for these charming animals and the plethora of fish at Kingfishers means many of them stop off on their wanderings.
Whatever the season, Kingfishers presents wonderful wildlife possibilities. Enjoy the well-planned walks around the lakes. Learn from the colourful information boards and complete the free family quiz sheets that we offer in our hospitality packs. This is the perfect place to walk, learn and relax.
And don’t forget, if wildlife is your passion, it’s also ours. And there are plenty more venues for you to visit in the area. The internationally famous Pensthorpe Wild Fowl Centre is a mere ten minutes up the Fakenham Road. The Broadland Reserves are little more than forty minutes away. The Cley Reserve – in the top five of bird-watching areas in the UK – is a mere thirty-five minutes. And don’t forget you can use your Kingfisher Credit Card for purchases made at Cley Spy, the nationally famous centre for binoculars, bird scopes and outdoor accessories.
So welcome to Kingfisher’s Sanctuary. Watch the wildlife. Soak in the serenity. Feel yourself relax back into nature.
See you there,
Welcome To The Kingfisher Wildlife Diaries – John Bailey
February 3rd 2012
January Birding
It's been an interesting period in my own garden up in North Norfolk, just a few miles away from the Kingfisher Lakes. I've seen wax-wing, brambling, red poll and siskins for short periods feeding on and around the bird table. I guess these are birds which have spent the winter in Europe and are beginning to pass through moving northwards. It's an exciting period of the year but, then again, virtually every month has its attractions in Norfolk. I can only repeat that the Kingfishers, in the winter especially, is a great place to stay if you're a twitcher. You've got the river and all the Wensum Valley lakes to go at, along with Pensthorpe Hall just up the road and, of course, the endless reserves just twenty-five to thirty minutes away on the North Norfolk coast.
Spring will soon be with us and it's time for all of us to clean and fix existing nest boxes. Here at Kingfisher we're looking to put quite a few around the conservation area. Many species will be looking for suitable nesting places during February and March.
A really great tip if you want to help nesting birds is to hang some natural sheep wool in the garden. This can be purchased at many birding shops and it will provide the birds with much needed warm nesting material for their young. I'll be putting mine up shortly!
December 31st 2011
A Blur of Blue
I've already blogged my delight that kingfishers are back with us here along the Wensum Valley in mid-Norfolk. After a couple of winters, the spring and early summer of 2011 were both pretty well kingfisher empty and that grieved all of us who spend time on the river and lakes.
I personally spotted the kingfishers' return around the mid-summer and as I write now, on the cusp of the New Year, they're a frequent sight again, thank goodness.
But this is an interesting one. I'm spending a lot of time at the moment a mile or two upstream of our stretch of river here at Kingfisher and, dusk upon dusk, I'm seeing the biggest kingfisher of my life. Honest to goodness, it looks almost half as big again as any other of the halcyon birds I've ever seen. I don't know if this is possible in the bird kingdom...can one bird really break the mould and grow extraordinarily large?
I can only believe the evidence of my own eyes. This is a kingfisher without doubt - what else could it be? And having spent all these decades on the water, I know what size a British kingfisher should be and this one easily transcends anything I've witnessed before. Answers - or guesses - please!
December 8th 2011
Sunset with David Cowdrey
It was great to have the internationally famous artist, David Cowdrey, down at Lyng over the weekend. David is exhibiting at The Birdscapes Gallery up at Glanford, just outside Holt for the next couple of weeks. I'd advise you to get over and have a look at his paintings if you possibly can. The exhibition is called Painting with Light and David really does have a unique perspective on our gorgeous Norfolk landscape. My own particular favourite painting is the one of the starling sitting looking abject in a snowstorm. My heart goes out to the plucky little bird.
But to the sunset in question. David was with me and Neill on the flood plains at Lyng, watching us fish, taking some photographs of these beautiful light-filled pastures. I told him to expect a barn owl and, sure enough, right on cue, one of the beautiful ghostly birds appeared and gave us quite a display. Through his own merits, David also picked out a fox through his binoculars and managed to take a decent photograph of it with a long lens. Neill and I didn't catch any fish but, like David, we were blown away with the beauty of the flood plains on such a special, exquisite evening.