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Description
Surprisingly, given its proximity to Norwich city centre, Thorpe St. Andrew's Broad (locally referred to as Thorpe Marshes) is an excellent place to see a variety of bird species, some of which you might not expect in such an urban setting. The reserve consists of a short circular walk, including a viewpoint over the lake, and bridge crossing a railway to access the reserve.
Throughout the year, Thorpe Marshes is home to a variety of common wetland birds including labuť veľká, kačica divá, kačica chripľavka and potápka chochlatá. The reedbed holds cetia západná and strnádka trstinová, while pŕhľaviar čiernohlavý may be adorning the tops of bushes in the marshland area. The river offers chances to see rybárik riečny on any visit to the site. At dawn and dusk, plamienka driemavá may be sighted hunting around the reserve.
In winter, the lake (broad) make hold chochlačka vrkočatá, hlaholka severská, kačica chrapka, kačica lyžičiarka and potápka malá. In periods of colder weather, potápač veľký, potápač malý and potápka čiernokrká may put in appearances for lucky spotters, as well as bučiak veľký . The marshland will hold good numbers of močiarnica mekotavá and even a few močiarnička tichá, although these will be difficult to find. A few ľabtuška lúčna will also be found here.
It is sometimes worth wandering up the river to Thorpe Green, where familes feed the ducks and gulls. Have a look through groups of čajka smejivá and čajka sivá for colour-ringed birds from eastern europe. Wildfowl including húska štíhla will also be seen here.
In spring, there is always a chance of finding a rarer visitor on the broad including turpan čierny, rybár dlhochvostý, čajka malá and čorík čierny, while rybár riečny are expected to be seen from April onwards. Large number of feeding hirundines congregate over the broad, including brehuľa hnedá, lastovička obyčajná and belorítka obyčajná, usally joined by dážďovník obyčajný in May.
The marshland fills with the sound of singing warblers in April and May, including penica čiernohlavá, kolibiarik čipčavý, trsteniarik malý, trsteniarik bahenný, penica obyčajná and smaller numbers of kolibiarik spevavý, penica popolavá and even svrčiak zelenkavýcan be heard! Both trsteniarik obyčajný and svrčiak slávikovitý have been recorded at the site, but are very rare.
In the summer and autumn, sokol lastovičiar may be seen feeding over the reserve, and expect large numbers of hus divá in the area. Waders may be found at the broad, including lastúrničiar strakatý and kalužiačik malý if the water levels are low. You may encounter the local alexander malý population at Thorpe Green, which are slowly increasing in the area.
Details
Access
To access the reserve, walk along Whitlingham Lane, located at the traffic light junction with Yarmouth Road. At the end of this short road there is a footbridge over the railway line which gives access to the reserve. Please note there is no parking on Whitlingham Lane. The site is easily reached via bus from Norwich city centre. The paths can often be muddy and flooded so wellingtons are recommended in the winter months.