Print pageSeasonal highlights
Each season brings a different experience at our nature reserves. In spring, the air is filled with birdsong as they compete to establish territories and attract a mate. In summer, look out for young birds making their first venture into the outside world. Autumn brings large movements of migrating birds - some heading south to a warmer climate, others seeking refuge in the UK from the cold Arctic winter. In winter, look out for large flocks of birds gathering to feed, or flying at dusk to form large roosts to keep warm.
Spring
Sedge, reed and grasshopper warblers sing from the Broad margins and ditches. Cetti's warblers sing loudly from the willows. Great crested grebes display on the water. Marsh harriers perform display flights over the reedbeds.
Summer
Mute swans gather to moult on the Broad. Barn owls and marsh harriers hunt over the grazing marshes. Kingfishers collect food for their young. Migrating ospreys regularly drop in to fish. Dragonflies are abundant along the water's edge.
Autumn
Ospreys are regular visitors. Tufted ducks, pochards and goldeneyes arrive to spend winter on the Broad. Large numbers of gulls gather in the afternoon.
Winter
Tufted ducks, pochards and goldeneyes spend the winter on the Broad. Large numbers of gulls gather in the afternoon.