If you're after a quiet bit of reedbed birding without the hassle of 14 layers of clothing and giant woollen gloves, then Reception Hide is just perfect. A delightful sanctuary from the bitter icy wind of winter, this spot gives a stunning panorama of a biodiverse wetland landscape where anything can turn up. I love to sit on the bench outside and watch the sun career below the horizon, as the geese, harriers and cranes come in to roost right before my eyes. The birds are all silhouettes against the burning red glow of the west; the reeds sway and crackle as if whispering in quiet scheming; it makes for a beautiful scene that is unique to Norfolk's rolling reedbeds. The sturdy black oaks on the Yare bank look like soldiers, guarding the fading daylight. I feel the golden sunlight on my face for the final time that day, as night's velvety cloak is whisked over this world. The final chirrups of Cetti's Warblers and Robins ring through the fen before the light finally gives way and loses the fight for the trillionth time.
The star of this crepuscular show is undoubtedly the Marsh Harrier. Previously extinct as a breeding species in the UK due to the widespread use of pesticides, loss of habitat and persecution, the species has bounced back like no-one would've believed. It is now a fairly common resident of the Yare Valley, and although still rarish country-wide, I've counted double figures on some occasions at this spot. The Marsh Harrier's unparalleled elegance as it soars over the infinite fens of the Yare Valley is something to behold: deep, sweeping wingbeats scattered among unmoving, timeless glides. Females and juveniles are entirely chocolate-brown with a cream crown and "beard", whereas males are similar but with a silvery midwing and russet belly.
However, on some icy nights this winter a much rarer, more elusive harrier has joined the roost off Reception Hide: a Hen Harrier. A female occasionally flies across Reception Broad before sleeping/heading to roost? (I think) at the back of the dead willow copse opposite. It's identifiable by its smaller size, mottled tawny-buff wings and distinctive white rump and tail-markings, it holds its wings flatter when gliding than a Marsh Harrier. Now before I delve into tactics, I have spent at least 4 hours over the past month looking/scanning for this bird and have seen it for a total of 2 minutes - not a job for the faint-hearted! Although it may not seem like much, it’s regularly been -5° when the harrier/she has roosted and the Baltic wind can be somewhat off-putting!
However, if/when you see this magnificent visitor gliding across the far-flung northern moors, you'll know why it's worth the wait. Despite the effort, its delicate, beautifully vermiculated plumage and deep owlish eyes make it all pale into insignificance. It's a stunner of a bird. Even those who might not know that much about identifying a Hen Harrier, there are often several experienced birders with good optics to help tell the difference.
Another regular visitor to Reception is a resident Kingfisher, but it doesn't stop to check in! This little guy usually whizzes in for a quick snack on a stickleback, then whizzes off again a few minutes later! However, if you stick around for an hour or two, you can pass the time staring at grouchy Greylags and gaudy Gadwalls; and you'll probably run into this dazzling bird. The colours of a Kingfisher are hard to forget: a back of soul-fire azure, blended with deep tones of sapphire and studded with cyan - a chest of burnished brass, the warm tones of an aged conker - and a bill and legs of the deepest vermillion red. They are in my opinion without doubt the most beautiful bird in Britain, and I'm so glad to say that they're on my very own patch in the mid-Yare. As I write this, only this morning I’d spent about ten minutes watching one in the ditch along the edge of the Woodland Trail, unobtrusively "chilling" in the lower branches of an Alder Tree!
Perhaps the most intriguing thing about kingfishers is that they don't actually contain blue feather pigment. It's actually a brownish colour with very special molecular structure in the feathers. These nanostructures reflect light differently according to the angle they are seen from and the density of the materials involved. To me, this astounding fact, doesn't detract from the beauty of the birds. It gives me an even deeper appreciation. knowing all the complex science that goes on right under our noses is fascinating
There is one last very special animal that visits this very special spot, and it would be a crime not to mention it. The ghost of the fen, a mere shadow blending and fading through the swishing and whispering reeds - the Otter. It took me an unmentionable amount of time to see an Otter, but I finally got lucky one evening on the Isle of Mull, Scotland. After this long-held tension was broken I encountered a flurry of Otter sightings in the Broads, almost every time I went out! It was like when you learn the definition of a word you've never seen before, then every time you pick up a book or see a poster it's blatantly perched in plain sight. I'm straying off topic a little, but the point is this: there are certain conditions which are good for seeing these animals, but it is and will always be a gamble, a waiting game. I know of nowhere on these isles where you can guarantee a sighting, only places where you have a better shot than most.
Arrive at Reception Hide about 15 minutes after sunset on a clear evening and watch the edge of the reeds at the back of the broad. If it’s still then one individual (I think a male/dog Otter) often comes here to hunt, he regularly shows above the water for long periods. It's the most reliable spot I know, and I go looking for Otters all the time. Otters have been heavily persecuted in the past, not only for their pelts (fur) but also for sport. Their population stooped and their range was reduced to only a handful of rivers in Britain. However, due to parliamentary acts passed in the 20th century hunting of these mustelids became illegal. This provided an opportunity for otters to spring back. As of 2025 they are now found in every UK county and every river in Norfolk, demonstrating a remarkable recovery from the brink of extinction.
A brief side note: scientists recently found differences in the shape of skulls the populations of northerly seagoing Otters and the more widespread freshwater Otters. This difference was induced by their differing diets of salt and freshwater-dwelling fish species. This divergence in evolution could one day result in totally 2 different species.
To round off/ summarise Reception Hide is absolutely worth a visit this spring. No matter the time, no matter the reason, it always showcases a plethora of fenland wildlife that is found nowhere else on this planet.
Photo credit: Oscar Lawrence