Breydon Water – a well-known spot for bird watching in Norfolk. Junction of several rivers all fighting to get out into the North Sea through a narrow gap. And featured in several Princelings books, notably Princelings and the Pirates!
CCC is Crimson’s Creative Challenge. Each Wednesday Crispina posts four pictures as prompts for us to do something creative — in 150 words or less. And to give folks like me a head start, she posts two of them in her Sunday post, and two more in her Tuesday post. Which is how I got my act together to give you a 146 word flash about Breydon Water, one side Norfolk, one Suffolk, and its inhabitants.
CCC32: Breydon Water wash-out
“There’s always lots of birds, you’ll see,” the ornithologist said, nearing the wide expanse of the lagoon.
“It’s not as noisy as it was in winter,” his companion replied.
Passing through the gate, they gazed out over glassy water. What had been flocks of waders searching through expanses of wet mud in winter was now…
“Oh. High tide.”
“Nesting ones?”
“Let’s look around the edges — see what we can spot, eh?”
It was a lovely walk along the firm path, between the reeds, just the right height to see over. Occasionally something skittered away at their approach.
“There you are… coot, moorhen… reed warbler singing over there…”
“Maybe I’ll come back again at low tide. I see coot, moorhen and reed warblers in my local gravel pit.”
“Okey-doke. Let’s walk along to the bridge and get the train back then.”
Next time, check the tide tables.
© J M Pett 2025
Local colour
Yes, you can get the train from Norwich to Yarmouth, a single or double carriage affair that runs virtually straight across the marshes. Tell the guard you want to stop at the halt in the middle. Get off onto what is basically a raised plank for the platform, and follow the footpath at the end to the river Yare, and a pub which serves snacks and meals and most things for passing boats (that info is ten years out of date, mind, I hope it’s still there). There’s a nice windmill, too, at the junction of the river Yare and Breydon Water.
I love this. And yea, the birds can be sparse if the tide isn’t right. But we do have avocets and egrets now and the channels alongside are home to cetti’s and sedge warblers, and bearded tits in summer. And then there are reed buntings, and whitethroats and the raptors.
However, I’m not too sure if the train stops at Berney Arms, now. They did stop calling there except on Sundays, then stopped all together. I don’t use the train so I don’t know what the current situation is
Lovely post Jemima 💜💜
I’m trying to get myself to pay more attention to the tide charts here. There are interesting possibilities for walks when the tide is very low! Nice little sketch—verbal and the illustration from the Princelings 🙂
Lovely drawing, and the one thing I always do when we go to the beach is check the time tables!!!