NWT Hickling Broad is renowned for its wildlife including common cranes, bitterns and swallowtail butterflies. These species have been doing amazingly well over the past few years, not only at Hickling Broad but all across the Broads.
It has been one of the best years on record for swallowtail butterflies at Hickling Broad, despite the first swallowtail emerging three weeks later than usual. This was mainly due to the prolonged cold spring; however, when they did eventually start to emerge, visitors reported up to a dozen swallowtails in flight at any one time.
The butterflies were able to feed and search for a mate in the hot dry weather, without wind and rain forcing them down to rest in the fen vegetation. They also benefitted from the restoration work to the fragile fen habitats, carried out by NWT’s regular volunteer teams.
Over the last two summers, the volunteer teams at Hickling Broad have helped to restore and maintain nearly 10 acres of sedge beds and tall herb fen. This involves cutting and removing areas of old, tall, rank or dense vegetation across the site, using only brush cutters, pedestrian mowers and pitch forks. It encourages the growth of delicate plant species, like milk parsley (the swallowtail caterpillar’s food plant), that are easily shaded out due to the taller, more dominant species.
The volunteers have also improved the variety of habitats at Hickling, undertaking scrub clearance and other work such as erecting livestock fencing and installing a livestock handling facility.
This winter, approximately 12 acres of reed bed with be cut by staff and volunteers. This cutting is crucial to improve the reed beds, and will benefit breeding birds such as bitterns, common cranes, bearded tits, marsh harriers and water rails. Work will also be done on the dykes to improve water quality, helping aquatic species and water voles.
We are hoping for at least three booming bitterns and the bugling of cranes in spring 2014.
We offer a huge thanks to our volunteer teams. If you are interested in joining our volunteer habitat management team at Hickling, please contact NWT’s Volunteer Coordinator, Angela Collins, on 01603 625540.