Breckland

[Flywaver]

There is something about this area for me. The gentle rolling hills, huge fields, unpopulated, much like alot of Norfolk. You can see why the Stone Curlew favours this area. I did a loop around the Stanford military training area the other day and wondered if it's ever open for wildlife tours? I saw a picture at Welney reserve of a group on Frog Hill who had a Stone Curlew sighting. As its a military zone it must be great for all wildlife to thrive! Was the Great Bustard ever a regular in this area?

[aeshna5]

Looking in the Birds of Norfolk, Great Bustards were indeed resident in the Brecks. First documented in the 14th century, by the early 19th C there were 2 main flocks around the Brecks, one centred around Swaffham/Westacre + the other near Thetford, numbering over 50 birds in total.

However the flocks rapidly declining after this with the last confirmed breeding in 1830, with a few birds present for a few years after this.

As an occasional visitor to the area I agree it's a wonderful place with lots of good birds + botanical specialities as well as unusual invertebrates + the re-introduced Pool Frog.