marshman

Griff - if only a larger proportion of the world were made up of people like yourself, it would be a much better place!!

They do know they are NOT in use - they have been studying them for some time with cameras and bat detection equipment and have found no evidence that they are being used as intended.

By October we will be seeing higher tides anyway - I agree it is not guaranteed by any means! But who knows what a dry summer could produce - I have absolutely no idea at this stage!!

Griff - you are absolutely correct. Despite the huge cost of building them, totally without any evidence of their functionality, a recent report concluded that there was absolutely no evidence that any of the "bat crossings" had ever been used by bats. I don't think that this will be the end of the matter - it is totally logical to extend the NDR but you just need to find the right route! Like many things you have to get the balance right and sadly this is needed whatever the tree huggers say. However whilst I am sure it will happen, sadly I will not live to see it, and to those who fear more new houses, the marshes of the Wensem Valley are never going to be built on - it is really very wet and soggy which is why it is proving so expensive to build in the first place!

Good job we are all different - I found the whole set up at Black Barn only OK and will not be rushing back! Not sure what people see in it or rave about. It is not a patch on Meales up at Wayford where I find the shop exceptional.

Methinks you might just being a little paranoid about advertising where you boat is with "what 3words". All marinas positions are well known as indeed are the brokerages - NYA alone, have on Page 1 of their adverts have, in total, enough boats in value alone to make even a dent in the National Debt! So on balance I cannot see it making much difference unless you openly admit to using gold bars as ballast!!!

And still, we want to "blame" someone for the response of people throughout the world who had impossible decisions to make - its all to easy now to look back with the benefit of hindsight!

Yup - 1 egg!

The sitting bird has just had a shuffle around and there does seem to be an egg - thats good they can be very entertaining as they grow up. Hope the pigeons read this!!!

There was a bit of activity at Norwich this afternoon with what looked like the tiercel "faffing" around and scratching in this bottom corner - perhaps it was the her ladyship as this evening we now have a sitting bird, on an egg or not I cannot say!! Interesting to see how many eggs we get this year - don't be alarmed if you see both birds ignoring the egg (s) as they don't start incubating until they have laid all the eggs. Must be a name for that technique - no doubt someone will tell me!!!

No - thats not quite how I see it! I refer to see our indigenous population of water voles which the mink had put under a lot of pressure rather than a fur coat on legs!!

Has anyone any evidence that the mink have not been eradicated in Broadland? Whilst i know you can never be sure, my believe is that the trapping programme operated by the BA has been very successful. Has anyone seen one recently?

Egyptian geese were here in the 60's - my mother, were she alive, would confirm that! She was fascinated by them!!! If they get angry, just tell them they are not proper geese, but I believe, related to the shelduck. Actually surprisingly they don't seem to have increased much despite the fact they seem to breed year round! I think they may finally have got rid of mink - certainly non have been trapped for a couple of years or so - this would be a big plus as they took many baby birds. I hope I am not being premature in that call, or talking it up, but they were, or are a nasty predator here in Broadland. Talking of coypu, but as a lad , hunting them after school was a favourite hobby amongst school boys, to earn a bit of cash!

Invasive plants, and animals, are really not much of a joke for our native species - I guess you all thought there would would have been a spin off trade in cheap fur coats from the coypu and mink! Thank goodness both were "managed" accordingly. You lot will be the first to complain about the BA if imported weeds start to take hold and choke some of our waterways - back in the day, I was almost able to walk over a dyke choked with parrots feather - and i suspect 15 years on it is still trying to be controlled. Or should we just not bother??

Why? Is it the BA's job to distribute promotional leaflets for an Association, that to read back over the last 15 years, has hardly been a favourite amongst Forumites?? In fact I don't think I have ever seen a favourable post, rightly or wrongly, concerning the NBSA. It would be nice if, out of toll revenue, they assisted in contributing to both the Wherry Trust and Wherry Yacht Charter Trust but thats not the BA's function - neither is it to be a postman for promotional literature I am afraid. For what its worth, not a lot I am afraid, is my view!!!

That road does dry believe it or not! I have cycled down it when its been so hot, the tar has been bubbling!!

Indeed - neither did closing the moorings opposite the Ferry. For both events you can thank those with large pockets!! Although to be fair, there is not a lot to go over and see - I suppose a few birds hardly make the trip worthwhile, and unless you have a bike, its a long walk to nowhere in particular!

Seem to have big tides out at sea at the moment and a stiff easterly so that is not going to help this current trend, but it seems to be short lived with the wind going back to the SW again from about Wednesday. We just don't need anymore heavy rain!! Hopefully that will allow water levels to continue to get back towards more normal levels.

Its strange they seem to have done nothing to the box/gravel this year. Its like a grass field in the corner - still I doubt the birds care!!!! Not sure the Cathedral has bells! Nor a clock in the spire!!

Looks like dinner to me - or last nights!!

Were not "those beautiful old trees" just willows?

We always craned out every other year until the current owners came along at Ferry - but the trouble is they upped the liftout costs, charged for the hardstanding ( usually under water) and no refund for the mooring which they then had the cheek to use themselves! I always wondered how those sort of people got wealthy so readily......!!!!

That why you never sand antifouling - use elbow grease and wet and dry! Thats safest!!! Lots of people don't bother antifouling underneath on the Broads - in the past i have often antifouled down to around a metre from the waterline. You will always get zebra mussels but mostly just slime. Its not like in the sea where it grows proper stuff!!!!

Perhaps its something to do with the fact that in February we received over 2 1/2 times our normal rainfall for the month, in fact the highest amount for that period since the mid 1800's but no, this is 2024 and we have to "blame" someone rather than look for the obvious answer. Remember that rain was falling on already saturated ground! Plenty of boats can still get under Ludham - perhaps we should blame those designers who insist most modern designs now have an "extra" layer of sundeck on top as well!! I would never, on the Broads, have a boat with an airdraft much over 7' as all the best bits, normally, would still be inaccessible.

The EA may control when and where to dredge, but do not actually carry it out. Subtle difference!