Hardley Flood
Encyclopedia
Hardley Flood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
on the north bank of the River Chet
northeast of Loddon
in Norfolk
, part-managed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust
. It is an area of shallow lagoons and reedbeds acting as a spillway
for the River Chet. Tidal muds attract a range of wading birds and the undisturbed reedbeds support nesting wildfowl and other fenland birds, including nationally important breeding populations of Shoveler
, Pochard and Gadwall
. Hardley Flood was formed when agricultural land was flooded in the 1940s, and can be reached either by the footpath along the north bank of the River Chet from Loddon, or by boat as the River Chet is part of the navigable river system of the Norfolk Broads.
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
on the north bank of the River Chet
River Chet
The River Chet is a small river in South Norfolk, England, and a tributary of the River Yare. It rises in Poringland and then flows eastwards through Alpington, Bergh Apton, Thurton and Loddon. At Loddon it passes under the A146 and then through Loddon Mill and into Loddon Staithe. From this point...
northeast of Loddon
Loddon, Norfolk
Loddon is a small market town about southeast of Norwich on the River Chet, a tributary of the River Yare within The Broads in Norfolk, England. The name "Loddon" is thought to mean muddy river in Celtic in reference to the Chet.-Origins:...
in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, part-managed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust
Norfolk Wildlife Trust
The Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Norfolk, England, formerly known as the Norfolk Naturalists' Trust, is one of almost 50 wildlife trusts throughout the United Kingdom.Founded in 1926, it is the oldest of all the trusts....
. It is an area of shallow lagoons and reedbeds acting as a spillway
Spillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that was dammed. In the UK they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways release floods so that the water does not overtop and damage or even destroy...
for the River Chet. Tidal muds attract a range of wading birds and the undisturbed reedbeds support nesting wildfowl and other fenland birds, including nationally important breeding populations of Shoveler
Northern Shoveler
The Northern Shoveler , Northern Shoveller in British English, sometimes known simply as the Shoveler, is a common and widespread duck. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and Asia and across most of North America, and is a rare vagrant to Australia...
, Pochard and Gadwall
Gadwall
The Gadwall is a common and widespread duck of the family Anatidae.- Description :The Gadwall is 46–56 cm long with a 78–90 cm wingspan. The male is slightly larger than the female, weighing on average 990 g against her 850 g...
. Hardley Flood was formed when agricultural land was flooded in the 1940s, and can be reached either by the footpath along the north bank of the River Chet from Loddon, or by boat as the River Chet is part of the navigable river system of the Norfolk Broads.