The recent extreme dry weather has dried up ponds across the county, we chat to a founder of Norfolk's Pond Project about how concerned we should be
"It's been dry in previous years, but not completely," a resident tells me.
I took a walk to Old Hunstanton Church earlier, to see how preparations are going for this weekend's Flower Festival.
As I passed the lovely pond, that's normally full of wildlife, I was shocked to see it is bone dry. It's not surprising, given the recent weather, but I've never seen it absolutely empty.
Lisa, who often visits the pond with her family, says, "We have a cottage in the village and we come two or three times a year, we love to come here - we have our little one and we come and feed the ducks. I've come here for years and years and years, and I've never seen it like this."
Michael's son, who lives in the village, has left bowls full of water for any wildlife, "He was worried they'd have nothing to drink, so last night he filled up some bowls of water and left them on the pond. We just need some good rain fall don't we."
Stephen, who lives opposite, says he hates to see the pond like this, "My wife walks the dogs down at the end of our garden, where there's a moat/stream, and all the ducks have been there, which is good.
"It's been dry in previous years, but not completely."
This time last year, I took some photos at the Flower Festival - you can see the difference.
July 2025
I send the photos to Professor Carl Sayer, who's one of the founders of Norfolk's Pond Project, a conservation initiative, which since 2014 has been trying to reverse the decline of freshwater ponds.
"That is very dry. There are implications for all life in the countryside if ponds dry. I've got farmers emailing me about their fish, we've got native wild fish populations which are very, very important in ponds.
"It's not just fish, there're lots of invertebrates that require permanent water, it makes it a poorer year for amphibians, and it impacts other things like mammals - bats, birds and all sort of others that need to drink, and when ponds dry up you've got big areas of landscape where you haven't got any water."
UCL Professor Carl Sayer, Norfolk's Pond Project
"Whilst ponds drying up is a natural thing, having such few permanent ponds left is a concern," he continues, "Pond restoration can help that because it removes the sediment and makes it a bit deeper."
I ask how long it takes for a one, like Old Hunstanton's, to refill.
"If it has an inflow, and you have a big rainstorm, then it can be quite quick. If it doesn't, then you have to wait until the ground is saturated, you need the water table to rise - which takes time. If we have a wet winter, all will be restored."
I'm sure there're ponds and waterways across West Norfolk experiencing the same.
I've my fingers crossed for some much needed rain.