Lady of the Reeds Exhibition

This spring, Norfolk Wildlife Trust will host an exhibition exploring the life of pioneering ornithologist and remarkable natural history photographer, Emma Turner.

Running from Friday 19 April – Sunday 19 May, the free-to-attend exhibition will take place in the visitor centre at NWT Hickling Broad.

Emma Turner was an ornithologist, photographer, and author, whose ground-breaking photography captured aspects of bird behaviour never before documented. For many years, she observed and photographed Broadland birds from her houseboat, The Water-Rail, which was moored on Hickling Broad next to an area now known as Turner’s Island.

In 1911, along with keeper Jim Vincent, Turner found and photographed a bittern nest and chick: the first confirmed example of breeding bitterns in the UK since the 1880s. Vincent and Turner would go on to observe, record, and protect bitterns at Hickling Broad for years to come.

Emma Turner was one of the first women to be admitted to several natural history societies, and was instrumental in the formation of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). She authored eight books and published dozens of articles before her death in 1940.

The exhibition will bring part of the Emma Turner Archive, held by the BTO to allow visitors to learn more about Emma’s vital contribution to the natural history of Broadland.

To celebrate Emma Turner’s extraordinary contribution to the conservation of Hickling Broad, Norfolk Wildlife Trust will also be hosting special ‘Lady of the reeds’ water trails during April and May. These guided boat trips will take visitors to the place Turner’s houseboat was moored on Hickling Broad, where they can learn about her search for the elusive bittern.

Rachel Frain, Hickling Broad Senior Visitor Centre Coordinator, said: ‘We are so excited to host this exhibition celebrating the life of an extraordinary woman. We hope visitors will enjoy the incredible stories from Emma Turner’s life, whilst learning more about the lasting impact her work has had on this wonderful reserve and the wildlife that lives here.’

Norfolk Wildlife Trust will also host an evening with James Parry, co-author of ‘Emma Turner – a life looking at birds’. Taking place at Hickling Barn Community Centre on Friday 26 April, the event will showcase part of the Emma Turner Archive alongside a talk about the book.

Image supplied courtesy of Emma Turner / BTO