Hardley Flood is an area of lagoons that support populations of the waterfowl that are a medium sized version of a duck.
 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 shoveller, pochard and gadwall. 
The common pochard ("Aythya ferina") is a medium-sized diving duck. 
