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Winter is always a very popular time of the year in the county, with the wide range of species present making it a must time to visit for most birdwatchers.
The species that occur at this time of year are many and are detailed in the winter section of the 'Norfolk Birds by Season' section in the menus above. Popular attractions for visiting birders include the large numbers of waders which inhabit the mudflats, beaches and coastal pools, the large numbers of wintering ducks on the freshwater pools and grazing marshes, the Divers, Grebes and Sea Duck offshore and the flocks of Twite, Shorelarks and Snow Buntings add to the excitement too.
However the undoubted highlights of a visit at this time of year are the huge geese flocks that inhabit the coast, with the sight and sound of tens of thousands of Pink-footed Geese flying overhead an amazing and unforgetable experience.
Thousands of Pink-footed Geese fill the sky as they move from their daytime feeding grounds to their roost site.
Avocets, Bearded Tits and Bitterns are amongst the resident species which are memorable sightings during a visit, raptors are well represented at this time of year too with Marsh Harriers being the regularly encountered, whilst Peregrines, Merlins and Hen Harriers are also seen, especially at their traditional roost sites. The Broadland Cranes are also a very popular attraction along with the Whooper and Bewicks Swans that winter in the area too, and Barn Owls are also a favourite amongst visitors with them performing well during winter afternoons.
A Norfolk winter always attracts a scarce bird or too, with this year being no exception with 3+ wintering Rough-legged Buzzards and a few flocks of Waxwings still present in the county following the big invasion into the UK in the autumn.
The population of Common Cranes in the Norfolk Broads can number more than 30 birds during the winter
Our Winter Weekends and one day tours, on either a Saturday or Sunday, are available up till the end of March, although numbers of some species have started to dwindle by the end of the period.
We usually concentrate on the north coast of the county from Hunstanton in the west along to Salthouse in the east, plus excursions down to the Norfolk Broads. We will naturally visit the main reserves such as Titchwell and Cley and the area around Holkham, but the whole of the coastline has much to offer with less well known sites also offering a good selection of birds.
With daylight in short supply we will usually be out till dusk but even with limited birding time available you can usually hope to see between 80-100 species over the duration of a weekend given good weather showing just how much variety is on offer at this time of year.
Flocks of Brent Geese are just one of many attractions during this period
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