Three-centre birding at Titchwell, Snettisham, and Sculthorpe Moor
We were really missing our favourite birding county of Norfolk having eschewed our usual New Year trip. So, a mid-March trip was booked ad hoc. We travelled straight from home to RSPB Titchwell and spent most of the day there. We checked in at The Rose and Crown in Snettisham later that afternoon.
Thursday, after breakfast, was a windy walk through RSPB Snettisham and then back along the Snettisham sea defences. Friday morning, packed and checked out and took a detour to the Hawk and Owl Trust place at Sculthorpe Moore before heading home. We recorded more than 80 different species of bird on this three-site trip.
We had mostly the usual suspects at Titchwell, but with bonus Firecrests near the visitor centre. The Tawny Owl is still roosting in the ivy-covered tree along the Fen Trail. We first saw it in February 2024, I think it had been there a few days, or maybe weeks by then, I recorded it in our “Not New Year” trip.
Mrs Sciencebase ticked the reserve’s first Little Ringed Plover of the year. There were also well over 130 Mediterranean Gulls. Also, a small flock of Long-tailed Duck out on the sea, barely visible. Lots of Golden Plover, Lapwing, several Marsh Harrier, Redshank, Curlew, Teal, probably a Ruff or two etc. We missed one of the Spoonbills turning up by ten minutes, unfortunately.
Snettisham was very windy, but good views of Black-tailed Godwit and Avocet from the Knots Landing hide and the resident pair of Great Black-backed Gulls who are yet to produce offspring despite having been together for several years.
Once we got to the Rotary Hide, there was a big influx of several hundred Brent Geese that stayed on the water and islands for 20 minutes of preening and drinking before heading off in small flocks of 10-20 back to the fields to carry on feeding. Grey Plover on the mudflats.
The Hawk and Owl site at Sculthorpe Moor was interesting, will be better as spring comes around, but there were Siskins and we heard Nuthatch. Also, Marsh Tit and Bullfinch. They are reducing how many feeders they provide for the birds, but on our visit these were still well stocked and drawing the avian crowds.
This is our ticklist for the three days, at least 82 avian species, which includes a handful of sightings while we travelled too.
Avocet
Black-headed Gull
Black-tailed Godwit
Blackbird
Blackcap
Blue Tit
Brent Goose
Bullfinch
Buzzard
Canada Goose
Cetti’s Warbler
Chaffinch
Chiffchaff
Coal Tit
Collared Dove
Coot
Cormorant
Curlew
Dunlin
Dunnock
Firecrest
Gadwall
Goldcrest
Golden Plover
Goldfinch
Great Black-backed Gull
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Tit
Green Woodpecker
Greenfinch
Grey Heron
Grey Plover
Greylag Goose
Herring Gull
House Sparrow
Jackdaw
Kestrel
Knot
Lapwing
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Linnet
Little Egret
Little Grebe
Little Ringed Plover
Long-tailed Duck (way out to sea)
Long-tailed Tit
Magpie
Mallard
Marsh Harrier
Marsh Tit
Meadow Pipit
Mediterranean Gull
Mistle Thrush
Moorhen
Mute Swan
Nuthatch
Oystercatcher
Pheasant
Pied Wagtail
Pink-footed Goose
Pochard
Red Kite
Red-legged Partridge
Redshank
Red-throated Diver (vague possible from bad photo when after Long-tails)
Reed Bunting
Ringed Plover
Robin
Rook
Shelduck
Shoveler
Siskin
Skylark
Starling
Stock Dove
Stonechat
Tawny Owl
Teal
Tufted Duck
Turnstone
Wigeon
Woodpigeon
Wren