Titchwell Marsh and Snettisham

October always brings the birdwatchers out for their annual holiday to Norfolk and a visit to Titchwell Marsh RSPB is a ‘must’ on their itineraries, as the anticipation of what birds might arrive grows to add to their year lists. Of course, we always try to please our visitors and do our best to fulfil their expectations. Our volunteers and regular contributors to the daily bird sightings often find up to 100 species…

As usual, September saw a sharp drop in moth numbers and species variety, following the peak period of July and August.  But September and October hold the promise of quality rather than quantity, with some very attractive autumnal species on the wing, plus an increased likelihood of scarce vagrants, and this September didn’t disappoint. 

Our four moth mornings in the month produced totals of between 30 and 55 species…

September is always an exciting time of year for our two reserves, as migration is in full swing for both reserves, as well being the time of year when very high spring tides cover all the mud at Snettisham, giving spectacular displays of all the waders swirling about in amazing patterns over The Wash.

Waders putting on their spectacular display out over The Wash    Photo credit: Sue Bryan

At Snettisham many visitors arrive…

In most years, the peak period for moth numbers and species variety occurs in July, but this year it was rather late, beginning at the end of July and continuing, albeit intermittently, through August.  Our moth morning of 14 August saw our highest species number of the year (a total of 123 on show), and on 28 August we had our highest number of individual moths (well over 400).  Our other two weeks in August suffered from…

With the last of the chicks having fledged in late August, the seasonal fencing brought in and breeding birds off to weather the winter on other coasts – our teams are so excited to be able to share with you all the breeding numbers from the 2024 season…and what a season it’s been!

With the kind support of beach goers and the local community, a record breaking 71 Ringed Plover chicks have successfully…

The continuing hot weather has continued to delight our visitors at Titchwell Marsh and the birds have responded by showing really well out on the Freshmarsh. Our Spotted Flycatcher family has kept visitors amused by being constantly on the move as they have been spotted (!!!) from anywhere between the Welcome Hub, car park and Fen Trail.

The breeding season is now nearly at its end and we were excited when nearly all…

Summer weather has arrived and so have our chicks and waders. The Freshmarsh has been alive with excitement as chicks have fledged and are running around whilst some returning waders have kept our regular watchers on their toes too!

Our three young Spotted Flycatchers have kept the photographers busy near the Welcome Hub as they have flitted around which has meant that other woodland birds including a Treecreeper, Green…

Moth mornings in July come with a sense of anticipation, as this is almost always the month which brings the highest numbers and greatest variety of moths, usually because of better weather and higher temperatures. However, the warmer weather this July was towards the end of the month and the number of moths trapped on the moth sessions at Titchwell Marsh reflected this, with 49 species on the 3^rd July peaking to 375…

Titchwell Marsh and Snettisham end of July bird sightings. Wow! Wow! and Wow! It’s all action here! Thousands of birds to count and rarities galore! by Sue Bryan

Last week’s exciting action-packed week continued with even more excitement happening with the list of unusual sightings at Snettisham and Titchwell Marsh. It was difficult to know where to look last week at Titchwell Marsh but at Snettisham all eyes were…

Latest July Bird sightings at Titchwell Marsh: an action-packed week! by Sue Bryan

Stop Press: Our Spotted Flycatchers have fledged!

It has been an action-packed week this week here at Titchwell Marsh. We have just not known where to look next! Whilst many eyes have been on the Spotted Flycatcher’s nest, watching the chicks grow day by day, it has not been without its drama. A Woodpigeon was seen to land on the nest…

July Bird Sightings at Titchwell    by Sue Bryan

Stop Press: Our Spotted Flycatchers have hatched!

There was great excitement at Titchwell when it was noted that both parent Spotted Flycatchers, that have nested in our woods, were taking food into the nest. An observation point has been set up where they can be watched from a safe distance without disturbance. Come and see them!

Spotted Flycatcher    Photo Credit: Sue B…

Titchwell’s Moth Mornings sightings June 2024 by Sue Bryan

Poor weather dominated the first half of the month, with not only a lot of rain, but low night temperatures as well. This had a huge effect on the numbers of moths flying and moth catches throughout the county of Norfolk where the number of both moths and the number of moth species were very low.

Poplar Hawk-moth  Photo Credit: Paul Hooper

Buff Tip  Photo…

Titchwell’s June Sightings          30^th June 2024           Sue Bryan

‘Rain, rain, go away…….

Come again another day’…..

……so thought many of our visitors as they arrived on holiday expecting June to be hot and sunny at the beginning of the month. Luckily here at Titchwell we have 3 hides where even on the wettest of days, it is possible to sit out of the rain and wind, to watch spectacular displays…

An exciting update from the Plovers in Peril project team

We are so excited to share that the first chicks of the season have hatched on Snettisham and Heacham beaches! 

With all that rain and wind keeping them clinging to the safety of the egg for just a little longer, we have been on the edge of our seats waiting for them to hatch safely, but some sun (at last!) has coaxed them out, and with chicks hatching from ten…

Titchwell’s Moth Mornings sightings May 2024 by Sue Bryan

Despite the weather often being wet, after an interlude at the beginning of the month of good weather, moth mornings in May have been a great improvement on late April, with a total of 111 species trapped on the reserve.

Wednesday 29^th May produced 143 moths of 59 species.  Highlights have included the reedbed and wetland specialists Reed Dagger, Flame W…

Titchwell’s May Sightings          31st May 2024           Sue Bryan

‘There is no time like Spring

When life’s alive in everything

Before new nestlings sing

Before cleft swallows speed their journey back

Along the trackless track

God guides their wing

He spreads their table that they nothing lack

Before the daisy grows a common flower

Before the sun has power

To scorch the world up in his noontide hour’

So wrote…

Titchwell’s Moth Mornings sightings April 2024 by Sue Bryan

Moth mornings in April started quite well, with a total of 58 moths of 19 species recorded in the first two weeks of the month. 

Highlights included Dotted Chestnut, one of the relatively small number of moths which overwinter as adults, flying in late-autumn, then re-emerging in spring (mostly March-April). This has been a scarce moth in Norfolk until recently…

Titchwell’s April Sightings          30^th April 2024           Sue Bryan

At long last the incessant rain seemed to have abated at the beginning of the month only to have started again for a week in the middle of the month, as April started to jump into action and spring seemed to be in the air. The temperatures rose a little at the start of the month and we were treated to some strong southerly winds on the 6^th/7^th from storm Kathleen…

Now that the weather has improved, especially with the night-time temperatures rising, our summer moth mornings will commence in April. These will take place on Wednesday morning starting at 10am and finishing at 12 noon and organised by two of our very able and willing volunteers. To make sure that things would run smoothly, we had a trial session on 27th March, which produced a reasonable start to the moth morning season…

Titchwell’s March Sightings       31st March 2024           Sue Bryan

Never mind March, we know

You’re not really mad

Or angry or bad

You’re only blowing the winter away.

To get the world ready

For April and May

so wrote a key stage one child when asked to write a poem about March for their teacher. Underneath they had drawn a delightful picture of some pretty flowers and butterflies giving us all hope that spring is…

Titchwell’s February Sightings          29th February 2024           Sue Bryan

The days are short and dark, the weather is often cold and grumpy, and it’s easy to feel like winter will never end but February is a month of transitions, as the cold weather and short days begin to give way to the early signs of spring.

The month started with a couple of storms and what seemed like never-ending rain, causing some of our paths to…

Today, we bid farewell to our skilled contractors as they loaded up the amphibious excavators and took them away from the reserve.

The robust structure supporting the freshmarsh outfall pipes in the east saltmarsh and the upgrades to the freshwater marsh are now complete!

Completed freshwater marsh outfall structure - photo credit: James Thomson, RSK Habitat Management 

We're thrilled with both the new outfall and the…

What a week of significant progress!

Additional stone has arrived and most is now in position to fortify the outfall against slumping and scouring, and we’re pleased to say the outfall structure performed exceptionally well during the substantial tides at the beginning of the week. No saltwater ingress has been recorded.

Freshmarsh outfall with anti-scour/slump protection - photo credit: James Thomson, RSK Habitat…

They're in! The gabion structure is now in place, supporting the freshwater marsh's outfall pipes within the east saltmarsh. They're functioning beautifully, and the lower water levels at the beginning of the week attracted increased numbers of waders, including 2000+ Golden Plover, 1000 Lapwing, Avocets, and Ruff.

Our Warden, Ryan, delighted by being able to lower water levels - photo credit: Hayley Roa…

Titchwell is not only a fabulous bird reserve but is also a fantastic place to see other wildlife too. On Wednesday mornings, Julie, John and Roger, some of our wonderful volunteers run and organize a moth morning, where from 9.30am onwards until 12.30pm they open up the moth trap that we have left running throughout the night to see what moths have been lured to the light during the hours of darkness.

Although moths…