RSPB’s Plovers in Peril project started officially in March this year, made possible by funding granted from Kings Lynn and West Norfolk borough council. With it being such a new project, we were at the beginning a little unsure of what the take up would be like when looking to recruit volunteers to support us in our work. We needn’t have worried, we’ve had an incredible response from people within the local community…

Welcome to another weekly round up of what has been seen at RSPB Titchwell. 

Car Park / Visitor Centre / Meadow Trail / Fen Trail

A pair of spotted flycatchers remain in the area around the welcome hub and meadow trail. We have seen an arrival of baby blackbirds who like to walk all over the picnic tables!

In amongst the willows you can see chiffchaffs, blackcaps, a garden warbler has occasionally been heard in the car…

Here's our Plovers in Peril Project Officer, Wynona, with an update on what's currently happening on our North West Norfolk beaches... 

Well what a whirlwind few weeks for both the nesting Ringed Plover and for our hard-working team of volunteers! We have seen challenges from tides, predation and the impacts of summer crowds on the nesting birds, often all at once on the Plovers in Peril stretch and as the crowds…

A warm hello from Wynona,

When I started my post as Ringed Plover Project Officer for the RSPB, I was under no illusion that the ringed plovers on this stretch of beach have a heart-breaking number of challenges to face in order to raise a family here.

For me, what keeps me going is the knowledge that I am part of a project that has the capability to generate real, positive change for a species that is hurtling toward…

Welcome to the latest summary of what has been around Titchwell in the past week. 

Car Park / Visitor Centre

A garden warbler has been heard singing around the back of the car park over the weekend. On Monday 24/5 two spotted flycatchers were chasing each other around the tops of the trees.

Spotted Flycatcher, Les Bunyan

Turtle doves have occasionally been seen on the reserve, but they are not spending much time here…

Breeding Bird Surveys

It is peak breeding bird season across Snettisham and Titchwell which takes up a significant proportion of our week.

Starting at Titchwell, we continue with our weekly bittern monitoring which now includes watching for female feeding flights to help us identify if and where they maybe a nest. However if the female has a good food supply near to the nest then she won’t be seen.

We have also…

Welcome to this week’s summary of what has been seen on the reserve over the past week.

Car Park / Visitor Centre

The car park area is alive with bird song including blackcap, blackbird, and song thrush whilst our nest boxes appear to be well used with a number hosting blue tit families.

Small numbers of lesser redpolls and siskins continue to flyover the trees.

A garden warbler was seen at the back of the car park…

Recent sightings

The poor weather continued last week, making conditions difficult for our breeding bird surveys to be carried out and not much has changed in terms of what you are likely too when you visit.

Car Park / Visitor Centre

Small flocks of siskins continue to linger at the tops of the trees or fly over. A couple of bullfinches can be spotted in the car park scrub, whilst the blackcaps, blackbirds and chiffc…

Hello,

Welcome back to another Behind the Scenes update from the reserve wardens.

Bird Surveys

We have completed our monthly Wetland Bird Count (WeBS) which allowed us to have a pleasant walk around the reserve, despite the low bird numbers.

The survey season is picking up pace as April ended and May arrived. The bittern is continuing to boom on a regular basis, and I was even treated to a brief glimpse of it as it flew…

Recent sightings: 26 April – 3 May 2021

The cold, northerly wind has continued to be the current theme at Titchwell and much of the Norfolk coast so spring migration is quite slow with low numbers of summer migrants to be found However you can still expect to record over 80 species before 9am.

Car Park / Visitor Centre

Arriving in the car park you will be greeted with the continued variable song of the blackcap…

Walking along Snettisham beach, it is often the vastness that captivates me and with a bitter wind biting at your cheeks its often easy to sink down into the warmth your scarf, head on to the wind, eyes to the floor! The ringed plovers often take on a similar silhouette - finding piles of washed up hornwrack to take shelter, they will hunker down, bill into the wind, head sunk down into the warmth of their dense feathers…

Spring is slowly creeping in at Titchwell as we have experienced northerly winds most days, which is making it feel quite chilly once you have left the shelter of the visitor centre. 

Car park / visitor centre / woodland

The car park and surrounding area is alive with the sound of singing blackcaps, chiff chaffs and a couple of willow warbler passing through. The odd brambling can still be found on the feeders and on Sunday…

Updated 18/4/2021

Norfolk beaches are amazing places to walk our four-legged friends and some birds choose these beaches to raise their family. It is therefore important that we all come together to do our bit to ensure these birds are given the space to do this.

What birds are you talking about?

Ringed plovers and oystercatchers.  

Ringed plover (top), Oystercatcher (bottom)

Did you know birds’ nest on the ground?…

Hello

Welcome to another round up of what the reserve team have been up to across our North West Norfolk Reserves. 

Breeding Bird Surveys

Over the past couple of weeks, we have continued with our breeding bird surveys including weekly bittern monitoring. It is really encouraging to have a bittern booming regularly at Titchwell as it is a species we have struggled with in recent years. When you are next visiting listen…

And just like that we find ourselves springing toward mid-April! Like us, over the last weeks the plovers have endured a mind-boggling array of weather including a few tantalising glimpses of glorious summer sun (even if accompanied in most parts by a bitter Norfolk wind!). With some warmer days on the forecast it looks like at last things might be hotting up, and I’m not strictly talking about the weather…. Ooh la la…

Welcome to the first sightings blog of 2021 – it has been a while but now that we continue to see an ease in lockdown restrictions, we plan to bring more regular updates of what is around the reserve.

With it being the start of April the first of the spring migrants have started to arrive and a few wintering birds continue to linger.

Woodland / Car park / visitor centre

There are a few bramblings and siskins lingering…

Hello,

Welcome to this week’s snapshot of what the reserve wardens have been up to.

Bittern Survey

First up was the weekly bittern survey. Arriving on site at 5am we were hopeful for some booming bittern action as it has been quite regular but today the bittern had other ideas and opted for a lie in. However, we were treated to two barn owls quartering over the grasslands, a tawny owl calling in willow woods, two…

Here's our Plovers in Peril Project Officer, Wynona, with an update on what's currently happening on our North West Norfolk beaches... 

On a vast stretch of beach each spring a battle is unfolding amongst the tideline. The heroes on these beaches wear black masks and a helmet of grey, the battle cry is a soft rhythmic “toodle-toodle-toodle” and the arena - a tideline littered with sun bleached hornwrack and washed…

Hello everyone!

With Easter Bank Holiday approaching, the following facilities here are open for local daily exercise and recreation:

• Car park
• Outdoor, staffed Welcome Point (9.30am-4.30pm)
• Nature reserve trails
• Toilets (9am-5pm)
• Take away refreshments (10am-4pm). Card payments preferred.

 Please note, due to a fault with our public toilets, we have installed temporary loos in the car park.

 The following facilities…

Hello

Welcome to another snapshot of what the reserve wardens have been up to. 

Bird Surveys

We began the week with an early morning start to continue our weekly bittern surveys and it was encouraging to hear the bittern booming well and regularly. Whilst  surveying for bitterns we also completed our final winter harrier roost count. As is expected for this time of year the numbers have dropped to 23 marsh harriers roosting…

Hello,

Welcome to this week’s installment from the North West Norfolk reserve team.

Beach nesting bird cordons

From mid-February ringed plovers arrive back home to raise their next generation, which includes the beaches of Snettisham and Titchwell. For the next 6- 8 weeks they will spend their time re-establishing their territory and displaying to their partner. From mid-April ringed plovers will start to lay their…

Hello!

As the air around us begins to echo with the excitable trills and mesmerising displays of birds getting geared up for the season ahead, I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself as Ringed Plover Project Officer for the exciting new RSPB Project - Plovers in Peril  based at Snettisham Beach. Thanks to the RSPB securing funding from King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council's Habitats Monitoring and…

Hello

And welcome to this weeks installment from the North West Norfolk Reserve Team.

Freshwater Habitats Project

Last week we were able to carry out a site visit with our reserve ecologists to finalise the details of the designs for the freshwater habitat. With the breeding season, a formal tendering process to go through to appoint contracts, it was essential to carry out this visit now otherwise we could risk delaying…

In the Spring and Summer our beaches in North West Norfolk, are home to birds that nest on the ground. Ringed plovers are one of these species and are sadly suffering from significant population declines. The Norfolk ringed plover breeding population has declined by more than 70% in just 30 years with only 123 pairs recorded in 2018.

Ringed Plover - RSPB Images

They are declining as they struggle to find safe beaches…

Hello,

Welcome to another installment from the warden team.

Last week the North Norfolk Coast was transformed into a winter wonderland which scuppered a lot of our plans. Fortunately, the snow vanished at the beginning of the week and we were able to get back out on the reserve for some effective habitat management work.

Snettisham in the Snow

The significant snowfall isn’t helping to reduce the water levels so the entire…