Our project teams are gearing up for the nesting season for Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher on Snettisham and Heacham beaches!
Breeding pairs here will soon be provided with safer areas to nest as fences and signage go up in the coming weeks to protect their fragile eggs and tiny chicks.
Volunteers will be spreading the Plover love too, chatting with beach visitors passing vulnerable nest sites, sharing updates and showing them why these birds need our help. We are looking for more volunteers to join our team – read on to find out more.
This will be the projects fifth year and having seen a year-on-year increase in Ringed Plover fledging rates since we began in 2021, we are excited to work with our local communities and beach visitors to see what we can achieve in 2025!
Ringed Plover digging a 'scrape' on Snettisham Beach by Phill Gwilliam.
Together with local residents, our project team are preparing for the nesting season for Ringed Plovers, a much-loved beach-dwelling bird - which return every year to breed on the popular beaches of Snettisham and Heacham.
Working together with partners Wild Ken Hill and the Borough Council of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk who fund the work, our teams are providing much needed protection for these vulnerable birds through the nesting season. This includes the erection of fencing on the beaches to protect sensitive nest sites and daily engagement with hundreds of beach goers to promote and encourage beach nesting bird friendly behaviour.
Norfolk beaches are a favourite spot for Ringed Plovers, which are now Red-listed. The sand and shingle provide the ideal ground on which to make their shallow nests (called ‘scrapes’) and the rich mudflats on The Wash provide the perfect feeding ground for growing chicks. The birds lay their eggs amongst the sand and pebbles which are immediately camouflaged.
Suitable nesting places like this are sadly becoming lost as coastal habitats naturally change or become more developed throughout much of the UK. With increasing visitor numbers to the coast, protecting them has never been so important. The recent plastic nurdle pollution incident along this stretch of coastline has highlighted the vulnerability of these habitats even further.
Breeding pairs began to return to Snettisham and Heacham beaches from February after spending the winter away from Norfolk shores. Now back on home shingle, the birds are searching for their perfect ‘Plover’ partner and getting ready to nest. The team have their fingers crossed for the first eggs to appear on these beaches in the coming weeks.
Ringed Plover eggs on Snettisham beach by Les Bunyan.
Fences and information signs erected around the vulnerable nests will help protect the highly camouflaged eggs and flightless chicks.
You can help too, by doing a few simple things during your visit to the beach between March and the end of August:
Signage at the nesting site. Image RSPB.
Last year, with the kind support of bird-friendly beach goers, volunteers and the local community, a record breaking 71 Ringed Plover chicks successfully fledged from safeguarded nesting sites between Snettisham and Heacham - a 274% increase from the number of chicks fledged in 2021 when the Plovers in Peril project first launched.
The project is always on the lookout for more volunteers!
Volunteers are vital to this project and are out on the beach every day, providing information about the birds, pointing out tiny chicks and with the help of binoculars, helping curious walkers enjoy good views of the birds and their chicks without disturbing them.
“It’s been heartening to witness so many local people coming forward each season to support the project by championing these special beach nesting birds. They offer their own time to get involved and give the birds the extra protection they so desperately need. Nesting on the ground, on one of Norfolk’s most popular beaches comes with many challenges for them and it’s not easy on our nerves either! They need a little TLC from those who visit the beaches for them to continue to thrive here for years to come.” – Project Officer Wynona Legg
Volunteers and staff hope to build on the successes seen over the projects first four years, and to continue the work of giving these vulnerable birds the space they need to thrive alongside people.
Volunteers on Snettisham beach. Image Neil Senior.
Volunteers speaking about the project said:
“We had a record number of plovers fledged last year, which is a great achievement. While many factors can play a part in that, it is nice to feel like our involvement has made a difference.”
“I’ve learned a lot about these birds. Seeing them weekly, I understand them much better. I feel it’s hugely important that we see ourselves as custodians of this planet, protecting it for future generations. If anyone is considering volunteering for the project then I would urge them to do it.”
Ringed Plover with chicks by Phill Gwilliam.
We would like to thank partners Wild Ken Hill and thank the Borough Council of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk, Natural England, Paul Bassham Trust and RSPB LIFE on the Edge whose generous funding has made this work possible.
Volunteer with us! As the project prepares for the start of another nesting season, the team welcomes support through the season from those local to the site who may have a few hours to spare and who might be keen to help give beach nesting birds a voice at this important site. So if you’re inspired about joining the team can click on this link to find out more and how to apply.
Join the conversation by reading our community blog or by following @RSPBTitchwell on Facebook or Twitter, Tagging #PloversinPeril.
Get in touch! Email snettisham@rspb.org.uk to find out more about the project.
Thank your for supporting these special birds.
See you on the beach!
The Plovers in Peril team
#PloversinPeril #SnettishamBeach #RSPBSnettisham