What is the Wader Spectacle?The wading bird spectacle at RSPB Snettisham in Norfolk sees clouds of tens of thousands of birds shimmer together as the rising tide pushes them off the vast mudflats, with the commotion of thousands of wingbeats, excited calls and swirling flocks, creating an exhilarating nature spectacle. The tide height needs to be very high to fill the bay of The Wash estuary with sea-water, pushing these little wading birds off the mudflats. (Image right, Phill Gwilliam).
What are the birds in the Wader Spectacle?Most of the birds that you see are small wading birds called 'knot'. The Wash is an incredibly important habitat for these and similar birds as the mudflats contain substantial amounts of their food, mainly shellfish and worms. The area is likely to be hosting at least 90% of the world’s population of knot during late summer / early autumn. See our RSPB bird guide for more information https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/knot
I’m keen to witness this, when should I go?Both of these spectacles can attract large numbers of visitors to the reserve, however they do not occur every day and are instead entirely dependent on the environmental factors. To avoid visitor disappointment, we’d strongly urge anyone looking to see the Spectacles with their own eyes to check our 2023 Spectacle Guide below, especially before making your way to the reserve:
I went on a high tide and nothing happened. Why not?The Wader Spectacles do not happen everyday and are special because they are rare occurrences, so do make sure that you plan your trip to avoid disappointment. In order to see them, you require:1. A VERY HIGH (7m+) tide.2. DAYLIGHT during late autumn or early spring (when the birds are migrating). Remember, this is the period when the daylight hours are shorter.This is why they are such rare occurrences. In fact there are less than 50 chances to see it per year.
What happens with the pink-footed geese?In the winter months pink-footed geese arrive to spend the winter away from the harsh conditions of their breeding ground in Iceland and Greenland. RSPB Snettisham can host thousands of pink-footed geese which roost on the mudflats of The Wash at night between November and January. At sunrise, you can witness the geese leaving their roost in extraordinarily large flocks and at dusk, the reverse can happen. (Image right, Pink-footed Geese, Les Bunyan).
I went to see the geese but I didn’t see the behaviour that you show in the pictures. Why not?The tide does not affect the geese, but the moonlight does: Movement of geese can be erratic and unpredictable five days either side of a full moon. The geese can also be easily disturbed by lights, so please do not use torches once at the mud-flats. They start to leave the area from February, and return from October.
Where should I go?It is a 2.2km walk from the car park to the Wader Watch point, so allow plenty of time. Follow the trail from the car park machine The trail has steps to access the sea wall. This is a wild, remote site and there are no toilet or refreshment facilities. Please do not cross fence lines or climb shingle screening as this will cause disturbance to the internationally important wader roost (and spoil everyone else's experience).The car park postcode is PE31 7RA and is signposted from the A149 via a brown sign. The small car park can only hold around 80 cars and has a height barrier of 2.1m. Parking is pay and display via a machine in the main car park: Free for RSPB members, £3 for non-members. Please respect our neighbours and other visitors by parking responsibly onsite.
Do you have accessible parking?
Yes, it is via Permit only. Please contact snettisham@rspb.org.uk at least five working days before your visit to enquire about an access permit. The accessible parking spaces are limited and we issue permits for specific days. This is to ensure that we do not have more cars there than spaces.
I'm concerned about the ongoing nature crisis. What can I do to support conservation and the RSPB?These amazing spectacles only happen because of the international network of protected sites that support these long-distant migratory birds. As the largest conservation charity in the country, managing reserves such as the one at Snettisham supports space for wildlife. For more information and to find out what you can do to support the RSPB, visit rspb.org.uk/about-the-rspb/about-us/our-mission, or pop into our nearby Visitor Centre at RSPB Titchwell, PE31 8BB.
Read more about our bid to make The Wash estuary and the entire East Coast Wetlands a UNESCO World Heritage Site here: https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/east-coast-wetlands (Image below, Phill Gwilliam).
For media enquires please contact.....EngMediaEnquiries@rspb.org.uk
Please note, use of Drones onsite is strictly forbidden without Site Manager consent due to the disturbance that it may cause to this internationally important wader roost.
A downloadable version of the above information is available here: