testimonials
Nature - Birdwatching in Norfolk
It is often said that you can never have a disappointing day birdwatching in Norfolk, and it’s true.
Norfolk has long enjoyed the reputation of being the best birdwatching county in Britain and the environmental protection placed upon the diversity of habitat in the county has particular relevance as other areas in Britain succumb to commercial development.
These diverse habitats, untouched by motorways or industry, are a true pleasure to explore and the birding is simply unsurpassed. Many visiting species elect to breed or winter in the county while others stopover to refuel on migration.
The North Norfolk coast is also a magnet for rarities blown off course and it is little wonder that so many birdwatchers choose to visit throughout the year.
The coast is internationally important for wintering waders and wildfowl. The evocative sight of thousands of geese in flight is a spectacle that never fails to impress.
A significant proportion of the world’s population of Pink-footed Geese visit Norfolk each winter along with thousands of Dark-bellied Brent Geese.
Skeins of Pink-feet are often seen passing over Salthouse and hundreds of Brent Geese regularly feed, rest and bathe on the marsh opposite Tystie Cottage.
Careful study of the Brent flock will often reveal a Black Brant and Pale-bellied Brent Geese. Closer inspection may also reveal colour-ringed individuals, one such bird ringed at Salthouse in 1974 continued to visit the marshes each winter for more than twenty years.
Waders are also recorded in numbers of international importance during winter months, particularly in the west of the county.
Spring migration of waders adds to the variety with more than twenty species of waders being recorded each year on the marsh opposite Tystie Cottage.
The most noticeable and easily identified wader is an Avocet and it is always a delight to see breeding pairs to return to the marsh in March. The Avocet became extinct as a breeding species in Britain in 1820 and it is believed that the last breeding record at this time was at Salthouse.
It is therefore of particular interest that the first record of Avocet returning to breed in Britain was back in Salthouse in 1941, before the species re-established a breeding colony in Suffolk after the War.
The return autumn wader passage usually provides at least one rarity and the White-rumped Sandpiper in 2007 proved to be particularly photogenic.
Sea watching along the North Norfolk coast is not just limited to the autumn passage of Skuas, Petrels and Little Auks as there is always something of interest for those who are prepared to keep an eye out to sea.
Divers, Grebes, Auks and wildfowl are a feature of the winter months. Seals are often off the beach at Salthouse and the occasional Harbour Porpoise is always a joy to see.
Birds of prey are a favourite of many birdwatchers and there are two sites in North Norfolk where observers are encouraged to visit for views of Honey Buzzard, a scarce summer visitor to our shores.
These watchpoints, at Swanton Novers and Great Ryburgh are also excellent locations to view other raptors. Marsh Harrier is now resident in the county and can be seen hunting over Salthouse marshes. In winter Peregrine, Merlin and Hen harrier are also regular visitors to the marshes.
You do not have to be a birdwatcher to appreciate the beauty and grace of a Barn Owl and this is one species that visitors to the county have a very good chance of encountering. Barn Owls are a regular sight in Salthouse at dusk, and sometimes much earlier in the day.
Many visitors to Tystie have watched Barn Owls from the cottage and both Tawny and Short-eared Owls are also recorded most years.
With such a variety of habitat surrounding Salthouse it is a little wonder an impressive number of species are recorded each year.
The county bird report and the Cley Bird Club newsletter highlight the variety of species and numbers of birds within the area. Many visitors simply associate Salthouse with extensive marshes stretching from Kelling to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserve at Cley.
Just inland from the coast is Salthouse Heath which is deserving of a visit at any time of the year. However, it is between May and July that a visit to the heath is most likely to capture one of those never forgotten moments of a close encounter with nature.
Salthouse Heath is probably the best watched site in Norfolk for Nightjar. A visit at dawn or dusk will also be rewarded with singing Nightingales and a good chance of a roding Woodcock.
There is no need to wander around the heath to enjoy this spectacle as the best views are obtained from the road crossing the heath.
There are many other sites within a mile or so of Salthouse village. Kelling Heath is also a good site for heathland species. Great Grey Shrike has been recorded here in winter.
Cley NWT reserve needs no introduction and Blakeney Point is an ideal site to find migrant passerines.
The whole of this stretch of coast is a magnet for birds on passage and many birdwatchers visit in search of rarities.
A North American White-crowned Sparrow was discovered in Cley village in January 2008 and attracted thousands of birdwatchers during its stay.
Donations from visiting birdwatchers to the restoration fund for Cley Church exceeded £5,000 within a matter of weeks. The money is to be used towards restoration of the west window of the church and it has been suggested that the window may include a depiction of a White-crowned Sparrow to commemorate the bird’s visit to the area and the generosity of the birdwatchers that came to see it.
Many visitors to Tystie Cottage record what they have seen in a Birders’ Logbook kept in the cottage. The first visitor in May 1995 noted a Shorelark observed through a telescope from the front bedroom window and an impressive list of species has been seen from the cottage over the years. Visitors have recorded more than 220 species within the Parish of Salthouse, including over 130 species from the Cottage.
The list includes many rare or scarce species but many entries in the Logbooks are of memorable events concerning more common species.
For example, a Water Rail with newly hatched young on the edge of a pool viewed from the front bedroom window. A Swallow flying in through the patio doors and completing a circuit of the sitting room before flying out again.
The Logbooks also record some of the changes that have occurred to bird populations since 1995. For example one early visitor made particular note of a Little Egret flying past when standing at the kitchen sink.
Little Egrets were fairly scarce at this time but now one would expect to see at least one Little Egret on the marsh opposite the cottage most days. However, some species are not as common as in the past. House Sparrows have declined in numbers here as elsewhere.
Snow Buntings are regular visitors to the shingle bank at Salthouse each winter and many photographs appearing on the web of Snow Buntings were taken at Salthouse.
The winter of 2007/08 was particularly good for Lapland Bunting at Salthouse and some very obliging individuals provided exceptional views for visiting birdwatchers.
Many birdwatchers travel to look for birds of particular interest especially species they have not recorded before.
This will inevitably lead them to North Norfolk to look for scare birds or national rarities. However, it is not simply the rarities that make Norfolk the premier birding county.
It is hard to imagine a comparable area where such a diversity of species can be seen in such beautiful surroundings. The ambience of the area and the quality of the birding is why you can never have a disappointing day in Norfolk
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contact
Mrs H Wilson
81 Robin Hood Lane
Walderslade
Kent ME5 9NP
Tel: +44 (0)1634.200.094 tystie.cottage@btinternet.com