I usually spend a few days with my sister at some point in the Christmas holidays so this year I travelled up to Cambridgeshire on New Year's Day. After a wet and windy New Year's day we agreed to spend the next two days visiting various bird reserves in Norfolk as the forecast was for bright although frosty weather.
So on the first day, I drove the 40 minute journey to the WWT Centre at Welney. We arrived before 10 o'clock when the centre was still fairly quiet and went upstairs to the viewing point in the cafe where a range of feeders attract both house and tree sparrows, the latter being a species that I had missed in 2024 as we never got round to visiting Welney which is probably one of the best places to see them in that area. We had also been told about some short eared owls, and we could also see one of these flying across some rough grass land in the distance. The telescope provided was very handy! We also saw a few cattle egrets fly onto the bank alongside the road.. it was proving a good start to the year!
Across the bridge we entered a warm hide to view the water where the Whooper swans often congregate along with numerous ducks and geese. However, there were only half a dozen in the distance and we were told by a warden that embarrassingly sometimes their swan feeds had not attracted any swans at all! We had, however, already seen good numbers in the fields surrounding the centre and at one of the other hides a pair of whoopers were providing better and closer views.
We visited the hides which stretch along the a path and overlook the Ouse Washes, and noted various waders and wildfowl as well as a marsh harrier - our count just topped 30 species today.
Before returning to the carpark, we decided to follow a path from the visitor centre a little way along where we had been told that sometimes short eared owls roost in the hedges. We hadn't gone far before seeing a gentleman pointing his camera at an area of rough vegetation and he kindly pointed out a shape half hidden amongst some twigs - a roosting short eared owl. I just about managed a few photos though there were a few ill-positioned sticks ( from the photographers point of view!) which made the picture slightly unclear in places. We didn't stay long so as to avoid disturbance of the owl but were pleased to have had some good views. This was also a species which I hadn't seen until right at the end of last year so it was nice to have ticked it off so early in 2025.
Returning home we stopped at Ouse Fen rspb reserve and took a walk around the reed beds. We did not locate any bearded tits (reedlings) but saw a few stonechats, a roe deer and some mute swans. Near the entrance to the reserve, a handful of keen birders were searching for a lesser scaup amongst distant ducks on another pit but we didn't stay to look as we did not have a scope and certainly would not have been able to find it using just binoculars.
The following day also dawned clear and frosty but with a longer distance to travel we left an hour earlier and arrived at our destination - rspb Titchwell marsh at around 9.45 am. Again, there were less people than we expected at this time of year, but it did get busier as the day progressed.
After showing membership cards and being welcomed at the centre we decided to visit the hides along the fen trail to start with. We asked a warden who was returning what we might expect to see and he took us back to a spot further along the path to show us - yes - another owl! This time it was a tawny owl, so hidden amongst ivy leaves that you could only make out its brown feathers through binoculars when standing at a certain spot on the path!
We didn't see anything else of note in that area so returned to the main path which leads from the visitor centre in a direct line to the beach. However, there was plenty to see from the path, starting with a flock of noisy brent geese which flew into one of the lakes. It is species I am unlikely to see again this year unless visiting the east or south east coast. Sadly no bearded tits in the reed beds during our visit but one of the gullies by the path gave wonderful close views of a curlew, in fact similar to my last visit last March. The freshmarsh hide was looking direct into the sun so to it was hard to discern many of the bird species apart from greylags and gulls, but when walking along the path beside the saltmarsh, there a were a variety of waders present. These included redshanks, a greenshank, ringed plovers and grey plovers. We also saw our first kingfisher of the year. On our return along the same path I was looking at the curlew again and suddenly out of one of the channels. a slim black and white bird with long red legs suddenly made an appearance - the black winged stilt ( escapee) which has been around the centre for a while but hadn't yet been reported that day. Raising my camera, it took off as I pressed the shutter, so we could not admire it for long but pleased to have had such a close view for just few seconds!
The tide was already receding quickly as we made out way through the dunes down the beach. We could see oyster catchers, and black tailed godwits as well as a few sanderling running along the edge of the water but sadly were a bit late for close photos. A single turnstone flew past and landed just past the entrance to the beach but then flew off again. Further along we could see crowds of birds, mainly gulls and godwits and a few smaller birds amongst them which could have been dunlins but too far to identify confidently. Out at sea there were apparently some velvet scoter but with the rough waves it was very hard to make out any black 'blobs' which could have been the scoters, although there were quite a few birder with telescopes trying to describe their position to each other. Whilst watching, a single little egret flew past, trailing its yellow feet behind.
There are numerous places in Norfolk worth a visit but with daylight being short and a journey home ahead we decided to finish our day and go home. hopefully to return another time. All in all we felt it had been a productive couple of days with some good birds seen in perfect winter weather.
curlew
oyster catchers
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