Norfolk – Passage Waders and Autumn Migrants
Various dates in August and September every year
Please call or email for availability
- From £50 pp, reductions for groups
Full payment required if booking within 10 weeks of tour start date.
Autumn passage begins early for waders and shorebirds and by the time August is upon us things are in full swing.
With its numerous coastal lagoons, muddy scrapes and extensive estuaries Norfolk provides a vital stop-off point for southbound birds to feed and rest.
Our tours take in the wader hotspots of the north coast, east coast and Broads in search of all the county has to offer. Day counts of 20+ species are commonplace with goodies such as Curlew Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, the diminutive Little Stint, Greenshank, the sooty Spotted Redshank, Little Ringed Plover, the dapper Grey Plover and Whimbrel amongst larger numbers of Ringed Plovers, Dunlin, Curlew, Knot, Black-tailed Godwits, Bar-tailed Godwits, Avocets, Ruff and that comical ‘clockwork mouse’ the Sanderling.
We will have plenty of opportunity to hone our wader identification skills and with luck locate a rarity such as a White-rumped Sandpiper or a Pectoral Sandpiper amongst their commoner cousins. Bigger rarities are often unearthed at this season and we’ll ensure we try to catch up with any that are. At the time of writing both Marsh Sandpiper and Buff-breasted Sandpiper are at large in the county!
The bulk of passerine migrants move through Norfolk in September although their appearance is greatly influenced by weather conditions. We build these into our tours when conditions are right and when they are we can expect species such as Redstart, Wheatear, Whinchat, Pied Flycatcher, Ring Ouzel and maybe a cryptically-plumaged Wryneck, a Red-backed Shrike or a skulking Barred Warbler. This is also prime time for rarities from Scandinavia or even further east so it can be a case of expect the unexpected.
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