Wensum Valley Birdwatching Society

Archive for the ‘Birding In Norfolk’ Category

High tide at Snettisham is at 0945 so we intend getting in position in/around Rotary Hide about 0900. Read the rest of this entry »

Members may be interested to learn that the Society is supporting a new initiative to study Marsh and Willow Tits in the Wensum Valley. The study is being led by the Norfolk Ornithologists Association and will last for five years. Read the rest of this entry »

Twenty-nine members met in the car park of the NWT Sparham Pools Nature Reserve in the early morning light surrounded by the sound of bird song. Setting off we appreciated the fine tone of a singing Garden Warbler, which remained in full cover as we passed by.  Further along the path we stood to listen to a Blackcap and were able to distinguish the delicate differences between its song and that of the very similar Garden Warbler.  The remarkable song of a diminutive Wren came drifting through the early morning air. Read the rest of this entry »

This is the first in a series that will take us along the Wensum Valley from West to East. It won’t necessarily follow the river closely, but it will stay in our reporting area and hopefully introduce you to places you may not have been before. This first trip will concentrate on Sculthorpe Moor and the Great Ryburgh area, including the Raptor Watch Point. Read the rest of this entry »

What a treat to arrive at Horsey Mill and to see the newly returned Swallows flying about the car park, deciding whether or not to nest under the thatched roof of the toilets. Read the rest of this entry »

Our nightjar evening will follow the usual format. Those who would like to have a bit of a social and have a meal will meet at the Marsham Arms at 7:00pm ish so we can all sit down and order our meals at 7:30ish. If you would just like to have a drink you can join us at any time in the evening. We will aim to finish our meals etc. so we can leave the Marsham Arms no later than 9:20pm and arrive at Marsham Heath by 9:30 in time to catch the nightjars coming out.

Please let me know if you would like directions or more information and also numbers so I can inform the landlord. by 10th. June latest as nothing is pre-ordered. Contact me (Josh Leeder.)on 01603 872660 .

Don’t forget your gnat repellent and appropriate clothing for the weather. Also a torch is useful for finding your way back to the car.

N.B. Nightjars are sensitive to noise and we will only enjoy close views if the birds are not disturbed. As responsible birdwatchers we must set the standard and if any other groups on the heath are not so responsible a polite word may be necessary.

Join us for our annual Dawn Chorus event at NWT Sparham Pools. We meet for a 04.15 start and finish around 08.00. Bacon Butties are available at the end to all those who booked them. Please add your name to the Attendance Sheet with your order at the next indoor meeting or contact our event Leader, Alwyn Jackson. Please note that parking in the reserve is limited, so please park tidily . There is also room for a few cars just along the main road near the bridge.

The carpark was filling up rapidly as we arrived at Lynford and a later count revealed 34 members had turned out for this popular walk. The weather was fine but cool. We set off past the Arboretum, ears and eyes on alert and the list soon began to mount. Our target birds were Hawfinch,Crossbill and Firecrest but anything could turn up. Read the rest of this entry »

The weather forecast had predicted a fine day earlier in the week but we woke to a dark, wet morning. No problem! We birders are made of stern stuff. We reached our meeting point at Morrison’s Fakenham and as we gathered it was still drizzling, and did so all the way up to the Norfolk coast. Read the rest of this entry »

On a bright frosty morning seventeen members met in the car park of the Welney Wetland Centre to share a day’s birding together. Some of the group got straight down to business by identifying the birds around the car park environs.  Before moving into the Centre itself 35 species had been found including Tree Sparrow, Reed Bunting, Fieldfare and circa 50 Linnet and that was without going anywhere! Read the rest of this entry »