Even if you’re not a keen birdwatcher, the site of an elegant avocet skimming the water or a flock of pink-footed geese filling the skies might just give you a momentary thrill. Wetlands and woodland, heathland and coast provide a huge range of habitats for both resident and migratory species. There are some 100 nature reserves in the region, many equipped with observation hides and excellent visitor centres packed with information on local wildlife, trails, guided walks and the latest sightings chalked up on boards.
Twitchers at Dunwich Heath.
Sylvaine Poitau/Apa Publications
The Norfolk Broads are a haven for wildlife. Look out for grebes, herons and kingfishers. If you’re very lucky you may catch a glimpse of the shy bittern or at least hear its strange booming call. Hickling Broad, with boat trips to hides, is the wildest of the broads, its reedbeds and watermeadows the haunt of bitterns, bearded tits and marsh harriers. It’s also one few places you might spot a crane. On the north Norfolk coast, Cley Marshes Nature Reserve attracts a remarkable amount of birdlife all year round, including spotted redshank, avocet, spoonbills, oyster catchers, terns and grey plover. The reserve has a new eco-friendly visitor centre with panoramic views. In the café you can watch the birdlife through huge picture windows. Titchwell Marsh is another outstanding reserve, whose marshes, reed and beach bring thousands of migrating birds and a variety of species all year round.
Birds to tweet about
Avocet The RSPB logo. A black and white wader, distinctive for its long upcurving beak. Its comeback from extinction in Britain was a great conservation victory in the 1940s.
Bearded tit Very pretty brown long-tailed bird with a distinctive ‘ping’ call but tricky to spot in the reeds.
Bittern Notoriously shy bird that hunts for fish, insects and frogs in reed beds. You’re more likely to hear its distinctive booming call than see one.
Common crane Very rare in the UK, but in recent years up to 14 pairs have nested in the Norfolk Broads and two at Lakenheath Fen.
Lapwing Also known as a plover or peewit after its call. Distinctive crest. Endangered species.
Little tern Pretty, chattering seabird which has a distinctive yellow bill with black tip.
Marsh harrier Medium-sized bird of prey, mainly seen over reedbeds and marshes.
Pink-footed goose Produces high-pitched honking calls. Numbers are on the increase.
Stone curlew Crow-sized, with long yellow legs, largely nocturnal. Rarely seen – your best chance is Weeting Heath, Norfolk.
In winter, spectacular flocks of waders and wildfowl make for the mudflats and lagoons of Snettisham Nature Reserve on the Wash. Just before high tide tens of thousands pack on to the banks and islands in front of the bird hides, some en route from the breeding grounds in the Arctic.
In Suffolk, the lovely Minsmere is the RSPB’s flagship nature reserve, established in 1947 and known for marsh harriers, avocets and bitterns. Book a boat trip here for Havergate Island, in the River Ore, famous for its breeding avocets and terns.