NORFOLK
2026
Winter is a fabulous time to visit the north Norfolk coast, with its population of seals littering some of the beaches and plenty of birds to spot, including the mass of Knot and other waders that can be seen murmurating in the skies at Snettisham at dusk. So, we headed there for a week for my birthday and it didn't disappoint. Below are some of my favourite photos (and a few videos) from the trip, and soon you can also read about our time away in my blog.
Norfolk Blog coming soon...
A female Common Seal surfing on a wave in towards Horsey Beach.
Male Common Seal - its face reminds me of a dog!
Female Common Seal yawning on the beach.
A young Common Seal pup close to the incoming tide, a little panicked!
Two female Common Seals having a tussle on the beach.
Eastern Black Redstart.
A rare migrant that occasionally visits the UK.
At dawn, we had a lovely walk along the coast from Morston, where we were staying, towards Blakeney.
A groups of Common Frogs congregating in a pool at RSPB Titchwell Marsh by a mass of frogspawn.
A Turnstone walking around a rock pool near the tideline.
The stunning curved bill of a Curlew.
It's very handy for digging into the wet sand or mud in search of marine invertibrates.
Take Off.
A mass of Knot and other waders taking off as the tide gradually comes in, near Snettisham.
Knot Murmuration
A female and male Gadwall swimming on the still water at Cley Nature Reserve.
A Pied Wagtail reflected in the water of a large puddle.
A female Linnet that had been hiding in some scrub near the footpath at Cley Nature Reserve, finally popped out onto the top branch, posing nicely for a photo.
An impressive female Marsh Harrier flying over the reedbeds came unexpectedly close to the path at Cley Nature Reserve.
Golden Plovers coming in to land on one of the pools at Cley Nature Reserve.
Black-tailed Godwit flying amongst a flock of Dunlin at Cley.
A Black-tailed Godwit wading through the water closer to our hide at Cley.
A new species for me on this day, a Ruff, which is similar in size to Common Redshank.
In Hot Pursuit.
Two Common Redshanks flying around the pool at Cley. One definitely seemed to be pursuing the other.
An Avocet wading through the pool much closer to our hide.
A little later there was a lovely pink hue in the sky in the late afternoon light. Unlike the down-turned curved of the Curlew, an Avocet bill is up-turned.
Adder at Hickling Broad.
I love how you can see bands of light across the chest of the Grey Heron shining up from the ripples in the water.
A Greater Egret coming in to land amongst the reeds at Hickling Broad. Like the Heron, it's another member of the Ardeidae Family. They have impressive broad wings (measuring between 130-170cm), but they're not as large as those of the Grey Heron (155-199cm wingspan).
The sudden apperance of a Bittern in the afternoon light was the highlight of our day at Hickling Broad. It's the smallest of the three waders of the Ardeidae Family we saw that day. The mottled colouration of its wings make it fabulous at blending into the reeds.
Sunrise over Blakeney.
