There are some wildlife spectacles which cross over from being for hardcore nature lovers into those which attract people from far and wide. One of these is the wader roost at Snettisham. This is on the edge of the Wash where large groups of waders gather on the vast expanses of mud at low tide. As the sea rushes back in they get forced closer to the shore until eventually there is no more land and they fly inland to roost whilst waiting for the tide to turn. The delight of it is that it is very predictable. Combine a very high tide with increasing numbers of waders through Autumn and into Winter and you can find tens of thousands of birds flying right over your head as they head into the small lagoons. July is not normally a great time to go as the numbers of birds are only starting to build up. A combination of a date with a high tide at a decent time and a number of rarer birds on site as well tempted into an early morning start towards Norfolk.
By 7.30 I was pulling onto a car park which was already around half full. After a quick coffee and bun I gathered my gear and set off for the 20 minute walk to the point. The tide was miles out but you could see large numbers of waders on the exposed wash.
With the tide out it was a hard job trying to find any one bird. There was a large group of us on the seawall scanning the mud trying to find three specific birds - white-rumped, semi-palmated and pectoral sandpiper.
It was pretty much impossible with so many birds to go through but after an hour of trying we managed to locate the pectoral sandpiper along with a little stint and a few curlew sandpipers. More excitingly we were constantly being serenaded by a turtle dove in the bushes behind us. They breed here and it is one of the most reliable locations for them now.
By now the tide was really starting to come in and the waders were on the move. A very large group were getting pushed closer and closer to us
and smaller groups were already coming over us
including a very vocal whimbrel.
The main event then started to get going as larger and larger groups took to the air to retreat ahead of the advancing tide. If you've never been, the tide here comes in faster than you could walk across the very flat mudflats so the birds are kept in constant movement. The number of people watching had grown as well, with a combination of hard-core birders as well as families all enjoying the sights and sounds.
Two main flocks were being driven closer to us - the knot and dunlin from out in the wash and oystercatchers and gulls from closer in. Small groups were constantly flying over our position, the noise of their wings often heralding their approach.
The bottom photo of the oystercatchers is interesting as it looks like a lot of dust on the lens but its actually one of the large flocks flying behind them.
As the available mud decreased in size the birds were pushed into smaller and smaller areas.
Finally as the water took over the land the mass flocks took off and came right over our heads to roost on the islands behind us.
At times the sky was full of birds with people looking up in wonder at the sight. Almost as suddenly as it began the sky emptied as the birds settle down into the roost. This was my sign to head off to the hide and have a look at them on the ground.
The hide is quite new and well set up for one reason - the wader roost!
The birds all crowd onto the islands wilt they wait for the tide to recede and they can go out back out to feed. The flock takes a bit to settle down but there is alway movement amongst the birds, mainly knot, dunlin and godwits.
With the birds a lot closer we stood more chance of finding the slightly rarer birds. After a few minutes of scanning we were lucky that the white-rumped sandpiper found itself on the edge of the flock and most of us managed to get onto it (not easy!).
Its the bird in the middle - same size as the dunlin but without the dark belly. Its feathers are more definitely marked and occasionally it flapped its wings and showed its white-rump! We also found the pectoral sandpiper but that was in the middle of the flock and none of my photos show it well!!!
It would be another hour or so before they left so I wished them well and pottered off. Walking back along there seawall I came across more waders and a nice flock of little terns.
I headed off for one more stop at Titchwell. Comparatively it was quiet on the bird, if not the people, front though I did find both little
and Temmincks stint on the fresh marsh after a lot of looking.
Both very smart bird and nice to get on the yearlist. A good day all round, and one I need to repeat later when the wader flocks at Snettisham have increased.
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