13. RSPB Surlingham Church Marshes

After purchasing Best Birdwatching Sites: Norfolk by Neil Glenn, we were inspired to explore even more new wildlife sites this year. Today, we met a friend (and her dog – they are allowed on this reserve on a lead) to try the circular walk at RSPB Surlingham Church Marshes. A balmy 15 °C for January, sunshine and a light wind apparently provided some good conditions for birds of prey.

We began the muddy journey from the church, encountering my first cluster of snowdrops this year by the cottages. Continuing on, reaching the River Yare, two Egyptian geese sized us up from the adjacent field, whilst a kestrel hovered over some unseen prey. A pair of great crested grebe began their elaborate courtship display as we watched from the bank, behind the viewing screen. Head ducking, gift exchanging and rising up out of the water at each other, this pair certainly had spring on their minds. As we were watching this spectacle, a large raptor appeared overhead; a red kite was flying lazily low, its yellow eyes keen on the ground.

The mud made it difficult to walk, but, inspired by our sightings so far, we slogged on, eventually reaching open reed bed. A couple of cormorants darted across the sky, then my eye was caught by another large raptor; this time a marsh harrier. Quartering the reeds, it repeatedly pulled up to check below, but did not seem to spot anything worth its interest.

Heading back through the small woodland, a few common woodland birds: chaffinch, blue tit, great tit and a robin to sing us out.

12. RSPB Buckenham Marshes

A soggy start to New Years Eve I thought may have doused our plans for wildlife watching. Happily, I was wrong, and once the day had brightened, we headed out to RSPB Buckenham Marshes.

At first, all seemed quiet, with just a few dabbling mute swans and moorhens picking at the wind swept grass. But, as we ventured further, the unmistakable sound of whistling wigeon and the contented honks of conversational greylags reached our ears.

High above, a marsh harrier flapped lazily, not in the mood for hunting. Below, on the marsh, a desert of lapwings showed off their chunky wings, setting off small murmurations of starlings. Each unsettled the other, building tension. At the other end, all was calm with some sleepy wigeon and resting swans, but, as we turned, the sky was full of drama; there were too many things to grab at our attention.

To our left and right, were the incoming formations of greylag geese ready to join their kin on the marsh for the evening. Ahead, were the dark specks of what looked like inverted snow, but were actually a mixed flock of corvids making their way in for their roosting spectacular. To our left was what was building to be a huge starling murumuration; moving as one dark and mysterious superorganism against the sky.


The numbers of rooks and jackdaws swelled as they coalesced in a huge mushroom shaped stand of trees, weighing down it's uppermost branches with their dark forms. Others aggregated on telephone wires before joining the host tree, each new set of arrivals aggravating those already there. When some unknown critical mass was reached, all took off as one, visibly darkening the sky as they headed for the roost site.


What an unforgettable way to end 2017!