Tuesday 27th January 2026: Welney and North Norfolk

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 Our traditional January trip to Norfolk did not get off to the best of starts, with pouring rain and strong winds hampering visibility at Welney, where we met Sue. It was impossible even to view the feeders, just feet from the centre, as the windows were covered in water, and you couldn’t hold your binoculars steady outside. A scamper across the viewing platform next to the cafe to shelter undercover, hugging the wall for protection whilst standing on tiptoe, enabled me to get a brief glimpse of a Tree Sparrow, a prime target at this site.

Crossing the footbridge to the main viewing hide gave completely different viewing conditions,with many birds close to the building, and the wind direction ensuring dry windows and excellent visibility. However the water levels were extremely high, with none of the usual islands exposed, although a few traces of reeds and a gate and fence tops still offered a few perching posts. As a result there was a distinct lack of waders.

On the water were plenty of Pochard, and distant Wigeon. A few Tufted Ducks, Gadwall, and eventually a single Teal were found. In the distance a few Goldeneye bobbed on the surface, before diving and emerging at some distance. At the edge of the water, a group of Whooper Swans were gathered right by the visitor centre, giving excellent views. 

Pochard

Whooper Swan

After exhausting all possibilities here, we returned to the visitor centre, but it was still impossible to view the birds on the marsh, with wind and driving rain lashing against the windows. We decided to call it a day here, and continued on to Norfolk Lavender Farm for lunch, before driving on to Thornham via Ringstead, with the hope of finding some birds from the car. This strategy had some success, with Egyptian Goose and Common Gull spotted in the fields, and a Red Kite flying overhead. At the pig farm we added Jackdaw and Starling… you can see how desperate things were! Tim missed the turning for Choseley barns, which turned out to be a smart move, as on the wrong road we encountered several coveys of Red-legged Partridge scurrying along the road. The conditions were not conducive to the smaller farmland birds we had hoped for, but opposite Titchwell Manor, a field full of geese included a flock of White-fronted Geese, their banded breasts and white bill bases showing really well, clearly distinguishing them from the more common Greylags also present. 

Our final stop of the day was on the slope overlooking Thornham Marsh, where we added Curlew, a single Brent Goose, and observed several Marsh Harriers overhead, presumably headed for the Titchwell roost. Perhaps not the greatest start to our Norfolk week, but we made the best of it and had managed over thirty species before heading for our accommodation. 

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