20 May 2026 Titchwell Marsh and Hunstanton
I wasn’t feeling that great, having developed what I though was a Willow pollen allergy but which now seems to be yet another lung infection. I decided to see if I could work my way though it but it meant that I struggled at quite a few bits walking around the tracks at Titchwell.
As we headed up the main track (see map) I got the briefest of glimpses of a Bearded Tit; my sighting was confirmed by a passing RSPB volunteer. At the first hide, we got good views of the many Avocets on the site and we also saw a few Common Terns.
Further up, a flock of Brent Geese passed over our heads but there were obviously the many breeding Greylags and even a coupe of Canada Geese to be seen. There was a distinct shortage of waders, which was a bit disappointing; we did, however, get a Ringed Plover and a couple of Dunlin. There was a single Black-tailed Godwit. A pair of Egyptian Geese were on one of the islands and there was a Greenshank that was attracting a lot of interest but it did not show while we were there.
We got a very good view of one of the many Reed Warbler singing from the reeds.. We also got a single Sedge Warbler. Skylarks, Swallow and Swifts were in good supply and in the woods the Blackbirds, Blackcaps, Robins, Wrens, Willow Warblers, Whitethroats, and Cettis’ all competed for our attention.
As we walked back down from the Parrinder hide, we stopped to look at a paid of Little Terns that flew in but they resolutely had their backs to us. As we were all staring intently at the, hoping they would turn round, our attention was suddenly diverted to a Spoonbill that flew over our head.
We took a break and drove to the White Horse in Brancaster Staithe, an expensive but beautifully positioned place on the marsh. They have a very comfortable outdoor area that is right on the beach add worth the extra cost. Anne had a crab salad which she enjoyed – even though it was £26 just for the salad!, We returned to RSPB Titchwell and followed the Fen Trail in the hope of seeing Turtle Doves. Unfortunately the ever-present Willow pollen was playing havoc with my lungs and I found it a real struggle for the last bit. No Turtle Doves to report!
We returned to the car and drove up to Hunstanton Cliffs for the nesting Fulmars. They had done nesting already by the look of things but there were a few of them patrolling round their cliffs.
We finished off with a visit to Thornham Old Harbour where I managed to lose another pair of reading glasses.
Year Ticks
Bearded Tit
Little Tern
Fulmar
Bird Sightings : 20 May 2026 – Titchwell Marsh RSPB
| Species | No |
|---|---|
| Avocet | 40 |
| Bearded Tit | 1 |
| Black-headed Gull | 80 |
| Black-tailed Godwit | 1 |
| Blackbird | 2 |
| Blackcap | 3 |
| Blue Tit | 1 |
| Brent Goose | 24 |
| Buzzard | 1 |
| Canada Goose | 4 |
| Cetti's Warbler | 3 |
| Chiffchaff | 2 |
| Collared Dove | 1 |
| Common Tern | 10 |
| Coot | 4 |
| Cormorant | 6 |
| Cuckoo | 1 |
| Dunlin | 2 |
| Egyptian Goose | 2 |
| Gadwall | 10 |
| Goldfinch | 2 |
| Great Tit | 1 |
| Greylag Goose | 20 |
| Lapwing | 5 |
| Little Tern | 2 |
| Marsh Harrier | 3 |
| Moorhen | 4 |
| Oystercatcher | 3 |
| Pied Wagtail | 1 |
| Pochard | 20 |
| Red Kite | 2 |
| Reed Warbler | 2 |
| Ringed Plover | 3 |
| Robin | 5 |
| Sedge Warbler | 1 |
| Shelduck | 20 |
| Shoveler | 6 |
| Skylark | 3 |
| Spoonbill | 1 |
| Swallow | 10 |
| Swift | 20 |
| Tufted Duck | 4 |
| Whitethroat | 1 |
| Willow Warbler | 3 |
| Woodpigeon | 6 |
| Wren | 3 |
Bird Sightings : 20 May 2026 – Hunstanton CLiffs
| Species | No |
|---|---|
| Black-headed Gull | 4 |
| Herring Gull | 4 |
| Fulmar | 8 |