A 1-day tour looking for autumn migrants on the North Norfolk coast

Autumn Migration

This is a very exciting time for bird watching in Norfolk. Migration gets under way in August and carries on all through the autumn into early November. A large number of birds pass through the region on their way to their wintering grounds further south. Significant numbers of other species, particularly waders and wildfowl, congregate here to spend the winter. There is always a wide variety of different birds to see and different places to explore.

Early in the season, through September, is the best time for drift migrants from Scandinavia. If the wind comes from the east, particularly with rain or mist, large falls of songbirds can occur. Redstarts, Pied Flycatchers and Wheatears often make up the common component, along with scarcer birds such as Wrynecks, Icterine Warblers, Red-backed Shrikes and Greenish Warblers from the near continent. From mid-September, the first regular visitors from the far-east can include Yellow-browed Warbler.

Waders are very much a feature of autumn here with Curlew Sandpipers and Little Stints regular, and the odd rarity is often mixed in with them. In previous years, participants on our Autumn Migration tours have seen exciting species such as White-rumped, Pectoral & Buff-breasted Sandpipers visiting from America.