North East Norfolk Bird Club

About us

North East Norfolk Bird Club [NENBC] was launched in January 2015 and covers the population centres of Melton Constable, Holt, Sheringham, Cromer, North Walsham and Aylsham. We are a friendly club catering for all levels of birding experience with members and supporters from the local area as well as seasonal visitors and those from much further afield who wished they lived here!

We have a comprehensive programme of club events and activities throughout the year at which non-members are always very welcome, including:

  • Monthly evening talks on the last Thursday of the month from September to November and January to April at our home base Gresham Village Hall [NR11 8RT] - plenty of refreshments always provided, a 2nd hand nature books stall too. Also available live via Zoom 
 
  • Monthly mid-week bird walks around the National Trust’s Felbrigg Park estate at the centre of our recording area on the 3rd Wednesday of the month from September to July

  • Varied monthly weekend bird walks to a range of local and regional birding hotspots from September to July

  • An annual 'Walks Week' programme where 7 members lead 7 walks over 7 days to 7 locations for 7 participants where we get to see local patches we wouldn't get to on a typical club walk

  • Occasional evening walks in the spring or summer for specific species such as Nightjar

  • An annual Birding for Beginners workshop series combining practical and theoretical elements of birdwatching from which we now have over 70 graduates

  • A range of special events throughout the year such as: a New Year’s Day Birding Challenge to get the year off to a good birding start; an annual joint speaker event with Norfolk Wildlife Trust (local group) and Cley Bird Club in February; a Big Sit birding event in May, recording the total number of species seen from one spot between dawn and dusk; an annual Coordinated Seawatch event along the coast in the autumn recording visible migration; a combined Christmas Social and AGM Evening in December
    
Our members receive a monthly e-newsletter, the Pied Flyer, which includes contributions from across the membership in every issue and we publish a comprehensive annual Bird Report for our recording area, covering not only the bird data, photos and artwork submitted by our members, but articles on our activities and projects too.

We have a Star Scheme where members are awarded lapel badges for the number of bird species recorded in the club area since joining - the self-certified Bronze [100 species] and the peer-reviewed Silver [200], Gold [250] and Platinum [300]. We also have an Eco-Badge Scheme for the number of bird species recorded in the NENBC area at or from home without the use of motorised transport since 1st January 2020 (or date of joining if later). Members enjoy the challenge of working towards Green [75 species for inland records, 100 if including coastal locations] and Super-Green [125 inland, 175 coastal].

We work with partners on a variety of projects. Many of our members volunteer with local wildlife conservation charity Felbeck Trust undertaking practical volunteering activities to support birds and other wildlife. We have also been working with the University of East Anglia for a few years now, supporting 3rd year UEA Environmental Consultancy students with 'real-life' projects for the club which have been most rewarding and resulted in some really interesting reports from the students. We have recently introduced an annual Young Birder Bursary scheme for our 16-24 year old members and are looking forward to reports in our newsletter from this year's beneficiary on their progress.

Our Club Sponsor is Bird Ventures in Holt at which members are eligible for a discount on their own-brand bird food.

Full details on our upcoming events and much more can be found on this website. We have an NENBC Twitter account @NENBC_info for local info and other birding news and we also run two WhatsApp groups - North East Norfolk Seawatching (open to all) for 'live' reporting of seabird movement along the north Norfolk coast and a member-only NENBC Alerts for sharing news of interesting birds within our recording area.

The NENBC recording area covers eight 10km squares as per the Ordnance Survey tetrads TG03, TG12, TG13, TG14, TG22, TG23, TG24 and TG33 in north east Norfolk. They stretch in a cross shape from Swanton Novers in the west to Happisburgh in the east, and from Sheringham in the north to Hevingham in the south. Within our designated area there are some of the county's premier birding sites, both coastal and inland, together with acres of under-watched or undiscovered habitats which have hosted over 350 species!

With around 450 members, our aim is to bring together people with a love and concern for birds in our area, to share knowledge and information, encourage participation in exploring our rich wildlife heritage and promote awareness of our threatened natural environment. We strive to be a sociable, inclusive and informative club which plays a vital role in the local birding community.

Club membership is currently just £12 per annum per household or £15 with a copy the club’s Bird Report from the previous year included.

If you have a love of birds, come and give us a try - we'd love to meet you! 

Contact Carol on nenbc@aol.co.uk



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Upcoming Events

  • International Dawn Chorus Day 2025 Outdoor Event

    Date
    Location
    Everywhere!
    International Dawn Chorus Day 2025
     
    Sunday 4th May 2025
     
    We are hoping that many of you will join us in this “worldwide celebration of nature's greatest symphony” [The Wildlife Trusts]. Dawn Chorus Day grew from humble beginnings in Birmingham in the 1980s to a worldwide event encompassing over 80 countries. 
     
    So, why not embrace the dawn at first light on the 1st weekend in May and take the time to really appreciate what nature has to offer? We are asking all NENBC members to make a special effort to log their early morning records (including noc-migged) on the club website over the weekend, sliding the ‘SINGING’ button across on your record. This will help us with our on-going Bird Song Periods Project. 
     
    If you can get out in your garden or out for a walk at dawn, please do but, don’t forget, if that is a bit too keen for a weekend, just open your window, whether you are town or rurally based, and just listen...
     
    Want more info on how to recognise birdsong? Take a look at our April 2021 newsletter.

  • WALK: Snettisham Country Park Outdoor Event

    Date
    Location
    Snettisham Country Park
    LOCATION: Snettisham Country Park
     
    DATE: Sunday 4th May 2025
     
    TIME: 9:00am to 1:00pm
     
    WALK LEADER: Janice Darch
     
    BOOKING REQUIRED: So that we don’t monopolise car parks or take over at smaller locations, we ask for advance bookings on some of our walks and limit the group size to 15. Please remember to sign up with Janice if you would like to come on this one by emailing her on janicedarch@gmail.com before 5.00pm Friday 2nd May.
     
    WALK DESCRIPTION: Although we will park at the RSPB car park, the walk will be on Snettisham Country Park to the north of the RSPB reserve. We will follow a drain on a level path northwards through an area which is one of the few reliable Norfolk sites left for Turtle Dove where often they are perched in the trees or the wires or telegraph poles. On our last visit we had splendid views of this species and Hobby overhead and perched. To the landward side of the sea defence are a series of scrapes which should have Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Redshank and various other wader species. Common Tern and a range of gull species are often on or over the scrapes and the reed beds may have Sedge and Reed Warbler, or maybe something rarer. A Great Reed Warbler spent several weeks there in 2022 and Glossy Ibis have been seen there more recently. Our return will be through the sandy country park where day flying Barn Owl are a possibility along with Marsh Harrier, Kestrel and passerines in the bushes. On the shore and offshore we will look for more terns and gulls.
     
    MEETING POINT: Meet in the car park at RSPB Snettisham.
     
    PARKING AND SITE INFORMATION: Park in the RSPB car park at Beach Road, Snettisham, King's Lynn, PE31 7RA. This is free to RSPB members so bring your membership cards and works as a pay and display for non-members. 
     
    DISTANCE: Around 3 miles.
     
    ACCESSIBILITY: Most of the walk on public and permissive footpaths and is not suitable for wheelchair users. Do please contact us on nenbc@aol.co.uk to see which of our other events can currently accommodate wheelchair users or could be adapted to do so.
     
    FACILITIES: There is now a toilet at the RSPB car park.
     
    STAR STATUS: This walk is not within the NENBC recording area so the bird species you see or hear won’t be able to count towards your personal NENBC Star Badges on this occasion (Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum awards based on the number of species you have seen or heard in the club area).
     
    GOING GREEN!: This walk is out of the club area so the bird species you see or hear can’t count towards your Eco-badges for birding without the use of motorised transport but if you are able to walk or cycle to the start point from home, or even use public transport, that would be fantastic! Alternatively, car-sharing is encouraged. We are working on a way to best facilitate this but in the meantime, have a chat with folks at any of our events or message them via the member page of our website to arrange something for next time.
     
    ADDITIONAL NOTES: Binoculars are always recommended to gain full enjoyment from your birding and if you want the added bonus of using a scope, please do bring your own along. Stout footwear is recommended as paths may be slippery or muddy particularly after rain. Young people aged 16 and 17 are welcome to attend unaccompanied with prior written consent from a parent or guardian who has also supplied a phone number where they can be contacted in an emergency but children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Sorry no dogs except guide dogs. Please respect social distancing on the walk when appropriate for current conditions and preference of participants.

  • The Big Sit Outdoor Event

    Date
    Location
    Felbrigg Park and Beeston Common
    The Big Sit
     
    DATE: Saturday 17th May 2025
     
    TIME: dawn to dusk
     
    The aim of the Big Sit is to record as many species as possible from a chosen 17-feet diameter circle in a 24 hour period, though realistically most sites are up and running for a period between dawn and dusk. From doing the Big Sit we hope to gain valuable data about visible migration and the birds in our area. As well as this it is a fun day out, a chance to share the excitement of the early hours with your fellow members (and just have a chat and some lunch with them in the quieter times) and interact with passing members of the public who inevitably come and ask us what we are up to.
     
    We will be operating from a couple of public sites across the club area on a mission to exceed our species totals from previous years so why not come along and share in the fun? Hopefully we can hit the just right spot between too cold and no birds or too hot and no birds - 

    Felbrigg Park - Trevor Williams will be in the usual spot at the Warren, just above the lake from 5am to 8pm.
     
    Beeston Common - Francis Farrow will be at Pill-box Hill, towards the south of Beeston Common as usual from dawn (sunrise 0506) until 1300 (possibly longer if plenty of birds and its not too cold). Grid ref: TG164240 / W3W: edgy.yourself.wolves

    COME AND JOIN US!

Recent sightings

  • Avatar of a Demoiselle crane on a rose background

    Western Marsh Harrier, Common Swift seen at Sheringham

  • Avatar of a Goose on a cyan background

    Eurasian Blackcap, Common Chiffchaff seen at Weynor Gardens Kelling

  • Avatar of a Hoopoe on a gray background

    Lesser Whitethroat, European Stonechat, Barn Swallow and 11 other species seen at Weybourne

  • Avatar of a Barn owl on a blue background

    Common Redstart seen at Sheringham

  • Avatar of a Demoiselle crane on a rose background

    Sedge Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Common Whitethroat and 7 other species seen at Weybourne

Photo Gallery