DATE: Saturday 8th March 2025
 

TIME: 9:00am to 1:00pm
 

WALK LEADERS: Janice Darch and other committee members
 

NO BOOKING REQUIRED: It is always nice to know if you are coming via nenbc@aol.co.uk but by no means essential so if it takes your fancy on the day, please just turn up to this 10th Anniversary Walk as we would love to see you!

WALK DESCRIPTION: This walk will be new to most of our current members as it was last led in 2017. Our walk will take eastwards through the dunes to the sea, south along the coast and back inland past the Nelson’s Head pub and along permissive paths to Horsey Drainage Mill and car park. From there we will follow a path northwards along the river to Brograve Drainage Mill, Horsey Corner and to the cars. This area is famous as being a breeding area and home to Common Crane and for many years was traditionally the site to spot this bird in the UK. It is immediately east and adjacent to the Hickling roost site. Other birds we are likely to see include Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Buzzard, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Mute Swan, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Kingfisher, passerines including tits and finches and perhaps some early migrants such a Wheatear. On the sea we will be looking for scoter, grebes and passing gulls and along the shore, Sandling, Redshank and maybe a few Dunlin yet to migrate.

 

SUGGESTIONS: The National Trust advise that during wet weather and the colder months, paths around Horsey can become waterlogged, muddy and slippery underfoot so please consider attire appropriate to conditions on the day.

MEETING POINT: Meet in the National Trust car park at Horsey Windpump.

 

PARKING AND SITE INFORMATION: Park at the National Trust car park at Horsey Windpump, NR29 4EE, grid reference TG456223. A parking fee of £6 is payable (coins only, no cards accepted) unless you are an NT member so bring your membership card with you. For more information see Horsey Windpump │ Norfolk | National Trust

 

DISTANCE: Around 4 miles.
 

ACCESSIBILITY: The walk is along footpaths which aren’t suitable for wheelchair users. Do please contact us on nenbc@aol.co.uk to see which of our events can currently accommodate wheelchair users or could be adapted to do so.
 

FACILITIES: Toilets available at the Horsey Windpump and the refreshment kiosk will likely be open on our return.
 

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.

DATE: Wednesday 19th March 2025

TIME: 9.00am to 11:00am

WALK LEADER: Trevor Williams

NO BOOKING REQUIRED: It is always nice to know if you are coming via nenbc@aol.co.uk but by no means essential so if it takes your fancy on the day, please just turn up as we would love to see you!

 

WALK DESCRIPTION: This walk caters for all levels of birding ability so come and give us a try! We are a friendly bunch and always pleased to have folk join us whether they are NENBC members or not. We take a leisurely walk around the park and lake, route dependent on the local bird and other wildlife recently reported or likely to be present on the day. We regularly see over 40 bird species on an average walk and even on the worst of days more than 30.
 

MEETING POINT: National Trust Main Car Park, Felbrigg Park [Postcode: NR11 8PP will get you to the main entrance | what3words: denoting.reminds.bags for the car park | Grid Reference: TG197394 for the car park]
 

PARKING AND SITE INFORMATION: Although access to the grounds is free to all and parking is free in the main car park for National Trust [NT] members with their machine-validated membership card, a parking fee is payable via the machines for non-NT members (£5 per vehicle). At time of writing, Sexton’s Lodge car park at the western end of the estate however remains free to all users and you can walk up from there along the internal estate road to our start point (about 10 mins). Do check out the NT website nearer the time though in case of any changes to their arrangements, including the free car parking at the Lodge. For further information see Felbrigg Hall, Gardens and Estate | Norfolk | National Trust
 

DISTANCE: Approximately 2-mile circular walk
 

ACCESSIBILITY: The walk is usually ‘off-road’ along dirt footpaths and tracks, across fields, through woods and can include a few stairs by the lake. As such, this event isn’t suitable for wheelchair users but please do contact us on nenbc@aol.co.uk to see which of our events can currently accommodate wheelchair users or could be adapted to do so.
 

FACILITIES: Toilets and café facilities available at Felbrigg Hall.
 

STAR STATUS: This walk is within the NENBC recording area so any bird species you see or hear can all count towards your personal NENBC Star Badges (Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum awards based on the number of species you have personally seen or heard in the club area and recorded on our website since becoming a member).
 

GOING GREEN!: If you are able to walk or cycle to the start point from home, that would be fantastic, and as the walk is within the NENBC recording area, all the birds you see or hear can contribute to your personal NENBC Eco-badges (Green or Super-Green)! The Weavers’ Way and many other public footpaths bisect the park, as does the regional cycle route formerly named route 30. Bicycle racks are also available in the main car park. Felbrigg village and Aylmerton are also served by public transport, but buses are not frequent and unfortunately unlikely to fit with walk timings. 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 and contact them by email 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. We don’t specifically carry a telescope on the walk unless one of our regulars brings theirs as it usually isn’t necessary but if you’d like to use one, please bring one along. Stout footwear is advised as paths may be slippery or muddy any time of year, 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. When appropriate for prevailing conditions and preference of participants, please respect social distancing when requested.

The first of our pop-up sea-watching events (see below as per March newsletter) will be on Tuesday 25th March at the shelter in North Lodge Park, Cromer from 06.30 - 08.30. Enter the park through the main gates on Overstrand Road - head towards the Town Council office building turn to your right, through the arch, and the shelter is straight in front you. Parking is on any of the adjacent streets. What3Words - DEAL.BULGE.MUTUAL


Our annual coordinated seawatch has always proved popular, attracting plenty of participants at multiple locations. The Committee have been considering more ways to raise the profile and share the excitement of seawatching. We are actively considering introducing a special badge - achieved through a combination of time spent and relevant species seen - and are also planning a number of ‘pop up’ seawatching sessions. The trouble with seawatching is that it is highly dependent on weather conditions which are difficult to predict more than a few days in advance.

So, as a trial, we are planning on running a couple of 'pop up' seawatches this spring. This is how we see it working: a few days before the event we will make an announcement on the home page of the website regarding date, time and location. An experienced seawatcher will be on hand to run the event and help beginners become more confident in the ‘dark art’! Each pop-up session will last a maximum of two hours. We will also make an announcement via the Seawatching WhatsApp group. In this way we hope to increase opportunities for more productive seawatching, share knowledge and gain more valuable data.

Trevor Williams

DATE: Thursday 27th March 2025

 

TIME: 7.30pm to 9.30pm

 

JOIN IN: Either in person at Gresham Village Hall or live online via Zoom from home

 

A BIT ABOUT THE SPEAKER AND THEIR TALK: Phil Atkinson will be talking about a variety of BTO projects. “I will start with an update on migrants, in particular two of our most loved migrants the Cuckoo and the Nightingale. Ten years tracking of Cuckoos has told us a lot but a recent paper came out looking at the migration as a whole. We think of trans-Saharan migrations as being difficult and risky, but where do the constraints actually occur? Use of geolocators on UK-breeding Nightingales has revealed for the first time where they winter and the result is surprising. Unlike any other European populations they are concentrated in a very small part of Africa. After the break I will touch on a new project that we are starting in 2027 - the new Breeding and Wintering Bird Atlas. These mammoth projects are undertaken every 20 or so years and we are just starting to plan. Birders and bird clubs will be integral to its success and I will highlight its importance and what the previous atlases have told us.” Phil is the BTO's Head of International Research & Principal Ecologist.  He has developed a program of international work focussing on the impacts of environmental change on bird populations and the ecology of Palaearctic migrants and leads the BTO’s international research program.

  

AT THE HALL: Those of you attending in-person at the hall can expect a selection of home-made cakes plus tea, coffee, hot chocolate, wine and cold drinks during the interval and of course the chance to socialise with other members. We can cater for gluten-free or other requirements if you let us know in advance. We have a 2nd hand ‘natural world’ book stall for you to purchase from / contribute your no-longer-required stock to, supplies of our publications to buy (including our annual bird reports), a display of member photos and details on our upcoming events. We are happy to offer members’ old birding equipment for sale at our events (or in our newsletter) with a contribution going to club funds.

 

BOOKING ARRANGEMENTS: It is always nice to know if you are coming to the hall but by no means essential so if it takes your fancy on the evening, please just turn up as we would love to see you and we have plenty of space! If you are intending to join via Zoom though, you definitely need to let us know in advance so we can get the link out to you in good time. 

 

ACCESSIBILITY: The hall is wheelchair accessible. The level car park at the hall is shingle but we can reserve a space next to the entrance if you need it. 

 

GOING GREEN!: The hall isn’t really accessible by public transport but if you are able to walk or cycle to the event 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 and contact them by email via the member page of our website to arrange something for next time, or let us know and we will try to put you in touch.

 

DIRECTIONS: Gresham Village Hall, East Beckham Road off Church Lane, Gresham, Norfolk, NR11 8RT but note the published postcode might not take you to exactly the right spot! If you are coming through Aylmerton and Lower Gresham, turn right by the church (just after the school) and the hall is on your left. If you are coming through Gresham, turn left at the church (just before the school) and the hall is on your left. If you are dropping down from East Beckham, the hall is on your right opposite the church.

 

PARKING: Access to the hall car park is off East Beckham Road, opposite the church. There is additional parking on the road along the side of the church itself and an overflow car park has kindly been offered to us by Gresham Village School. The school car park is located on Cromer Road to the left of the school as you face it and at the left-hand end of the row of houses – about a 300m walk from the hall. Please park considerately to allow maximum number of cars in the car parks and on the road but with enough space for passing traffic to be able to get through, including agricultural vehicles. We can send you a map of the locality on request. 

 

FOR THE ZOOM LINK OR ANY QUERIES: Contact Carol on nenbc@aol.co.uk