May 3-12, 2025 with Megan Edwards Crewe & Willy Perez (ext. to May. 17)
The United Kingdom is a great place to kickstart your European bird list -- or indeed to add to it if you've only birded further south. With a long history of nature study and a strong network of parks and reserves, it offers some fine places to watch species that can be shy and skulking elsewhere on the continent. And with migration in full swing, and some continental overshoots to look for amongst the regulars, there were a host of species to enjoy. While things were mighty chilly and windy for the first week of the tour, we had virtually no rain, and the sun came out (and temperatures moderated nicely) for the second week. Scotland's normally soggy climate was an absolute delight, with wall to wall sunshine; who'd have guessed?!
After our afternoon meetup at Heathrow airport, we headed east and started our birding in the sleepy little village of Westleton, tucked among the heather and gorse heaths of the Suffolk coast. After dodging a brief shower (the only rain on our two-week tour), we ventured from our comfortable pub to the quiet cemetery of the 15th-century church across the street, where we came to grips with some of the common residents of southern England. Eurasian Jackdaws chortled from nearby chimney pots. A diminutive European Robin initially played hard to get, dancing through the densest parts of a holly tree before finally popping out into the open to charm everybody with its cuteness. A Eurasian Wren shouted challenges from from a leafless branch, then sat for long minutes preening and peering around. Eurasian Blackbirds scurried among the headstones, carefully examining the grass for prey. Common Swifts and Western House-Martins raked past overhead, while Eurasian Blue Tits investigated a nearby oak tree for tidbits. Our final tally of 26 species (seen and heard) certainly got the tour off to a good start!
The following morning, we walked to nearby Westleton Common, with fine views of a European Greenfinch wheezing from a treetop and a tinkling group of red-faced European Goldfinches along the way. A squeaky gang of recently fledged Long-tailed Tits huddled together on a branch before following their busy parents one-by-one across the trail. Common Chiffchaffs sang their onomatopoeiac songs, pumping their tails in time. Two Eurasian Kestrels dive-bombed a passing jackdaw, which returned the abuse. Common Chaffinches and Eurasian Blackcaps flicked through flowering Hawthorns, singing their loud, cheery songs as they went. Common Nightingales traded insults (though I must admit that we questioned their "most celebrated songster" credentials) and, after a bit of a seach, we managed to get a scope on one as it sang from a birch tree. With some key targets in the bag, we headed back for breakfast, then drove a short distance to nearby Westleton Heath National Nature Reserve for another walk. A strong, chilly wind made things a bit challenging, but we found a jaunty European Stonechat, a Wood Lark poised on the edge of the track, a Goldcrest hobnobbing with a trio of Coal Tits, and a Lesser Whitethroat chattering in a track-side bush -- plus watched a herd of Red Deer flow effortlessly across a hillside.
Then it was off to Sutton Hoo, home to the UK's largest and richest Saxon ship burial. This was primarily a cultural visit, highlighted by a private guided tour that allowed us to get right in among burial mounds that are off-limits to general visitors. Our volunteer docent, Sue, did a marvelous job of transporting us back to the days of the King Raedwald, the Saxon king who may have been buried in the ship, and to the days of Basil Brown and the other archeologists who excavated the site in 1938-9. After a visit to the site's museum, we gathered again for a short bird walk, where a showy Great Spotted Woodpecker clambering around in some nearby trees, a Mistle Thrush bouncing across a grassy field, a handful of Stock Doves, and a hen Ring-necked Pheasant with at least nine puffball chicks in tow were among our finds.
After an early morning return to Westleton Heath, where we finally laid eyes on some elusive Dartford Warblers and enjoyed the companionship of a close pair of Yellowhammers, we spent the rest of the day exploring the RSPB's (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) fabulous Minsmere Reserve. We found our first specialty before we even reached the visitor's center -- a pair of Eurasian Thick-knees resting among a busy rabbit warren. Many other species followed. A blizzard of Bank Swallows checked out potential nest holes on a sandy cliff near the reserve's main building. Reed Buntings sang their simple three-note songs from bush tops, while Common Reed and Sedge warblers belted out their far more complicated tunes from the reeds below. A handful of handsome Mediterranean Gulls, with their jet-black heads and blood-red beaks, nested among the multitudes of Black-headed Gulls (which, in reality, should have been called Chocolate-headed Gulls), while a vagrant Caspian Gull mingled with Lesser Black-backed and European Herring gulls bathing nearby. A Spotted Redshank, wearing its distinctive black breeding plumage, rummaged along the edge of a distant pool, while Pied Avocets demonstrated their distinctive sweeping feeding method closer in. Some 60 Black-tailed Godwits, in a bewildering array of plumages (breeding, wintering and a variety of "in betweens") poked and prodded the shallow waters of the Scrape. Eurasian Coots and Eurasian Moorhens chugged back and forth across the lagoons and Common Terns mingled with their larger Sandwich Tern cousins on sandy islets. While our search for Eurasian Bittern was sadly fruitless, we had some wonderful encounters with Western Marsh-Harriers, plus a jewel-bright Common Kingfisher that made several darting passes before perching on a post right out in front of the blind we were in.
We headed north to Norfolk the next day, after one final visit to Westleton Heath, where we FINALLY got up close and personal with a few Dartford Warblers, with better looks than yesterday's for most of the group. En route to Hickling Broad, we detoured to Rollesby Broad, where several pairs of introduced Egyptian Geese mingled with a hopeful horde of Mallards, while more standoffish Graylag Geese and Mute Swans floated at the back edge of the lake, not far from few pairs of Great Crested Grebes and our first Tufted Duck. Then it was off Hickling Broad for the afternoon. We started with a picnic lunch -- fortunately in a sheltered corner, given the winds! -- where we were serenaded by a Willow Warbler that eventually showed very well in a nearby willow. A walk on the reserve brought us many families of ducklings and goslings and a bevy of new or improved sightings. A Sedge Warbler sang from a bush top, allowing us to finally see its bold eyebrow and stripey back. Two Eurasian Jays bounced from ground to branch and back, giving us some fine scope studies. Three dozen or so 'Common Teal' (the European subspecies of Green-winged Teal, considered to be a separate species by some taxonomists) snoozed along the edge of one pond, and a quintet of male Common Pochards did the same along the edge of another. A handful of Eurasian Wigeons floated among Common Shelducks, while a pair of Eurasian Coots added to their growing nest. But our chief find here was a somewhat unexpected one: a female Red-footed Falcon that had arrived the previous day with a cohort of Eurasian Hobbies. We spent long minutes watching the mixed group as they sat in snaggle-topped dead trees dotted among the reeds, occasionally launching themselves into looping circles after passing dragonflies. And while we watched, Juliana spotted us a quintet of Common Cranes flapping past, their long necks and legs stretched out before and aft. Result!
We started the following morning right across the street from our hotel, zigzagging our way down to Cromer beach for a look at the Northern Fulmars that nest along the sandy cliffs edging the sea. Once we'd had our fill of these stubby tubenoses, we fought the winds into town, making our way to the church, where a pair of Peregrine Falcons has nested for years on the spire. We arrived just in time to see the female fly in carrying prey, then spent some time oogling the perched male through our scopes while occasional feathers drifted down from where the out-of-sight prey dismemberment was occuring. After breakfast, we headed to the famous Cley Marshes and walked the East Bank, a causeway that dates back to the 1500s. Several hundred Brant grazed on a nearby field, then flew down to the wetlands in wavering lines. A couple of Common Ringed Plovers picked their way along muddy pond edges. Northern Lapwings, sporting jaunty topknots, pattered across the water meadows or took to the air with flashing wings and 'toy trombone' calls. Eurasian Oystercatchers searched for worms. A trio of Little Terns scuttled across a muddy islet before winging off over the shingle bank. A (presumably injured) Pink-footed Goose floated among a cadre of its larger Graylag cousins, long after it should have been headed to points north. A trio of Western Cattle Egrets loitered around the feet of some grazing cows. A Eurasian Spoonbill flapped steadily closer then dropped into a grove of trees (site of last year's breeding colony) on a nearby hillside. Common Redshanks patrolled pond edges or chased each other around (showing nicely the distinctive white wedge on the back edge of their spread wings) before things went all x-rated. After a restorative hot drink (those winds were stiff -- and chilly!), we headed off to Blickling Hall, a Jacobean mansion now in the care of the National Trust, for lunch and a self-guided visit to the house and its sizable formal garden. Once we'd reassembled, we wandered across a tiny portion of the estate's massive, 5000-acre property, finding a pair of Common Terns hunting the lake, a Common Buzzard perched on a low branch, a couple of Stock Doves canoodling on a dead snag, and a busy mixed flock of small passerines investigating oak twigs and moss-covered roofing tiles on one of the outbuildings.
As the sun rose the next morning, we ventured to the nearby Felbrigg estate for a pre-breakfast walk, passing the handsome hall and heading into a huge field full of dark red cattle. Though our initial target was the lake, we were quickly sidetracked by some birds bouncing around near the herd: a spotty Mistle Thrush and a lingering pair of Fieldfares, which overwinter in big numbers but are normally long gone by the time of our tour. They were soon joined by a mixed flock of Eurasian Linnets and European Goldfinches, and then another hoped-for quarry -- a Eurasian Green Woodpecker that rummaged on the ground along the nearby fence line. We had some nice scope looks before it flew off. Eventually, we made our way down to the lake, where some great spotting by Willy netted us a Little Owl, tucked in among the twigs on a low tree branch. After a leisurely breakfast, we made our way west to the vast Holkham estate for the day. Willy found the tour's only Whimbrel while I paid for the parking, and we made our way along the edge of the site's big pine plantation with the intent of checking out the beach. But a chance meeting with some birders who told us about a vagrant Woodchat Shrike soon had us headed in a different direction -- a bit of a "death march", as it turned out, but with the reward of a handsome shrike perched atop a bush awaiting at the end. Bonus in hand, we made a quick stop at a blind overlooking a marshy area on our way back to lunch, picking up a couple of Wood Sandpipers and a half dozen Common Greenshanks in the process. A post-prandial wander near the giant hall (still occupied) yielded a staggering number of Barnacle Geese, a Little Grebe among its Great Crested cousins, a single male Common Pochard among a dozen or so diving Tufted Ducks, and a Red Kite that flapped along the lake edge then dropped onto the ground after some elusive prey. Late in the afternoon, we took another stroll nearer the main gate to the estate and were rewarded with a fairly showy Eurasian Nuthatch and -- following our ears -- a wide-awake pair of Tawny Owls calling intermittently to other birds some distance away. What a treat to see our second owl species for the day in broad daylight!
Another early morning visit to Felbrigg netted us a Song Thrush, singing its ever-changing series of repetitive phrases (rather like a mockingbird) from the top of a tree behind the hall. Then we were off to Titchwell, another large RSPB holding in the western half of the county.
We finished our birding with a meander along the River Ouse, which winds through poplar groves and along reed beds in an area of plantation pine south of Mundford. From the little bridge, we watched Gray Wagtails (long tails wagging appropriately) gather food from the river banks. Further along the river, a pair of Mute Swans glided regally past while a male Mandarin Duck snoozed in a shady spot on the far shore. Angling closer, we found a female Mandarin with 16 tiny fluff balls in tow -- surely a record brood! After our pleasant stroll and a final pub lunch, we made our way back to London, completing our circuit around East Anglia.
For those who continued on to the Scottish extension, our flight to Aberdeen went without a hitch, and we were soon headed west, working our way through sheep-dotted pastures and birch-filled valleys into the starkly dramatic heather moors and soaring pine forests that define the Cairngorm Mountains. Our three full days in this spectacular landscape brought plenty of memorable moments. A pair of Ring Ouzels and an anxious cadre of Meadow Pipits kept close watch on a Common Cuckoo that slunk through the heather; they were so agitated and focused that we initially expected to spot a predatory mammal causing all the fuss! A gorgeous Eurasian Bullfinch responded nicely to my whistled imitation of his call, dropping into a bush right in front of us. A White-throated Dipper balanced on a tiny rock mid-river while a Common Sandpiper waggled its way back and forth across a bigger rock nearby. In a picturesque part of the Abernathy forest, with thousands of aptly-named Cottongrass flowers nodding in every direction, a Common Redstart serenaded from a slender snag and we spotted a Crested Tit with a giant mustache of prey investigating some branches right over the trail. A loose group of male Black Grouse postured and posed -- and occasionally faced off -- on a grassy hillside. A point-blank Song Thrush trotted across a grassy lawn. Eurasian Curlews probed grassy pastures with their long bills or flew high overhead, with their evocative calls echoing down as they circled. Red Crossbills perched on spruce tops, delicately prising apart the cones with their distinctive beaks. Tight flocks of Eurasian Siskins dropped intro treetops and erupted off again, or descended en masse onto feeders. Though we failed to spot any eagles, we spent a delightful sunny afternoon in the wild splendor of the Findhorn valley, watching a Red Kite and a Common Buzzard wheel over the craggy ridgeline and finding a plethora of tiny wildflowers underfoot. And after a long search, we finally located a pair of Arctic Loons bathing at Lochindorb, far beyond the ruined castle in the loch's center.
On our final day of birding, we took a picnic lunch with us and headed north towards RSPB Troup Head, home to some impressive seabird cliffs. En route, we searched for Corn Buntings, a formerly common species that is declining sharply across the UK. After several attempts, we finally found one singing lustily from a telephone wire; through the scopes, we could even see the distinctive extra 'tooth' on each side of its beak. We snared a bonus when we spotted a Hooded Crow having a bit of a contretemps with a nearby Carrion Crow; despite long minutes watching, we couldn't decide if they were courting or fighting! A stop in Gardenstown for their loos netted us close views of a bunch of Common Eiders and some intensely blue-violet jellyfish, while our only Common Ravens croaked their way along the ridgetops and a local resident tried his best to convince us all to move there. After a chilly lunch in the Troup Head parking lot, we stomped out to the cliff edge, wading through drifts of wildflowers as we neared the sea. From our vantage point at the top of the cliffs, we had a bird's-eye view of hundreds of Northern Gannets as they preened and squabbled and courted just below us. Hundreds of Common Murres and Razorbills jostled on breeding ledges or floated on the ocean below, while thousands and thousands of Black-legged Kittiwakes yelled from their growing nests or circled in big, whirling tornadoes over the water. A few dozen Northern Fulmars dotted the upper reaches of the cliffs, and a European Shag sat on its nest while its mate helpfully brought it more bits to add. And throughout our visit, Eurasian Skylarks danced in the skies over the nearby fields, raining down their extraordinary songs while a Meadow Pipit did its own shorter parachute flights along the cliff edge nearby. On our way back to Aberdeen, we stopped at Bullers of Buchan (after far too many detours for closed roads) for more seabird cliffs, adding a handful of Atlantic Puffins floating on the turbulent waters below. The spectacular setting and boisterous birdlife made for a fitting end to our British adventure.
Thanks so much for joining us for the tour. Your enthusiasm and easy comraderie made the trip a real joy to lead. We hope to see you all again soon on another adventure somewhere!
**Note** Species designated as "Sensitive" in eBird will only show up in eBird checklists for people with whom the lists were shared, not for outside observers. For this tour, those species were Black Grouse, Common Crane, Eurasian Thick-knee, Arctic Loon, Peregrine Falcon and Dartford Warbler.
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/363922
Megan