📅 Plan ahead

North Norfolk
wildlife calendar

What to look out for, month by month — geese, seals, birds, flowers and the best times to visit. Bookmark this page rather than a newsletter; it doesn't need signing up for, and it's the same useful guide whenever you come back to plan a trip.

December

Grey seal pups being born on the beaches at Horsey and Blakeney Point — pupping season runs into January.
Pink-footed geese at their peak numbers on the coast, feeding on sugar beet fields by day and roosting on the Wash by night.
Starling murmurations forming over reedbeds at dusk on the Broads.
Short, cold walks with dramatic low light — good conditions for coastal photography.

Horsey seals guide →

January

Seal pups still present at Horsey, now moulting their white coats before heading to sea.
The Snettisham dawn "spectacular" — thousands of wading birds pushed off the mudflats by the incoming tide.
Wigeon, teal and other winter wildfowl on the grazing marshes at Cley and Titchwell.
Short-eared owls hunting over rough grassland in daylight.

Snettisham geese guide →

February

Snowdrops at their best — Walsingham Abbey and Sheringham Park are reliable spots.
The last seal pups weaning at Horsey as the colony quietens down.
Marsh harriers beginning their early spring display flights over the reedbeds.
Frogspawn appearing in ponds and ditches on milder days.

March

Early migrants returning — chiffchaffs calling, sand martins back over the Broads.
Marsh harriers "sky-dancing" over Cley and Titchwell as the breeding season begins.
Brown hares boxing in open farmland — most visible early morning.
Coltsfoot and early wildflowers appearing along the coast path.

Marsh harrier guide →

April

Swallows and house martins arriving back to nest in villages along the coast.
Bluebells carpeting Norfolk's ancient woodlands.
Avocets returning to breed at Titchwell and Cley — Norfolk is one of their UK strongholds.
Early orchids beginning to appear on the reserves and commons.

May

Terns arriving to nest at Blakeney Point — Sandwich, common and little terns all breed here.
Cuckoos calling across the grazing marshes.
Early purple orchids on lane verges and the Southrepps Common.
Long, mild evenings — a good month for late-afternoon coastal walks.

Blakeney Point guide →

June

Tern colonies at Blakeney Point at their peak — chicks hatching through the month.
Common (harbour) seal pups being born — unlike grey seals, they pup in summer, mainly around Blakeney.
Orchids at their best on Kelling Heath and Sheringham Park.
Southern marsh orchids flowering on Southrepps Common.

July

Sea lavender turning the saltmarshes purple at Stiffkey and Blakeney — one of the coast's best photo opportunities.
Butterflies at their most numerous on Beeston Common and Kelling Heath.
Dragonflies and damselflies active on the Broads and coastal fens.
Poppies in the fields around Overstrand — the original "Poppyland".

Overstrand walks →

August

Heather blooming purple across Kelling Heath and the Sheringham Park common land.
First returning waders from the Arctic beginning to appear on the Wash.
Young terns fledging at Blakeney Point.
Blackberries ripening along hedgerows and coast path verges.

September

Peak autumn migration — waders and warblers passing through the coastal reserves.
Ivy flowering, drawing in late butterflies, bees and hoverflies before the cold sets in.
Fungi season beginning in Norfolk's woodlands.
Swallows and martins gathering on wires before departing south.

October

The deer rut at Holkham and Sheringham Park — red and fallow stags roaring and sparring.
First skeins of pink-footed geese arriving back from Iceland, best seen at dawn and dusk.
Fieldfares and redwings arriving from Scandinavia to strip the hedgerows of berries.
Autumn colour in Sheringham Park and Felbrigg's woodlands.

Sheringham Park walk →

November

The pink-footed goose spectacle building towards its winter peak at Holkham and Snettisham.
Grey seal pupping season beginning again at Horsey and Blakeney Point.
Starling murmurations starting to form most evenings.
Barn owls quartering field edges more visibly as daylight shortens.

This calendar covers general patterns rather than exact dates — timing shifts a little year to year with the weather. Always check the relevant reserve's own website (RSPB, Norfolk Wildlife Trust, National Trust) before a special trip, particularly for seal colonies and tern nesting areas, which can have seasonal access restrictions to protect the wildlife.

North Norfolk
wildlife calendar

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North Norfolkwildlife calendar

Explore

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About

North Norfolk
wildlife calendar