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Fresh marsh cutting DONE!!! Over the last few days we ahave been busy cutting all the vegetation on the fresh marsh and that is now complete. The sluice has now been closed and we are using the water we have stored in the reedbed to raise the levels. Over the coming weeks we will be flooding all of...

Well with a bit of careful management here and there we will give it a good go... So what am I talking about I hear you ask? Over the last couple of winters our wildfowl numbers have been on the increase. Since 2009 our peak teal count has risen from just over 900...

Last week, as I was working along the West bank path, I was stopped by a lady who asked me what “that flock of smaller birds” was. I suggested that they were probably starlings. “Oh”, she said and started to walk away looking for something else to watch. “Have you seen the...

Following our colour-ringed ringed plover sighting back in September, the arrival of a colour ringed little stint on the fresh marsh recently got us searching the Internet again for information. Messages on birding forums and Twitter revealed that a similar bird had been seen at Spurn Point in Yorkshire...

This week has seen good daytime conditions. On Monday we had a pied flycatcher, blackcap, yellowhammer and good sightings of bullfinches in the woods between the car park and the (new) East trails. There have also been high numbers of jays on the reserve, with up to 25 being seen in the the same area...

A couple of weekends ago, one of our hide helpers Tony Gray found this colour-ringed ringed plover feeding on the fresh marsh. Over recent weeks we have seen an increase in birds feeding on the fresh marsh, a sure sign that autumn is approaching and the birds are starting to move south from their breeding...

I have had great fun out of the office this morning getting wet and muddy opening up some areas of reed near the Island Hide. The plan is that water rails, young bearded tits or even a rare spotted crake may use this sheltered area to feed in this autumn. The area has been cut so that is can be viewed...

In 2010, as part of the Titchwell Coastal Change Project we carried out some extensive improvement works to the fresh marsh. As well and creating and re-profiling islands we removed the encroaching reed from the edges. This reed was starting to take over making it difficult to manage and reducing viewing...

Along with wet, windy, horrible, unsettled and autumnal are all words that could describe the weather over the last couple of weeks. Looking back 12 months, we were in the grip of an icy blast but recently it has been series of stormy Atlantic depressions. Despite the conditions not being ideal for...

The first thing I do every morning when I arrive at Titchwell is to check the gents toilet walls for insects and spiders. (Luckily not many people have witnessed this odd behaviour!) Apart from the potential for losing friends, it has netted me several species on my wildlife list, the latest two being...

This morning I just didn’t know what to expect. My first job was to open a sluice and let a little flush of water into the fresh marsh. The wind was pushing what little water there was up to the eastern end of the lagoon, concentrating birds at the furthest point from viewing. The little ‘flush’...

The autumn wader migration is now in full swing and the fresh marsh has been ‘hooching’ with birds this week. Numbers have been building steadily but yesterday afternoon our regular reserve count produced fantastic numbers. With good viewing conditions and light winds the fresh marsh was...

It is not an open air concert by the 80’s rock band Europe (unfortunately) but start of the final phase of work on the Titchwell Coastal Change Project. On Monday August 8th the diggers will arrive and work can start. The project is due for completion by the end of October but we are hopeful...

With a strong northerly winds and the occasional heavy rain shower it feels more like late-October than mid-July this morning but the birds don't seem to be too bothered. The signs that autumn is not too far away have been evident this week with the first bird movements. Autumn is usually the time...

Autumn is here already! As far as many of the high Arctic breeding waders are concerned, it is with the first returning species visible on the fresh marsh. Species such as spotted redshank and green sandpiper are still in full summer plumage and are probably birds that have failed with their breeding...

If you have visited Titchwell recently, you may have seen the fantastic pair of spoonbills that are wading around at the moment. Any bird whose beak resembles a piece of cutlery is worth a view in my opinion, but what's also interesting is the ring around one of the spoonbills' legs. This...

Last week, the first avocet nest, (‘Twiggy’ as she was affectionately called for her nest DIY skills), hatched 4 fluffy little chicks. There is now a grand total of at least 26 avocet chicks loose on the freshmarsh. Parent avocets (with 8 legs) can be seen close to the Parrinder hide brooding...

It’s not very often you can say that these days especially when it comes to birds. Before you get too excited, it involves species that have already been recorded here. While carrying out our woodland bird survey last week, I was walking through Willow Wood (by the dead trees if you are looking...

After getting off to a dodgy start when the first nest was predated, the avocets are now running with leaps and bounds as the number of active nests on the freshmarsh reaches 30! Avocets will lay up to four eggs at 1 to 2 day intervals but will not start incubating until the complete clutch has been...

It’s all kicking off on the islands in our fresh marsh pool. If you turn your binoculars eastwards from the Parrinder Hide or west bank path you will see dozens of these monochrome marvels scratching and scrapping, chasing off geese and gulls and generally causing a fuss as they begin nesting...

Summer teal is one of the local names for the garganey. Similar in size to the common teal and a summer visitor, it is a pretty good name. The majority of garganey arrive back in the UK during March and April although the first migrants can arrive in the south as early as Ferbuary. Most of the European...

Picture the scene...I was walking along the east bank heading out to my survey point when a small flock of shelduck came over the bank. A large bird was with them and getting my bins onto it I was shocked to see it was an adult greater flamingo!! I radioed the rest of the team and at least two of them...

Despite the dull cloudy conditions and a nagging cold easterly wind, I have just seen my first bumblebee of the spring along the main path. I also get the feeling that the birds know the better weather is not too far away. The black headed gulls, lapwings and redshanks are all starting to display on...

Since the start of the New Year, we have seen a dramatic increase in ‘diving’ ducks, especially pochard, and it could be down to several factors. In general, diving ducks are very scarce at Titchwell due to the lack of deep water but since late-December we have been experimenting with...

We managed to get all the last few cleaning jobs done in the Parrinder Hide this afternoon and were able to get the security fencing down to allow a few people into the hides before dusk. THE VIEWS ARE AMAZING!!! Helped by an amazing winter light, there was a large gull roost including at least one...