Snettisham Spectacular: your guide to an unmissable wader wonder

RSPB Snettisham’s Wader Spectaculars are one of the UK’s most exciting natural events. Tens of thousands of birds form whirling flocks in the skies, mesmerising visitors to the North Norfolk nature reserve. However, they aren’t a regular occurrence - in fact, the conditions are only right on a handful of days a year!

Here’s your guide to when and why these amazing events happen, and how to book your parking space.

These magnificent displays occur during extremely high ‘spring tides’, mainly in autumn and winter. At this time, tens of thousands of Knots, Oystercatchers, Dunlins and Black-tailed Godwits are feeding on mudflats in The Wash, the largest natural bay in England.

As the tide rushes in, the birds take to the air to avoid the water in an exhilarating display of airborne acrobatics. While spring tides occur every month, the Spectacular displays only happen when the birds are here in such large numbers. In 2026, this will fall in March, August, September and October.

The waders feed at low tide, on the exposed mudflats, in large flocks that can extend for the whole length of the beach. The Wash mudflats are teeming with worms and other protein-rich invertebrates; a vital food source for globally important migratory bird populations.

As the tide comes in, some of the birds might take to the air from their roosting place. Meanwhile, others choose to move south towards the Wader Watch point. The walk from your first view of The Wash to the Wader Watch is just over one kilometre. However, you should have good views of the waders from anywhere along this route.

You’re welcome to visit RSPB Snettisham at any time. However, for the best chance of seeing the Wader Spectacular in 2026, pick a date from the table below and book your parking space.

Outside of Wader Spectacular dates, parking in our car park is free for RSPB members. For non-members, an all-day parking fee of £4 applies and payment can be made by cash, card, or via the PayByPhone app.

Due to their popularity, Snettisham’s Wader Spectaculars can attract crowds of up to 500 people. This doesn’t quite match the number of birds in the air. However, with just 80 parking spaces available, our car park simply can’t meet the demand.

To manage this more effectively and ensure a safer, more enjoyable experience for all, a new parking charge and booking system are being introduced.

For Spectacular days, accessible parking is available to book on our website. If you require accessible parking on non-spectacular days, please contact us directly via our email address: snettisham@rspb.org.uk.

Please note that requests for accessible parking permits must be submitted at least five working days in advance to allow time for processing.

The distance from our car park to the Wader Watch point, where the best views of the waders are, is about 2km. For that reason, we suggest leaving the car park to walk to the Wader Watch about two hours before high tide. This will ensure that you arrive in time for the Spectacular as, depending on the weather, it can begin before then.

A strong, north easterly wind can accelerate the incoming tide and encourage early displays. Meanwhile, an offshore wind could delay them. The main thing to remember, though, is that this is a natural event and exact timings can’t be predicted.

You should also allow at least 20 minutes for the walk from our car park to the sea wall, which is where you’ll find the first views of Snettisham’s mudflats.

Additional parking is available at Snettisham Beach car park, but please note, this isn’t managed by the RSPB and charges apply year-round.