Titchwell Marsh: A winter wonderland

Long-tailed Duck! A distant light speck transforms into a dazzling beauty bobbing among the waves off the north Norfolk coast.

It’s a male in full breeding finery – smart black and white with a flamingo-pink marking on the bill and extravagant tail feathers. I’m captivated as it rises and falls on the surf. It’s New Year’s Day on the dunes at RSPB Titchwell Marsh and I’m in birding paradise.

Titchwell is an excellent nature reserve to visit at any time of year but, for me, that excellence outdoes itself in the winter months.

You arrive in a wooded area, which at first can seem quiet. But look around. There might be Redwings feasting on the berries beside the car park. A friendly Robin or two approaches to investigate. Even in the depths of winter, this is such a sheltered spot that I’ve even seen a Chiffchaff moving deftly through the ivy in search of insects.

A Tawny Owl and a Yellow-browed Warbler spent some time here last October, so it’s well worth pausing and looking up into the branches, too.

As you’re tempted forward by the distant calls of waders and seabirds, it’s time to truly begin your Titchwell adventure.

There’ll be a warm welcome in the first small building you reach, the Welcome Hub. Here you can find out what’s around, with the aid of maps, pictures and the friendly team. It’s incredibly handy if you’re new to the reserve.

Beyond is the shop and Titchwell’s refurbished café, serving everything from breakfast baps to light meals, plus homemade cakes and Bird & Wild bird-friendly coffee.

A wildlife garden with ponds and natural planting awaits behind the shop. In winter, you might be lucky enough to spot occasional Bramblings hanging out with their Chaffinch cousins.

High in the alder and willow trees at the back, where the West Bank path begins, Siskins and Redpolls perform their acrobatics in the treetops, snacking on seeds.

Across the reeds
If, like me, you have a poor sense of direction, the West Bank path is the perfect nature-watching experience.

You can’t get lost. This is an elevated straight line all the way to the coast, and there’s so much to see on the way.

Emerging from woodland, you’ll now be out in the big, wide-open space of Titchwell’s huge reedbed. Look to the right and you may see a Kingfisher perched beside one of the channels, or an egret – Little or Great White – stalking through the water.

Keep an eye on the sky for Marsh Harriers as you head towards the sea. They absolutely thrive here; five young Marsh Harriers fledged on site in 2024.

However, winter is the time to see really high numbers of these magnificent reedbed raptors, with up to 40 or 50 individuals roosting amongst the reeds each night.

They’re not the only reedbed specialists here. Listen for the ‘pinging’ of Bearded Tits and you may catch a glimpse of a small flock flitting over the reeds.

A real highlight, though it can require patience, is a sighting of a Bittern. The site team, through a careful cycle of reed cutting and clearance, make sure that these birds have access to plenty of pools and channels where they can catch fish. And often those areas are carefully positioned where we can get great views from the paths.

A new system of pipes, installed this year, means the team also has a lot more control over water heights on the reserve, which can help boost the amount of food for birds like Bitterns where and when it’s most needed.

If you hear an unusual squealing noise, it’s unlikely to be a lost pig wandering around in the marsh (though it has to be said that Titchwell is full of surprises – I once saw a man taking his pet rabbit for a walk here).

No, the swine-like sound will be coming from Water Rails, those shy relatives of Coots and Moorhens. They skulk out of sight but often emerge when conditions are icy, cautiously feeding on the ground or hurtling for cover in the vegetation.

Freshwater Marsh
The first big pool of water you’ll see on the right is Freshwater Marsh, or Freshmarsh. This is the last area of freshwater you’ll see as you approach the coast.

In the Island Hide, you’re down at water-level and can get some fantastic, often close-up views of waders, ducks, swans and geese. Last winter these included Golden Plovers, Ruffs and Spotted Redshanks as well as Pintails and Whooper Swans.

Further down the path, the larger Parrinder Hide offers views of Freshmarsh to the south, and the developing saltmarsh at Volunteer Marsh to the north.

I’ve often seen Spoonbills while looking over Freshmarsh; their numbers peaked at 73 in September 2023, a record for the site.

Volunteer Marsh is good for Curlews and I’ve almost always seen a Grey Plover here – a hugely underrated wader, I think, with its delicately mottled feathers contrasting with its big, dark eyes.

At the Tidal Marsh, the final water body on your right, you can look down on waders probing the mud. It always amazes me how close Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks will forage below the path as you look down – no binoculars needed!

However, you will want some form of optics after you’ve climbed through the dunes to the beach to pick through waders on the shoreline and, if you’re lucky, as I’ve been a few times, you’ll spot seaducks, divers and grebes out on the sea.

My highlight was that Long-tailed Duck, but I’ve also seen an Eider, Goldeneye and Velvet Scoter riding the waves.

Fen and East Trails

After some refreshment in the café, it’s time to explore the Fen Trail and East Trail.

Follow the path behind the shop as it winds through the small woodland and make for the Fen Hide. Smaller birds feed in the bushes here, including finches, tits, winter thrushes and, if you’re lucky, Yellow-browed Warblers.

And if you stay until dusk and stand on the Meadow Trail boardwalk, you might see up to 20 Woodcocks fly out to feed right overhead.

From the screen overlooking Patsy’s Pool, I’ve seen Gadwalls and Pochards. I once encountered a hungry Barn Owl hunting close to the path, unbothered by human visitors. It must have been unable to feed the day before, when Storm Doris would have made hunting conditions impossible.

In the winter months, the east trail is closed to prevent disturbance to roosting Marsh Harriers and Little Egrets.

Titchwell treasure
Thanks to the Titchwell team and other helpful birders here, I’ve seen many ‘firsts’ (for me) on the reserve, often through someone else’s telescope.

Some of these spectacular sightings included sparrow-sized Little Stints and the Pectoral Sandpiper, which gets its name from the pattern on its breast.

“Titchwell is popular with people at all levels of bird expertise,” says Senior Site Manager Hayley Roan. “You can have a fantastic day out here as a beginner or a seasoned birder.”

I think there are several reasons for this. One is the sheer number of birds: 221 species in total were recorded here in 2023, including 33 waders.

Another is the variety of habitats on the reserve, moving from fairly easy-to-navigate wildlife garden to intermediate wetlands and then to the slightly more advanced sea watching.

And there’s also Titchwell’s bird ID workshop sessions, which can help you get up to speed on identifying waders.

But you don’t have to be into ticking bird lists to fully appreciate this magical nature haven. Just experiencing the open skies, the sheltered corners, the sea air and, of course, the café, can boost the spirits on a wintry day.

Titchwell through time
Drained for farmland, Titchwell Marsh was once used for growing root crops and raising cattle for beef.

During the Second World War, it hosted a tank firing range; you can still see some of the structures, as well as a concrete road constructed for this purpose. The remains of two rusting tanks, used for target practice, are usually visible on the beach.

The great storm surge of 1953 broke through coastal sea defences and flooded the site. Abandoned, Titchwell started to become a haven for birds including, in the early 1970s, Montagu’s Harriers.

The RSPB paid a local birdwatcher to watch the harriers’ nest and guard it from egg collectors, and then decided to purchase the land in 1973. Since then, Titchwell has been transformed over the decades thanks to the hard work of staff and volunteers, with sea defences and saltmarsh shielding freshwater areas, islands constructed and vegetation levels carefully maintained.

Avocets first nested here in 1984, but unfortunately their nest was raided by egg collectors. From the following year, Avocet nests were well protected and watched by the reserve team, and numbers of the birds began to grow. Forty years later, the colony is doing well and 43 chicks fledged this past summer.

Titchwell celebrated its 50th birthday last year.

RSPB Titchwell Marsh celebrates its 50^th anniversary. Video: @RSPBvideo</a.

I was lucky enough to interview longstanding volunteer Ray, who’s been here since the beginning, for a celebratory video.

“The beauty of the place is, you don’t know what’s going to be here,” he says. He’s already proven his point by recording 1,800 species of wildlife at Titchwell, including around 300 birds.

North Norfolk is packed with top birdwatching spots. I’d recommend a long weekend here to just soak up the wealth of birdlife. Whether you know the names of everything you’re looking at or not doesn’t always matter. Just being here is a tonic.