A day at Cley Marshes, Norfolk, 22nd February 2026

A wet start for our RSPB SE Herts coach trip to Cley Marshes, but by the time we arrived, the sun was out and wee had some great weather for a change. Here is a view over the saltmarsh from the impressive visitor centre.

We missed the Spoonbills which leave the reserve early and also failed to locate some Snow Buntings which had been reported by North hide. However, one excellent bird we did locate was a sleepy Pink-footed Goose which did deem to lift its head for a shot. It is the top bird in the picture.

There was also a large flock of Brent Geese by The Eye. They were quite flighty, taking off for a few minutes before coming back to the same spot.

There were also good numbers of Wigeon a few Pintail as well as Shelduck, pictured here.

And Teal, looking very smart in the lovely light.

It's always good watching from the central hides, even if just to catch some Black-headed Gulls drifting past.

The high water levels meant that there were fewer waders than normal, but we did see Avocets, Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Redshank, Curlew, Lapwing as well as Black-tailed Godwits.

It was also good to get some flight shots.

Not too many smaller birds around, but we did have Stonechats and a few Skylarks including this one.

But the stars today were the Marsh Harriers, including this beautiful male bird.

Even better was this hunting female which came over Pat's Pool and caught a Teal. Holding it under the water to get a good grip before flying off with it to the safety of the reed bed.

Always a fantastic place to visit, and massive thanks to everyone who organised the trip, lead groups etc. And a big thank you to Robert Kitchen for running the coach trips for the last few years, bowing out on a high!