About us
North East Norfolk Bird Club [NENBC] was launched in January 2015 and covers the population centres of Melton Constable, Holt, Sheringham, Cromer, North Walsham and Aylsham. We are a friendly club catering for all levels of birding experience with members and supporters from the local area as well as seasonal visitors and those from much further afield who wished they lived here!
We have a comprehensive programme of club events and activities throughout the year at which non-members are always very welcome, including:
- Monthly evening talks on the last Thursday of the month from September to November and January to April at our home base Gresham Village Hall [NR11 8RT] - plenty of refreshments always provided, a 2nd hand nature books stall too. Also available live via Zoom
- Monthly mid-week bird walks around the National Trust’s Felbrigg Park estate at the centre of our recording area on the 3rd Wednesday of the month from September to July
- Varied monthly weekend bird walks to a range of local and regional birding hotspots from September to July
- An annual 'Walks Week' programme where 7 members lead 7 walks over 7 days to 7 locations for 7 participants where we get to see local patches we wouldn't get to on a typical club walk
- Occasional evening walks in the spring or summer for specific species such as Nightjar
- An annual Birding for Beginners workshop series combining practical and theoretical elements of birdwatching from which we now have over 70 graduates
- A range of special events throughout the year such as: a New Year’s Day Birding Challenge to get the year off to a good birding start; an annual joint speaker event with Norfolk Wildlife Trust (local group) and Cley Bird Club in February; a Big Sit birding event in May, recording the total number of species seen from one spot between dawn and dusk; an annual Coordinated Seawatch event along the coast in the autumn recording visible migration; a combined Christmas Social and AGM Evening in December
Our members receive a monthly e-newsletter, the Pied Flyer, which includes contributions from across the membership in every issue and we publish a comprehensive annual Bird Report for our recording area, covering not only the bird data, photos and artwork submitted by our members, but articles on our activities and projects too.
We have a Star Scheme where members are awarded lapel badges for the number of bird species recorded in the club area since joining - the self-certified Bronze [100 species] and the peer-reviewed Silver [200], Gold [250] and Platinum [300]. We also have an Eco-Badge Scheme for the number of bird species recorded in the NENBC area at or from home without the use of motorised transport since 1st January 2020 (or date of joining if later). Members enjoy the challenge of working towards Green [75 species for inland records, 100 if including coastal locations] and Super-Green [125 inland, 175 coastal].
We work with partners on a variety of projects. Many of our members volunteer with local wildlife conservation charity Felbeck Trust undertaking practical volunteering activities to support birds and other wildlife. We have also been working with the University of East Anglia for a few years now, supporting 3rd year UEA Environmental Consultancy students with 'real-life' projects for the club which have been most rewarding and resulted in some really interesting reports from the students. We have recently introduced an annual Young Birder Bursary scheme for our 16-24 year old members and are looking forward to reports in our newsletter from this year's beneficiary on their progress.
Our Club Sponsor is Bird Ventures in Holt at which members are eligible for a discount on their own-brand bird food.
Full details on our upcoming events and much more can be found on this website. We have an NENBC Twitter account @NENBC_info for local info and other birding news and we also run two WhatsApp groups - North East Norfolk Seawatching (open to all) for 'live' reporting of seabird movement along the north Norfolk coast and a member-only NENBC Alerts for sharing news of interesting birds within our recording area.
We have a Star Scheme where members are awarded lapel badges for the number of bird species recorded in the club area since joining - the self-certified Bronze [100 species] and the peer-reviewed Silver [200], Gold [250] and Platinum [300]. We also have an Eco-Badge Scheme for the number of bird species recorded in the NENBC area at or from home without the use of motorised transport since 1st January 2020 (or date of joining if later). Members enjoy the challenge of working towards Green [75 species for inland records, 100 if including coastal locations] and Super-Green [125 inland, 175 coastal].
We work with partners on a variety of projects. Many of our members volunteer with local wildlife conservation charity Felbeck Trust undertaking practical volunteering activities to support birds and other wildlife. We have also been working with the University of East Anglia for a few years now, supporting 3rd year UEA Environmental Consultancy students with 'real-life' projects for the club which have been most rewarding and resulted in some really interesting reports from the students. We have recently introduced an annual Young Birder Bursary scheme for our 16-24 year old members and are looking forward to reports in our newsletter from this year's beneficiary on their progress.
Our Club Sponsor is Bird Ventures in Holt at which members are eligible for a discount on their own-brand bird food.
Full details on our upcoming events and much more can be found on this website. We have an NENBC Twitter account @NENBC_info for local info and other birding news and we also run two WhatsApp groups - North East Norfolk Seawatching (open to all) for 'live' reporting of seabird movement along the north Norfolk coast and a member-only NENBC Alerts for sharing news of interesting birds within our recording area.
The NENBC recording area covers eight 10km squares as per the Ordnance Survey tetrads TG03, TG12, TG13, TG14, TG22, TG23, TG24 and TG33 in north east Norfolk. They stretch in a cross shape from Swanton Novers in the west to Happisburgh in the east, and from Sheringham in the north to Hevingham in the south. Within our designated area there are some of the county's premier birding sites, both coastal and inland, together with acres of under-watched or undiscovered habitats which have hosted over 350 species!
With around 450 members, our aim is to bring together people with a love and concern for birds in our area, to share knowledge and information, encourage participation in exploring our rich wildlife heritage and promote awareness of our threatened natural environment. We strive to be a sociable, inclusive and informative club which plays a vital role in the local birding community.
Club membership is currently just £12 per annum per household or £15 with a copy the club’s Bird Report from the previous year included.
If you have a love of birds, come and give us a try - we'd love to meet you!
Contact Carol on nenbc@aol.co.uk
Upcoming Events
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International Dawn Chorus Day Outdoor Event
DateLocationEverywhere!DATE: Sunday 5th May 2024
TIME: Around dawn!We are hoping that many of you will join us in this “worldwide celebration of nature's greatest symphony” [The Wildlife Trusts]. Dawn Chorus Day grew from humble beginnings in Birmingham in the 1980s to a worldwide event encompassing over 80 countries.So, why not embrace the dawn at first light on the 1st weekend in May and take the time to really appreciate what nature has to offer? We are asking all NENBC members to make a special effort to log their early morning records (including noc-migged) on the club website over the weekend, making sure you slide the ‘SINGING’ option to the right when uploading your records to the website so we know you heard the bird singing.If you can get out in your garden or out for a walk at dawn, please do but, don’t forget, if that is a bit too keen for a weekend, open your window, whether you are town or rurally based, and just listen... -
The Big NENBC Big Sit Outdoor Event
DateLocationFelbrigg ParkDATE: Saturday 11th May 2024TIME: dawn to duskCoinciding with Global Bird Day and World Migratory Bird Day, the aim of the Big Sit is to record as many species as possible from a chosen 17-feet diameter circle in a 24 hour period, though realistically most sites are up and running for a period between dawn and dusk. From doing the Big Sit we hope to gain valuable data about visible migration and the birds in our area. We will be operating from a series of public sites across the club area on a mission to exceed our species totals from previous years so why not come along and share in the fun?DETAILS NEARER THE TIME BUT WE WILL BE CONCENTRATING THE MAJORITY OF OUR EFFORTS AT FELBRIGG PARK THIS YEAR UNLESS WE GET SOME VOLUNTEERS HAPPY TO LEAD SITES ELSEWHERE.As the event coincides with Global Big Day and we hope that if you are birdwatching on this day you additionally log as many of your records as possible on the club website from your walks, your garden potterings or other activities. We will be entering an NENBC 'Team' on the eBird website for Global Big Day with our combined results from the public Big Sit sites and all your records from your walks and home sightings during the day so don't forget to get recording! -
Felbrigg Park Monthly Walk [3rd Wednesday of the month Sep-Jul] Outdoor Event
DateLocationFelbrigg ParkDATE: Wednesday 15th May 2024
TIME: 9.00am to 11:00am
WALK LEADER: Trevor Williams
NO BOOKING REQUIRED: It is always nice to know if you are coming via nenbc@aol.co.uk but by no means essential so if it takes your fancy on the day, please just turn up as we would love to see you!
WALK DESCRIPTION: This walk caters for all levels of birding ability so come and give us a try! We are a friendly bunch and always pleased to have folk join us whether they are NENBC members or not. We take a leisurely walk around the park and lake, route dependent on the local bird and other wildlife recently reported or likely to be present on the day. We regularly see over 40 bird species on an average walk and even on the worst of days more than 30.
MEETING POINT: National Trust Main Car Park, Felbrigg Park [Postcode: NR11 8PP will get you to the main entrance | what3words: denoting.reminds.bags for the car park | Grid Reference: TG197394 for the car park]
PARKING AND SITE INFORMATION: [Website - https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/felbrigg-hall-gardens-and-estate]. Although access to the grounds is free to all and parking is free in the main car park for National Trust [NT] members with their machine-validated membership card, a parking fee is payable via the machines for non-NT members (£5 per vehicle). At time of writing, Sexton’s Lodge car park at the western end of the estate however remains free to all users and you can walk up from there along the internal estate road to our start point (about 10 mins). Do check out the NT website nearer the time though in case of any changes to their arrangements, including the free car parking at the Lodge.
DISTANCE: Approximately 2-mile circular walk
ACCESSIBILITY: The walk is usually ‘off-road’ along dirt footpaths and tracks, across fields, through woods and can include a few stairs by the lake. As such, this event isn’t suitable for wheelchair users but please do contact us on nenbc@aol.co.uk to see which of our events can currently accommodate wheelchair users or could be adapted to do so.
FACILITIES: Toilets and café facilities available at Felbrigg Hall.STAR STATUS: This walk is within the NENBC recording area so any bird species you see or hear can all count towards your personal NENBC Star Badges (Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum awards based on the number of species you have personally seen or heard in the club area and recorded on our website since becoming a member).
GOING GREEN!: If you are able to walk or cycle to the start point from home, that would be fantastic, and as the walk is within the NENBC recording area, all the birds you see or hear can contribute to your personal NENBC Eco-badges (Green or Super-Green)! The Weavers’ Way and many other public footpaths bisect the park, as does the regional cycle route formerly named route 30. Bicycle racks are also available in the main car park. Felbrigg village and Aylmerton are also served by public transport, but buses are not frequent and unfortunately unlikely to fit with walk timings. Alternatively, car-sharing is encouraged. We are working on a way to best facilitate this but in the meantime, have a chat with folks at any of our events and contact them by email via the member page of our website to arrange something for next time.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: Binoculars are always recommended to gain full enjoyment from your birding. We don’t specifically carry a telescope on the walk unless one of our regulars brings theirs as it usually isn’t necessary but if you’d like to use one, please bring one along. Stout footwear is advised as paths may be slippery or muddy any time of year, particularly after rain. Young people aged 16 and 17 are welcome to attend unaccompanied with prior written consent from a parent or guardian who has also supplied a phone number where they can be contacted in an emergency but children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Sorry no dogs except guide dogs. When appropriate for prevailing conditions and preference of participants, please respect social distancing when requested.
Recent sightings
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Common Swift seen at Brampton & Oxnead
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Mallard, Song Thrush, Common Chiffchaff and 3 other species seen at Beeston Common
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Common Wood Pigeon, Woodlark, European Herring Gull and 6 other species seen at Kelling Heath
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Lesser Whitethroat seen at Felbrigg Park & Lake
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Eurasian Oystercatcher, House Sparrow, Common Starling and 5 other species seen at Walcott
