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Description
Winterton Dunes is an extensive coastal acidic heathland featuring a variety of scrubs and trees spread throughout. For birders, the site is a fantastic place to find rare and scarce migrant birds, as well as enjoy some of the spectacular wildlife of the east Norfolk coast. It can be hard work at times, but persistance pays off at this site. Throughout the year, you could find mustapäätasku and keltasirkku in the dunes, alongside the usual common garden birds. Raptors frequent the fields inland of the dunes system including ruskosuohaukka and tuulihaukka.
In the winter, a sea-watch may reveal large numbers of kaakkuri as well as mustalintu and flocks of passing sepelhanhi. You may be lucky and encounter a suopöllö or sinisuohaukka hunting the dunes. The large Grey Seal colony here attracts gulls, and alongside the expected harmaalokki and merilokki groups, you may be lucky and find a aroharmaalokki or even grönlanninlokki or isolokki! Expect to see waders like karikukko and pulmussirri on the beach. The rocky groynes may hold merisirri also. Look out for pulmunen on the beach too!
Spring passage can be hit a miss in east Norfolk, but you would normally expect to see a mustaleppälintu and a few kivitasku to get the season going (from March onwards). Following this will be mustapääkerttu, tiltaltti, pajulintu, pajulintu and more. In April onwards, there may be sepelrastas, kirjosieppo and leppälintu to be found. Following a good spell of easterly winds, you may be on for something rarer. Typcial spring scarcities (typcially May and June) might include pikkulepinkäinen, luhtakerttunen, sinirinta, kultarinta, punakottarainen and even mehiläissyöjä!
Summer still offers migration opportunites, as the waders continue to move throughout July and August. There is a colony of pikkutiira on the beach some years, but view them from a respectable distance. It is not impossible to find a mustatiira or even a ruusutiira in the colony if you scan the colony carefully.
Autumn passage can be excellent here, and in the early part of the season (August to September), you might be lucky and find the likes of käenpiika, kultarinta or idänuunilintu. A good passage of kirjosieppo is expected, along with smaller numbers of leppälintu. As the autumn progresses (September to November), the opportunities to find taigauunilintu, hippiäisuunilintu, kirjokerttu, pikkusieppo and other seasonal delights increases, especially after easterly winds. Common migrants will also be flooding back in like punakylkirastas, hippiäinen, peippo and lehtokurppa.
Sea-watching here is best in northerly or easterly winds, and these can bring suula, pikkukajava and mustalintu closer in shore. An experienced sea-watcher may be able to find divers, grebes, auks and up to four species of Skua! Stormy conditions in late autumn can bring isovesipääsky, myrskykeiju and large numbers of pikkulokki. You never know what you might see, so always worth bringing a scope.
Details
Access
Park in the beach car park at Winterton Village, and you can easily explore the dunes from here.
Terrain and Habitat
Sea , Dunes , Scattered trees and bushes , Moors/heathlandConditions
Flat , Dry , Open landscape , DustyCircular trail
YesIs a telescope useful?
Can be usefulGood birding season
All year roundBest time to visit
Spring migration , Autumn migrationRoute
Wide pathDifficulty walking trail
Average walkAccessible by
FootBirdwatching hide / platform
NoExtra info
This site is a popular dog walking area, and also experiences high numbers of beach-goers in the summer. You can get away from the crowds by heading further away from the village itself.