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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 prosnik and rumeni strnad in the dunes, alongside the usual common garden birds. Raptors frequent the fields inland of the dunes system including rjavi lunj and navadna postovka.
In the winter, a sea-watch may reveal large numbers of rdečegrli slapnik as well as crna raca and flocks of passing grivasta gos. You may be lucky and encounter a močvirska uharica or pepelasti lunj hunting the dunes. The large Grey Seal colony here attracts gulls, and alongside the expected srebrni galeb and veliki galeb groups, you may be lucky and find a rumenonogi galeb or even polarni galeb or ledni galeb! Expect to see waders like kamenjar and peščenec on the beach. The rocky groynes may hold morski prodnik also. Look out for snežni strnad on the beach too!
Spring passage can be hit a miss in east Norfolk, but you would normally expect to see a šmarnica and a few kupcar to get the season going (from March onwards). Following this will be črnoglavka, vrbji kova ek, severni kovaček, severni kovaček and more. In April onwards, there may be komatar, črnoglavi muhar and pogorelček 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 rjavi srakoper, močvirska trstnica, modra taščica, rumeni vrtnik, rožnati škorec and even čebelar!
Summer still offers migration opportunites, as the waders continue to move throughout July and August. There is a colony of mala čigra on the beach some years, but view them from a respectable distance. It is not impossible to find a črna čigra or even a rožnata čigra 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 vijeglavka, rumeni vrtnik or zelena listnica. A good passage of črnoglavi muhar is expected, along with smaller numbers of pogorelček. As the autumn progresses (September to November), the opportunities to find mušja listnica, kraljičica, pisana penica, mali muhar and other seasonal delights increases, especially after easterly winds. Common migrants will also be flooding back in like vinski drozg, rumenoglavi kraljicek, ščinkavec and sloka.
Sea-watching here is best in northerly or easterly winds, and these can bring strmoglavec, triprsti galeb and crna raca 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 ploskokljuni liskonožec, viharni strakoš and large numbers of mali galeb. 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.