Five birds to spot in and around Norwich in February

Here are five birds you may spot this month.
 

1. Goldcrests

You may have heard the high-pitched song of Britain’s smallest bird while out on a walk somewhere in Norwich, such as the Marriott's Way. 

Olive-green with a pale belly, Goldcrests have a noticeable bright stripe across the tops of their heads, which is orange in males and yellow in females.

Spotting this tiny bird can be difficult as they rarely keep still. You can usually find them scampering around leaves and branches looking for insects to eat, especially on spruce, pine and fir trees. 

Goldcrests have a noticeable bright stripe across the tops of their heads (Image: Edmund Mackrill)

2. Waxwings

These peach-coloured, starling-sized birds are easily recognisable due to their black mask, pink crest and the yellow trim across the end of their tail. 

Winter visitors from October to April, their arrival is never certain. Some years only a handful of birds may arrive from northern Europe, and in others there can be flocks of hundreds.

This year is known as a ‘waxwing winter’, and in the last few days there have been sightings of flocks around Norwich in areas such as the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, Norwich Research Park and Cringleford Recreation Ground. 

They can often be found in car parks and urban areas where ornamental trees have been planted, feasting on berries.

Waxwings can often be found in car parks and urban areas where ornamental trees with berries have been planted (Image: Edmund Mackrill)

3. Grey Herons 

Known locally as the ‘harnser’, it is quite common to see a solitary Grey Heron along the broads and rivers in and around Norwich. From February, this changes as they join communal nesting sites known as heronries to lay their eggs. 

Good places to spot herons are Whitlingham Broad, RSPB Strumpshaw Fen and the the UEA Broad.

A Grey Heron eating a vole (Image: Edmund Mackrill)

4. Redwings

Named for the small orange-red patches underneath their wings, Redwings migrate from Scandinavia to spend their winter in the UK from October to April. 

Social birds who are often found in flocks, you might spot a Redwing as it searches for the seasonal berries that grow on hawthorn and rowan trees. You may also spot one in your garden if you leave mealworms out on your bird feeder. 

You might spot a Redwing as it searches for berries to eat on hawthorn and rowan trees (Image: Edmund Mackrill)

5. Kingfishers

The Yare, Wensum and the Broads are all home to these bright blue and orange birds. If you’re lucky you can spot one perching patiently on a low-hanging branch by a river, or other times as a blue blur flying across the water. 

Kingfishers start their courtship around this time of year, in February and March.

A good place to spot one in the city is from the bridge in Anderson’s Meadow. The time they tend to be most active is at dawn. 

Kingfishers tend to be most active at dawn (Image: Edmund Mackrill)