Snettisham Nature Reserve

Snettisham lies on the edge of The Wash, the most important estuary for birds in the UK. In winter, The Wash supports more than 300,000 birds, and Snettisham sometimes holds more than a third of them.

Seven species are found at Snettisham in internationally important numbers: the grey plover, knot, bar-tailed godwit, black-tailed godwit, sanderling, pink-footed goose and shelduck.

The main habitats at Snettisham are shingle beach, brackish lagoon, intertidal mudflat and saltmarsh. The shingle beach is home to several rare plants and invertebrates, and is used for nesting by ringed plovers and oystercatchers.

The lagoons were created by shingle extraction for concrete, and now support many rare invertebrates as well as being valuable for birds. The mudflats and the saltmarsh are used for feeding and roosting by tens of thousands of birds throughout the year, with the largest numbers present between autumn and spring.

Most of the birds that use Snettisham are here for only part of the year. However, a few species are present all the time. Perhaps the most exciting of these is the barn owl, which you may see hunting over the fields and saltmarsh at dawn and dusk. Please read the important information below about visiting the reserve.

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Birds you might see at Snettisham nature reserve:

Visiting Snettisham Nature Reserve

Snettisham is open at all times and entry and car parking is free. The car park has a height restriction of 2.2m. There is limited parking available outside the barrier.

The best times to visit Snettisham are when very high tides force birds to leave the mudflats and settle close to the hides. Click here for Tide Tables

Please do not walk on the beach between early April and mid-July. Ringed plovers and oystercatchers nest there at this time of year; their eggs are camouflaged and very hard to see.

The Rotary and Shire Hides are linked by a concrete path suitable for wheelchairs. Less able-bodied visitors may drive close to the Rotary Hide, but must contact the reserve office for a permit first.

Directions

The reserve is clearly signposted down Beach Road from the A149 Snettisham and Dersingham bypass. Continue down Beach Road for about 1 mile (1.6 km), and the reserve is signposted on your left.

Contact

Tel: 01485 542689

email: snettisham@rspb.org.uk

web: www.rspb.org.uk  - Snettisham Nature Reserve

Safety

Please check the weather forecast before your visit and dress accordingly. The reserve paths may be slippery or uneven in places, so please wear strong shoes or boots with good grip.

Please do not venture into the lagoons, mudflats or saltmarsh.

See also Titchwell Marsh Nature Reserve