United Kingdom Birding Tour: England in Spring

This small-group birding tour of eastern England starts in the south in the capital London, then travels north via some of the best birdwatching areas of the UK, such as Norfolk and North Yorkshire, until we get to beautiful Northumberland just south of the Scottish border. From here, it is a short journey to Edinburgh in southern Scotland, from where you can either join our Scottish birding tour or fly home. Spring is the best time to look for European breeding birds in England, and our tour is timed during the peak of the spring migration and when breeding will be well underway.

Atlantic Puffin is one of our spectacular targets on this trip.

Some of the key targets on this England in spring tour include the UK endemic Red Grouse, getting amazing close views of seabirds like the charismatic Atlantic Puffin, and seeing iconic species such as Black Grouse, European Nightjar, Eurasian Stone-curlew, Pied Avocet, Common Kingfisher, European Robin, Common Nightingale, and Bearded Reedling (Bearded Tit). During this tour we will look for a number of scarce, or very local breeding species in England like Garganey, Common Crane, Eurasian Woodcock, Purple Sandpiper, Little Tern, Mediterranean Gull, Eurasian Spoonbill, Red Kite, Short-eared Owl, and Eurasian Hobby. While traveling through eastern England, we will enjoy repeat views of many resident and common bird species (which are spectacular to the visiting birdwatcher or bird photographer), such as Common Wood Pigeon, Northern Lapwing, European Green Woodpecker, Eurasian Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits, European Nuthatch, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, and Yellowhammer. We have put together a detailed  “Common Birds of the UK” blog series presenting a photographic look at the common garden, farmland and woodland, and wetland and coastal birds of the United Kingdom, many of these species are possible on this tour. These common resident species will also add great value to our tour and are sure to delight.

Eurasian Blue Tit, gorgeous and abundant in the United Kingdom.

England is home to a number of brilliant nature reserves that offer easy access to the country’s wildlife, and we make use of these throughout the tour. Starting in Norfolk, we visit excellent wetland and coastal reserves in search of species like Western Marsh Harrier, Red Knot, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Eurasian Bittern, Cetti’s and Dartford Warblers. Traveling inland, we explore the Brecks, a unique region of sandy heath and pine forest that spans parts of Norfolk and Suffolk. Here we will look for Eurasian Stone-curlew, Eurasian Goshawk, Eurasian Hobby, Woodlark, Common Firecrest, and (with luck) Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, among others.

We then travel north to the beautiful Roman city of York, where much of our birding takes place in the grasslands, moorlands, and woodlands of the Vale (a large valley) of York. We will look for the now rare European Turtle Dove, along with Grey Partridge, Willow Tit and Black Grouse, amongst many others. We visit the famous Bempton Cliffs Nature Reserve, part of the dramatic Yorkshire coastline. These towering chalk cliffs are home to thousands of breeding seabirds, including Black-legged Kittiwake, Northern Fulmar, and Northern Gannet. During our time in Yorkshire, we will search for nocturnal species such as European Nightjar and Tawny Owl. We finish the tour in Northumberland with a boat trip to the Farne Islands, where we expect close views of the characterful Atlantic Puffin and many other seabirds, before enjoying some final coastal birding on the way to Edinburgh, Scotland, where the tour ends.

Red Grouse was recently split from the widespread Willow Ptarmigan and is a UK endemic.

As this England bird watching tour will take place during the spring passage period, we could be interrupted by a scarce migrant such as European Bee-eater, Red-backed Shrike, Icterine Warbler, or something altogether much rarer. Spring rarities in the United Kingdom can come from far-flung places such as the United States of America, the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe, or Siberia, so almost any migratory species could be on the cards! This tour can be combined with our Scotland birding tour immediately after this England trip.