The Cambridge Dictionary gives the meaning of the word “spectacular” as “an event or performance that is very exciting to watch and involves a lot of people”. Whilst a wader spectacular is one of natures marvels, it still classes as such because it is exciting to watch. The only difference is that it involved many, many thousands of birds and only a few hundred people.

With this in mind, myself and a couple of photography friends recently headed to the RSPB reserve at Snettisham, on the north west Norfolk coast to view and hopefully photograph the latest wader spectacular. The reserve is on the eastern side of The Wash, and when the tide is out it consists of vast mud flats, lagoons of brackish water, and salt marsh. All through the year many thousands of wading birds gather on the mud flats to feed and roost overnight. Occasionally, exceptionally high tides cover the mud flats that the birds settle on and drive them into the air. Vast numbers of Knot, Dunlin and Oystercatchers are forced on to the spits of land behind the narrow beach in mass waves known as a murmuration. It is an awesome sight as the flocks appear to shapeshift into various forms and then settle again, only to be forced airborne as the tide covers their feeding ground.

I have witnessed this before on an early morning trip in early September 2023. This visit was an early evening occasion, the high tide co-inciding with the sunset, and was equally as breathtaking.

The event does attract spectators but there are far more birds than humans!

Top: My friend Alan gets down low; Centre and bottom: The “crowds“

The wonders of nature. Before the spectacular there was just time for bit of landscape photography!

Colour and mono view of the Wash mudflats.

An old jetty, long since derelict

And now to the birds. Flocks of Knot, Dunlin, Oystercatchers and gulls of varying varieties took to the skies against a rapidly incoming tide before settling back on the marsh. After a few minutes they are forced”to go again as the tide encroaches, providing the “spectacular”.

Shape-shifting flocks of birds as the tide rolls in

More birds feeding on worms on the mudflats

I’m pretty sure that these are Oystercatchers

Airborne waves close to sunset

Sunset – at the end of a great day.