North Norfolk Coast SPA

Natural England’s Norfolk and Suffolk Team looks after the North Norfolk Coast SPA.

We will work closely with landowners and partners who manage this area to develop shared outcomes that maintain and enhance this dynamic protected landscape and the wildlife it supports.

Part of this work requires the monitoring and condition assessment of protected sites.

Low tide surveys give information on the distribution and numbers of over-wintering waterbird populations when they are feeding during low tide.

They supplement the high tide roost information collected by the Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS).

A national programme for low tide surveys exist which is undertaken by the volunteer counters of the Wetland Birds Survey (WeBS).

However there are a few locations, such as the North Norfolk Coast, which are not covered by this programme.

These are typically large embayments with large expanses of intertidal mud and sand flats which present particular health and safety problems.

The surveys at these sites need to be undertaken by professional surveyors who have expert local knowledge and appropriate equipment and back-up (e.g. boat support), rather than volunteers.