Spring Tides & Barn Owls
Spring Tides & Barn Owls
Norfolk Spring Tides And Barn Owls
Norfolk’s Spring Tides are one event that is truly amazing to watch and capture with your camera. With its customary mix of dramatic weather conditions and amazing ariel displays as thousands of waders, twist and turn as the incoming sea covers the land forcing them into the air.
The effect this gives is amazing, one minute it’s a wall of dark and then the next a wall of white, twisting, turning like a massive fish out of the water. When the sea comes in and covers the whole area forcing the birds closer to shore, they gather together for protection and by doing so form stunning shapes and patterns.
These happen 2-3 times a month throughout the autumn and winter months. These spring tides are the biggest and best tides for witnessing the thousands of birds roosting on the mudflats, being pushed closer to shore. Sights and sounds of nature that are amazing and never forgotten so I’m really looking forward to these days and capturing a different take on this breathtaking event in nature.
The birds fly around, forming vast flocks, twisting and turning, all in perfect harmony with each other, creating a smooth fluid movement, which is breathtaking to watch. Anyone who witnesses this does so in sheer amazement that something so beautiful happens on our own shorelines during the year.
Once the sea has consumed all the land the birds fly around in an almost panic state before settling into the pools or pits as they are better known in front of the hides there. These offer them a safe place to roost in, rest and relax until the spring tide starts to retreat, exposing the vast areas of mudflats, where the sea has replenished the whole area with food brought in by the incoming tides.
Its then you get to see their numbers and sheer power, feeling the force as they take off from these pools, the noise is amazing and the sheer power of one of nature’s most amazing spectacles has to be seen to believe.
Once the sea starts to retreat the birds then go back out and feed on the replenished mudflats this area is famous for and the sole reason these waders spend their time here. I’ve been running these trips now for many years having first visited this area as a young child.
We spend the morning from just before dawn watching this amazing spectacular in nature ,then the rest of the day we photograph Barn Owls, Waders and the other wildlife that lives in the area of the UK and finish at dusk. You can see some of the many images I've captured during my many trips to Norfolk either with clients or alone. Click here to be taken to my Youtube page and my Spring Tides slideshow.
Gliding effortless over the farmland, always scanning the ground below. Amazing birds that have captivated me from childhood with their sudden appearance, gaining eye contact with you for a split second then disappearing as quick as they arrived. They truly are the masters of this habitat, never failing to get your heart rate racing once they appear and go about the job they were so well equipped to do.
Barn Owls have amazing me since childhood and I know many good places to see and photograph this owl in Norfolk. Click here to see a slideshow of years of work. A lot of these images where taken in Norfolk.
I will be running these days each month, passing on my expert knowledge of this area and this amazing event in nature’s calendar and also my true and real passion for Barn Owls. If you’d like to join me or find out more information on these days then send me an email. To book just fill in the booking form at the base of this page.
I will go through the correct camera settings, simplifying anything that you don’t understand. I will also show you important tracking tips that you can take away with you and implement yourself, improving and increasing your overall photographic opportunities and in turn images. The day will last from dawn till dusk.
I will show you the fieldcraft skills I use myself which in turn will help you in your own photography. Examples of what I will show you can be seen by clicking here from a recent article I had published.
Fitness Level
Most places will involve walking so a good all round level of fitness would be ideal.
Recommended Kit
You will need to provide your own photographic equipment. A 500mm lens is absolutely ideal, but a 300mm with convertors will be fine a wide-angle lens is a must also for the Landscape opportunities, and a stable tripod too
Additional Information
Norfolk’s weather can change and some of our locations are fairly exposed so appropriate clothing and footwear will be necessary. Waterproofs and camouflaged/muted coloured clothing is a must due to the fieldcraft skills I will teach you to help you enjoy and get the most out of your day. Waterproof housing and lens covers are also essential to protect your equipment.
Group Size
1-4 maximum
Dates
Email for dates
Costs
£350.00 per day, per participant – 1 to 1 ratio
£200.00 per day, per participant – 1 to 2 ratio
£150.00 per day, per participant - 1 to 3 ratio
All dates are flexible, should the dates stated not suit you then please email me with your alternative date(s)
Discounted rates for groups of up to four participants are available, email me for more details.