North Norfolk Winter geese

It's well known that Brancaster Staithe on the North Norfolk coast is a great place for a visit or a holiday during the summer months, but it's not so well known what a wonderful place it is during the winter.

From November onwards, huge flocks of pink-foot geese often numbering more than 40,000 arrive in North Norfolk from their breeding ground in Iceland and stay until February.

Settling every evening on the Brancaster to Wells marshes overnight, they can be seen every morning and evening in flight on their way to and from the local sugar beet fields where they feed.

Canadian geese are another visitor to North Norfolk, although not in the same numbers as the pink-foot they can be seen and heard in large flocks daily heading inland from the marshes

Canadian geese with their large brood. They are so cute, hard to believe that soon they will be the same size as mum and dad.

Pink-feet geese in flight

Known as the Snettisham Extravaganzer, this amazing spectacle is a must-see from February onwards. The best times to see are advertised on the RSPB website. rspb.org.uk. More than just geese to be seen here, the extraverganzer includes many more bird species. Usually an early start around 6-30am, but well worth it.