Birdwatching on the North Norfolk coast
The next open window for birdwatching is Sat 5 Sept at Hunstanton, from about 10:01 ±40 min.
Two of this coast’s best-known bird spectacles are timed by the tide, not the calendar.
- The window falls in daylight
Sat 5 Sept · outlook — conditions less certain this far out
Sun 6 Sept · outlook — conditions less certain this far out
Mon 7 Sept · outlook — conditions less certain this far out
Only 6 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
SSE force 4outlook
Only 4 hr 57 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
W force 4outlook
Tue 8 Sept · outlook — conditions less certain this far out
Only 1 hr 27 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Only 3 hr 45 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Only 52 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Only 3 hr 21 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Wed 9 Sept · outlook — conditions less certain this far out
Only 2 hr 28 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Only 2 hr 52 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Only 1 hr 52 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Only 2 hr 27 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Thu 10 Sept · outlook — conditions less certain this far out
Only 3 hr 16 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Only 2 hr 6 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Only 2 hr 41 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Only 1 hr 41 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Only 47 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Only 3 hr 5 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Fri 11 Sept · outlook — conditions less certain this far out
Only 3 hr 58 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Only 1 hr 24 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Only 3 hr 23 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Only 59 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Only 1 hr 29 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Only 2 hr 23 min of this tide falls in daylight — the window itself runs on past it.
Always use your judgement about your own competence, the on-the-day conditions and the type of vessel or activity you intend to take out before embarking on your trip. This website offers some indications but must not be used for navigation or making a decision that could put yourself or others in peril.
Where these windows come from
Every window above was published by somebody else. We put it next to the tide and the forecast; we did not decide it. If you are hiring, the people you hire from will know the day’s conditions better than any forecast does.
- Blakeney
- the Blakeney Harbour Association — “shoal-draft boats reach the harbour about an hour either side of high water on springs”
- Blakeney Point is a nationally important tern colony from April to August (little, common, Arctic and Sandwich terns) — National Trust, “Our work at Blakeney”. Around 20% of the UK’s Sandwich tern population and 18% of its Little tern population attempt to breed there.
- The boats go for the seals as much as the terns — check with the operator that a trip is running and what it covers on the day.
- Morston
- the Blakeney Harbour Association — “about two hours either side of high water, for shoal-draft boats”
- Blakeney Point is a nationally important tern colony from April to August (little, common, Arctic and Sandwich terns) — National Trust, “Our work at Blakeney”. Around 20% of the UK’s Sandwich tern population and 18% of its Little tern population attempt to breed there.
- Departure times are set by the operators and move with the tide every day. Beans Boats ask you to arrive 30 minutes before your slot.
- 🔴 Always check with the operator before travelling — the same boats run seal trips, and whether terns are shown on a given crossing is the operator’s call, not this page’s.
- Hunstanton
- RSPB Snettisham — “leave the car park to walk to the Wader Watch about two hours before high tide” · source
- 🔴 This is Hunstanton’s high water, used as the nearest port this site predicts — not a measured time for Snettisham itself, which is about 6 miles south. Treat it as a rough guide.
- RSPB say exact timing “can’t be predicted”: a strong north-easterly speeds the tide and can bring the spectacle on early; an offshore wind delays it.
- Best on the biggest spring tides, mainly autumn and winter — check RSPB’s own site nearer the day for dates and conditions.
About the wind figures
The wind here is a forecast for ten metres above the ground, on a grid whose cells are wider than the gaps between these places — so neighbouring locations often share one figure. It is not a measurement at the water’s edge, and it knows nothing about shelter behind the dunes or how much harder it blows further out.
Tide table generated 5 September 2026.