The Birds of Blakeney Point

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Few places in Britain, or indeed anywhere, have as long an ornithological history as Blakeney Point. The Point has always been known for its colony of Common Terns but was `discovered' in the 1880s as a haunt of autumn Bluethroats and subsequently acquired a reputation as a rich hunting ground for bird collectors. Early rarity credits from this era include the first British Pallas's Warbler and Yellow-breasted Bunting and the first English Arctic Warbler.

The tern colonies and breeding waders have always been of national importance and benefited from some of the country's earliest and most enlightened conservation efforts, continued today through the work of the National Trust.

Between the 1950s and the 1970s Blakeney Point was renowned as a place to observe `falls' of continental migrants and was at the forefront of the bird observatory movement. Today the Point continues to cast its spell, with such exciting birds as Snowy Owl and Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler now added to its growing list.

This book attempts to bring together for the first time a complete account of Blakeney Point's long history of birds. It includes a description of its topography and wider natural history, a history of its ornithology, an account of migration and the influence of weather through the year, an overview of its breeding birds, tales of some `great days' and a full Systematic List.