Wading Birds Take Off To Beat The Tide Creating The Snettisham Spectacular

SNETTISHAM, NORFOLK - FEBRUARY 12: Birdwatchers line the shore as thousands of wading birds including predominantly knot, oystercatcher, redshank and curlew murmurate leave the wash at high tide to head to rest on a lagoon during the 'Snettisham Spectacular' on February 12, 2024 in Snettisham, Norfolk. The so called 'Snettisham Spectacular' is a time when particularly high tides push the many wading birds off their feeding ground on the Wash to a lagoon, where they wait for the receding tide to continue feeding. The reserve lies on the edge of 'The Wash', one of the most important bird estuaries in the UK, supporting over 300,000 birds. A few times every year higher than average tides force thousands of waders including knot, oystercatchers, sanderlings, black and bar tailed godwit and plover to take flight, and advance up the mud flats in search of food. The event is one of the most incredible wildlife spectacles in the UK. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)