Birding in November: What to See and Where to Go in the UK

Winter arrives properly. Geese and swans are in, thrushes strip the hedges, and the coast still produces late rarities.

Updated 6 October 2026

November birds by habitat

Coast

• Little Auk: after strong northerlies, east coast seawatches at Flamborough, Spurn and north Norfolk can log hundreds in a morning.
• Snow Bunting and Shore Lark: shingle and dunes on the east coast. Holkham Gap in Norfolk is the classic Shore Lark site.
• Purple Sandpiper: back on rocky shores, piers and breakwaters.
• Grey Phalarope: blown inshore by Atlantic gales, sometimes onto inland reservoirs.
• Divers and sea ducks: Red-throated Diver, Common Scoter and Long-tailed Duck settle offshore.

Estuary and marsh

• Pink-footed Geese: numbers peak in north Norfolk (Holkham, Snettisham, Titchwell) and west Lancashire (Martin Mere, Marshside). Skeins of thousands leave the roost at first light.
• Brent Geese: dark-bellied birds on south and east coast estuaries, Essex to Hampshire.
• Short-eared Owl: arrivals from the continent hunt coastal rough grassland in daylight.
• Hen Harrier and Merlin: down from the uplands, hunting low over saltmarsh.
• Waders: Knot and Dunlin flocks are at winter strength. High tide roosts are the time to watch.

Woodland

• Brambling: under beech trees in a good mast year, mixed in with Chaffinches.
• Hawfinch: some autumns bring big influxes (2017 saw thousands). Otherwise stick to regular areas such as the Forest of Dean.
• Woodcock: large numbers arrive from the continent, traditionally around the November full moon. Most are seen when flushed from a woodland floor.
• Siskin and Lesser Redpoll: feeding in alders and birches.

Garden

Redwings and Fieldfares come to hawthorn, holly, rowan and fallen apples, most often on a frosty morning. Blackcaps from central Europe start to appear at feeders. Finch and tit numbers at feeders climb as natural food runs down.

Upland

The hills are quiet. Red Grouse stay, and Ravens are easy to find. On high Scottish tops, Snow Buntings join the Ptarmigan, which are turning white.

What arrives in November

• Whooper Swans: in from Iceland. WWT Martin Mere, Welney and Caerlaverock all run swan feeds.
• Barnacle Geese: the Svalbard population, around 40,000 birds, winters on the Solway. See WWT Caerlaverock.
• Bewick's Swans: now scarce. Slimbridge logged 102 individuals across the whole of winter 2025/26, down from hundreds a night in the 1990s. Any Bewick's is worth a second look.
• Winter thrushes: Redwing and Fieldfare numbers keep rising, with more Blackbirds and Starlings from the continent.
• Waxwing: irruption years only. When the Scandinavian berry crop fails they flood in, often to supermarket car parks with rowan trees. Check county bird news.

More detail in the winter wildfowl guide and the migration guide.

Late rarities and where they turn up

The east coast keeps producing into late November. Pallas's Warbler peaks now: check sheltered sycamores. Desert Wheatear is the classic late vagrant, usually on a beach or sea wall. Dusky Warblers and late Yellow-browed Warblers linger, and Pallid Swift is the swift to think of after southerly winds. Spurn, Flamborough, the Norfolk coast and Shetland are the places. Background in our rare birds guide.

10 target species for November

1. Pink-footed Goose: a dawn flight in Norfolk or Lancashire.
2. Whooper Swan: a WWT swan feed.
3. Barnacle Goose: the Solway.
4. Short-eared Owl: coastal grassland, last two hours of light.
5. Hen Harrier: a ringtail over saltmarsh.
6. Fieldfare: berry hedges and orchards.
7. Brambling: beech woods.
8. Snow Bunting: east coast shingle.
9. Little Auk: a seawatch after a northerly.
10. Starling: a murmuration. RSPB Ham Wall on the Somerset Levels and Brighton Palace Pier are two of the best. Arrive 45 minutes before sunset.

In the garden this month

• Feeders back on. The RSPB's 2026 advice pauses seed and peanuts from 1 May to 31 October to slow finch disease. From 1 November the full menu is back: sunflower hearts, peanuts, nyjer and suet. See the bird food guide.
• Use hanging feeders, not tables. Flat surfaces spread disease. Clean feeders weekly. Picks in the feeder guide.
• Water daily. Break the ice and refill. A bird bath gets heavy use in frost.
• Leave ivy and berries. Ivy berries ripen late and feed thrushes and Blackcaps into the new year.
• Put up nest boxes. Tits and Wrens roost in them on cold nights. See nest boxes.

Where to go in November

• North Norfolk: geese at dawn, RSPB Titchwell Marsh for waders and wildfowl, Holkham for Shore Lark and Snow Bunting.
• The Solway: WWT Caerlaverock for Barnacle Geese, Whoopers and hunting Hen Harriers.
• West Lancashire: Martin Mere and Marshside for Pink-feet and Whoopers, then RSPB Leighton Moss. See the North West guide.
• The Severn: WWT Slimbridge for White-fronted Geese and the first Bewick's.
• East coast headlands: Spurn and Flamborough for late migrants and Little Auks. See the Yorkshire guide.
• Somerset Levels: RSPB Ham Wall for the murmuration, plus Bittern and Great White Egret.

November tips

• Watch for northerlies. A strong northerly blow is your cue to seawatch on the east coast.
• Bird flu. Winter is peak season for avian influenza in wild birds. Don't touch dead or sick birds. Report dead wild waterbirds, gulls or birds of prey to Defra online or on 03459 33 55 77.
• Short days. Plan the day around high tide and the dusk roost. You have about 9 hours of light.