The Birds of Norsey Wood Nature Reserve

The Wood provides a variety of habitats for birds and excellent opportunities for birdwatching. A total of 87 species has been recorded in, over or around the edges of the Wood, though a few of these are no longer seen due to changes in national distribution and others only appear occasionally. This link will take you to the full list which includes details of the status and abundance of all the species.

As you walk round the Wood, you will soon see many common birds such as robins, tits, blackbirds and woodpigeons that you may already be familiar with as garden birds. A little patience will soon reveal some of the woodland specialists and the article accessed from the following links will give you an appreciation of what can be seen and heard during Autumn-Winter or Spring-Summer. 
The photographs below introduce a few of the species that you may see.

Both the RSPB (www.rspb.org.uk) and the BTO (www.bto.org) have areas within their websites to aid bird identification. Also, there are now various apps for smart phones to use in the field.
  • Blue Tit bird

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    Blue Tit – Smaller than the Great Tit and less strikingly coloured with a blue cap. Shares much of the same habitat, and has a longer triller call. 

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    Blackcap - Our most abundant warbler in the wood and very apparent in spring with its forceful and rapid but melodic song. Up to 20 singing males are usually present. Photo by Bill Moss.

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  • Tawny Owl

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    Tawny Owl – Rarely seen, but can be heard from dusk. The territorial Male will usually hoot and the female may respond with a sharper kee-wick call.

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  • Treecreeper

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    Treecreeper - Nests behind flaking bark. It climbs up a tree trunk and then flies down to the bottom of another tree, whereupon the process begins again.

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    Nuthatch - nests in old woodpecker holes and reduces the entrance diameter by building a ring of mud. The nuthatch can proceed both up and down the tree trunk. Photo by Bill Moss.

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  • Wren bird

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    Wren – Britain’s shortest bird that spends most of its time down in the undergrowth where it will give short one note calls when alarmed.

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    Great Spotted Woodpecker - In spring, up to 10 males can be heard calling and drumming in the wood. This is both courtship and territorial behaviour. Photo by Bill Moss

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  • Robin bird

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    Robin – Instantly recognisable with its orangey/red breast. A territorial, but equally inquisitive, even tame bird. Often heard defending its territory or to attract a mate.

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  • Jay

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    Jay - A colourful member of the crow family and partial to a diet of bird nestlings in spring. Buries acorns in the autumn in readiness for winter. Photo by Bill Moss.

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  • Long tailed tit

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    Long Tailed Tit – A social pink, black and white bird spending much of its time in family groups up in the canopy especially in Winter. Has a high pitched call.

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  • Song Thrush

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    Song Thrush - Song, a shrill cascade of notes followed by 2 to 4 repetitive phrases, sometimes mimicking other birds. Uses a stone to extract snails from their shells. Photo by Bill Moss.

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  • Kestrel hovering

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    Kestrel – can be seen quartering over the open spaces of coppiced areas and also perched on one of the solitary trees surveying the open ground below.

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  • Magpie flying

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    Magpie – Unmistakeable member of the Crow family; its harsh chattering call will probably give it away if it can’t be seen.

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  • Great Tit bird

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    Great Tit – Our largest member of the Tit family, and probably the most distinctively coloured. Listen out for its two note “Teacher Teacher” call.

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  • Dunnock or hedge sparrow

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    Dunnock or Hedge Sparrow – A shy bird that skulks around on the ground in low vegetation, making it difficult to observe. It isn’t actually a Sparrow but an Accentor.

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  • House Sparrow

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    House Sparrow – A streaky brown bird with grey cap is very gregarious and noisy and can be seen often in groups almost anywhere often with other species. 

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The Collins ‘Bird Guide’ publication is the accepted ‘Bible’ for bird identification but there are many other equally informative publications out there for the beginner to the initiated.


Songbirds – Exploring the Mysteries of Moult ~ Follow the link below for an overview of a very complex subject. A subject that fosters scientific papers bedecked with bar and pie charts but are avoided here. It is also a subject that is fraught with ‘except for the exceptions’! Aspects of the natural world often refuse to be neatly pigeonholed. Link to Overview.


For bird call identification there are CD's and MP3 players produced for studying in the home and for comparison of calls in the field respectively. Caution:- Luring birds in by these devices is not advised, especially in the breeding season, as the bird’s breeding cycle can be disrupted.


If you see birds which are listed as uncommon or rare, please let Basildon council's biodiversity officer know.