Abstract

After an absence of more than 300 years, the Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia returned as a breeding species to Norfolk in 2010 when six pairs nested in Decoy Wood at Holkham NNR. By 2020, the colony had grown to 28 pairs and, between 2010 and 2020, a total of 345 young have successfully fledged from Decoy Wood. In part 1 of this two-part paper, the establishment of the Holkham colony and the nesting behaviour of pairs at the colony are presented, including observations of nest-building, incubation, care of the young and fledging. Part 2, to be published in a future issue, focuses on the social behaviour and interactions of Spoonbills at the Holkham colony.