Norfolk is a vital breeding haven for a threatened wader, the first-ever full survey into their numbers has revealed.

Researchers from the RSPB found 597 pairs of breeding redshanks on salt marshes between Hunstanton and Weybourne, in what they say is the most complete survey to be carried out in the area about the wading bird.

It means that for the very first-time conservationists can demonstrate just how important the salt marshes in North Norfolk are for the species.

Redshank numbers fell by 49pc between 1995 and 2020 due to habitat loss and climate change.

North Norfolk holds 3pc of the UK’s population of breeding redshank, making it a major breeding site in the UK. 

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The RSPB says the species is a "canary in the coal mine" for marshes, whose decline is an early warning sign that vital tidal wetlands are deteriorating under the impacts of sea level rise and development. 

Audrey Jost, the RSPB's coastal species and habitats officer, said: "We’ve always thought saltmarsh is the most important habitat for redshank but even we have been astonished by just how important these squelchy landscapes are for them. 

"Understanding where the populations of redshanks are doing well and not so well across the country is the first step to working out how we can protect them for years to come."

Ed Tooth, the RSPB's conservation officer for The Wash and north Norfolk Coast, said: "These results tell us just how important this area of saltmarsh along the North Norfolk coast is for redshanks and other wading birds such as oystercatchers."

Redshank are known as the sentinel of the marshes because they call loudly when disturbed.

To count them, scientists ventured out onto the mud in pairs at low tide.

"You must be alert and focussed, keeping track of birds that fly from one spot to another and making sure you don’t count the same bird twice," added Mr Tooth.