TUFTED DUCK

This is a diving duck which often visits lakes in towns, as well as reservoirs and estuaries. Males are black-and-white while females are dark chocolate brown – both sport a droopy crest at the backs of their heads. Tufted ducks are expert divers – in clear water you can see them swimming underwater with powerful kicks of their large webbed feet.

The British Isles is blessed with a coastline of almost 20,000 miles making it very important worldwide for coastal wildlife.

We are lucky to have some of the world’s largest colonies of nesting seabirds in summer, as well as great gatherings of shorebirds in winter.

Our rivers, lakes and marshes are also home to a wonderful diversity of birdlife.

The wetlands of Norfolk, Suffolk and Somerset for example provide some of the most ideal habitats for birds in the world.

But birdwatching in wetland and coastal areas can be tricky, as the birds can be quite distant and the terrain is quite exposed.

Invest in a decent pair of binoculars, and visit RSPB reserves with purpose-built hides that enable you to enjoy closer views without disturbance.

A visit to the Farne Islands, which lie just off the north Northumberland shore or RSPB Bempton Cliffs on the Yorkshire coast.

Overlooking the North Sea, it is home to one of the UK’s top wildlife spectacles, the best mainland sea colony with visitor facilities and six safe cliff-edge viewing platforms giving stunning close-up views of life on the edge.