COVER Birdwatching beauties
here’s so much T wildlife to see in Britain even in the depths of winter, you just need to know where to look! Listening to birdsong is great for our wellbeing too, which is so important at this time of year with daylight in short supply.
We’ve asked the Editor of Bird Watching magazine, Matthew Merritt, to share his six favourite locations that avid twitchers and first-time birders alike can visit to witness some wonderful sightings this season.
With unspoilt woodland, heathland and river valleys, this beautiful national park in the south of England boasts an abundance of wildlife at any time of year.
Look for Great Spotted and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers – both have prominent red markings (either on their crown or tail). Another fiery little bird is the orange and brown hawfinch that hops over the North Sea from Scandinavia. Overhead, you’ll see
Sparrowhawks and Goshawks on the lookout for their next meal. More birds can be found in the open areas of frosty heathland, as well as areas of evergreen gorse shrubs – which New Forest ponies are very partial to grazing on.
Holkham National Nature Reserve,
The beautiful and unspoilt North Norfolk coastline forms part of one of the largest coastal nature reserves in England and Wales. Designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Area (SPA), it’s famous for rare and unusual birds.
The Holkham reserve encompasses dunes, saltmarshes, sand flats, mudflats, grazing marsh and pine woods, which attract a wide variety of migratory and nesting birds. Barn Owls can often be seen swooping along here in broad daylight. At sunset, the V-shaped flock formation of pink-footed and Brent geese flying into roost for the night is a truly spectacular sight. For the best chance of spotting birds, keep an eye on the reedbeds and the beach.
Sea and sky: North Norfolk’s Holkham reserve attracts many rare birds
These pink-footed geese breed in the far north but come to the UK in winter