Great places to see wildlife in the East of England

In 2001 just 25 seal pups were born on Blakeney Point, now it has the largest grey seal colony in England, with over 3,000 born each winter. The first grey seal pups tend to arrive in November, with the last being born in January. We wonder how many will be born this season?

The best way to see the seal pups at Blakeney Point is to book a trip with one of the local boat operators that leave from Morston Quay. Not only will this cause less disturbance to the colony, but you'll be able to enjoy great views of the seals hauled up along the shoreline.

The Blackwater Estuary is home to a wide range of wildlife. It can be seen as a barren landscape, but look a little closer and you’ll see it’s teeming with life. The most visible presence during the winter months are the thousands of overwintering birds, like Brent geese.

Although we can't guarantee you'll see such a spectacle, in recent years we've witnessed some amazing murmurations at Dunwich Heath; where thousands of starlings gather in the skies above their roosting sites at dusk, in what can only be described as aerial ballet.

Horsey Estate in the Norfolk Broads comes into its own during the winter months, when the Mere turns into a winter wildfowl refuge, supporting large populations of wild migratory birds. Thousands of geese and ducks migrate here and their daily flight as the sun sets is quite the highlight at the end of a walk.

Hen Harriers are our nation’s rarest bird of prey and winter is the best time of year to catch a glimpse of them coming into roost over Sedge Fen at dusk. Look out too for short-eared owls on Burwell Fen and other winter wildfowl.

The arrival of winter is heralded by flocks of colourful finches. Look out for goldfinch, chaffinch and brambling in particular. In amongst them you'll spot nuthatch, great spotted and green woodpeckers - all of which are very vocal and visible at this time of year.

Listen out for oystercatchers and other wading birds down on the estuary and saltmarsh at Pin Mill. In the winter, you might want to visiting during the morning, when you also might be lucky enough to catch sight of hares running across the heath.

The Bower Pond at Sheringham Park becomes a noisy place in March, as male frogs wake up from their winter hibernation and croak to attract females. Toads have also been present in very large numbers on the woodland paths near the pond in recent years.

The arable land around Wimpole Estate is home to brown hares. Throughout their mating season these usually shy and reclusive creatures can be spotted ‘boxing’ in open fields. Rather than competition between males, this behaviour is actually females fending off unwanted males.

The distinctive call of the cuckoo is said to announce the arrival of spring and Wicken Fen Nature Reserve is one of the last strongholds for cuckoos in the country. They arrive from April onwards.

You’ll often hear skylarks before you see them at Dunstable Downs. In fact their song-flights can last for up to an hour. But despite spending a lot of time in the air, they’re ground nesting birds.

Arriving in April, the nightingale, which might be small in size and rather secretive, has a song that few other species can match. In fact the males can sing for hours at a time and the females will choose their mate based on their vocal abilities.

Bitterns are one of the rarest breeding birds in the UK. You might be lucky enough to see them flying low over the reedbed at Wicken Fen, but it's their distinctive booming call that you'll most likely hear during March and June.

Returning swallows are often regarded as one of the first signs of spring, however the sand martin almost always beats them back to the UK. Having spent winter just south of the Sahara Desert, come spring they will begin swooping around the cliff face at Dunwich Heath.

The Great Crested Grebe are the largest grebes in Europe. They have quite the elaborate mating display. And like all grebes, they nest on the water's edge, usually laying two eggs, which when hatched are carried around on the backs of their parents. Look out for them on the lake at Hatfield Forest this spring.

It's not just the changing colour of the saltmarsh that signifies that autumn has arrived, it's the spectacle of pink-footed geese flying overhead that marks the seasons arrival on the Norfolk coast. The sight and sound of these overwintering birds is quite something to witness, as thousands come in to roost for the night.

If you take a walk around Wicken Fen during the autumn months, you'll see swallows and martins gathering prior to their migration south, plus newly arrived winter migrants such as wigeon, redwing and fieldfares. Hen harriers will also be returning from northern Britain.

As we reach late autumn, flocks of fieldfare and redwing (both winter thrushes) descend on the woods and hills of Ashridge, where these birds gorge on berries to get them through the cold winter months. Look out for them during winter too, before they migrate back to their breeding grounds in Northern Europe.

The fallow deer rut takes place around October, when the sound of the bucks echo through the woods as they try to attract their mate. Deer come from all over the Estate to gather on the traditional rutting stands, where the males stake out their display areas by ‘groaning’ and scent marking.

Autumn is also rutting season for red deer. If you're planning on visiting Dunwich Heath for a walk at this time of year, you might be lucky enough to spot a glimpse of deer through the trees if you're quiet. They tend to roam freely across the heath and neighbouring land, listen out for their bellowing call.