Winter wildlife to spot

With usually around 4,000 seal pups born each year, Blakeney Point has the largest grey seal colony in England. The first grey seal pups tend to arrive in November, with the last being born in January.

The Blackwater Estuary is home to a wide range of wildlife. During the winter months, wrap up warm and head to the bird hide to spy overwintering Brent geese, or keep your eyes peeled for other winter visitors.

There's lots of winter wildlife at Wicken Fen. You can glimpse hen harriers coming to roost over Sedge Fen at dusk during the colder months, or look out for short-eared owls on Burwell Fen. You might catch a starling murmuration, which is a dramatic flying display of starlings.

Come and view Belton’s herd of fallow deer. When winter comes around, the rutting season ends, and the herd enters a more relaxed and sociable phase. This can present a great opportunity to come and see them from a safe distance.

From February, grey herons build their nests in the heronry at Charlecote Park along the banks of the River Avon. Wintering wildfowl, including teal, widgeon and the diminutive dabchick or little grebe, are also attracted to the river.

Clumber Park is a hotspot for birds. You can find hawfinches and goldcrests searching for small bugs around the Pleasure Grounds. Look closely in the pine trees as there are often small flocks of crossbills who forage seeds from the pinecones. On the lake, you might see goosander, winter plumaged great-crested grebes, tufted ducks and pochard.

During winter at Gibside, look up at the sky and you might see a red kite circling above you. This bird of prey is easy to spot from its reddish-brown body, white markings and deeply forked tail. Brought back from extinction in England by a re-introduction programme, the red kite population is now growing.

The moorland and woodland at Lyme are home to all sorts of winter wildlife, from magnificent red deer to a variety of birds. Winter can be a great time to view the red deer, as the deer rut is over and the herd is more relaxed. Or, take a walk to find the estate's herd of highland cattle, whose grazing habits help to improve the habitat and reduces the risk of moorland fires in spring.

The rangers at Wallington work hard to help support their resident red squirrels. Visit the wildlife hide in the west wood – there are lots of feeders there, so it’s likely you’ll see a red squirrel or two. You can also stroll along the river to see if you can glimpse one of these colourful characters leaping around.

This landscape on the shores of the Lough is perfect for finding winter wildlife. Watch feathered friends from the bird hide or walk through the woodlands and see if you can spy the elusive pine marten.

The gardens, lakes and woodlands at Mount Stewart are home to lots of winter wildlife. You can find red squirrels, wintering redwing and flocks of finches here. Visit the Lookout to spot birds and seals on Strangford Lough.

Rowallane Garden is perfect for winter wildlife spotting. Home to a diverse mix of animals, the trees provide the ideal habitat for beetles, woodlice and other bugs. See if you can discover peckish birds and hedgehogs who love to forage for insects in the debris.

Situated in the Chilterns, Watlington Hill is popular for both red kites and far-reaching views over the countryside. The red kite was hunted to extinction in England but was reintroduced in 1989. There are now over a thousand breeding pairs in the area.

Tucked away in a secluded corner of the island, Borthwood Copse is home to an Isle of Wight special attraction: the red squirrel. Winter is a great time to see them as they come down from the tree canopy to forage for food.

A paradise for bird watchers, the shoreline at Wembury beach harbours many rare birds, including the curl bunting. Dartmoor ponies roam the surrounding hills, whilst out to sea, basking sharks, seals and porpoise roam. At low tide, get curious in the rockpools and discover a world of crabs, starfish, anemone and much more.

You need to be hardy to wander Dartmoor during the winter months, and fewer animals come hardier than the Dartmoor pony. Once bred to help labourers on the moor, this tough little horse is now a regular sight across the windswept uplands, and takes shelter in forests and valleys. It's possible to see Dartmoor ponies from many places across the moor.

The variety of different environments at Studland Bay, with its sand dunes, woodlands, wetlands and grasslands, all play host to a vast amount of wildlife. See if you can catch a glimpse of the Sika deer by the marshes and wetlands, and birds such as the black-headed gull, gadwall, curlew, bar-tailed godwits and pintails by the harbour shore.

Chough can be seen swirling on the sea breezes above the cliffs all along the Pembrokeshire coast. They're part of the crow family, distinguishable by their bright red beaks and legs. Stare out to sea and you might spot sea birds such as gannets and even pods of porpoise.

Wrap up warm and head out for a winter walk at Dinefwr Park to spot some of the fallow deer that live here. The herd is made up of over 100 deer, so you're more than likely to spy one around the parkland. The dense woodland provides a great habitat for the deer, so take a break from the everyday and do some wildlife watching.

There are hundreds of deer in the park at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. During the colder months, look out for red, fallow and sika deer among the trees as they munch on their winter feed.

Over the last few years, hundreds of water voles have been reintroduced at Malham Tarn. In winter, keep your eyes peeled and you might just be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of these shy, highly endangered creatures in the streams around the boardwalk.

Marsden Moor is a haven for winter wildlife with a vast diversity of birds, mammals and insects. One highlight to try and spy is the mountain hare – a native resident whose brown coat turns snow white in winter.