Discovering a new place to go birdwatching can be so exciting. Even before you leave, you're already dreaming of your next visit and what you'll see then. In this blog, I’m going to talk about three of my favourite places to go looking for wildlife.
 

Old Buckenham Country Park

One of my favourite places to visit in Norfolk, which I only very recently discovered, is Old Buckenham Country Park. This is a popular site for camper and caravans and has a lovely atmosphere. As soon as you arrive, there is an inviting café waiting for you. It serves a range of food and drink, perhaps an attraction of the site to those less enthusiastic about the site's wildlife. The café is surrounded by a large area of rewilded fields and hedgerows, full of butterflies and songbirds. These include goldfinches, warblers, little owls, greenfinches, goldcrests and many more!
 
However, one of the most attractive parts of the park are a pair of well-vegetated lakes adjacent to the car park. These lakes are bordered with reeds and other waterside plants including bee orchids, and water-lilies carpet the surface. The beautiful and serene freshwater supports a wealth of dragonflies and damselflies, from the huge 8 cm long emperor to tiny, but pretty, small red-eyed damselflies. The latter caused me much bother, due to their similarity to the nominate red-eyed damselfly which also inhabit these waters. There is even a wildlife warden from Talk: Wildlife on hand to help with identification.
 
Old Buckenham Country Park also hosts one of the UK's rarest dragonflies: the Norfolk hawker. They are very distinctive: 7cm long, with an almost all-brown body, apart from a small yellow triangle on the abdomen. To distinguish them from other hawkers, look out for apple-green eyes, which are conspicuous even in flight.
 
It is not just one specific part of the reserve that appeals to me. It is everything combined: the dragonflies, butterflies, birds, plants, delicious food, warm atmosphere and all the rest. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a family day out, or just a peaceful walk by the water's edge.
 

NWT Cley Marshes

Another place I love to visit is NWT Cley Marshes. Cley is probably more likely to appeal to those who really love to see rare birds, of which many breed here. These include avocets, marsh harriers, bearded tits, bitterns and many more!
 
I can wholeheartedly say that Cley is one of the most easily accessible and bird-rich reserves in Norfolk. The reserve is essentially an ocean of reeds polka-dotted with muddy scrapes and pools, great habitats for waders and wildfowl.

You always see something out of the ordinary at this premium birding site, as I found out during my visit on the 13th of April. I saw a group of dunlin feeding restlessly & running around in search of invertebrates, a black-tailed godwit in its full red-barred breeding garb, stunning in the strong spring light, and even a long-billed dowitcher, with its greyish streaked body, faint pale supercilia and elongated dark bill – a key find for the year, in my opinion!

One of the hides proved especially fruitful that day, starting with an elegant spoonbill. These birds have only just recolonised the UK after a very lengthy absence, and are iconic residents in Norfolk. Although still rare, they have grouped into a couple of breeding colonies such as those at Holkham NNR and Morston. The Morston individuals fly out to Cley Marshes to feed, because of its rich habitats and food resources.
 
Finally, along East bank, I managed to see a scarcer breeding bird feeding on the scrape - little ringed plovers dancing about in their clockwork-type run, in black bandit masks with bright yellow eye-rings. A final jewel in the crown for an excellent day of wildlife!
 

New Buckenham Common

My final word here is about a wonderful reserve in South Norfolk. It is a botanist's dream, but also great for bird lovers alike.
 
Intensive agriculture, as we know, is taking over the countryside. It is now incredibly hard to find a good flower meadow. New Buckenham Common is awesome in July, bursting at the seams with wildflowers like cow parsley and buttercups, blooming vibrantly in the expansive grasslands.

Through the undulating grassland towards Spittle Mere is a vast pond glazed with flowers such as common water-crowfoot; delightful daisy-like flowers which rest on the water. A willow hangs over the pond and on the bank of the mere are a smattering of cuckoo flowers; small lilac petals perched on long stems.

You can also find green-winged orchids, bright magenta, stretched up from the marsh, a pretty sight with a spotted lip and green veins straddling across the hood. I have seen them appear in large swathes, polka-dotting the grass and buttercups.
 
The orchids are certainly the star of the show here in July, but they are not the only wildlife to be sought here. Orange-tip butterflies amble amongst the meadow and you may hear blackcaps singing their scratchy warble from the dense hedgerow. This common truly is a wildlife haven.
 
There are so many interesting places to go in Norfolk where nature thrives. My advice is to visit as many sites you know as possible, explore new ones and, above all, keep your eyes open!