North Norfolk has long been a destination for bird watchers from across the UK and abroad. While some species require a degree of expertise and a good dose of luck to spot (recent examples – bluethroat, booted eagle, and rosefinch), other rare species can now be easily seen.

Spoonbills are one of the latest species to become well established, and now from around Easter to late summer, they can reliably be seen from Holkham to Cley.

Early in the year they can be seen collecting twigs and reeds to take back to their tree-top nests, and around now, their young ‘teaspoons’ are joining them on the reserves to feed and preen.

Another success story for the local reserves is the increasing numbers of Great White Egrets. While it was uncommon to see even one a few years back, I watched as five settled just outside the hide for an early evening preen this week.

When you stay at Oak Tree cottage you are within half an hour of some of the country’s top bird watching spots. We even provide the binoculars if you don’t have any!

It’s not just birds either. Keep you an eye on the fields for hares – often hunkered down in shallow scrapes during the day, and more active in the early evenings. A walk from the cottage towards Stody church on a summer an evening is a good bet. And keep an eye out for deer from the bedroom windows in the morning.