Norfolk has a variety of land types, perfect for wildlife diversity. There are ancient woodland, farmland, fens and broads and chalk rivers. The coastline changes from wetlands to sandy beaches and the North Sea is a major source of food for the many birds and animals.
When staying at our holiday parks, which are perfect for weekend breaks for families, why not have a day out in the Norfolk countryside to spot some of the amazing wildlife? If you don’t know where to head to, take a look below at the best places for seeing wildlife in Norfolk.
Blakeney Point
Blakeney Point is famous for the grey and common seals that can be seen lounging on the sand banks and beaches. The best way to see the adorable animals is on a boat ride, around high tide, as you can then see all sorts of sea birds too, such as sandwich and common terns, black headed gulls, ringed plovers and oyster catchers.
Holkham Nature Reserve
Holkham is a vast nature reserve, with coastal wetlands, salt marsh, dunes and pine woods further inland, covering nearly 4000 hectares along the Norfolk coast. You can explore Holkham along the many footpath and trails, where you can enjoy the flowering orchids and lavender along with little and common terns in the summer months, and you may be lucky enough to see some deer in the outer reaches of the reserve.
Cley Nature Reserve
The pebble beach at Cley and the neighbouring marshes are a true wildlife haven. One of the best places for birdwatching, the marshes is one of the oldest Wildlife Trust nature reserves in the country and has a range of birds such as avocets, spoonbills, marsh harrier and other waders and waterfowl. The pebbled beach and the saline lagoons have created a great breeding ground for the thousands of birds. There is a visitor centre, education centre and viewing areas throughout the reserve to see the wildlife.
Hickling Broad
The largest of the broads, Hickling Broad, is a year-round haven for wildlife, and you can easily spend a summers day there exploring the wildlife. Some of the birds and animals you might see include the common crane, bittern, marsh and hen harriers, barn owls, kingfisher, otters, Chinese water deer and red deer. There are also dragonflies and butterflies to see. Stop by the visitor centre to find out the best pathways to go down to see the various wildlife.
Foxley Wood
Foxley Wood is the largest remaining ancient woodland in Norfolk and is lovely to visit in the late afternoon and evening. Throughout spring and summer, the woodland floor is a riot of colour; there are over 350 flowering plant species recorded in the wood. The woods are also good to see woodland birds such as woodpeckers, marsh tits, chiffchaff, garden warbler, tawny and barn owls along with sparrowhawks and kestrels. Later in the evening, you may even see common pipistrelle bats as they emerge for their evening feeding.
