You may put out peanuts for perky little blue tits in your garden but could you tell a marsh tit from a coal tit? This half day course at Pensthorpe is for novice birdwatchers, curious about how to identify birds and, even if they’re hidden, know them by their song.

Pensthorpe’s spectacular diversity of habitats from lakes, ponds and rivers to woodlands, farmland and wildflower meadows means there’s always a fantastic mix of birds on the reserve. No wonder it’s been a popular filming location for BBC Springwatch! You may see winter visitors like skeins of pink-footed geese or busy fieldfare and redwing, just flown in from Scandinavia to feast on berries in the Norfolk hedgerows. Perhaps you’ll spot a red kite high above or hear a kingfisher as it darts by in a flash of turquoise.

When nature writer Melissa Harrison learned to recognise birds, she wrote in The Stubborn Light of Things, ‘more and more species swam out of anonymity into sharp focus…my brain no longer relegates bird calls to background noise. This is a change anyone can make.’ Once you know how to tune in, the instruments of the avian orchestra become distinct, a rich, layered tapestry of sound. The species you’ll see changes by season so if you fall in love with birdwatching, annual memberships are a great gift. At Pensthorpe, arrive as a beginner and leave as a birding expert. It’s never too late – or too early – to start.