🌟 7 Days of Christmas in nature

Kate
Dec 22, 2025
2 min read

We all know that famous festive song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" that graces the airwaves each and every December... but here's a way you can enjoy 7 days of nature and the outdoors during the festive season.

See if you can complete our set of festive I-spy challenge.

You can start it on any day you choose!

On the first day of Christmas...

Robins are a greetings card favourite at this time of year. Can you spot one on your festive walk?

A robin witting on a thin bare branch with one orange leaf and red berries to the right.

On the second day of Christmas...

It might not be very easy to see turtle doves, but can you spot two collared doves instead?

On the third day of Christmas....

French hens are not a likely to make an appearance at Whitlingham, but can you spot three moorhens?

On the fourth day of Christmas...

Four calling birds - Can you identify the birdsong of four different species as you explore? Try out the Merlin app to help you identify what you hear. It is incredibly clever and is FREE! You can even let it listen as you walk, with your device in your pocket, and then see what it has picked up when you get back.

Female or juvenile blackbird, facing left side on, with brown feather and a bright yellow beak. It is singing with beak wide open, standing on a concrete surface.

Some songbirds to listen out for: wren, blue tit, great tit, coal tit, song thrush, blackbird, greenfinch... and so many more.

On the fifth day of Christmas...

Can you find (and sing) five gold...finches? Or five goldcrests? Look for a flash of yellow as you explore.

On the sixth day of Christmas...

You probably won't see geese-a-laying over Christmas time, but can you spot six of the amazing Egyptian geese and greylag geese that call Whitlingham home? You might even spot a migrating visitor such as a Canada goose too.

On the seventh day of Christmas...

Of course, it has to be seven swans a swimming! How many can you count on the water during your walk? We'll bet there are more than seven!

Multiple swans and geese gathered beside the Great Broad at Whitlingham Country Park. There are colourful sails in the background across the water at the adventure centre and tall green trees to the left and across the water. There are also a few brown female mallards on the water near to the edge.

If you want to think of more i-spy challenges to add to this list, go for it!

If you take any good photos of any of these wonderful birds then please do consider entering our upcoming photography competition for 2026. See the full details here. You don't have to be a professional, or even a trained photographer. Everyone is encouraged to join in!

Happy Christmas from all of us at Whitlingham Country Park🎄