The cottage is a gem for bird spotters and nature lovers. Greenbarn overlooks a tarn which is a nesting site for greylag and Canada geese, a variety of ducks and oyster catchers. Curlew can also be heard in the spring. The valley is home to a number of barn owls, tawny owls and grey heron and we have a plethora of garden birds who nest in or visit our garden. Recent highlights spotted in the garden have been long-tailed tits, nesting redstarts, siskin, goldcrest and redpoll.

The dry-stone walls and surrounding fields offer shelter and habitat for a number of mammals too. We often spot stoats, red squirrels and bank voles in the garden and hare in the fields in front of the cottage. In colder months, roe deer roam in the valley and can be seen from the window. In the evenings, we sometimes see badgers and foxes along the lane!