Yorkshire’s Top Twelve Bird Watching Sites

John R Mather ( ‘Where to watch Birds in Yorkshire & Humberside‘) has compiled a list of 156  Yorkshire sites from which I have selected a personal favourites list or top dozen. To make it a bakers dozen please comment below with your own personal favourite.

1. On the Coast RSPB Bempton Cliff stands out in more ways than one.
2. Humber Estuary in the East Riding you may want to check out Cherry Cobb Sands or Welwick Salting.
3. North Yorkshire Moors have a different environment at Dalby and Staindale Forest.
4. Richmond and Northwestern Dales around Arkengarthdale
5. Settle and Upper Wharfedale particularly Malham Tarn or Semer water near Hawes.
6. Masham and Upper Nidderdale Yorkshire Waters reservoirs at Grimwith or Gouthwaite
7. Nidderdale and Washburn Valley gravel-pits at Hay-a-park Knaresborough
8. Downstream Aire Valley you can’t beat Fairburn Ings close to the A1
9. Lower Derwent Valley National Nature Reserve and Weldrake Ings.
10. Doncaster Area and Thorpe Marsh run by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
11. Southern Pennines Hardcastle Crags owned by the National Trust
12. My own garden with feeders and bird friendly garden features.

From the various links you can see how many organisations help with the protection of birds and support their hobby of birdwatching. It can be a low or no cost hobby that you may find very rewarding.

Top Bird Web Sites for Yorkshire

1. Read about all RSPB reserves in Yorkshire
2. South Yorkshire Bird Guides.
3. Bird Nerd in East Yorkshire
4. Yorkshire Naturalists
5. Bird and nature reserves of Yorkshire
6. Yorkshire Dales bird guide
7. Where to watch birds in and around York
8. Fat Birder in South Yorkshire
9. For more on bird baths for your garden read Garden Products

Appropriate Birding Books

Bird watching walks in the yorkshire dales by Brendan Threfal

Bird Watching in East Yorkshire, the Humber and Teesmouth by Stephen C Elliott
Birds of the Yorkshire Dales by W R Mitchell
( ‘Where to watch Birds in Yorkshire & Humberside‘) by John R Mather

Photo Credits

Sparrow by Hitched Hiker CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Puffin by nigel_appleton CC BY-NC-ND 2.0