Nature & Wildlife

With wildlife around every corner, any walk in North Yorkshire, even just a short one, will reward wildlife lovers. For a real treat, we have a range of recommended wildlife walks, nature reserves, viewing locations and attractions that guarantee the chance to observe the natural world and all of its splendours.

With an incredible coast, two national parks and several National Landscapes, North Yorkshire is one of the best places to find wildlife and nature, from iconic nature species to some of the most treasured and endangered species.

Wildlife at every turn

Heather moorlands provide a unique habitat that is home to many bird species, filling the skies with the iconic call of the curlew, the lapwing and the oyster catcher.  While many upland hay meadows have been returned to a wildflower blend with enhanced biodiversity, regaining a colourful mix of moths and butterflies among the rocks and ponds are habitats ideal for amphibians and reptiles.

Otters have begun to reappear in the rivers, frolicking through the shallows or peeping out of the riverbank.

Birdwatchers will also delight in spotting red kites and buzzards. A question often asked is how can you tell the difference at a distance? The answer: buzzards are rounder and have broader wings and shorter, less defined tails and if you can hear it, it’s very probably a buzzard.

North Yorkshire Nature Reserves 

Nature Reserves in the area have allowed natural flora to establish encouraging oyster catchers, willow warblers and flycatchers to nest and feed happily in idyllic surroundings. Geese and waterfowl are easily observed at the many reservoirs or former quarries.

An incredible Wildlife Coast

The Yorkshire Coast is alive with an abundance of nature. That is the beauty of being beside the sea.

We are home to some of the best birdwatching in the world, featuring the including nesting colonies of gannets at gannets and puffins.  Along the beaches you will also see kittiwakes and wading birds.

Further out to sea there are real treats in store.  As well as the charming and charismatic seals who call Yorkshire home, the Yorkshire Coast plays host to migrating whales and dolphins and even the occasional shark.  They frolic in the warmer September waters as they migrate south for the winter.