Little Ellers, Portinscale

Bird and wildlife watching in The Lake District

The Lake District National Park is the UK’s most visited national park with many opportunities for nature enthusiasts. Lakes, forests, and mountains provide spectacular scenery as well as important ecological habitats, and it is an ideal location for a for a bird and wildlife watching holiday.

Lake Windermere is home to over a thousand ducks, geese and swans that live there all year round. At any time of year, you’ll be able to spot coots, Canada geese, cormorants, mergansers, mallards, and swans sheltering in the reed beds or swimming across the water as they forage for food. In winter, the avian population more than doubles as birds fly in from their breeding grounds in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. Keep your eye out for goldeneyes, great-crested grebes, pochards, and tufted ducks.

Grizedale Forest, east of Coniston Water, is the largest forest in the Lake District and home to numerous birds of prey. Red kites were introduced to the forest in 2010 to replenish the north-west of England’s population. Buzzards, barn owls, honey buzzards, and goshawks can also be spotted in the area, as well as crossbills, siskins, lesser spotted woodpeckers, hawfinches, grouse, and wood warblers.

For many years, RSPB Haweswater was home to England’s only golden eagle, but it hasn’t been spotted for nearly a decade. However, you can still see other birds of prey including buzzards, merlins, and peregrine falcons. By the lake, dippers, gulls, and a variety of waterfowl can be seen, while the oak woodlands are home to many small birds including redstarts, stonechats, and pied flycatchers. At the south end of Haweswater look out for mountain-dwelling birds, such as ravens and ring ouzels nesting on the edges of the fells.

Dodd Wood is situated a few miles north of Keswick. It’s managed by the Forestry Commission who have set up the Lake District Osprey Project in collaboration with the RSPB. Ospreys are currently breeding in trees near Bassenthwaite Lake which is a favourite fishing location of the birds, and viewing stations set up with scopes are available to give you a chance to spot the nesting birds. There are plenty of marked trails throughout the woods and as well as some breath-taking views over the surrounding fells, look out for sparrowhawks, kestrels, tawny owls, oystercatchers, great crested grebes, barnacle geese, redstarts, and blackcaps.

Tarn Hows, managed by the National Trust, is one of the most popular areas in the Lake District. Once owned by Beatrix Potter, it’s a beauty spot surrounded by dense woodland with majestic mountain views. A short circular trail will take you around the tarn with the opportunity to spot blackbirds, tree pipits, bramblings, buzzards, chaffinches, bullfinches, and barn owls. Rare Belted Galloway cattle and hardy Herdwick sheep can be seen grazing nearby.

Derwent Water is just a 10 minute walk from the centre of Keswick. It’s surrounded by wooded fells and to its south is the entrance to the beautiful Borrowdale Valley. In early spring you can hear tawny owls hooting to each other as they search for a mate, and during breeding season listen out for peregrine falcons calling to their young from nearby Falcon Crag. Later in the year, cuckoos arrive for their short summer visit. You’ll also have the chance to see green woodpeckers, house martins, ravens, kingfishers, and long-tailed tits. In winter look out for the tracks of wild deer and rabbits who are joined by fieldfares, redwings, and occasionally snow buntings.

Boathouse Feld at the northern end of Derwentwater is a small nature reserve managed by Cumbria Wildlife Trust where wet woodland and reedbeds are home to a variety of birds. Coots, mallards, and swans can be spotted around the edges of the lake, and look out for great spotted woodpeckers, long-tailed tits, treecreepers, and spotted flycatchers in the woods.