A guide to the wildlife and nature reserves of the UK.
Wildlife and bird watching in the UK
You don't need to go far to see some great wildlife, there is some near you. There are very well known sites across the UK, National Parks, National nature reserves, RSPB reserves and WWT (Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust) reserves, but there are many other great wildlife spots all over the place. Every county has a wildlife trust that will run a series of local reserves, county councils have their own nature reserves and there are plenty of other places where there is ample wildlife.
We will point you in the direction of all the best sites in any given area, though we have no doubt that there are plenty we don't know about (please let us know by emailing us about anywhere that you can recommend).
For information and recommendations on whale and dolphin watching in the UK, click here.
Region by region
Recent UK & Ireland Wildlife news
- Why are the no birds in my garden?
- Thousands of seals shot in Scotland every year – Marine bill must act
- British government endangers rare birds
- Red kite shot dead weeks after release
- Aquatic warbler visits east London
- Best year on record for waders at Broadland reserve
- Pine martens not extinct in England – the search for proof
- Satellite tracking migrating birds – ospreys and Sea eagles.
- Sea reclaims part of RSPB Titchwell Marsh
- Forestry Commission create 100 wildlife ponds in Kielder Forest
- Sea eagle turns up on the Isle of May
- Rope bridges help Red squirrels across major roads
- Harlequin ladybirds worse than thought
- Unusual whale and dolphin wash up on the Scilly Isles
- Spoonbills breed in Scotland for the first time
More UK & Ireland Wildlife news
- Large whale washed up onto Sussex beach
- World’s oldest species resurfaces in Scotland
- Best year for bitterns for 130 years in Britain
- Grey seal takes up residence in London
- Garden wildlife traps – Otherwise known as bird feeders and netting
- New invasive beetle species, The Citrus Longhorn beetle, confirmed in the UK
- Pool frog, and rare snail & moth gain legal protection
- A dozen invasive species choking canals and killing native wildlife
- Sea-bird chick survival rate reduced by moth parasites
- Mink trapping steps up a gear in the Hebrides
- Global warming - British birds nesting earlier, changing distribution
- Blue Marlin found on Welsh beach.
- Fifteen Sea eagle chicks released in Eastern Scotland
- Fair Isle bird observatory appeal
- Dead wood vital for UK wildlife
Unusual whale and dolphin wash up on the Scilly IslesTwo highly unusual marine mammals, a Sowerby's beaked whale and a Risso's dolphin, have been washed up on the western shores of the Isle of St Agnes within days of one another.
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Spoonbills breed in Scotland for the first timeA pair of spoonbills have successfully bred for the first time in Scotland and only the second time in the UK. An adult pair have raised and fledged three chicks on Kirkcudbright Bay in Dumfries and Galloway.
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Blue Marlin found on Welsh beach. Remarkably, just a few weeks after a Swordfish was found on a beach in South Wales, a Blue Marlin has washed up onto another Welsh beach.
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Chris Packham asks –‘What’s the point of nature reserves?’Without nature reserves we would have nowhere to go on Sundays to meet fellow minded geeks and discuss the minutiae of our passions. We wouldn't be able to stand hands on hips and smugly gaze at a living representation of what we imagine our green and pleasant landscape once looked like.
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New species of ‘ghost’ slug discovered in WalesThe bizarre subterranean Ghost slug has been named Selenochlamys ysbryda by experts at National Museum Cardiff, Wales.
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Giant 'extinct' British Beetle found in GloucestershireAn amazing giant insect, thought to be extinct in the UK, has been discovered on a pavement in Gloucestershire.
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Swordfish found on South Wales BeachA rare and endangered swordfish has been discovered dead on a South Wales beach.
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Mass dolphin stranding in Cornwall - at least 26 dolphins deadOn Monday 9th June, 26 common dolphins stranded and died near St Mawes in Cornwall.
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Government may lift bird import banDespite Tony Blairs promise to ban the import of wild birds permanently, the government has recently revealed that the ban may only be temporary.
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Two Sightings of Northern Bald Ibis in Middle East Bring a Spark of Hope
Sightings of this incredibly rare bird in Djibouti and Ethiopia have raised hope that it might avoid extinction.
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Scotland's wildcats down to the last 400Research shows that probably only 400 true wildcats are left in Scotland. Persecution used to be the main problem, but now hybridisation with domestic cats threatens the future of Scottish wildcats.
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'Extinct' dove breeds at London Zoo.A Socorro dove, extinct in the wild for 30 years, has bred for the first time at London Zoo.
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First wild beavers in Scotland for 250 years to be caught.A pair of beavers has been found living in the wild in a remote Scottish Loch near the Bridge of Earn.
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Otter comeback is good news for water voles, bad news for mink.A recent fall in mink numbers in the UK has been attributed to a rise in Otter numbers.
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Lyme Bay Reefs devastated.
Devon Wildlife Trust has collected evidence that the Reefs in Lyme Bay have been trashed by some fishing techniques.
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Harriers and Peregrines being persecuted in Northern Ireland.It appears that there has been an upsurge in raptor persecution in Northern Ireland in the last 3 years.
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Starving seabirds being found across Scotland and Northern Ireland.Staff at RSPB Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage are concerned about the number of common guillemots that have been found dead or dying.
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Only breeding female Golden eagle in Scottish Borders poisoned.A joint investigation by Lothian and Borders Police, RSPB Scotland, the Scottish SPCA and the Scottish Executive discovered poisoned bait on a grouse moor in the Borders.
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Bird crime stats jump 40%July 2008. Reported crimes against birds of prey escalated to an unwelcome record in 2007, increasing by 40 per cent on 2006.
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Top recommendations for wildlife watching activities in the UK.
- National Trust Coastal Wildlife Walks.
- A Year of Wildlife Walks with the National Trust.
- National Trust's top wildlife walks.
- Click here to see the ten best National Trust butterfly sites.
- Where to see glow worms in the UK.
- Watch the deer rut this autumn with the National Trust.
- Best places to watch whales in the UK.
Top wildlife and bird watching in the South East
GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE
Lorraine Kelly launches the 'Wild about gardens' campaign in conjunction with the Royal Horticultural Society and the UK Wildlife Trusts. More.
Plants recommended for a wildlife garden
The RSPB and RHS have got together to create a list of plants recommended for wildlife gardening.See the full list.
England nature
Read about the nature of England, and see a guide to nature reserves in England.
Click here to see more about English Nature