{"id":27180,"date":"2017-04-03T18:55:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-03T18:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yorkshire.com\/?p=27180"},"modified":"2024-01-05T09:10:45","modified_gmt":"2024-01-05T09:10:45","slug":"yorkshire-a-year-in-the-wild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yorkshire.com\/inspiration\/features\/yorkshire-a-year-in-the-wild\/","title":{"rendered":"Yorkshire, a year in the wild"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From the stunning National Parks of the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, to the seabird cities of the county\u2019s East Coast, Channel 5\u2019s \u2018Yorkshire \u2013 a year in the wild\u2019 has been captivating TV audiences for the last few weeks. Tom Marshall from the Yorkshire Nature Triangle shares some top tips on where to find some of the show\u2019s wildlife stars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Image<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Red letter day<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The red squirrel has surely been one of the stars of the show, and the Yorkshire Dales remain just one of a handful of strongholds for this increasingly scarce but delightful British wildlife icon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Snaizeholme Red Squirrel Trail<\/a> near Hawes is an attractive and leisurely walk and includes a purpose-built feeding and viewing area for these diminutive mammals, although you could encounter one at any time! Local photographers also offer hides when keen nature snappers can also try for that once-in-a-lifetime shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glorious gannets<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yorkshire\u2019s high rise residences for 250,000 seabirds are renowned in Europe \u2013 and getting close to the action doesn\u2019t get any easier than the headland coast north of Bridlington. Gannets \u2013 our largest seabird – and the ever-popular puffin always draw the crowds, with a supporting cast of guillemots, razorbills and raucous kittiwakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fantastic all-access family viewing and live camera facilities are available at RSPB Bempton Cliffs & Seabird Centre<\/a>, whilst YWT Flamborough Cliffs<\/a> offers views from the stunning coast path. You can even take diving gannet photography trips with Yorkshire Coast Nature<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peregrine perfection<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Chosen as a camping spot for Harry Potter and his chums in the Deathly Hallows, the unique limestone pavement and cliffs of Malham Cove<\/a> are also home to one of the most dramatic nests in Yorkshire \u2013 that of the peregrine falcon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here the fastest animal on the planet can raise a family and the sheer cliffs provide an ideal Top Gun training school for eager youngsters at the end of the summer. You can also spot peregrines at Scarborough<\/a>, York, Sheffield and Leeds where they make a home on city buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strictly for the birds<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s still time to catch one of nature\u2019s most romantic moments in spring, when great crested grebes indulge in their exquisite pair bonding dance. The mirroring of movement and split-second choreography culminates in a final flourish of walking of water. Later in spring, look out for the black and white striped \u2018humbug\u2019 chicks riding on their parents\u2019 backs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yorkshire\u2019s vast array of wetland nature reserves all offer a chance to experience this \u2018Strictly\u2019 show on water, including RSPB Old Moor<\/a> and YWT Potteric Carr<\/a> in South Yorkshire, YWT North Cave Wetlands<\/a> near Hull and YWT Staveley<\/a> in North Yorkshire where otters frequently make an appearance too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seal of approval<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As autumn arrives, Atlantic grey seals begin to think about finding a shady spot along the coast to have their pups. The rocky beaches below the cliffs of Whitby are the ideal cr\u00e8che, whilst autumn and winter can also find the smaller common seal \u2013 actually less abundant \u2013 occasionally \u2018hauled out\u2019 on the shoreline at Filey Brigg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whitby Coastal Cruises<\/a> can get you alongside the action in autumn, whilst during spring and summer, the Yorkshire Belle (Bridlington) gives you a chance to spot these inquisitive animals in the water, along with traditional fishing \u2018coble\u2019 cruises from North Landing (Flamborough) with the Wildlife Trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yorkshire\u2019s coastline is also becoming a well-known hotspot for whale watching, with the peak period for minke whales from around August-November, weather conditions permitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Yorkshire \u2013 a year in the wild\u2019 is on Channel 5 on Tuesday 4th<\/sup> (autumn) and 11th<\/sup> (winter) with spring and summer episodes available on catch-up.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From the stunning National Parks of the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, to the seabird cities of the county\u2019s East … <\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":27181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1803],"tags":[],"location":[],"person":[],"acf":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yorkshire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27180"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yorkshire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yorkshire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorkshire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorkshire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27180"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorkshire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98999,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorkshire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27180\/revisions\/98999"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorkshire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yorkshire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorkshire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorkshire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27180"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorkshire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=27180"},{"taxonomy":"person","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorkshire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/person?post=27180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}