Birdwatching in Yorkshire: Best Sites, Seasons and Sightings

Seabird cliffs, the best-known migration point on the English east coast, and a chain of wetland reserves on old coalfield land. Yorkshire covers most of British birding in one county.

Updated 6 October 2026

12 best birdwatching sites in Yorkshire

1. RSPB Bempton Cliffs

Around half a million seabirds gather here between March and August. Gannets nest close to the viewing platforms, alongside Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes and Fulmars. Puffins are best from April to mid July. Tree Sparrows and Corn Buntings use the clifftop fields, and Short-eared Owls hunt there in winter.

2. Spurn

A sand and shingle spit across the mouth of the Humber, run by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, with Spurn Bird Observatory at Kilnsea. This is the migration site: Wheatear, Ring Ouzel and Whimbrel in spring, then Wryneck, Whinchat, Woodcock and Yellow-browed Warbler in autumn. Brent Geese, Merlin and Snow Bunting winter. Little Terns nest nearby in summer.

Access: since the 2013 tidal surge a washover section about 1km long can flood at high tide and cut off the point. Check tide times before walking out. Dogs are not allowed on most of the reserve.

3. Flamborough Head

A chalk headland pushing far out into the North Sea. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's Flamborough Cliffs reserve has Puffins from mid May to mid July, with auks and Kittiwakes below. In autumn the hedges and gullies hold migrants in east winds, and the headland is one of England's main seawatching points for skuas, shearwaters and Little Auks.

4. Filey Brigg and Filey Dams

The Brigg is a rock finger with a seawatching hide and wintering Purple Sandpipers. Filey Dams, a small freshwater reserve inland, pulls in passage waders. Both are covered by Filey Bird Observatory and Group.

5. RSPB Blacktoft Sands

The largest tidal reedbed in England, on the Humber near Goole. Marsh Harriers, Bitterns, Bearded Tits and breeding Avocets. In winter Hen Harriers, Barn Owls and Peregrines hunt the marsh.

6. RSPB Old Moor, Dearne Valley

Lagoons and reedbed between Barnsley and Rotherham. Good for Kingfisher, Barn Owl and Bittern, with Wigeon, Teal and Golden Plover in winter. Family friendly, with hides close to the visitor centre.

7. RSPB Fairburn Ings

Lakes and flashes near Castleford. Spoonbills are the headline bird in summer. Bittern, Bearded Tit, Cetti's Warbler, Little Egret and Great White Egret are all recorded.

8. RSPB St Aidan's

A former opencast coal mine in the Aire valley near Leeds. Booming Bitterns in spring, Black-necked Grebes in summer, and Little Owls and Kestrels around the old dragline excavator.

9. Potteric Carr, Doncaster

A 200 hectare Yorkshire Wildlife Trust wetland beside the M18, and the main site for Doncaster birders. More than 230 species have been recorded. Bittern and Marsh Harrier are the specialities, with Black-necked Grebe, Little Ringed Plover and Avocet in spring and Green Sandpiper in late summer. Paid entry for non-members. Closed on Mondays except bank holidays.

10. North Cave Wetlands

Old sand and gravel pits west of Hull, now a free Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve with five hides. Breeding Avocets, Sand Martins and Common Terns. Mediterranean Gulls visit the gull colony.

11. Wykeham Forest raptor viewpoint

The Highwood Brow viewpoint in the North York Moors looks out over Troutsdale. It is a public Forestry England watchpoint for Goshawk, best on clear mornings from February to April, and Honey Buzzard, from late May to August. Nightjars churr in the clearings on summer evenings. Take a scope: the birds are distant.

12. Wheldrake Ings, Lower Derwent Valley

Flood meadows south-east of York. In winter the floods hold Whooper Swans, Wigeon, Teal and Pintail in large numbers. Free. The reserve can be under water for months, so check Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's updates before you go.

The uplands

The North York Moors, the Yorkshire Dales and the South Pennines hold Red Grouse, breeding Curlew, Golden Plover and Lapwing, with Merlin and Peregrine. Oak woods in the dales have Pied Flycatcher, Redstart and Wood Warbler from late April. Dippers are on most fast rivers.

Yorkshire birds by season

This month's birds are in the October and November guides.

Yorkshire bird sightings: where to look

• Spurn Bird Observatory: sightings from Spurn and Kilnsea.
• Flamborough Bird Observatory: a daily log from the headland.
• Filey Bird Observatory and Group: monthly sightings summaries.
• Doncaster Birding: daily reports from Doncaster and the surrounding area, including the Dearne Valley.
• Yorkshire Naturalists' Union Birds Section: keeps the county list, lists the area recorders and produces the Yorkshire Bird Report. It asks birders to submit records through BirdTrack.
• Our sightings map: what Where's That Bird users have logged in the county.

Yorkshire specialities

• Gannet: Bempton is the only mainland Gannet colony in England.
• Tree Sparrow: declining nationally, still widespread on Yorkshire farmland.
• Willow Tit: Red-listed and vanishing from much of Britain. The Dearne Valley is one of its remaining strongholds. See Marsh Tit vs Willow Tit.
• Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting: arable land on the Wolds.
• Twite: a scarce winter visitor to Humber saltmarsh.
• Honey Buzzard: Wykeham is one of very few public viewpoints for it in England.

More on the coast in our seabirds guide and migration guide. For kit, see binoculars.