Birdwatching in Swaledale
Over 80 birds you can spot in Swaledale!
Are you a bird spotter? A birder? A twitcher? Interested in Ornithology? Or do you just like watching and listening to birds in their natural habitat?
We are very lucky that in Swaledale we have so many varieties of birds directly on doorstep. Often literally!
I would strongly recommend downloading the excellent bird App Merlin here
Blue Tit flying in Swaledale!
Spotted and photographed near Low Row in 2023
The Blue Tit is one of over 80 birds you can spot in Swaledale
Ok, so the Blue Tit isn’t the rarest of birds but it’s a lovely shot.
Have a look through our list below - how many of these will you see while up in Swlaedale?
A local birding enthusiast has supplied me with a long, and ever growing, list of over 80 birds he has spotted in Swaledale. And as he remarked many more could still be identified for example autumn/winter migrants as he has only been living locally for 5 months!
My favourites are the Curlew, the Oystercatcher and the Kingfisher. The latter two I have spotted reasonably regularly on my early morning dog walk from Isles bridge towards Gunnerside.
I would like to see more of the Tawney and Barn Owls - although you do hear them regularly and occasionally see them. However, the Great Egret remains elusive!
list of the top 80+ birds you can see in SWaledale
So here is the list of Swaledale birds - how many can you spot during your stay in Swaledale - and hopefully at Swale View - the centre of the birdwatching kingdom?
Blackbird
Blackcap
Bullfinch
Corn Bunting
Common Buzzard
Chaffinch
Coot
Cormorant
Carrion Crow
Curlew
Dipper
Collared Dove
Stock Dove
Tufted Duck
Dunnock
Cattle Egret
Little Egret
Spotted Flycatcher
Goldcrest
Goldfinch
Goosander
Canada Goose
Greylag Goose
Great Crested Grebe
Little Grebe
Greenfinch
Greenshank
Red Grouse
Black Headed Gull
Grey Heron
Jackdaw
Jay
Kestrel
Kingfisher
Lapwing
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Magpie
Mallard
House Martin
Sand Martin
Merlin
Moorhen
Nuthatch
Ring Ouzel
Barn Owl
Little Owl
Short Eared Owl
Tawney Owl
Oystercatcher
Pheasant
Meadow Pipit
Golden Plover
Raven
Lesser Redpoll
Mealy Redpoll
Redshank
Black Redstart
Robin
Rook
Common Sandpiper
Siskin
Skylark
House Sparrow
Sparrowhawk
Starling
Swallow
Swift
Teal
Mistle Thrush
Song Thrush
Blue Tit
Coal Tit
Great Tit
Treecreeper
Grey Wagtail
Pied Wagtail
Willow Warbler
Wheatear
Whimbrel
Whinchat
Whitethroat
Wigeon
Woodcock
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Green Woodpecker
Woodpigeon
Wren
Pictures of birds in swaledale
All of these pictures were taken in and around Low Row in Swaledale. Hopefully I will get a few more bird pictures to add soon - maybe all other ones listed at some stage!
As you can see I managed to get a shot of a barn owl who was out on the hunt a few days ago. Just a shame it wasn’t a bit closer.
Thanks to everyone who contributed their photos, Matt, Martin, Shelia, John.
It’s also great that there are so many local bird enthusiasts. As you can see there is some ringing of birds taking place locally which is good news.
moth spotting in Swaledale
Not only are there so many great birds to see in Swaledale there are also some spectacular moths as well!
Check out these amazingly beautiful moths - stunning!
I think my favourite ones are the mint moth and the large emerald moth.
If you want to come and visit please do so, but do so responsibly. See you soon!