{"id":24243,"date":"2023-01-26T18:25:57","date_gmt":"2023-01-26T17:25:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=49028"},"modified":"2023-01-26T18:36:03","modified_gmt":"2023-01-26T17:36:03","slug":"15-of-the-best-wildlife-watching-destinations","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/15-of-the-best-wildlife-watching-destinations\/","title":{"rendered":"15 of the best wildlife-watching destinations"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By James Lowen\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 26 January 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Here are 15 thrilling wildlife-watching destinations to consider \u2013 five each for a weekend, a week or a longer trip.<\/p>\n

Best wildlife holiday destinations<\/h2>\n

What to do in a weekend<\/h3>\n

The UK has a wealth of wildlife that can be readily packed into weekend-sized chunks. <\/span><\/p>\n

RSPB Minsmere, Suffolk<\/h4>\n
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Badger cubs can be born as early as late December, although they are more common around the beginning of February. \u00a9 Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

In Suffolk, Minsmere, the RSPB\u2019s flagship reserve<\/a> and environs excel year-round. Gawp at \u2018dancing\u2019 adders<\/a><\/strong> in spring, revere breeding avocets in summer, admire rutting red deer in autumn, or peer into wintry reedbeds to decipher bittern and bearded tit. For something different, throw in a night in Bawdsey Hall\u2019s<\/a> photography hides for close-range views of badger, tawny owl<\/a><\/strong> and \u2013 most excitingly \u2013 polecat<\/a><\/strong>, before joining a local expert to see what unusual moths have been attracted to nearby traps.<\/span><\/p>\n

Purbeck Heath, Dorset<\/h4>\n
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Purbeck Heath is one of the most biodiverse places in the UK, and boasts the largest area of lowland heath managed as a single nature reserve in England. \u00a9 Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

In summer, travel by train to the <\/span>Dorset town of Wareham, then cycle or walk the short distance to the Purbeck Heaths\u2019 new, landscape-scale National Nature Reserve<\/a>. Here Dartford warblers scold by day, while nightjars emerge at dusk. Sand lizard favours sheltered bare ground, and the fortunate visitor might bump into smooth snake. Sneakily, however, minibeasts steal the show. Look for large marsh grasshopper in mires, Purbeck mason wasp and mottled bee-fly on sandy tracks, and silver-studded blue butterfly amid vibrantly coloured heather.<\/span><\/p>\n

Penzance, Cornwall<\/h4>\n
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Common dolphins can be sighted off the south and west coast of England as they come close to the shore to feed. \u00a9 Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Readily reached by train, Penzance makes a fine base to savour Cornwall\u2019s wildlife. Explore Mount\u2019s Bay by boat for close-up views of grey seal, harbour porpoise, common dolphin and perhaps minke whale<\/a><\/strong> or basking shark<\/a><\/strong>. Celebrate the chough\u2019s return to Kernow by hopping on a local bus to St Just or Porthcurno; alternatively, pop back on the train to RSPB Hayle Estuary, looking for Mediterranean gull, egrets and waders. <\/span><\/p>\n

Spurn Point, East Yorkshire<\/h4>\n

Nowhere in mainland Britain is better to witness autumn bird migration<\/a><\/strong> than East Yorkshire\u2019s Spurn Point<\/a>, home of \u2018MigFest\u2019, the bird observatory\u2019s popular annual event. Offshore, skuas and shearwaters may battle against strong winds. On the Humber mudflats, thousands of migrant waders are complemented by freshly arrived brent geese. But when easterly winds and rain combine, focus attention instead on Spurn\u2019s fields, hedgerows and scrub. During a \u2018fall\u2019 of migrant landbirds, thrushes, flycatchers and goldcrests can be everywhere \u2013 and barely a weekend passes without some scarce visitor being spotted. <\/span><\/p>\n

Oslo, Norway<\/h4>\n
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A northern hawk owl perched on a branch. \u00a9 Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

If overwhelmed by wanderlust, you could do worse than flying to the Norwegian capital of Oslo for a winter weekend. Combine the comforts of a city break with a guided trip into nearby snowy wilds to see sought-after owls that typify boreal forests \u2013 Tengmalm\u2019s, hawk, pygmy and possibly great grey \u2013 plus avian specialities such as hazel grouse and three-toed woodpecker.<\/span><\/p>\n

What to do in a week<\/h3>\n

With a week available, possibilities expand. <\/span>Two British destinations offer diverse summer wildlife without burning excessive carbon, while three European countries may tempt you further afield.<\/span><\/p>\n

Norfolk, UK<\/h4>\n
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The swallowtail butterfly is one of the rarest in the country, found only in the Norfolk Broads. \u00a9 Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Take the train to Norwich, then hire a car to enjoy Norfolk\u2019s varied wildlife<\/a>. On the coast, visit Britain\u2019s largest spoonbill colony at Holkham, the mixed seal colony at Blakeney Point<\/a> and Winterton\u2019s natterjack toads. Insect stars of Broadland sites such as Hickling include swallowtail (a butterfly) and Norfolk hawker (dragonfly). In the Brecks, Britain\u2019s answer to the steppes, watch stone curlews evade stoats at Weeting Heath before enjoying the thriving colony of Spanish catchfly (a rare plant) plus scarce day-flying moths such as forester at Cranwich Camp.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scottish Highlands, UK<\/h4>\n

A train ride north transports you to Inverness, from where hiring a vehicle enables you to roam the Scottish Highlands. RSPB Abernethy Forest<\/a> hosts well-known specialities such as Loch Garten\u2019s osprey and red squirrel<\/a><\/strong>. Less trumpeted but just as exciting are scarce dragonflies like white-faced darter and orchids such as creeping lady\u2019s-tresses. Complement Speyside with time near Fort William, where chequered skipper flutters by day and pine martens<\/a><\/strong> visit Glenloy Lodge<\/a> most evenings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arctic Finland and Norway<\/h4>\n

Arctic Finland and Norway excel in late winter, particularly when the aurora borealis swirls through the night sky. Nelj\u00e4n Tuulen Tupa<\/a> is a photographer\u2019s dream, with well-stocked feeders attracting evocatively named birds hard to see elsewhere, notably Siberian jay, Siberian tit and Arctic redpoll. Then press polewards to Varanger<\/a>, where tundra-flanked coast secretes vast flocks of seaduck such as Steller\u2019s and king eiders, while the imperious gyrfalcon ransacks seething auk colonies.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sierra du And\u00fajar, Spain<\/span><\/h4>\n
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Thanks to reintroduction efforts, Iberian lynx are making a comeback in the Iberian Peninsula. \u00a9 Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Alternatively head south to Spain\u2019s Sierra du And\u00fajar<\/a>. Your main quarry is the disconcertingly sphinx-like Iberian lynx. Although one of the world\u2019s rarest cats, reintroductions have bolstered populations, so your chances are now good. While you search, there is much else to enthral: Iberian ibex scaling craggy outcrops, Spanish imperial eagle cruising through cobalt skies and stripeless tree frog serenading by night.<\/span><\/p>\n

Romania<\/h4>\n
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The Carpathian Mountains are home to about 8,000 brown bears. \u00a9 Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

If seeing Iberian lynx tickles your fancy for furry creatures, why not join a specialist mammal-watching tour in Romania? Between the Danube Delta, Dobrudja and Transylvania, you may tot up an astonishing 40 species, mostly during nocturnal excursions. The mouth-watering selection ranges from small mammals (Romanian hamster) to the huge (Carpathian brown bear), via special carnivores (<\/span>wildcat, golden jackal) and wacky creatures (European ground squirrel and lesser blind mole rat).<\/span><\/p>\n

What to do in a fortnight or longer<\/h3>\n

With longer to spare, there\u2019s always the opportunity to travel further, which brings with it a host of opportunities to see more diverse wildlife in some fascinating habitats.<\/span><\/p>\n

Northern Spain<\/h4>\n
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There are estimated to be over 2,000 Iberian wolves in Portugal and Spain. \u00a9 Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

There\u2019s no need to fly to spend a fortnight watching wildlife in Europe. Take your car on a ferry across the Bay of Biscay for a carbon-minimising journey to northern Spain \u2013 with decent prospects of fin and Cuvier\u2019s beaked whales thrown in. Then split your time between the Picos de Europa and Somiedo. In the Picos, enjoy lammergeier, wallcreeper, Pyrenean chamois and a kaleidoscope of butterflies including the majestic Apollo. In Somiedo, focus on mammals: brown bear and wildcat are readily seen, but Iberian grey wolf will require local guides.<\/span><\/p>\n

Okavango Delta, Botswana<\/h4>\n

If flying is essential for that long-haul holiday of a lifetime, make it count: offset carbon emissions, use responsible service providers and spend locally. Glamping in Botswana\u2019s Okavango Delta<\/a> is a case in point. At Moremi and Khwai, the local community manages savanna and wetlands to both conserve and benefit from wildlife. Stand-out mammals include top-drawer predators (lion<\/a>, leopard, serval and sometimes wild dog) that stalk herds of antelope such as tsessebe and red lechwe. Your visit helps their future.<\/span><\/p>\n

Guapia\u00e7u Reserve and the Pantanal, Brazil\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
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The hyacinth macaw is the largest flying species of parrot. \u00a9 Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u00a0Spend several days in the Atlantic forest at Guapia\u00e7u reserve (REGUA<\/a>), a conservation beacon in one of the world\u2019s most threatened biodiversity hotspots. Rare birds include giant snipe and shrike-like cotinga, which compete for your attention with marmosets, sloths and a hundred types of hawk-moth. Then head to the Pantanal<\/a>. South America\u2019s answer to the Serengeti is rightly famed for harbouring the world\u2019s most easily encountered hyacinth macaw, giant otter and jaguar.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ranthambore and Ladakh, India<\/h4>\n
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India\u2019s Ranthambhore National Park is hard to beat for tiger sightings. \u00a9 Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Other big cats might entice you to India. Flying into Delhi, Ranthambore<\/a> is the logical national park to try for tiger<\/strong><\/a>, India\u2019s national animal<\/a><\/strong> and feline icon. Remarkably, however, these striped cats are a mere supporting act to the headliner \u2013 snow leopard<\/a> <\/strong>in the Himalayas. In <\/span>Ladakh\u2019s Hemis National Park, at least one company offering snow-leopard tours boasts both carbon neutrality and a 100% record in seeing this once-mythical cat.<\/span><\/p>\n