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

More UK & Ireland Wildlife news

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.

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.

New species of ‘ghost’ slug discovered in Wales

The bizarre subterranean Ghost slug has been named Selenochlamys ysbryda by experts at National Museum Cardiff, Wales.

Giant 'extinct' British Beetle found in Gloucestershire

An amazing giant insect, thought to be extinct in the UK, has been discovered on a pavement in Gloucestershire.

Swordfish found on South Wales Beach

A rare and endangered swordfish has been discovered dead on a South Wales beach.

whales/Photograph_of_mass_stranding_by_Rory_Goodall

Mass dolphin stranding in Cornwall - at least 26 dolphins dead

On Monday 9th June, 26 common dolphins stranded and died near St Mawes in Cornwall.

Government may lift bird import ban

Despite Tony Blairs promise to ban the import of wild birds permanently, the government has recently revealed that the ban may only be temporary.

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.

Scotland's wildcats down to the last 400

Research 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.

'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.

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.

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.

Lyme Bay Reefs devastated.

Devon Wildlife Trust has collected evidence that the Reefs in Lyme Bay have been trashed by some fishing techniques.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Golden eagle persecution preventing the bird’s recovery in England and Scotland

Study shows that persecution of Golden eagles is halting their recovery in Scotland and is thwarting the bird's return to northern England.

DEFRA announces protection for Lyme Bay Reefs - one of the UK’s top marine wildlife sites

One of the finest marine wildlife sites in the UK's is to be protected from damaging scallop-dredging, thanks to the introduction of a new 60sq mile exclusion zone in Lyme Bay.