County birdwatching · England

Birdwatching in North Yorkshire

By Does Your Duck Quack · Planning updated 27 October 2026

Staveley and Ripon City Wetlands both centre a North Yorkshire outing on water and reeds, but their public routes offer different ways to spend the visit. Near Boroughbridge, Staveley’s two former gravel pits sit within a mixture of pools, wooded margins and grassland. Hides look onto both the lakes and feeding stations, where the local naturalists’ society records Tree Sparrow, Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting. A direct route connects the car park with level footpaths, allowing a shorter hide visit without committing to every part of the reserve. Covering the full path network requires more walking. Ripon City Wetlands, beside the racecourse, follows a different pattern: visitors walk out along the wetland trail and return along the same route. Spring interest in the Trust’s account includes Sedge Warbler, Sand Martin and Willow Warbler. The canal towpath supplies a pedestrian way in when the reserve car park is shut, so the chosen arrival affects the length of that out-and-back outing.

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Social preview photograph: The River Ure at Ripon, North Yorkshire; a county landscape. The River Ure at Ripon by Bill Boaden · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and converted for the preview.