Wildlife and nature

The sheer variety of habitats in Kielder Water & Forest Park, from woodland to marshy grasslands and bogs, create homes for a whole host of wildlife and is impressive and unique in the UK. Explorers can expect to encounter badgers, roe deer, otters, shrews, seven species of bat, many woodland birds and, especially in spring, birds of prey including ospreys.

Spring / summer 2010

Wildlife expert, Anthony Johnson from Northumberland Wildlife Trust, tells us why spring/summer is so special to him: 

“I love this time of year because we always see wild primrose growing around the Park. They are traditionally one of the first signs of spring. The native wild primrose grows in clumps in damp grass or light woodland. They flower from March to late May/ early June with a pale yellow, single flower.
In the same grassy areas as the primrose, look out for the northern marsh orchid. Flowering in June and July it has a deep purple colour which makes it easy to identify.
If you are out and about in Kielder Water & Forest Park looking for the ospreys why not cast your eyes to tree top level and see if you can spot a group of crossbills? Crossbills are a member of the finch family and are usually found in quite noisy groups. As their name suggests their bill is crossed over at the tips which enables them to prise open the conifer cones to feed on the seeds inside. They are truly pretty birds with the male being red in colour and the female a greenish brown.
Happy wildlife spotting”.

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The Park is also home to around 50% of England’s native red squirrel population, the last remaining stronghold in the country. The best place to catch a glimpse of one is at the red squirrel hide at Leaplish Waterside Park. Britain's Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009, Will Nicholls, snapped his winning image here. For more information go to latest news.

A refurbished hatchery and visitor centre at Kielder Salmon Centre features state of the art facilities for rearing both salmon and other rare species such as freshwater pearl mussel.

By keeping the water at a constant level at Bakethin Nature Reserve we have created a nature reserve, including three islands, which provide an important sanctuary for local plants, birds and other wildlife including otters. In addition, there is a bird hide.

There are also wildlife events throughout the park all year round including pond dipping, deer safaris, mini-beast hunts, family nature walks and bat nights, details of which can be found to the right of this page.

The spring is an excellent time to view birds of prey. Also, dragonflies and damselflies can be seen in the summer. Migrating birds are frequent sights in the autumn including fieldfare and redwing.

And in the winter, wildfowl, siskins crossbills and hungry red squirrels are common sights.

The wildlife garden at Leaplish Waterside Park is open all year round and comprises a raised pond and butterfly shaped bed, a bog and drought garden and a nest box demonstration area. Adders, butterflies, stoats and amphibiants inhabit the garden. Nearby, the Kielder Water Birds of Prey Centre is open all year round except Christmas Day.

New for 2010 at Kielder Castle Visitor Centre is the red squirrel room.

We are delighted to confirm a pair of adult ospreys nested in the Park during summer '09. They successfully hatched three chicks - the first born in Northumberland for at least 200 years. Experts are hopeful the adult ospreys will return to the same nest in 2010 and plans are being made to erect a camera to allow visitors to enjoy unique views of the birds.  

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Best places to spot wildlife in the Park:

1) Kielder Castle - the walking and cycling routes in the surrounding forest, including Deadwater Fell, offer breathtaking views and you are certain to encounter wildlife. Bats can spotted entering the castle at dusk and barn owls live close by. There are several bird and squirrel feeding stations here too.

2) Forest Drive - a spectacular 12 mile drive from Kielder Castle to Blakehopeburnhaugh on the A68. One of England's highest roads, cresting over 1,500 feet, the views over Northumberland are breathtaking. Expect occasional encounters with roe deer at dusk and dawn, feral goats and birds of prey. Two miles along the drive from Kielder Castle is a wildlife hide overlooking a scenic pond where waterfowl are commonly sighted. (The Forest Drive is a toll road and is open from Easter to Christmas).

3) Kielder Dam Wall - near the village of Falstone the dam wall holds back over 44 thousand million gallons of water and is home to brown and rainbow trout. Oystercatchers are frequently sighted from the dam wall and badgers have been seen here at dusk.

4) Falstone Moss - one of our lesser know gems! This blanket bog is an excellent place to see important invertebrate species such as the common blue damsel fly, emerald damselfly, common hawker and black darter. You may also see meadow pipits and adders – contrary to popular belief, adders only bite when threatened.

5) Leaplish Waterside Park - the Beeches Trail offers stunning views of the reservoir with common sightings of native red squirrels, especially at the squirrel hide where you can also see a variety of woodland birds. The Kielder Water Birds of Prey Centre is open all year round except Christmas Day. A newly developed wildlife garden is open all year round and comprises both a raised pond and butterfly shaped bed, bog and drought garden and nest box demonstration area. Adders, butterflies, stoats and amphibians inhabit the garden.

6) Belling Peninsula - on the north shore; visitors often see deer, woodpeckers, goshawks, buzzards and the occassional osprey.

7) Bakethin Conservation Area - the wildlife pond located on the track to the bird hide holds a multitude of species including newts, damselflies, dragonflies, toads and frogs. The hide is a great place to see wading birds, herons, cormorants and ducks as well as otters at dawn and dusk.

8) Kielder Salmon Centre - the Environment Agency owns this hatchery at Butteryhaugh in Kielder Village and rears almost a million salmon per annum as well as freshwater pearl mussels.