Welcome to Staveley
Staveley Nature Reserve, North Yorkshire is a discreet place full of wildlife. If you’re an early bird, you may be lucky and catch sight of the best that Staveley has to offer. Hidden away amongst the reeds are otters, bitterns and bearded tits, although luck plays a large part in seeing them!
The greater spotted woodpecker is a regular visitor to the bird feeders.
This location is a magnet to wildlife photographers, bird-watchers and wildlife enthusiasts. However, Staveley also attracts a wealth of dog-walkers, families and others who want to enjoy the great outdoors.
The good quality paths and hides make it a welcoming, accessible and comfortable place to be. It also gives people the chance to mix with like-minded people and share experiences. Many a time I have been in a hide and had someone suggest alternative local locations for particular species. However, Staveley hits the mark for us at Embrace Nature UK. It has so many species in a great place as we will demonstrate here.
The Species Bucket List
You don’t have to be a twitcher to have a species bucket list. We probably all have creatures that we would like to see in the wild and nature reserves are often good places to begin looking.
Watching wildlife never comes with a guarantee but with great scenery, atmosphere and common species, even the wait can be fun. Staveley always seems to have something going on so you’ll never be bored.
Make it a full day at Staveley Nature Reserve and you may get to see tufted ducks, coots and even the elusive water rail.
This is a great location for seeing some species that are otherwise hard to find. The sound of a squealing pig amongst the reeds indicates the presence of a charismatic but rather shy rail. During the winter, the water rail is one of many species attracted out from their hiding places to the abundance of food at the feeders.
The water rails are seen regularly as well as reed buntings, a variety of finches and tits. This includes the hard-to-distinguish willow and marsh tits.
Hanging about in the evening brings a fresh set of sightings, which include barn owls and flocks of geese. It’s clear that badgers are somewhere about, however you have to be a true night owl to spot one.
As the spirit of sharing is alive in the fresh Staveley air, you will often be told if there’s a rare or special species about. So there’s a good chance that, if you’re patient and observant, you’ll get some great sightings if the wildlife is there to be seen.
Seasons at Staveley
Each season at Staveley Nature Reserve offers a fresh platter of wildlife. Spring, for example, is a great time to see the common toad as they gather in the small ponds to mate. Later in the season as their young venture out, you have to be careful not to tread on an unsuspecting toadlet!
Activity emanates from the lagoons as the birds mate and begin to breed. This produces some excellent photographic opportunities or just exceptional entertainment for onlookers.
Look twice at groups of mute swans as you may find the bird you’re looking at is actually a whooper swan!
As we enter June and July, the reserve is full of dragonflies and the stunning demoiselle. The grassy areas flourish into meadows, which attracts various insects including the five-spot Burnet moth (pictured below).
Who’s Calling?
You don’t have to be a wildlife-enthusiast to enjoy this special nature reserve, however it’s hard to ignore the surrounding bird activity. A variety of calls emanate from the reeds and trees including from a range of hard-to-see warblers. This is where a little bit of knowledge goes a long way!
Who’s calling? The amount of small brown birds around Staveley can be confusing but they’re worth looking up! The nature reserve hosts reed buntings, chiffchaffs, sedge, reed and Cetti’s warblers amongst others.
For many of the sightings on the reserve there is a helping hand. For example, you can find books in one of the smaller hides and useful wall charts in the others. These will get you on your way to discovering just how much is really out there.
For those people who lean towards mammals more than birds, there are a few treats hiding away in Staveley Nature Reserve. The otters are perhaps the most popular of mammals and can sometimes been seen with a bundle of bubbles leading them through the water. So if you decide to visit Staveley, you never know, you might see a sight as in our video below!