Derbyshire Bird Tours
Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor
Derbyshire Bird Tours are fast becoming one of the most popular alternative activities in the Derbyshire Dales. These guided experiences give you the chance to slow down from the usual pace of life, be totally immersed in nature and appreciate the beauty of UK wildlife.
Some might hear the phrase bird tour and think that this experience is exclusively suited to the keen ornithologists amongst us. In reality, the tours couldn’t be further away from that idea. Most people in the group are first time bird watchers and have come for a scenic walk, chat and nice time as much as they’ve come to see the wildlife. While you make your way through the landscape as a collective, expect to make friends and meet like minded people who enjoy taking a moment away from the day to day.
The tours take place in multiple locations based on the habitat and the type of species you’re likely to find there at certain times of the year. Previous tours have taken visitors to see dippers, kingfishers, puffins and kittiwakes as well as some less air based wildlife like otters. As you’re encountering nature, a notoriously unpredictable force, you can never be sure exactly what you’ll see but the chances are you won’t be disappointed.
Having started the tours just over a year ago Stewart, your guide, has been a wildlife enthusiast from an early age. He is highly knowledgeable about where certain species can be found as well as identifying their songs, colours and behaviours. We’ve all had moments out on walks where we’ve seen a stunning and unique bird but have no way of knowing what it is, on Stewart’s bird tours all of those questions will be answered as well as many you didn’t even know you had.
Derbyshire Bird Tours currently run a mixture of experiences. You can join them for a short guided walk, typically lasting around 4 hours or join them for a day trip where you’ll venture further afield and spend a longer period immersed in nature. Soon you’ll also be able to go on short bird walking breaks where you’ll spend multiple days looking for species and taking in the stillness of the environment.
Be sure to check the website for details of where the tours go, what time each one starts and what you can expect to see on each one. Whether you’re interested in seeing the dippers at Bradford Dale or want to experience the dawn chorus in Shillito Wood there’s plenty of choice.
