Wildlife along the Kielder Water

Path beside Kielder Water. © Iain Thompson - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Kielder Forest, one of Britain's biggest nature resorts, is home to red squirrels, deer and rare birds. Covering an area of over 230 square miles, it's the largest in Britain and is currently being restructured to add many more broadleaf trees to its collection of Sitka and Norway Spruce. Hills, rivers and open areas increase its diverse habitats which are home to the native red squirrel, roe deer and many birds of prey (including kestrels, sparrowhawks, pergrines, merlins and goshawks).

The Kielder Water Bird of Prey Centre at Leaplish has a huge collection of raptors and gives three flight demonstrations a day. At the north end of Kielder Water, Bakethin Reservoir has been declared a nature reserve, attracting ospreys, wildfowl and gulls.