Local wildlife has always been quite a passion for me, and over the years I have built up an extensive knowledge of Wildlife in the area of North Yorkshire. It is now my aim to revisit as many sites as possible with the camera to capture the scenes I have enjoyed over the years.

A Peregrine Falcon With Four Eggs On The Yorkshire Coast Near Whitby.

A Peregrine Falcon With Four Eggs On The Yorkshire Coast Near Whitby.

Most of the knowledge I have comes from years of fishing on the coastline or from the days when I worked across the moors as a mental health worker, Its amazing what you see when you drive up the Esk Valley a couple of times each week for 20 years.

Some of the Knowledge of Wildlife I have, has also been gifted me by other individuals who enjoy nature, especially farmers and other individuals who work the countryside.

I often get asked for locations of my photographs. This is not something i’m going to be handing over. There are many reasons why I wont give exact locations out to all but the closest and most trusted of friends.

First and foremost is the risk to the wildlife itself. The many birds of prey in the our area are already at daily risk of harm, especially those that live around any grouse moor or land maintained for shooting and hunting purposes. One misplaced word from me could seriously risk the life of the wildlife I photograph.

Secondly, there are issues caused by too many people visiting certain habitats. Continuous visits by large groups of people to nesting sites or hunting areas can cause those birds or animals to have to leave the area altogether.

When I visit various places I keep visits to a minimum and almost always go alone or with my buddy Mike. I note that on the times I go alone the wildlife is usually less perturbed than when 2 of us go. So if I handed various locations over to more and more people, imagine the effect on the wildlife there.

Then of course there are land access issues. A lot of places I visit requires permission from landowners. With that permission comes the expectation that I wont disclose the location to other people. The last thing a landowner wants is large groups of individuals trudging across his land, damaging fences and leaving gates open.

So, for all these reasons and many more it is my policy not to disclose locations. To avoid being offended, its probably best you don’t ask me.

However, I don’t want to leave this post on a negative ending. What I will say is, that if you are prepared to put in the time and do your research on wildlife behaviour and Habitats then there are a mass of opportunities for you in North Yorkshire.

I can say with 100% confidence that the personal reward for putting in the time and effort is worth a million times more than being handed the information on a plate.

Barn owls In the North York Moors National Park

Barn owls In the North York Moors National Park

Red Dear In North Yorkshire

Red Dear In North Yorkshire