Blog Lake District
← Back to Blog
The conventional wisdom about winter wildlife in the Lake District is that there isn't much of it — that the birds and animals have moved south, the fells are empty, and the main wildlife experience is waiting for spring. This is not accurate. Winter in the Lake District brings different wildlife rather than no wildlife, and some of the finest observations of the year are available only in the colder months.
Whooper swans — one of the finest winter wildlife experiences in the Lake District is the arrival of whooper swans from Iceland, which begin appearing from October and remain through February or March. The swans overwinter on the shallow, nutrient-rich lakes — Bassenthwaite Lake, the northern end of Windermere, the estuary of the River Kent near the Lyth Valley — and can be seen in substantial groups. The whooper swan is significantly larger than the mute swan (the common British swan) and is distinguished by its yellow-and-black bill and its trumpeting call, which carries clearly across the lakes. A group of twenty whooper swans on a still January morning on Bassenthwaite Lake, with Skiddaw reflected in the water behind them, is one of the finest wildlife sights the Lake District offers at any season.
Goosander and other diving ducks — the deeper, clearer lakes attract diving ducks in winter. The goosander — a large, fish-eating sawbill duck, the male brilliantly white and dark-green, the female grey with a chestnut head — is present on Windermere, Ullswater and Coniston through the winter months. Goldeneye, tufted duck and pochard are also regular on the larger lakes.
Fieldfare and redwing — the two winter thrushes from Scandinavia arrive in October and remain through February, moving through the hedgerows and berry-bearing shrubs of the valley floors. Fieldfares are large and distinctive — grey-headed, chestnut-backed, with a loud chacking call. Redwings are smaller, with a creamy eye stripe and rust-red flanks. Both species are present in large numbers in good berry years.
Red squirrel — present year-round; most active in early morning when they visit feeding stations. The winter coat is darker and greyer than the summer coat, which makes early-season visitors sometimes doubt their identification. The ear tufts are most pronounced in winter.
Buzzard — present year-round, often most visible in winter when the woodland is bare and the birds perch on exposed branches. The colder months bring buzzards down to lower elevations and into more open habitat.
Raven — the raven is one of the most characteristic birds of the Lake District, present year-round but most conspicuous in winter when pairs begin displaying and calling above the fells. The raven's deep, resonant call — a variety of croaking and knocking notes quite unlike any other British bird — carries across the winter fells with a clarity that is entirely appropriate to the season.
Dipper — the dipper haunts the rocky becks of the Lake District throughout the year, walking underwater along the streambed in search of invertebrates. In winter, when other birds have moved to lower elevations or further south, the dipper is often the only bird on a mountain beck. It is a small, plump bird with a distinctive white bib, and it bobs compulsively when perched on a rock above the water.
From November, the red deer herds of the Martindale area and the eastern fells begin to consolidate after the October rut. The stags, depleted by several weeks of competition, feed intensively on the valley edges. December and January bring the possibility of seeing stags close to the road in the Glenridding and Brothers Water area, particularly after snowfall drives them to lower ground.
Our tours operate year-round. In winter, the focus shifts naturally towards the lakes (which are most productive for wildfowl), the woodland edges (raven, buzzard, fieldfare) and the specific sites where winter specialities are reliable. Tim, whose specialism is natural history and wildlife, leads the natural history tours and adapts the route to conditions on the day.
A winter morning tour — departing at nine, with mist on the lakes, frost on the fells and the whooper swans calling on Bassenthwaite — is one of the most distinctive Lake District experiences available.
Our tours operate throughout winter. See all tours and book here.