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The Lake District is exceptional raptor country. The combination of open fell, ancient woodland, river valleys and a relatively intact prey base supports a wider variety of birds of prey than almost any comparable area of England. On a clear day in autumn, driving through the Lakes with an informed eye, it is possible to see five or six species of raptor without any dedicated effort.
This guide covers the raptors you are most likely to encounter, where to look for them and what makes each species recognisable.
The buzzard is the most common large raptor in the Lake District — the one you will see most often, perched on fence posts, soaring on thermals above the valley sides, or mobbed noisily by rooks and jackdaws above the farms. It is a broad-winged, short-tailed bird with a mewing call that is the characteristic sound of the Lake District sky.
The buzzard's recovery in the Lake District is one of the quiet conservation success stories of the past fifty years. Heavily persecuted in the 19th and early 20th centuries — shot, poisoned and trapped on game estates — it began to recover after the Second World War and is now abundant. A significant proportion of the birds you see soaring above the fells are buzzards.
The kestrel's hovering — stationary flight in the face of the wind, head perfectly still, searching the ground below — is one of the most elegant hunting behaviours in the British avifauna. Kestrels are present throughout the Lake District, particularly on the upland edges where rough grassland and moorland provide hunting habitat for the small mammals and large insects they prey on.
Kestrel numbers in Britain have declined significantly since the 1970s due to the loss of rough grassland through agricultural improvement. The Lake District, where upland farming has preserved more rough ground than lowland England, holds better kestrel populations than most parts of the country.
The merlin is Britain's smallest falcon — a fast, low-flying hunter of small birds, particularly meadow pipits, which it pursues in direct, dashing flight just above the ground. Males are blue-grey above and orange-buff below; females are brown. Both sexes are small enough to be initially dismissed as large sparrows in flight until the direct, purposeful flight pattern becomes apparent.
Merlins breed on the moorland edge in the Lake District and are most often seen in the breeding season (April–August) as they hunt over the open fell. In autumn and winter they move to lower ground, and small numbers pass through the Lakes as migrants. The best habitat is moorland with rough grassland, particularly the south-facing edges of the high fells where meadow pipits are common.
The red kite was reintroduced to parts of England and Scotland from the 1990s onwards, after an absence of several centuries as a breeding bird outside Wales. The Lake District population is sourced partly from the Yorkshire Dales reintroduction and partly from natural spread from the Chilterns. Numbers are growing; red kites are now a regular sight in parts of the eastern and southern Lakes.
The red kite is unmistakable — the forked tail, visible even at distance, distinguishes it from every other raptor in Britain. The upper wings are reddish-brown and the flight style is looser and more buoyant than a buzzard, with frequent course adjustments using the tail as a rudder. A bird of great elegance in the air.
The sparrowhawk is the woodland and farmland raptor of the Lake District — a small, fast, short-winged hunter that takes small birds in direct pursuit through vegetation. It is secretive and rarely seen for long, but its presence is announced by the alarm calls of small birds and by the occasional explosive dash across a garden or a lane.
The male is blue-grey above with orange-barred underparts; the female is considerably larger and brown above. The combination of short wings and long tail is diagnostic, as is the low, fast, straight flight with rapid wingbeats alternating with short glides.
Your expert storyteller will identify raptors from the vehicle and explain the ecology of each species as you travel through their habitat. Tim, who leads the natural history and wildlife tours, has been watching raptors in the Lake District for many years and knows the best locations and times for each species.
For dedicated raptor watching — a dawn visit to known merlin territory, or an autumn morning watching buzzards and kites over the Borrowdale fells — a bespoke tour can be organised around your specific interests.
Raptors are regularly observed on our 8 Lakes Morning Tour. For dedicated wildlife watching, contact us about a bespoke tour.