Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Launches New Programme Filled With Autumn And Winter Wild Experiences

Fancy yourself a fungi afficionado – or perhaps just an enthusiastic amateur? What about catching some spooky seasonal wildlife, stargazing, exploring rockpools at night, or making Christmas gifts from seaweed or seaglass? Have you ever fancied learning how to build a dry stone wall, how to whittle, or how we manage our wonderful wetland reserves? Now’s your chance!

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has released this autumn and winter’s programme of wild events designed to get everyone – no matter where they live or how much experience they have with our natural world – out into nature. Join their experienced and expert leaders who can help everyone discover the best of Yorkshire’s wildlife and how to enjoy it.

Autumn is a time of change and movement in our natural world. Our woodland reserves change from green to fiery reds and oranges, fungi pop up from the forest floor, and our migrating birds are on the move. Bats whizz overhead preparing for hibernation as skeins of pink-footed geese track across our skies; an evening or early wander through our woodlands or across dew-drenched fields is the perfect time to spot owls, and as winter draws in our wetlands are the place to be in their mirror-like beauty, with thousands of overwintering waders creating quite the cacophony.

Kat Woolley, Inspiring People Manager at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said:
“Autumn and winter are a fantastic time of year to get out and about in Yorkshire – the changing seasons make so many of our reserves incredibly atmospheric, and the perfect place for an exciting wild experience. Yorkshire is an incredible county for wildlife, with so many different and amazing experiences – from hundreds of fascinatingly-named fungi in our woodland reserves and potential migrating rarities at our coastal Spurn Point and Flamborough Cliffs reserves, to the chance to spot all five species of Yorkshire owl, hear the boom of a bittern, and so much more.

We’ve been running an events programme for 40 years, and are always excited to welcome new people along - whatever their experience with the natural world. Whether you’re a wildlife expert, a crafter, entirely new to our wilder world or just want a fun new adventure, come along and experience our truly wild Yorkshire, and all the wildlife that calls it home.”

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• Wildlife Watch - Photo: Tom Marshall©
• Staveley - Photo: Amy Cooper Nov 2023 ©
• Shark Egg Hunt - Photo: Carmen Sole©
• Seashore safari Photo: Tom Marshall©
• Child in autumn leaves Photo: Scott Webb©
• Daubentons Bat in flight Photo: Dale Sutton 2020vision©
• Bird watching with binoculars Photo: Mostafa Meraji©

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s events guide takes place across a number of the Trust’s nature reserves, offering a range of activities and experiences from free and low-cost drop-in events right up to bespoke expert guided tours, and is packed full of wild fun to see you through until March 2025, including:

Fungi Festival (12th and 13th October) – Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s first-ever fungi festival celebrates the very best of these glorious gems, with an action-packed events programme. Take a guided walk to explore Potteric Carr’s incredibly variety of fungi, get creative and make your own needle felt toadstool, try your hand at microscopy, or make an unusual fungi beauty mask. There are cap-tivating activities for all ages including storytelling and mushroom crafts for the younger generation. A day out not to be missed!
Music and Magic in the Barn at Stirley nature reserve - join us for a magical evening of live music! Absorb the festive atmosphere in Stirley’s rustic barn with haybales and twinkly lights, be merry with friends and family, and enjoy the festive feeling with some delicious mulled wine and hot chocolate.
Creative crafting workshops: whether it’s learning how to whittle at Stirley nature reserve, seaglass crafts and jewellery making or seaweed soap making at the Living Seas Centre near Flamborough, or willow wreath crafting at reserves around the county.
Learn how we manage our wetland reserves: wetlands are a much-overlooked but absolutely essential habitat for Yorkshire’s wildlife, including a lot of very rare species that are scarcely found elsewhere. Come along to Potteric Carr, Staveley, Spurn, Askham Bog or North Cave Wetlands to find out more!
Enjoy a rockpool ramble or seashore safari at the Living Seas Centre – including some particularly exciting after dark events – come on a shark egg hunt, or help out at one of our many beach cleans along the Yorkshire coast.
Join the Wild Eye programme in Scarborough for some sea watching on Marine Drive on the hunt for dolphins and porpoises, take part in the Big Seaweed Search, or enjoy a wild winter walk.
Do you just love the beauty of Yorkshire’s landscapes? Come along to one of our Photography for Beginners workshops at Staveley or Spurn – or join a Spurn Safari for a new year with a difference!

Find out more on Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s website – including a full digital copy of our events guide – at www.ywt.org.uk/events. You can also stay up to date with our amazing events programme – as well as receiving special discounts – by joining us as a member, and helping to make a real and tangible difference for Yorkshire’s wildlife.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s events programme is funded thanks to the players of People’s Postcode Lottery.