About Birch Wood Nature Reserve
Birch Wood is one of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s most beautiful and secluded of reserves. Tread quietly to see the deer before they see you; both roe and fallow are common here. As well as the deer, there is clear evidence of foxes, badgers, hedgehogs and grey squirrels throughout the wood, and there is also a healthy variety of small mammals. Listen to the chorus of woodland birds. Seek out the gnarled veteran oaks and giant holly trees that give this woodland a distinctive character. Birch Wood is an enchanting hideaway where it’s worth savouring every step.
In spring the reserve is at its charming best: redstarts, pied flycatchers, blackcaps and chiffchaffs join the dawn chorus, and bluebells decorate the woodland floor. In summer, keep an eye out for common spotted orchids.
Please note the paths in the reserve are steep, uneven and unsurfaced.