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South Yorkshire

Bittern Botaurus stellaris ©David Mason Website
Birding South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in England. It is the southernmost county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region and had a population of 1.34 million in 2011. It has an area of 1,552 square kilometres (599 sq mi) and consists of four metropolitan boroughs, Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. South Yorkshire was created on 1 April 1974 as a result of the Local Government Act 1972.Lying on the east side of the Pennines, South Yorkshire is landlocked, and borders Derbyshire to the west and south-west, West Yorkshire to the north-west, North Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire to the east and Nottinghamshire to the south-east. The Sheffield Urban Area is the tenth most populous conurbation in the UK, and dominates the western half of South Yorkshire with over half of the county’s population living within it. South Yorkshire lies within the Sheffield City Region.The metropolitan county lies largely on the carboniferous rocks of the Yorkshire coalfield which have produced a rolling landscape with hills, escarpments and broad valleys. In this landscape there is widespread evidence of both current and former industrial activity. There are numerous mine buildings, former spoil heaps and iron and steel plants. The scenery is a mixture of built up areas, industrial land with some dereliction, and farmed open country. Ribbon developments along transport routes including canal, road and rail are prominent features of the area although some remnants of the pre industrial landscape and semi-natural vegetation still survive. The west of the county is fringed by the Pennines and its foothills, most of which lie inside the Peak District National Park and also contain carboniferous rocks, with the underlying geology primarily being millstone grit sandstones rising from the Yorkshire coalfield. The Pennine range within the county is distinguished by the moorlands and plateaus of the Dark Peak while the Pennine fringes are distinguished by many steep valleys, and a transition from uplands and rural landscape to lowlands and urban landscape towards the east of the county.Major rivers which cross the area are the Dearne, Rother and Don. To the east, in the Doncaster area the landscape becomes flatter as the eastward dipping carboniferous rocks of the coalfield are overlain by the lacustrine deposits of the Humberhead Levels.Despite the urban and industrial areas there are a number of very important reserves in the area and wildlife areas formed from restoration of former industrial or mineral extraction areas.

Top Sites

  • Potteric Carr

    Satellite View
    A Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve, 2 miles from Doncaster, with areas of reed, open water and marshy woodland. Birds include Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Water Rail and Bittern.
County Recorder
Useful Reading

  • Best Birdwatching Sites Yorkshire

    | By Neil Glenn, with John Miles | Buckingham Press | 2017 | Paperback | 340 Pages | 120 Two-tone Maps | ISBN: 9780956987679 Buy this book from NHBS.com

  • Birds of the Sheffield Area, including the NE Peak District

    | Edited by David Wood & Richard Hill | Sheffield Bird Study Group | 2013 | Hardback | ISBN: 9780907575382 Buy this book from NHBS.com

  • Where to Watch Birds in Yorkshire

    | By John Mather | Christopher Helm | 2008 | Paperback | 320 pages, line drawings, maps | ISBN: 9780713687828 Buy this book from NHBS.com

  • Yorkshire Bird Report 2014

    | Edited by Craig Thomas | Yorkshire Naturalists Union| 2013 | Paperback | 250 pages, colour photos, colour & b/w illustrations, colour maps, colour tables | #244597 | ISBN: Buy this book from NHBS.com
Useful Information

  • Chair of the YNU Rarities Committee

    Garry Taylor 07970 714178

  • Yorkshire Ornithological Committee

    Chairman: Craig Thomas 16 Scarborough Road, Filey, North Yorkshire, YO14 9EF, Tel: 01723 513055 e-mail craigcthomas@yahoo.co.uk Secretary: Jim Pewtress, 31 Piercy End, Kirkbymoorside, York, YO62 6DQ, Tel: 01751 431001 e-mail trivialis@operamail.com Elected members: Mike Pilsworth, Hillcrest, Whitgift, Goole, DN14 8HL, Tel: 01405 704082 e-mail: mikepilsworth@hotmail.com Protection Liaison Officer: D. J. Simpson, 51 Heather Way, Harrogate, HG3 2SH, Tel: 01423 538645 e-mail: doug@milvus.me.uk Representative on Humber Wildfowl Refuge Committee: Miss A Gowland
Organisations

  • RSPB Airedale & Bradford Local Group

    Webpage
    This is the website of the Airedale & Bradford Local Group. RSPB local groups are a great way to meet friendly, like-minded people in your area while learning more about birds and wildlife.

  • RSPB Doncaster Local Group

    Webpage
    The local group is composed of local RSPB members who want to learn more about birds and conservation, go on visits and support the valuable work of the RSPB in various ways.

  • RSPB Sheffield Members Group

    Webpage
    This web site provides information for members and anyone who is interested in the work of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Sheffield Members Group…

  • Sheffield Bird Study Group

    Website
    Sheffield Bird Study Group was formed in December 1972 as a forum for birdwatchers in and around the city with an active interest in ornithology. The group's recording area, covering twelve 10km squares with the city roughly in the middle, is hugely diverse, stretching north to the outskirts of Barnsley, south to Chesterfield, east to the lowlands beyond Rotherham and Bolsover, and west to the highest tops of the Peak District National Park

  • Sorby Natural History Society

    Website
    The Sorby Recorders who are responsible for organising surveys and collecting information on the local fauna. A list of interesting birds appears in each Newsletter, whilst reports on other groups appear in the Record

  • Yorkshire Naturalists Union

    Website
    The YNU has four basic aims: To study the wildlife of Yorkshire. To record the results of these studies. To present these studies. To use the information for wildlife conservation

  • Yorkshire Red Kites

    Website
    The Yorkshire Red Kite Project was the fifth in this sequence and began at Harewood Estate in West Yorkshire in 1999. By this time, the newly established Chilterns population had been so successful that, up to 2003, it was able to supply a total of 68 young birds for release in Yorkshire
Reserves

Abbreviations Key

  • RSPB Dearne Valley - Old Moor

    WebpageSatellite View
    Situated right at the heart of the Dearne Valley, Old Moor is a wonderful place to come and watch wildlife. The skies, fields and open water are teeming with birds throughout the year…

  • Rother Valley Country Park

    WebsiteSatellite View
    Rother Valley Country Park lies on the South Yorkshire / Derbyshire border. The site features regular updates of birds seen within the Country Park boundary, we also include a large selection of photos, all taken within the Park. Conservation has always played a part in the valley, with areas of open water and marshland alongside the Rother prior to open-casting. These attracted migrating birds which use the river for navigation as they travel north and south during the spring and autumn migrations…

  • YWT Potteric Carr Reserve

    WebpageSatellite View
    Potteric Carr is one of over sixty reserves owned or leased by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. It is situated about 2 miles from the centre of Doncaster, close to the M18 and A6182. Its wide range of habitats from open water and marsh to woodland, covering an area of about 130 ha., give it an interesting diversity of wildlife. In addition, its paths through attractive scenery make it an ideal venue for all kinds of visitor ranging from those who simply enjoy the quiet of the countryside to the dedicated wildlife expert…
Forums & Mailing Lists

  • YorkshireBirds

    Mailing List
    Discussion Group - This list is for Yorkshire birders, birdwatchers, birdspotters, and related subjects in the Counties of North, East, South, and West Yorkshire England. The list is a forum for news of rare bird sightings in the four Counties. You may also make requests for bird-related information and information on local birdwatching sites. This is a public forum do not post details of species or sites that could help egg collectors identify nest sites. Do not send file attachments.
Other Links

  • Jon Hornbuckle

    Website
    Welcome to my personal website. As you can see, I have been hooked by the desire to travel and find new birds, a victim of an obsession for birding. Like most addictions it has its dangers, some of which I have fallen foul of, but it has given me much pleasure and purpose to life. I have had two principles in my travels, firstly to ensure reports are written to help others benefit from my experience, and until recently not to participate in trips run by tour companies (except for the few I’ve led myself). Not that I have anything against tour companies – they do an excellent job and are the best option for many people, but I prefer to have more control over what I do…

  • SK58

    Website
    SK58 Birders were formed in December 1992, when several local birders met and decided to pool their resources time and experience to build up and share information on local birds and bird-related issues. Members are people who live in and around SK58, i.e. Dinnington, North and South Anston and the outlying villages who are interested in birds, especially local birds. Members range from people who enjoy watching and feeding birds from their homes to the ardent birder, who enjoys finding and watching birds at the highest level. Membership is open to anyone who has an interest in local birds at whatever level. Membership is

  • Sheffield Photographic Centre

    Website
    The premier independent dealer in Sheffield for Canon, Pentax, Minolta, Leica, Nikon, Olympus, Kodak, Tamron, Mamiya, Fujicolor, Ilford, Ricoh, Lowepro, Samsung, Kowa, Opticron, Gossen, Meopta, Minox, Swarovski, Agfa, Fotospeed, Tetenal, Forte, Cobra, Metz, Courtenay, Paterson, Kentmere, Manfrotto, Polaroid, Digital Imaging, Used cameras and darkroom equipment, Monochrome products, Chemicals, optics, the list is endless
Blogs

  • Barnsley Bird Sightings

    BLOG
    Bird & wildlife sightings from the Barnsley recording area

  • Doncaster Birding

    BLOG
    Daily update of birds reported in the Doncaster District

  • Hatfield Moors Birding BLOG

    BLOG
    Bird and other wildlife information service for Hatfield Moors, South Yorkshire

  • Of Birds and Pies

    BLOG
    The definitive site to Pie gobbling when birding

  • Paul Cooper - Little Brown Job

    BLOG
    Last Updated 2015 - Paul had not been birding for a few years now but has been bitten by the bug again. This is his diary of the the journey back into the world of the little brown job

  • Sheffield Wildlife

    BLOG
    My name is Pete Mella. I

  • Steven Farley - Yorkshire Wild

    BLOG
    I consider my patch to be anywhere in the Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire area. My favourite places being, Bank Island, Wheldrake, Alkborough Flats, Spurn Point, North Cave Wetlands and the many other sites around the Humber.
Photographers & Artists

  • Photographer - John Hobson

    Gallery
    Some excellent shots from tthis Doncaster photographer

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