Short-eared Owl

Naturetrek tour leader Dominic is one of Britain's best known and most prolific natural history writers.

Many of us love our wildlife, but fitting in a specialist trip to enjoy birdwatching, botanising or mammal-watching can be a challenge. That is why we run an increasing number of British short breaks, usually over a weekend, for an intensive but enjoyable nature fix in the countryside, ideal for our busy lives. Another advantage of the short break is that those who are new to birding, or other wildlife pursuits, can dip their toes in without making too great a commitment. Fortunately for us, the UK has such a wonderful range of landscapes, wildlife and seasonal change that every single trip has something unique to offer. Here is a range of favourites, mainly devoted to birding, although other aspects of natural history will not be ignored! We also offer a wide range of tours which focus on the fantastic mammals, flowers and butterflies found in the UK and details of all these can be found on our website.

With a long and varied coastline, heaths, marshes, downland, mudflats and cliffs, Dorset is acknowledged as one of Britain’s finest birdwatching areas. In mid-autumn, it is even better than usual. On this weekend we will visit a wide range of places where migrating birds lurk, and this will hopefully include watching a ringing session at a bird observatory. At this time of year, a clear morning can witness many birds flying over, including pipits, finches, Swallows and thrushes, while warblers and ‘crests’ stay hidden in bushes. Rarities are also possible, such as Yellow-browed Warbler. But our search for migrants isn’t confined to birds. Both Durlston Country Park and Portland Bird Observatory also run moth-traps, which may be laden with exciting species that are also on the move.

Days: 3 

Price: £395

South Devon is one of the mildest parts of the British Isles, so it makes sense to go there in the middle of winter, both as a birdwatcher and a bird. Fair-weather birds include the large flock of Avocets that adorn the mudflats of the Exe Estuary, a few hundred among the 20,000 other birds that use the area in winter. On the nearby heaths, Dartford Warblers are a speciality, while on nearby farmland, where the fields are small and the hedges profuse, that south-western speciality the Cirl Bunting occurs. These are just some of the many targets, and on a good day you can see 100 species around Dawlish, the estuary and the nearby forest of Haldon, which adds the woodland birds.

Days: 3 

Price: £425

As far as Britain is concerned, Norfolk is at the centre of the birdwatching universe. In winter it combines the chance of seeing a wide range of scarce species such as Lapland Buntings and Twites, with a truly spectacular number of estuarine and wetland birds. So, while one moment you might be picking out exciting grebes offshore, the next moment a huge skein of Pink-footed Geese may fly over, while the nearby scrub might overflow with thrushes and finches. On this weekend we visit several famous reserves, including Cley, Holkham and Titchwell, and we end our tour with a trip inland to see the magical duck and swan display at Welney in the Ouse Washes.

Days: 3 

Price: £295

The sheer magic of Norfolk is that it is every bit as good in spring as in winter – it’s a true all-year-round destination. On this tour we visit the famous reserves of Cley and Titchwell, which will be brimming with exciting breeding birds, such as Marsh Harrier, Avocet, Bittern, Bearded Tit and Mediterranean Gull, while the nearby reedbeds and scrub will hum to a wondrously complicated bird chorus. The scrapes and lagoons will be playing host to many migrant waders, most in their breeding finery and passing by on their way north, birds such as Ruff and Spotted Redshank. By contrast, on our second day we will go inland to the Brecks, to look for very different birds such as Crossbill, Goshawk and Golden Pheasant. We end at Lakenheath, where we hope to see Cranes and perhaps the famous gathering of Hobby gorging on dragonflies.

Days: 3 

Price: £295

It’s easy to make a botanist happy – just take them to a chalk downland at the height of summer and leave to simmer. On this short break, we enjoy downland aplenty, and revel not just in the flowers, but also butterflies at their fair season best, and birds as well. The downs of Hampshire are rich in orchids, which pop up in profusion at places such as Noar Hill, while Helleborines hide like botanical fairies in the nearby beechwoods. A range of delightful flowers fight for every inch of chalky soil, from Thyme and Marjoram to Purging Flax and Quaking-grass. The many butterflies compete with the flowers for bright colours, while birds such as Yellowhammers and Bullfinches aren’t far behind.

Days: 3 

Price: £350

In crowded southern England it is a miracle that 144 square miles of mature mixed forest, heathland and wet, boggy ground has somehow survived, and that within a few miles of the major city of Southampton you can find yourself completely alone and far from anybody. Britain’s newest national park is a superb wildlife area, especially in summer, where a range of rare birds, reptiles, mammals and plants can all be found. The Forest holds 500 pairs of Dartford Warblers, half the British total, along with delights such as Hobby, Honey Buzzard, Firecrest, Wood Warbler, Redstart and Nightjar in some profusion. It also boasts all six terrestrial native British reptiles, an abundance of deer, rare butterflies and a host of superb plants, all in a wonderfully wild setting.

Days: 3 

Price: £350

The Peak District is Britain’s oldest national park, formed in 1951. It is a large area of upland and valleys, mostly above 300m in elevation, encompassing an amazing variety of habitats from high moorland, to woodland and even freshwater marshes. On this tour we will enjoy them all, looking particularly for upland birds such as Ring Ouzel, Red Grouse, Whinchat and, with luck, Golden Plover and even Merlin. By complete contrast, the wetlands along the Dearne Valley have reedbeds that host Bittern and Bearded Tit, and there are even Avocets on the lagoons. The rushing River Derwent is good for Dipper and Red-breasted Merganser, while the woodlands will be ringing with a spring chorus of Pied Flycatchers and Redstarts. We have four days to explore this wonderful area.

Days: 4 

Price: £595

The winter dusk gatherings of Starlings at the Somerset Levels are one of the great wildlife spectacles of Britain, if not the world. The sight and sound of up to a million birds flying in formation, often just above your head, is an experience not to be missed. But it isn’t the only thing the Levels has to offer in winter; it brims with many thousands of birds, from ducks and waders, to Britain’s best assemblage of long-legged waders, including Great and Cattle Egrets, Bitterns and Cranes. Not surprisingly, the wealth of food attracts predators such as abundant Marsh Harriers, Barn Owls and Peregrines. Small birds, from Cetti’s Warblers to Bearded Tits and wintering Chiffchaffs, are one of the less appreciated delights. But the Starlings invariably steal the show.

Days: 3 

Price: £325

This short break is five days, and a taster of the delights to be found in this secluded part of south-west Scotland. Its most famous draw is the Solway Firth, and in particular the RSPB reserve of Mersehead and the WWT reserve at Caerlaverock, winter home to all of Svalbard’s 40,000 Barnacle Geese, along with Whooper Swans (which come in to be fed in the evening), Pink-footed Geese and Greenland White-fronts, as well as thousands of ducks. However, it is perhaps the less famous sites that will stand out. Near our base at St John’s Town of Dalry is a superb Hen Harrier roost, with Merlin and Short-eared Owl likely, while there is also a local Red Kite feeding centre. Meanwhile, the sheltered coast and bays, such as Wigtown Bay, are great for seaducks, waders, grebes and Black Guillemots. This could be quite a tour of discovery.

Days: 5 

Price: £795

Britain’s second largest tract of ancient woodland, 100 square kilometres in extent, the Forest of Dean has only comparatively recently become known as a birding hotspot. It is famous for its high population of breeding Goshawks, which can often be seen in soaring display in early spring, and for its resident Hawfinches, Crossbills and Willow Tits, which occur in its stands of oaks, hornbeams, alders and conifers. In summer there are also Nightjars, Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Wood Warblers and Redstarts, and a few needles in the haystack in the form of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. By complete contrast, a night drive at any time of the year might produce sightings of Wild Boar, more numerous here than anywhere else in the UK.

Days: 3 

Price: £325

Days: 7 

Price: £1,795