The ten best places to photograph wildlife in London and South East England
Anyone who has done any wildlife photography will know that pressing the shutter button is just a tiny step in the process of making an image. One of the important early steps is researching locations and subjects you want to photograph. Over the past few years, I’ve probably spent just as much time researching where to find wildlife as I have taking photos. So I thought I’d save you some time and put together this list of my top ten favourite locations in South East England for watching and photographing birds and wildlife.
1) Your local area!
Before we get into the rest of this list, I think it’s important to point out that wildlife can be found almost anywhere, and walking around your local patch and getting to know it and its wild inhabitants can be invaluable. It will not only save you (ever more expensive) fuel. It also allows you to hone your observation and photography skills when you have little time to spare. I’ve got many of my photos at local ponds and woodlands that don’t make it onto this list because they’re so insignificant it wouldn’t be worth travelling any distance to visit them. For instance, I found a sparrowhawk nest at a local pond where I took a daily lunchtime walk. You need a bit of luck, but it shows that repeated visits to one area can yield results you weren’t expecting. The following images were taken on my lunchtime breaks in my local area, and I don’t doubt that your local patch would yield equally interesting subjects.
2) Richmond Park
The Royal Parks are arguably one of the best places to photograph wildlife in the South East. Not least because of their proximity to London. In Autumn, there is the annual red deer rut to look forward to. You are missing out if you’ve never yet observed this natural spectacle. Testosterone-charged red deer stags spend their days (and most of their night) roaring and fighting to defend their hareems of females. But that’s not all; Pen Pond in the centre of the park hosts an array of waterfowl, including herons nesting in a tree on one of the islands. Keep an eye out for raucous flocks of ring-necked parakeets speeding between the ancient oak trees. You might even get lucky and see an owl if you’re there at dawn or dusk. It is hard to believe you’re within the M25 with all this wildlife on hand!
3) The New Forest
I will be upfront and admit that I haven't personally spent enough time in the New Forest to be able to point you to the best locations. I have however, spent enough time there to see the potential the this area has for wildlife photography. Not only the not obvious free roaming pony's and fallow deer but just having such a large area with a mixture of habitats makes this an obvious one to visit.
4) Knepp Estate Rewilding Project
This is not only a great place to see wildlife but also a fascinating location in its own right. It's a large-scale rewilding project. After making a loss for forty consecutive years, the family farming this estate realised that they needed to do something different than arable farming. Following the example of some European projects, they fenced the 3,500 acres off and let nature do its thing. They did introduce longhorn cattle, wild ponies, fallow deer, red deer, pigs and storks, to name a few species. You can park for free over the road at the Swallows car park situated off Worthing Road (A24 access road), Dial Post, RH13 8NQ. It is also free to walk around the estate as long as you stick to the 16 miles of permissive and public footpaths
5) The Isle of Wight
It is well worth taking the ferry across the Solent and visiting the Isle of Wight in search of some wildlife. There are three species of animals that I would recommend you focus on trying to see. Red squirrels, water voles and white-tailed sea eagles. The first is relatively easily found; one of the best spots is Alverstone Mead. Although there is a very limited amount of parking, the red squirrels are friendly and enable you to get very close. If you plan on taking some food for them, then the most suitable foods for red squirrels are hazelnuts in their shells, unsalted peanuts and sunflower seeds. I’ve never had the good fortune to see the White-tailed sea eagles that have been reintroduced on the island by the Roy Dennis foundation with my own eyes. But I can well believe that they would make an impressive sight. Known as “flying barn doors”, for a good reason, these goliaths of the sky have a wingspan of 1.8 meters to 2.4 meters.
6) Chichester Cathedral
It might seem counterintuitive to head into a city in search of wildlife. However, the cathedral in Chichester (and Winchester, for that matter) are both active nesting sites for the fastest-moving creature in the entire animal kingdom, the peregrine falcon. Say that last part with David Attenborough’s accent, and it sounds even better! Check out the Chichester Peregrines blog that gets updated through the nesting season with frequent updates, so you know what stage the chicks are at. Here are a few shots I’ve got at this location with a 400mm lens on my crop-sensor DSLR.
7) WWT Arundel
Before you google this one and think I’m cheating by including a place with captive birds in a list of wildlife locations, hear me out. While many unusual ducks, geese and other waterfowl species are held in captivity at WWT Arundel, it is also a great location to see their wild counterparts along with many other species such as Kingfishers, Sparrowhawk, Red Kites, Buzzard and even elusive Marsh Harriers (in the winter months). There is an entry fee, including a boat ride which is quite expensive. This is one of the most relaxing places to spend an afternoon or an entire day. Here are a few of my photos from this location.
8) Petworth Park
A bit like one of the royal parks in London but smaller and with fewer people. This old deer park is home to large numbers of fallow deer. It can be a great place to walk around in any season, but autumn is a favourite time of mine. But only to see the stags in rut, but also to enjoy the leaves turning and mushrooms popping up. There is a large pond that is home to the usual assortment of geese, swans and ducks. In spring you can see the new arrivals, goslings and ducklings taking their first steps and paddling for the first time.
9) Farlington Marshes Nature Reserve
This area is so accessible being located at the intersection of the A3 and A27. I had driven past it hundreds of times without a second glance. However it makes a great spot for a bracing walk with the winds whipping off the Solent. Home to flocks of many thousands of waders, geese and waterbirds that overwinter here. Keep an eye out for Marsh Harriers (winter only), Kingfishers, Merlin and Peregrine falcons too.
10) Winnall Moors Nature Reserve
There isn’t anywhere to park directly at this one, but you can park in one of the nearby public car parks in Winchester and walk from there. I’ve had mixed results here; it can be a great place to look for otters, kingfishers and water voles which all thrive in the crystal clear waters of the chalk bed stream which bubbles through the reserve. At other times I’ve found it crowded and with groups of teenagers making a lot of noise, scaring off any wildlife. Still, if you live nearby it’s well worth walking around the paths and boardwalks.
11) Bushy Park
I’ve included this location as an extra addition to the top 10 because I mentioned Richmond Park already. However, Bushy Park is worth considering in its own right. There is typically less walking required as this is the smaller of the two parks. It is ‘less wild’ in some areas than Richmond, with neatly cut grass. However, as I proved one Saturday morning when a barn owl was chased out of a tree by parakeets and jackdaws, you never know what nature will throw at you, no matter where you are.
It’s also worth mentioning several zoos and places where you can practice your photography skills on subjects much closer than their wild counterparts.
Andover Hawk Conservancy
The British Wildlife Center
New Forest Wildlife Park
Birdworld in Farnham
I’ve probably missed hundreds of great destinations that have either slipped my mind at the time of writing this or that I have never been lucky enough to visit yet. If you know of another great destination, let me know in the comments below.
