Wildlife Walks

Wildlife Walks in Nature

Guided wildlife walks centred around nature and wildlife watching.  

There’s nothing more magical than encountering wildlife in its natural habitat, behaving freely and naturally. From otters playing at dawn to owls hunting at dusk, every wildlife walk event offers a small group size led by experienced, trained naturalist and award-winning wildlife photographer Rich Bunce. 

Enjoy the thrill of natural spectacles while learning invaluable fieldcraft and wildlife watching secrets for even more successful nature watching experiences in the future. 

2025 Dates

Wednesday 12th February, 7:30am - 1:30pm - Otter Trekking Day (£70) - SOLDOUT

Friday 11th April 7:30am - 2pm - Otter Trekking Day (£70)

Wednesday 30th April, 8am - 4pm - River & Moor Tour (£70)

Monday 12th May, 7.30pm - 9.30pm - Evening Wild River Walk (£35)

Friday 6th June, 6.30pm - 10pm - In search of Owls Talk & Walk (£35)

Sunday 6th July, 6.30pm - 10pm - In search of Owls Talk & Walk (£35)

Monday 26th Aug, 7.30pm - 9.30pm - Night Wild River Walk (£35)

Friday 20th September 7:30am - 2pm - Otter Trekking Day (£70)

Can't make the dates?
Private tours and guiding days are available, and costs are flat rate so you can bring friends/family at no additional cost. Private bookings get more and more popular as the year progresses so please get in touch well in advance with any booking enquiries.

Please remember that wildlife is unpredictable and there can be no guarantees on what species we'll see on any nature walk. However, you are guaranteed a relaxing, informative and inspiring time with like-minded people enjoying nature. 

The River & Moor Tour

Location: LS29 Area
Duration: 8 hours (4-6 miles) approx
Terrain: Good, rough muddy paths, relatively level with small inclines

With a studio nestled between the lively and diverse banks of the Wharfe and the wild heathland moors, Rich has developed a in-depth and instinctive relationship with both habitats, regularly exploring them for over ten years. He is uniquely placed to share the fascinating and exciting insights from both riverside and moor.

Spend a special day exploring a broad variety of habitats at one of the most exciting times for observing nature and wildlife behaviour. 

As always, we'll focus on responsible and positive ways to watch and experience nature. Sharing in-the-field techniques that ensure you’ll enjoy authentic and ethical wildlife encounters in the future.  

While this is a wildlife focussed tour, Rich’s extensive and internationally celebrated photography experience offers an additional resource to tap into during the event.

On the river we'll be looking out for star species like otters, kingfishers, dippers and sand martin colonies as well as common sandpiper, goosander, oyster catcher and the stunning (non-native but established) mandarin ducks. Herons and egrets stalk the banks while red kites, sparrow hawk and buzzards look for any opportunity as the water reaches peak activity levels.   

In terms of wildlife, April is one of the most exciting times to be  on the moor as ground nesting birds like curlew, lapwing, golden plover, red grouse and snipe begin to breed. Watchout for flurries of aerial acrobatics as threats from raptors like kestrel, buzzards, sparrow hawk, red kites and the odd owl search for a meal you might even catch sight of the many brown hare dart from cover. While watching the drama unfold enjoy the soundtrack skylarks, meadow pippits, the extraordinary calls from pee-wits and curlew with the odd chance of snipe ‘drumming’ and the iconic call of the cuckoo. 

In Search of Owls

Location: Walking Photography Studio, 95 Main St, Burley in Wharfedale   
Duration: 3.5 hours (2-3 miles) approx
Group size: 4-5
Terrain: Good, rough muddy paths, relatively level with small inclines & narrow gates

Watching an owl in its natural habitat a a truly special moment, they are simply majestic creatures that demand our awe. 

Award-winning wildlife photographer Rich Bunce has been luck enough to observe all five owl species of the UK's native owls in their natural habitat and has been photographing them locally for nearly 10 years.

Over that time he has developed a keen insight to their habits and behaviour, while capturing some truly stunning images (and footage, occasionally seen on TV) of them. 

This talk and walk event starts at the Walking Photography studio where Rich will introduce you to our 5 species of owl, with stunning photography and sharing key insights and fieldcraft secrets for watching them in their natural habitat. 

Following the short presentation Rich will lead a carefully planned walk, exploring the habitats of at least three of our owl species (Barn Owl, Little Owl & Tawny Owl) and in the right conditions, a fair chance of seeing them all! 

While there can be no guarantees on any owls making an appearance we will certainly make sure we're in the right place at the right time, with a plethora of other wildlife encounters to enjoy.

 And you'll walk away with a ton of information, tips and inspiration to head out on your own owl watching encounters in the future.  

In Search of Otter

Location: Ilkley and surrounding area, West Yorkshire

Duration:  6-7 hours (3-4 miles)

The excitement at seeing one of our most elusive and enigmatic mammals never fades. Sometimes you're so spellbound you have to remind yourself to breath!   

Spotting otters is not easy, however you'd be surprised at just how many people walk past an active otter without even realising. Drawing on his exhaustive hours spent on the riverbank, award-winning wildlife photographer Rich Bunce will share insights and field craft secrets for spotting otters.

Rich is very experienced in otter watching and has been observing otters on his local patch for over five years now and is well placed to offer an intimate insight to their behaviour. 

What are my chances of seeing an otter?

Activity levels are very prone to change and hard to predict, however with an experienced guide who's regularly exploring the local habitats you'll be in the best hands possible to increase your chances. The encounters can vary too, anything from a fleeting glimpse, to over an hour watching hunting behaviour (sometimes both, sometimes neither).

Whether you get lucky or not, there'll be plenty of other wildlife to enjoy watching from the iconic kingfishers and dippers constantly darting up and down stream to egrets, herons and much, much more!

The most important thing is that you'll walk away armed with knowledge and skills to help you enjoy many more otter watching adventures in the future! 

Otter Walk Itinerary

Otter trekking walks are designed to be flexible and allow for us to adapt with conditions and encounters. 

1. Meet and walk a territory based on recent observations (1.5-2.5 hours)
2. Meet at studio (short drive) for convenience break, refreshments & slideshow/video guide (1hr)
3. Head to different otter territory (1.5-2.5 hours)

A Evening/Night Wild River Walk (Otters, bats and more...)

Location: Ilkley
Duration: 2 hours (1-2 miles) approx
Group size: 4
Terrain: Good, rough muddy paths, relatively level

As day giveaway to night, the river becomes an exciting canvas of change! From kingfishers and dippers trying to grab one last mouthful of fish to owls, otters and bats stirring from their slumber (and likely feeling peckish). 

Wild river evening and night walks straddle that border between light and dark and increase the chance of experiencing some exciting natural wonders!

After a short twilight walk along the banks of the Wharfe, as the light starts to fade we’ll find one or two spots to linger, where we’ll use one of the latest thermal imaging scopes and a state-of-the-art bat detector to gain an even more fascinating insight to  life on the river after dark!