Specie's Page                                               R.S.P.B. St Aidan's, West Yorkshire

R.S.P.B. St Aidan's:

St Aidan's Nature Park is 355 hectare (877 acres) wetland nature reserve, situated on the banks of the river in the Aire Valley, between Leeds and Castleford.

The area was formerly an opencast mining area, when the River Aire burst it's banks in 1988, the area was flooded. It took a great deal of effort to get open cast mining up and running again, mining ended on the site in 2002.

This large nature park opened to the public in 2013, after the R.S.P.B. took over the care of this wetland. This arrangement was in jeopardy about two months after opening, ans subsequently the reserve and visitor park were closed again. This was due to unresolved land issues, which were resolved in 2017 when Leeds City Council signed over the land on a ninety nine years lease to the R.S.P.B., the site has been open since, to both members, and non members of the general public.

This site has an amazing list of wildlife species, and is mainly reknowned for its large array of wetland birds. There are many rare and endangered species to be found here, this includes both resident and visiting species. There are many overwintering and summer visitors alike, not to mention the all year around residents, and migrants on passage.

Glossy Ibis, Spoonbills, Slovenian and Black-necked Grebes, Cattle Egret, Red-crested Pochard, Avocet, Egyptian Goose, Greater Scaup, Whooper Swan, Bittern, Golden Plover, Pink-footed Goose and many, many more, are just a few of the stars on this reserve.

St Aiden's is also open to horse riders, cycles, joggers, dog walkers and of course many bird watchers. The visitor centre also sells beverages and light meals.