Wildlife Safaris Forest of Dean

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Wildlife Safaris Forest of Dean

Guided wildlife-watching in the Forest of Dean

30/10/2026

A half-term trip to Puzzlewood this week with our youngest. It was a bit rainy (and muddy!) but that added to the autumnal atmosphere 🌳🍂

This magical woodland is must-see local attraction with its mysterious, moss-covered rocks, gnarled trees, dripping ferns and twisting paths. It's also been used as a film and TV set!

25/10/2026

A beautiful rook we spotted on a family trip to today!

We don't often see rooks in the main part of the Forest of Dean so it was a great chance to watch one up close. And although it's a familiar species, we don't often get this sort of view! 😁

21/10/2026

A dipper foraging at Cannop Ponds last week!

This species is our only aquatic songbird - it is specially adapted to forage underwater and can even walk along the streambed as it looks for tiny aquatic invertebrates. Dippers are sensitive to water pollution and so are good indicators of the health of our waterways.

They are not always easy to spot though, so this was a lovely sighting!

18/10/2026

More incredible reflections in the forest last week... this time around Cannop Ponds 🤩😊🌳

15/10/2026

🌳 Did you know? 🌳

As well as being full of amazing wildlife, the Forest of Dean has a fascinating industrial past - and we love spotting traces of it amongst the trees!

From old railway lines and tramways (now often cycling or walking tracks) to mine entrances, old colliery tips, boundary walls and discarded slag or 'cinders' from the iron furnaces, there are reminders everywhere of the industries that once shaped this landscape. Even the ponds and lakes in the forest are part of this industrial legacy, from former mine workings to waterbodies created to power ironworks.

We love to show visitors these signs and tell them about the history of the forest, because it helps us understand what is here now, and why. 🌿

12/10/2026

A lovely little minotaur beetle in the forest today! 🪲

Autumn is a good time to spot this species, which is named after the three bull-like horns of the male. Minotaur beetles are a type of dung beetle - they dig tunnels up to 1.5m deep where they lay eggs and provide the larvae with dung to eat (yum!). The male and female even work together to provision and defend the nesting burrow - what amazing insect parents!

09/10/2026

Where does the reflection end ... and the forest begin?!

Perfect reflections at Waterloo Screens pond in the Forest of Dean this week! It was like looking into another world... 😁😮🌳🌲

08/10/2026

The forest is still looking pretty green at the moment, but there are the first signs of an autumn chill in the air!

Many trees started shedding leaves in a 'false autumn' back in August, due to the heat and drought, but with a bit of rain everything has had a second flush of growth. However, the chilly nights and warm, sunny days we've had recently should create some spectacular colours this year, as these conditions build up sugars in the leaves and favour the production of anthocyanins that produce bright reds and purples.

We'll be keeping an eye on the changing leaves as autumn progresses, and to give you even more opportunity to come and see this seasonal spectacle for yourself we have now added an extra date (8th November) to our autumn safaris! 😁🍂🍁

Come and learn more about how and why leaves change colour, why so many fungi appear in autumn, and what our wildlife is up to at this time of year - as well as spotting birds, looking for mammals signs and listening out for the deer rut 🦌

To find out more or book a place visit https://www.yuup.co/experiences/autumn-safari-in-the-forest-of-dean?referral_id=tgRJ03pPhWbdfPzhLb6Jhw

02/10/2026

Two female fallow deer, surprised to see us yesterday morning!

We have three deer species here in the Forest of Dean (fallow, roe and muntjac), but the fallow deer is the one we see most often. Rutting season is starting so we will be looking and listening out for the males as they 'roar' and fight over females!

24/09/2026

🍂 Come and discover autumn in the Forest of Dean! 🍂

Join one of our Autumn Wildlife Safaris to experience the best this season has to offer, from spectacular autumn colour to weird and wonderful fungi, plus the sights and sounds of the deer rut echoing through the forest.

Find out more about how and why trees change colour in autumn, and why this season is so great for fungi. We'll be looking out for birds and other wildlife along the way, spotting field signs of wild boar and deer and also telling you more about the forest and its history!

These 2-hour guided walks are running on selected dates in October/November (alternative dates may be available on request):

🦌 Sunday 11 October
🍂 Sunday 25 October
🍁 Sunday 1 November

Find our more and book at https://www.yuup.co/experiences/autumn-safari-in-the-forest-of-dean?referral_id=tgRJ03pPhWbdfPzhLb6Jhw

Address

Bristol

Website

http://www.forestofdeanwildlife.com/

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