What are the best birdwatching opportunities in the Forest of Dean?

If you’re camping in the Forest of Dean for the birdwatching opportunities, you’ve chosen a good spot. It’s one of the best places in the UK for seeing the elusive goshawk. Symonds Yat rock on the River Wye is one of the birding hotspots and it’s also a great place to watch other birds of prey, including peregrine falcons. RSPB volunteers are on hand at the viewing point from March to September to help visitors spot birds and answer questions. The woodland canopy is home to the usual array of woodland birds while the undergrowth provides hiding places for woodland mammals including the Forest’s famous (or perhaps that should be infamous) wild boar population. In medieval times wild boar were present here but became extinct in Britain in the 13th century. It wasn’t until the 1990s when some wild boar escaped (or were dumped) in the area, that they returned. Fallow deer and the occasional roe deer can also be spotted here alongside the free-roaming sheep, which belong to “ship badgers” or local shepherds with ancient grazing rights. There are also badgers, foxes and smaller mammals including voles as well as a large population of bats.