Short birdwatching visit · RSPB
Budby South Forest
- Tier
- Worth a special trip
- Best season
- late spring and summer
- Headline birds
- Nightjar · Woodlark · Crossbill
- Parking
- Use the main Sherwood Forest car park while Budby's lay-by remains closed.
- Hides
- Watching is from the public heathland tracks and paths.
- Step-free
- Some firm sections suit robust wheelchairs; other tracks are uneven or muddy.
Budby · NG21 9HN
Budby South Forest provides broad heathland and woodland walking alongside Sherwood Forest. Open ground supports summer Nightjars, Woodlarks and Tree Pipits, while scrub attracts Yellowhammers and Linnets. In winter the operator highlights Crossbills, Goldcrests, Siskins and Redpolls among the trees. Several tracks cross the heath, allowing a visit to concentrate on open-country birds or woodland listening. This is a landscape shared with grazing cattle and other wildlife. The lay-by usually associated with Budby is temporarily closed, so begin from the main Sherwood Forest visitor car park.
When to go and where to look
Spring and summer are the clearest overlap for Budby South Forest's recorded Woodlark, Tree Pipit and Nightjar interest. Public footpaths and a bridleway provide the permitted routes across the heath, with some unmarked and rutted sections requiring a careful route choice. Watch and listen from those tracks, leaving the nesting vegetation undisturbed. A later summer target does not establish unrestricted evening access, so confirm the operator's current visiting arrangements before planning around it. Keep the return route manageable for your walking ability and the available light rather than trying to follow a bird across the heath.
Sources: RSPB visitor guide: birds, access and facilities · Visitor routes and access. Planning reviewed 2026-10-25.
Birds and seasons
- Nightjar · Headline bird — Typically late spring and summer Source for Nightjar
- Woodlark · Headline bird — Typically spring and summer Source for Woodlark
- Crossbill · Headline bird — Typically winter Source for Crossbill
- Tree Pipit — Typically spring and summer Source for Tree Pipit
- Siskin — Typically winter Source for Siskin
Plan your visit
- Hides and viewpoints
- Watching is from the public heathland tracks and paths.
- Paths
- Unmarked routes include public footpaths and a bridleway; some tracks are rutted.
- Toilets
- Toilets are at the neighbouring Sherwood Forest visitor centre.
- Parking
- Use the main Sherwood Forest car park while Budby's lay-by remains closed.
- Dogs
- Keep dogs on leads in fenced areas during the stated breeding-season restriction and close around cattle.
- Access notes
- Some firm sections suit robust wheelchairs; other tracks are uneven or muddy.
- Step-free access
- Some firm sections suit robust wheelchairs; other tracks are uneven or muddy.
Getting there: Start at Sherwood Forest visitor centre and continue on foot to Budby.
Sources
Social preview photograph: Common Starling standing in grass in Oxfordshire. Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted for the preview.
Nearby special trips
- Eastern Moors · 22.9 straight-line miles
- Dearne Valley - Bolton Ings · 23.9 straight-line miles
- Alkborough Flats · 37.0 straight-line miles
Continue birding nearby
Nearest full guide: RSPB Sherwood Forest, 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
- Idle Valley Nature Reserve · 9.7 miles in a straight line
- Carr Vale · 10.5 miles in a straight line
- Treswell Wood Nature Reserve · 10.7 miles in a straight line