Peak viewing: wildlife drama plays out on webcams across the UK

Peregrines, puffins, barn owls and bat pups: The Wildlife Trusts lift the lid on a flurry of new arrivals

This week, wildlife lovers were overjoyed to see two fluffy peregrine chicks hatch at St Albans Cathedral, marking a terrific comeback for the birds following the shocking destruction of their nest caught on camera just a few months prior.

One of only five breeding pairs in Hertfordshire, the webcam follows the lives of the peregrine pair each spring, attracting over half a million views last year alone. All eyes are now on the third egg nestled atop the cathedral in the hope it will complete the trio of these impressive birds of prey.

The Wildlife Trusts offer over 25 live, and much-loved, webcams seasonally. Right now is peak viewing season as the cameras allow an unrivalled view of courtship, nesting and hatching as well as a peep into the first few weeks of a chick's life. Webcams also follow the lives of mammals such as bats, badgers and red squirrels, as well as dolphins and scenic coastal views.

Dom Higgins, head of health and education at The Wildlife Trusts, says:

“From barn owls and puffins to bats and seal pups, there’s nothing quite like a webcam to lift our spirits, giving an unrivalled window into the worlds of the wildlife we share a home with.

“We know the thrills and spills captured by these webcams are enjoyed by many people from around the world, so why not tune into a webcam to learn more about wildlife behaviour as part of 30 Days Wild this June? Connecting to the natural world and taking action to help nature’s recovery has never been easier and The Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild challenge also offers tips and tricks to tap into nature wherever you live.”

Tune into our wildlife webcams

Favourite webcams include:

Skomer Island’s bustling puffin colony

This island off the Pembrokeshire coast recently celebrated a record 43,626 puffins. The camera follows the special birds’ breeding season and streams 24 hours a day. Last year it amassed around 120,000 views, equivalent to 19,000 hours of watch time. Tune in this year for a chance to spot adorable pufflings alongside seals and other seabirds.

Watch the webcam

Perfect pups on South Walney’s seal cam

Following the lives of Cumbria’s only grey seal population since 2016, this camera offers the ideal opportunity to safely observe newly born fluffy pups nestled amongst adult seals. Cumbria Wildlife Trust recently celebrated a record count of 563 seals in the area; the webcam also allows staff and volunteers to continue to monitor their success.

Watch the seal cam

Two adult barn owls sleeping in a nestbox, captured by a nestbox camera

Swooping barn owls

The lives of barn owls Finn and Trude are watched daily by tens of thousands of fans from their cosy nest box in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset. The 24 hour livestream captures the owls’ antics both inside and outside the box, including the arrival of this year’s four beautiful owlets. Watching the lifecycle of these magical birds unfold has not been without its dramas though, with a pigeon also sneaking in to lay an egg right beside the owls!

Elsewhere, barn owls Nos and Seren have also become parents to 3 owlets, as captured by North Wales Wildlife Trust’s owl cam.

Watch the barn owls

A group of bats huddled together in their roost

Bundles of joy on Essex’s bat cam

Offering an upside-down view into Essex Wildlife Trust’s soprano pipistrelle bat roost, this camera helps monitor the population and behaviour of one of the largest soprano pipistrelle bat roosts in the country. Every spring, these tiny creatures, about the size of a human thumb, come to roost, give birth and rear their young in the roosting box, and this year, for the first time, the webcam has captured baby bats – known as pups – live on camera.

Watch the bat cam

All the osprey action

Osprey roosts often host plenty of drama, from the anticipation of pairs returning each year, to chicks hatching and their parents flying in laden with fish in their talons. Once extinct in the UK as a breeding species, conservationists use cameras to ensure the nests are protected from harm while also collecting valuable data to help further their recovery. See:

Rutland Water’s nest webcam
Foulshaw Moss webcam in Cumbria
North Wales Wildlife Trust Llyn Brenig webcam from near the Conwy border
Cors Dyfi webcam in Wales

Plenty of peregrines

Alongside the peregrines at St Albans Cathedral, Leamington Spa's historic Town Hall is also home to a pair of these special falcons. Tall, urban structures like the town hall replicate the towering cliff edges that peregrines would naturally nest on, only this one has a 24/7 webcam bringing you all the action from March to June!

Watch the peregrines

Editor's notes

The St Albans Cathedral peregrine nest was shockingly destroyed during an incident captured on camera in April this year. Three eggs were lost as a result, and Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and the local police responded here: Peregrine Falcons' Eggs at St Albans Cathedral Destroyed | Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust
As celebrated earlier this year, a record-breaking number of puffins were recorded on Skomer Island as part of annual monitoring of the bird. This success is despite numbers declining globally. See here for more details: Seabird Success: Record Breaking Puffin Numbers on Skomer Island | The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales
Cumbria Wildlife Trust also announced a record number of grey seals (563) were counted at South Walney nature reserve, near Barrow between September 2024 and March 2025. Read more here: Highest number of grey seals recorded near Barrow | Cumbria Wildlife Trust
The 30 Days Wild challenge encourages people to get outside, to enjoy and connect with nature as part of their everyday lives. In the last ten years, 30 Days Wild has attracted more than three million participants. To find out more visit wildlifetrusts.org/30DaysWild.

Watch the webcams:

The Wildlife Trusts 

The Wildlife Trusts are making the world wilder and helping to ensure that nature is part of everyone’s lives. We are a grassroots movement of 46 charities with more than 910,000 members and 35,000 volunteers. No matter where you are in Britain, there is a Wildlife Trust inspiring people and saving, protecting and standing up for the natural world. With the support of our members, we