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More about Yew View
Yew View is a 9 acre private site, in Worcestershire
For the last 12 years, I have worked with David and DJ, who own Yew View.
Yew View is a private wildlife haven and long-term filming project that I manage and monitor, set on several acres of beautiful riverside land in Worcestershire. The site is home to an incredible diversity of species from otters, kingfishers, and badgers to owls and many garden birds, all living within a sensitively managed mosaic of woodland, meadow, and ponds.
Over the years, I’ve installed a network of high-definition and infrared cameras across the site, providing a unique window into the secret lives of its wild residents. These cameras capture everything from nesting birds and hunting and breeding tawny owls to nocturnal visits from foxes and deer. The footage not only helps me study behaviour and habitat use, but also allows me to share these intimate moments with a wider audience through my website and social media channels.
Yew View is constantly evolving, with new habitats being created, nest boxes added, and technology upgraded, but its purpose remains the same: to connect people with nature by showing what’s possible when you develop and manage spaces to support nature.
Filming at Yew View
The site and its wonderful wildlife have appeared on numerous wildlife programmes. This clip gives a good summary of the site and its wonderful habitats... even if it was a while ago!
Yew View Badgers
We have filmed badgers at Yew View for many years. I even built an artificial sett, with cameras inside. It was in this space that I filmed a wild badger giving birth, thought to be a first! A truly unforgettable moment that offered a rare and intimate glimpse into a world few ever see.
Over the years, I’ve spent countless evenings observing and filming these wonderful animals, learning their routines, recognising individuals and learning about how they move around the site.
My footage has featured in programmes such as Badgers: Their Secret World on Channel 5, as well as across BBC wildlife series and online projects. For me, this work isn’t just about the technology or the footage... it’s about sharing the beauty and complexity of these remarkable creatures, inspiring others to appreciate and protect the wildlife living alongside us.
Yew View Tawny Owls
One of the first things I did when I started working at Yew View, was to build a tawny box and wire it up with cameras. It took a few years for the resident pair to take to it, but then we have filmed them breed here for the last 7 years! For 6 years, it was the same female. In 2024, a new female bred here.
Every year, we all look forward to watching them settle in the box and the cameras, both inside and outside, live stream so I can share their journey with the world.
We have filmed many amazing sequences in this box and it is a privilege to be able to witness the secret lives of this wonderful woodland owl, that many hear, but few see.
Yew View Otters
The land at Yew View borders the River Severn. Some 15 years ago, before I worked there, an artificial holt was installed and for many years, we had cameras installed on an area where both males and females visited. We also built another artificial holt, but the river has been so volatile in recent years, we have not had permanent cameras in this location. The river can rise so quickly, we have lost a number of cameras when we were simply unable to get to them quickly enough.
We have captured some amazing footage and it is good to know they are on this stretch of river.
Yew View Birds
We have recorded many species of bird at Yew View and we have multiple feeding stations, many with cameras. We also have a number of small waterholes, where we regularly film all sorts of species coming to drink and bathe.
We also have a camera on a post by one of the wildlife ponds and have regularly filmed kingfishers here, along with a host of other species, including buzzard and sparrowhawk.
Some of the feeding station live cameras can be seen on the live cameras page of my website.
Cameras at Yew View
Wired Cameras
Bird Feeders to Waterholes
We have a series of wired cameras all over the site. These are cabled to network switches, then back to an office and a central PC, where I run iCatcher Console, to monitor and record all cameras and capture footage.
Remote Monitoring
Trail Cameras
I use trail cameras to monitor many parts of Yew View, particularly in areas outside of the cabled system. I also use them in the areas surrounding the site, particularly at a local woodland and badger sett.
Yew View
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