What is your all time top UK wildlife?

[orangeleavesinautumn]

Mine is probably the starling murmurations in Brighton, but also eagles on Scottish islands. Seals in East Anglia too.

What are yours?

Planning some trips over the summer, and wondering if there is any special UK wildlife we have missed out on so far.

I love this thread! Thousands of puffins at the Farne Islands - Northumberland coast.

Also red kites in Oxford.

The Norfolk broads are brilliant for wildlife - we took dd and her boyfriend for a weeks boating last September, he was treated to many kingfishers and marsh harriers. (We'd been in late May before, that's probably even better for birds - lots of grebe 'humbugs' ) . DD and I saw an otter close up while canoeing and we finished the trip with a drive to Horsey Gap, lots of seals.

Yes!
What astonished me about the Broads is that there are fewer people/motor cruisers and more wildlife than when I went as a child in the 70s.

I’ve seen loads of wildlife on the coast in Pembrokeshire. He of the most magical places to visit

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · Today 00:18

I saw a kingfisher most days as a child as we lived near a river,I didn't realise how lucky I was until quite recently.

In 2020, I was doing a seabed survey, for the Hinkley Point Power Station intake and outlet pipes. We were based in Cardiff Marina.

Every morning and every evening, we saw a pair. I'd never seen them in the UK before.

Humpback whales last year, in the Irish Sea - who knew it was a migration path for them?!

A red stag in Northumberland. We were on the motorbike, on a narrow road, cutting round a hill. It jumped across the road and into a field, in a single bound! I stopped and he just stood looking at us, right next to the fence.

I'd love to see an adder too. I've seen grass snakes, I saw one swimming in the canal once, they are good swimmers. And I've seen slow worms (they are reptiles) which are beautiful - coppery metallic.

What astonished me about the Broads is that there are fewer people/motor cruisers and more wildlife than when I went as a child in the 70s.

I think it depends on the time of year and which part. Not many boats can get under Potter Heigham bridge now (water levels have risen a bit, it seems). So Hickling broad etc on that side are quiet - you can hire an electric day boat, though some of the channels are a bit weedy.

our garden gets some good birds. Owls hooting all night. Greater spotted woodpecker on the bird feeder. We have slow worms galore. Disturbed a nest of babies underground once whilst gardening and have once seen one swim across our pond. Pond has newts and rams horn snails amongst other things and attracts butterflies, dragonflies,craneflies and we had a visiting flycatcher a couple of weeks ago darting around. Also stag beetles at the right time of year.

Seen a few adders, seen a few in Thetford Forest and a couple at Dunwich.

I love this thread - so much inspiration.

Finding a slow worm when you don’t expect it.

Listening to Buzzards calling as they soar all through the summer.

Bats flying cms from my head as they dart and turn trying to catch food.

Favourite seal has to be the one that hauled itself up in a harbour surrounded by onlookers.

Red Squirrels at Formby (preferred it to Brownsea island)

Off to Skomer soon so hoping we get to see lots of interesting things.

Harvest mice
Red squirrels
Seals
Blue tits

There are basking sharks of the Ayrshire coast. Sea otters and seals, too.

Scottish wildcats in the Highlands.
Gannets and puffins on Ailsa Craig
The ducks and geese at Derwent Water
The wee jack snipes on our tiny local lochan

Adders in North Ayrshire, too, in one of the woods local to me. They are wonderful.

I forgot my total favourite.
Years ago, when we had the last really harsh winter (maybe 2010/11), I had a whole flock of redwings come to my garden every day to get fed. There must have been about 40 of them. It was so wonderful and a real privilege.

Red squirrels in Jersey

Seals at Horsey, Norfolk

Ospreys on Rutland Water

The puffins at Bempton cliffs.
A white tailed eagle flying over Luton
A roller somewhere near Norfolk (on a telegraph wire and hundreds of people were looking at it)
Dolphins off the Pembrokeshire coast
Peregrines and their juveniles at Malham
The ospreys at Rutland Water and an osprey reserve somewhere near Barmouth
Chuffs in Pembrokeshire and Cornwall
Kingfishers anywhere - Rye Meads RSPB reserve and many others I can’t remember their names

My best lockdown moment was a walk with my mum at somewhere we'd never been but which was roughly equidistant from us. Beautiful hot day. We saw several adders and grass snakes!

Kingfisher is the one I'd most love to see and never have. No chance with noisy DC in tow these days. I should've tried for that in lockdown too 🤣

I also love hedgehogs but haven't seen one in years. Cry fond of our local badgers, one of which hangs out with a resident fox like a real life Timon and pumbaa

Kingfisher is the one I'd most love to see and never have. No chance with noisy DC in tow these days.

It depends where you live, but don't rule it out. They like slow moving or still water, some of our best spots have been along a canal, in suburban environments, from a well-used towpath.

Thank you! I do always keep an eye out whenever we're near water but sometimes laugh at myself thinking it's pointless.. good to know it's not

Gannets at Bempton Cliffs. I worked there for six months. Reedbed species in the Norfolk Broads. A winter flock of 50+ cirl buntings on our regular Devon walk that were around for several months. Local ravens.

I’d love to see a murmuration on the Somerset Levels.

Other than that, a highlight here was 2 badgers in our very small garden one night when I was sitting quietly outside in the (warm summer) dark. I had earlier put out on the grass (for the birds next day) a lot of buttery crusts left from making a bread and butter pudding. The two of them, both fully grown, woffled around the lawn, just a couple of yards away, completely ignoring me as they hoovered up the crusts.

Otters, Chinese water deer and kingfishers, Norfolk Broads.
Dolphins and red kites, Cardigan Bay

Puffins