Great crested newt
With its prominent, wavy crest, the great crested newt, also known as the 'warty newt', looks like a mini dinosaur! This protected species favours clean ponds during the breeding season…
Chwilio
Speckled wood butterfly - Vicky Nall
Chwilio
Palmate newt
The palmate newt looks similar to the smooth newt, but favours shallow pools on acidic soils like heathlands. During the breeding season, males grow distinctive black webbing on their hind feet.…
Discovering a winter rockpool
At first glance a beach in the middle of winter seems like a bleak, lifeless environment. However, when you look closer you will realise that life still thrives despite freezing air and stormy…
Little egret
The elegant little egret was once a rare visitor to our shores, but can now regularly be spotted around the coastline of England and Wales. Look out for its beautiful neck plumes that herald the…
Great white egret
As the name suggests, this tall, white heron is considerably larger than the similar little egret. Once a rare visitor to the UK, sightings have become more common over the last few decades, with…
Sanderling
The sanderling scampers about the waves looking for marine crustaceans, fish and even jellyfish to eat. It visits the UK in winter from its Arctic breeding grounds, but can also be seen as it…
Whooper swan
The whooper swan is a very rare breeding bird in the UK, but has much larger populations that spend winter here after a long journey from Iceland. It has more yellow on its yellow-and-black bill…
Battling balsam: Rust fungus trials on the River Dee
Across Wales, the invasive non-native species (INNS) team is working to develop sustainable, nature-led approaches to invasive species control. This blog shares the latest chapter in their journey…
Shoresearch rocky shore surveys - March 2023
The lowest Spring tides of the year can reveal areas of the shore very sensitive to footfall. Care was taken as we accessed areas full of worm tubes, anemones, breeding slugs and luscious red…
Machair
A rare habitat remarkable for its colourful diversity of wildflowers and abundant birdlife, machair grassland is a feast for the ears and eyes.
My joy ride
After working hard all week, for Cally, there’s nothing better than a gallop along the River Trent at Lady Bay in Nottingham. She shares this wild space with dog walkers, cyclists and other horse…
My therapy
Albie has had a love of nature from a young age. He first started getting out in nature as a Scout. He became a Scout leader and outward bound instructor, mostly working as a volunteer youth…