Spotters Guides
Download these spotting sheets
and take them with you when you go wildlife spotting.
Downloads are from The Wildlife
Trusts Wildlife Watch website
Summer Wader
spotter
We get a few new visitors to our wetlands
in the summer, as well as old friends with new looks. See if you
can tick a few of these off.
Warbler
detective
These secretive little birds can be hard to
tell apart by looks alone. It's when they sing that they reveal
their identity! There are some differences to look out for
though...
Summer
flowers
A selection of some of the UK's most
widespread countryside flowers. Many like to grow along footpaths
and roadsides, so see how many you can tick off this
summer.
Garden bird
detective
Tick off the visitors to your bird
table with this spotting sheet of familiar friends. Perhaps you've
seen every single one in your garden!
Bird of prey detective
Scan the skies for soaring buzzards, watch
the roadside for hovering kestrels and keep an eye out for the
classic forked tail of the red kite
Bird of prey detective 2
A few more birds of prey for you to spot,
this time including owls and scarcer species. Many are hard to
find, especially during the day!
Grazing mammal spotter
Watch out for deer, rabbits and other
large plant eaters. These shy vegetarians are easily spooked
and hard to get close to, so you might only glimpse bottoms as they
bound away from you!
Winter wader detective
The UK's wetlands, coastlines and
estuaries can be full of wading birds during the winter.
With their long legs and beaks they can be tricky to tell
apart!
Shoreline detective
A wealth of interesting marine
treasures can turn up along beaches and coastlines
throughout the year. Take a closer look at some of the things
washed up and see if you can spot any of these.
Winter nuts and berries
Once winter starts to bite, a few
of the hardier berries and nuts are left to see birds and
mammals through the cold weather. They're easier to see once the
leaves start to fall.
Wild fruit detective
With lots of hungry mouths to feed as
animals stock up in autumn, wild fruits often don't last long. See
how many you can spot in the hedgerows before they're all gobbled
up!
Fungi detective
Mushrooms are the usually the only part of
a fungus we usually get to see. They grow quickly from the ground,
often in the autumn, to release spores for reproduction. Look for
them in damp areas around trees where the rest of the fungus is
feeding on underground roots or rotting wood.
Gall spotter
These funny little growths are found on
many parts of plants and trees. They are caused by tiny wasp grubs
growing inside the plants, but how many can you find?
Moth spotter
Many moths are on the wing during the day
and can be as colourful as butterflies. Many more can be disturbed
from their resting places when you brush past. Look out for the
letter shaped marking of the Silver Y moth or the
hovering flight of hummingbird and burnet moths.
Caterpillar spotting sheet
Here is a selection of just a few of
the caterpillars you might come across over the summer.
Many look similar and can be hard to find, so look carefully
for small clues to tell them apart.
Country butterflies spotting
sheet
The butterflies of country lanes, open
fields and farmland can be different to the ones you encounter in
your garden. Be prepared to identify them!
Woodland butterflies spotting
sheet
When you go down to the woods today, make
sure you have this guide to woodland butterflies with you! The
browns and buffs of the woodland butterfly can make them hard to
spot in the shade.
Butterfly detective spotting
sheet
Identify the fluttering visitors to your
garden with this handy butterfly guide. Some of them can look very
similar, so pay close attention to the wing patterns to tell them
apart.
Spring tree ID
Tell those tricky trees apart by learning
the signs to look out for. Even without their leaves, trees begin
to give us clues to their identity with buds, flowers and left-over
seeds.
Spring flowers spotting sheet
Count down the days to warmer weather by
ticking off these spring flowers. Some are early, some are late,
and some are only found in woodland.
Winter bird spotter
See if you can spot these ten winter birds.
Some are hard to find, but others like the robin should be
quite easy to spot if you look around gardens and parks. Good
luck!
Nut detective spotting sheet
Learn how to identify common nuts and the
signs left behind by the wildlife that eats them.
Duck detective spotting sheet
Learn how to tell your pintail from your
pochard with our easy-to-use guide to 10 UK ducks. Take with
you on any duck-watching trip!