5 British Wildlife Spectacles To See Before You Die

[wildmanofthewoods]

This may have been done before, if it has i'm sorry. I did a search there was something similar in 2006...Anyway to the point.......

Here are my must see's for anyone who's even slightly interested in British wildlife to try to see before they die (morbid or what)

5 Grey Seals with pups at Donna Nook, Lincolnshire. Ahhhhh

4 Otters on the islands and West coast of Scotland. Mmmmmmmmm

3 Red Kites feeding frenzy at Gigrin Farm, Powys, Wales. Whoooosh

2 Bottle Nose Dolphins from Chanonry Point, Moray Firth, Scotland. Splassshhh

And at number ONE pop pickers

STARLINGS
8MILLION BIRDS COMING IN TO ROOST ON THE SOMERSET LEVELS NICE

Right thats mine, if you've got any different lets see them please, otherwise i have no reason to live, as i've seen all the above .

[nightshade]

I would love to see a Leatherback Turtle in Canaervon Bay
I never seem to get to Gigrin Farm
I am taking the Lioness out to see Owls around Slapton in
April (well thats the plan) we have seen the Bats and Badgers
there and the Hares at the local farm

[ChrisJB]

These are all ones I have yet to see, in no particular order:

1. see Killer Whales around G.B (only seen them abroad)
2. see a Leatherback Turtle
3. see and hear a Corncrake, on territory
4. see a Pine Marten
5. find a tropical bean washed up on a British beach

Regards, Chris

[tufftie]

I'm not quite sure that someof these would really countas spectacles...but they do to me. In no order then:

1. Waking up to the dawn chorus in a woodland by a stream.
2. Cornish hedges and cliffs full of wild flowers - lots of purples and blues.
3. A garden full of spiders webs sparkling with dew in the early morning sunlight.
4. A wild flower meadow full of fluttering butterflies.
5. Sunrise on Porthgwarra cliffs - birdwatching.

[tigger]

Tufftie I loved your 5... I was sent into an immediate daydream of summer!

Here are a few that I have loved:

1. Watching Fox cubs playing in a field full of wildflowers
2. Watching Badgers playing and interacting by their sett in the wild
3. Watch hares boxing in the spring (I still didn't see this!)
4. See Otters... anywhere in the UK
5. Stand in a watermeadow while 1000's of bright red damselflies hatch around you.

I've done a few of these... but still at least 3 to go! So not about to pop my clogs yet!

Jane

[NickCantle]

hmmmmmmmm good thread

5. Knowing where to go to find a lovely vixen
4. Having a Nuthatch as a regular garden visitor
3. Seeing a Slow Worm
2. Finding rarities in the mycological world
1. Strolling through the Norfolk meadows in the orange, late summer sun with my girlfriend Elle, watching the birds, listening to their song and observing all of the wildlife around us. Sounds like heaven to me

Nick

[wildmanofthewoods]

Great inspirations, i'm loving all your suggestions i might live till i'm a hundred and three
Don't you just want to be out there?

[aestarte]

5: Actually grow a herb garden (silly I know but it's hard and the scent would finish my garden off totally).
4: Find another secret place that only I know about as mine has been discovered (TOURISTS )
3: Find a perfect bluebell wood.
2: See Red Deer up close and personal (I intend to do that this year)
1: Move in to the country where nature is my only neighbour. (Please, please, please this year) sigh.

All the best. Fi. X X X X

[Wild-Woman]

1-Swallowtail Butterfly
2-All other Brtish species of Odonates I've not seen yet.
3-Shrill Carder bee
4-Golden eagle
5- My quest to see a Bullfinch!!!!!!

[tigger]

Wild-woman. Come to my garden! we have three pairs of bullfinch at the moment!

Jane

[wildmanofthewoods]

Originally Posted by aestarte

5: Actually grow a herb garden (silly I know but it's hard and the scent would finish my garden off totally).
4: Find another secret place that only I know about as mine has been discovered (TOURISTS )
3: Find a perfect bluebell wood.
2: See Red Deer up close and personal (I intend to do that this year)
1: Move in to the country where nature is my only neighbour. (Please, please, please this year) sigh.

All the best. Fi. X X X X

Thanks for your post & good luck. The nearest i've come to a "perfect bluebell wood", is Carstromen Wood, near Gatehouse of Fleet, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland. The density of Bluebells there, beats anywhere else i've seen, hands down. If your ever up that way check it out.

[aestarte]

Thanks bluebells are my absolute favourite flower and i also adore woods so to actually see them both together would do it for me, if it were the last thing I would see I would be most content (not meant in a morbid way). Fi. X X X X

[aeshna5]

1 Norfolk in winter with huge flocks of waders + geese, hunting Barn Owls during the day; pure magic.
2 Red Deer rut in autumn- our own testosterone stoked mega-fauna.
3 The Scillies with so many plants not seen elsewhere, dramatic scenery, seals, seabirds + rarities
4 Walk on chalk downland in summer with singing Skyarks, stunning flowers buzzing with bees, butterflies + stridulating Orthoptera.
5 Southern heathland in late summer- a riot of colour, carnivorous plants reptile heaven, specialised dragonflies + other inverts + birds such as Dartford Warblers, Woodlark + Stonechat

[ChrisJB]

Originally Posted by wildmanofthewoods

Thanks for your post & good luck. The nearest i've come to a "perfect bluebell wood", is Carstromen Wood, near Gatehouse of Fleet, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland. The density of Bluebells there, beats anywhere else i've seen, hands down. If your ever up that way check it out.

I'll second that. Castramon is a brill upland oak wood. Good for the typical bird species associated with that habitat.

Regards, Chris

[wildmanofthewoods]

Originally Posted by aeshna5

1 Norfolk in winter with huge flocks of waders + geese, hunting Barn Owls during the day; pure magic.
2 Red Deer rut in autumn- our own testosterone stoked mega-fauna.
3 The Scillies with so many plants not seen elsewhere, dramatic scenery, seals, seabirds + rarities
4 Walk on chalk downland in summer with singing Skyarks, stunning flowers buzzing with bees, butterflies + stridulating Orthoptera.
5 Southern heathland in late summer- a riot of colour, carnivorous plants reptile heaven, specialised dragonflies + other inverts + birds such as Dartford Warblers, Woodlark + Stonechat

Aeshna5; Hunting Barn Owls, Red Deer rutting and Dorsets heaths almost made my top 5 .Is 5 enough? Just goes to show what a wealth of wildlife we have on OUR islands.

[wildmanofthewoods]

Thanks everybody i have a new 5, what i haven't done yet.
see a British Swallowtail
see a leatherback-
-& a Killer Whale visiting our shores
heres one i've added because i haven't seen it and really really really want to-
-see Salmon leaping
and thanks to Tigger for this one;
Stand in a water meadow while 1000's of bright red damselflies hatch around me, WOW is there such a place?