365 Days Wild. Lucy McRobert

      Feathers

      There’s a reason why birdwatching is so popular in the UK, and that’s because of the sheer variety of species it’s possible to see in a day, month, year – or even a lifetime. Around 220 species breed here, but we also get lots of birds arriving in the autumn to spend the winter, jetting off to warmer climates as the weather gets colder, or just passing through on their migration. Field guides can help you identify individual species, as can birding websites. Every wild place and every part of the UK will have different kinds of birds living in it, so look out for different species wherever you go. Gardens are the best place to start practising your identification. When you see a new bird, make a note of where it is (on a bird feeder, in a field, on a lake), what it looks like (colours, size, structure), any features that make it stand out (a long, pointy bill, for example) and what it’s doing. When you get home, you’ll be able to look it up online or in a book. With so many birds to choose from, it’s best to get the hang of the common birds first before trying your hand at anything rarer.

      Flippers

      Marine mammals are often forgotten about when we think about British wildlife, but around the UK are many different species of whales, dolphins, porpoises and seals. Seals are the easiest to enjoy, as they come up on to beaches to breed, play in the shallows and rest. There are only two species that live here: the grey seal and the common (or harbour) seal. If in doubt about which you’re looking at, remember that greys look more like dogs, with long snouts, while common seals look more like cats, with shorter noses. To see whales, dolphins and porpoises (also known as ‘cetaceans’), your best chance is to go out on a boat. There are lots of hotspots for cetaceans around the UK that will enable you to see different species, but the most commonly sighted are harbour porpoises (which are very shy), common dolphins (which love to bow ride on the front of boats), bottlenose dolphins (big, acrobatic and dark grey) and minke whales.

      Fins

      Unless you’re an avid fisherman, the fish you have the best chance of seeing is the Atlantic salmon, as they leap from the water on the way to their breeding grounds upstream. Weirs and waterfalls are not going to stand in the way of this amorous beauty, as they fight their way up-river. Other species that you might see as they disappear down the gullet of a heron include trout (rainbow and brown), bream, carp, perch and pike. If you see a kingfisher beating up a tiny silver fish, you’re probably looking at a minnow.

      Scales

      With just six species of reptiles in the UK, snakes and lizards are an easy group to get your head around. There are three snakes – the adder, smooth snake and grass snake; the sand lizard; the common lizard; and the slow worm, which despite looking like a snake is actually a legless lizard! Only adders are venomous (though not deadly), but they’re so shy that your chances of seeing one are slim. Any encounters with these gorgeous creatures are special. They will bask on warm, sunny days, soaking up the rays, but are very easily disturbed; they will sense your footsteps as you approach, and will probably beat a hasty retreat before you get close. You might encounter grass snakes in your garden; they like to lay eggs in compost heaps. These gentle creatures are a sign of a healthy and thriving garden and are best left undisturbed.

      Slime

      This is a bit of an unfair title for amphibians, but let’s face it, most of them are quite slimy. Amphibians in the UK are a pretty simple bunch: two frogs, two toads and three newts. In your average garden pond, you might find the common frog, common toad or smooth or palmate newt. Frogs and toads are easy to separate: the former are smooth, shiny and hop; the latter are warty, appear dry and crawl. Newts are like tiny dragons that live in your pond, and these species are hard to separate. The rarer and protected great crested newt is larger, warty, dark along the back and with a bright orange belly, splotched with black. There are also populations of marsh frogs and natterjack toads living in very specific areas where they are protected.

      Legs

      Okay, I lied. Not everything in this group has legs. Invertebrates make up the biggest of the wildlife groups I’ve listed here: there are 45,000 species in the UK! These can be split into 25 major insect groups, including grasshoppers, beetles, bees, butterflies, moths and dragonflies; ‘arthropods’ like spiders and woodlice (these guys have the skeleton on the outside); and then everything else, like snails, slugs and worms. It’s easy to be a bit grossed out by bugs, but remember: life on earth as we know it depends on them. A third of what we eat is dependent on insects, including fruit, honey and chocolate. Up close and personal, bugs can be the most beautiful creatures in the UK, as well as the most helpful, and they’re literally everywhere: we just need to help you find them!

      Petals

      Wildflowers are often markers of the seasons: for example, snowdrops signal the coming of spring and oxeye daisies follow the summer sun across the sky. Bluebells and foxgloves will blossom in a woodland, while other species, like orchids, prefer carefully cultivated meadows. Even the seashore has wildflowers: thrift and sea holly. A wildflower meadow in full blossom will be alive with bees, butterflies and other pollinators, drinking in the sweet nectar, and is best viewed throughout the spring and in early summer. A riot of colour, wildflowers have a delicate and understated beauty; if you can make room for them in the garden, do! Don’t pick them though; instead, buy from a garden centre or cultivate your own in your garden.

      Bark

      There are more than 50 species of native trees and shrubs in the UK: three native conifers – yew, Scots pine and juniper; shrubs like holly and guelder rose; and also broadleaf deciduous trees, including many well-known favourites such as ash, silver birch, elm, maple and, of course, oak. Lots of trees are identified largely by their flowers, fruits or nuts, or by the shape of their leaves. Deciduous trees will drop their leaves in the winter, and this can make for one of the most spectacular times of year: watching a woodland change colour in the autumn is magical, and who doesn’t love searching around for acorns or conkers as they fall from the trees? Some trees are also fabulous for their edible bounty, with treats like elderflower, which blossoms in late spring; blackthorn (or ‘sloe’), which makes a favourite tipple, sloe gin; and crab apple. As always when foraging, enlist the help of an expert until you know what you’re doing: lots of berries in the UK are poisonous to humans.

      Spores

      Don’t be alarmed, but there are over 15,000 different species of fungi in the UK. Gulp (or not, as the case may be)! If nothing else, get to know some basic fungi as the names are totally enigmatic, onomatopoeic and downright fun. Some of them look really weird as well. Fly agaric is your typical toadstool: red with white spots, with fairies living underneath it. Beefsteak fungus looks like (you’ll never guess) a sirloin sticking out of the side of an oak tree. Stinkhorn is funny on all sorts of levels. Jelly ear fungus, often found on elder, looks like a human ear, and puffballs are hugely satisfying in being perfectly spherical. I’m not often going to tell you not to do things in this book, but I am making an exception in this instance: do not eat a single slither of wild fungus unless you know that it is edible. The safest way to learn is with an expert forager, and I’d absolutely urge you to do this if you’re after some food for free.

      Wild kit – what do I need?

      Most of the Random Acts of Wildness in the book are designed to be done with minimal equipment. There are just a few key items that will make your wild adventures even more exciting and comfortable…

      Warm and waterproof clothing

      Who are we kidding? Our beloved British weather is totally unpredictable, and if you’re not prepared it can put a dampener on the wildest of adventures. This is especially true if you’re getting the kids involved in your newfound love for the wild: children need to feel warm and safe to have fun and really get stuck