Jay

  Birds The jay is a colourful member of the crow family, with brilliant blue wing patches. It is famous for searching out acorns in autumn...

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The woodland drummers

Wander through a woodland in late winter or early spring and you’re likely to hear bursts of rapid, resonant tapping echoing through the tr...

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Dunnock

  Birds The shy dunnock can be seen hopping about under hedges as its other name, 'hedge sparrow', suggests. It inhabits gardens, w...

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Hooded crow

  Birds The hooded crow was thought to be the same species as the carrion crow, but they have now been separated. Less widespread than its ...

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Treecreeper

  Birds The fine, downcurved bill of the treecreeper makes this tit-sized bird unmistakeable. Look out for it in woodlands and parks, liter...

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Eider

  Waterfowl The eider is a large seaduck, famed for its soft, downy feathers that are not only used by the bird to line and insulate its ne...

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Capercaillie

  Birds Male capercaillies perform spectacular communal displays in spring, gathering in woodland clearings to parade around, fanning their...

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Short-eared owl

  Birds The short-eared owl, or 'Shortie', is an unusual owl because it prefers to be out and about in the daytime. It is most easi...

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Chaffinch

  Birds The colourful and delightful chaffinch is a regular garden visitor across the UK. Look out for it hopping about on the ground under...

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Northern gannet

  Seabirds Famed for its super-fast fishing dives into the sea, the northern gannet (or 'gannet') is a distinctive white bird with ...

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Green woodpecker

  Birds The laughing 'yaffle' call of the green woodpecker can be heard in our woodlands, parks and gardens. Look out for it hoppin...

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Cattle egret

  Birds This small, white heron is an increasingly common sight in parts of the UK as it spreads north from continental Europe. Species inf...

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Great white egret

  Birds As the name suggests, this tall, white heron is considerably larger than the similar little egret. Once a rare visitor to the UK, si...

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Little egret

  Birds The elegant little egret was once a rare visitor to our shores, but can now regularly be spotted around the coastline of England an...

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Bar-tailed godwit

  Birds The Bar-tailed godwit winters in the UK in the thousands; look for it around estuaries like the Thames and Humber. In spring, the m...

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Swift

  Birds Swifts spend most of their lives flying – even sleeping, eating and drinking – only ever landing to nest. They like to nest in olde...

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Rock dove

  Pigeons and doves The wild rock dove is the ancestor to what is probably our most familiar bird - the feral pigeon. Often found en masse ...

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Snipe

  Wading Birds Listen out for the 'drumming' sound of a male snipe as it performs its aerial courtship display. It's not a call...

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Bittern

  Herons The shy and retiring bittern is a master of blending in and can be very difficult to spot in its reedbed home. It does sound like ...

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European spoonbill

  Spoonbill The distinctive sight of a spoonbill is becoming increasingly common in the east and southwest of England, with colonies of bre...

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