Bill Oddie’s How to Watch Wildlife. Stephen Moss
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your local RSPB members’ groups, contact the society direct (www.rspb.org.uk).
Using the internet to get info
In the days before the internet came into being, finding out about opportunities for wildlife watching was a time-consuming and often frustrating process. Nowadays, the internet provides all kinds of ways to find out information and make contact with others:
Websites of official organisations: All major organisations, including the RSPB (www.rspb.org.uk) and wildlife trusts (www.wildlifetrusts.org), now have excellent websites. Each of these also has links to other sites you may not have heard of. And don’t forget that the BBC’s own website (www.bbc.co.uk/nature) is packed with information about opportunities for wildlife watching. It includes sections on British wildlife, a messageboard where you can have online conversations with other people on a range of topics, and, of course, wildlife television programmes.
Specialist organisations: Almost every kind of wildlife has its own organisation nowadays, from the Mammal Society (www.abdn.ac.uk/ mammal) and Bat Conservation Trust (www.bats.org.uk) to plantlife (www.plantlife.org.uk) and the British Dragonfly Society (www.dragonflysoc.org.uk).
Search engines: Use a search engine such as Google or Yahoo to find contacts, get online reports about a particular site or area, or just to browse and see what you can find.
User groups: There are web user groups for every possible kind of enthusiast, including everything and anything to do with natural history. Again, browse around until you find a group of like-minded people to ‘chat’ with.
Commercial sites: You can order virtually anything on the web – including, of course, books, CDs, trip reports, wildlife food and feeders and optical equipment – and all delivered straight to your door. Check out www.subbuteo.co.uk and www.nhbs.com – both excellent specialist sites for wildlife books, etc.
Enthusiast sites: Some of the very best sites on the web are those set up by enthusiasts. You can also often find trip reports posted by other wildlife watchers – just key in, for example, ‘bird trip report Suffolk’ and see what you can find.
Bill's top tips
_ When searching the internet, remember to click the ‘UK only’ button or the number of sites the search comes up with can be overwhelming.
_ Also be careful when entering words or phrases that may have a double meaning: for example, avoid putting in ‘sex’, ‘tit’ or even ‘wild life’, as you may be directed to sites of a more ‘adult’ nature …
Family wildlife watching
If you have children or grandchildren, watching wildlife with them can be incredibly enjoyable and rewarding.
One of the best places to start is your own back garden. Children are closer to the ground and often more observant of detail than adults are, so they may even get you interested in things you’ve ignored for years. Worms, slugs and snails hold endless fascination for little ones, so gather a few snails into a bucket, take your time looking, and enjoy watching your children’s reactions. Show them how to turn over rocks, stones and small logs carefully, and put them back so that the creatures hiding beneath don’t come to any harm. And even if creepy-crawlies make you squeamish, please try not to make your children feel that way – they are generally far more fearless than adults and perfectly happy to let woodlice, spiders and earwigs run across their hands.
If you have a garden pond, then you have a ready-made entertainment package that is free and doesn’t involve buying expensive computer software: namely, pond dipping.
When staying in the garden, it’s a good idea to give older children a chance to get used to using binoculars. They can be a bit difficult to handle at first, sometimes leading to frustration and disappointment. But with a bit of practice, most children become quite good at focusing on the birds on a feeder or your friendly neighbourhood squirrel.
It is perfectly OK to cheat a little when you want to watch wildlife with the family. Long journeys can be a great opportunity for wildlife watching and you can turn it into the equivalent of I-spy, or whatever game your family play to try to pass the time. If you’re travelling by coach or car, motorways can be a surprisingly good place to keep a lookout.
Depending on where you are in the UK, a typical two-hour journey might reveal deer, rabbits, hare (in early spring), the occasional fox, kestrels, sparrowhawks and buzzards – or even red kites. See who spots the most, and the journey might pass a little quicker than usual. On a sadder note, the chances are you may also see a few road kills, which at least prove the wildlife is out there.
Bill's top tips
_ Younger children might enjoy trying to draw what they see from a hide; it helps them to observe and see what goes on.
_ Older children might enjoy a simple field guide – let them tell you what they think they’ve spotted.
_ Schools often promote local nature walks and events, particularly during the holidays, so look out for them.
Travelling further afield
Then comes that first proper outing to a nature reserve, and this is where a little wisdom comes in. You need to ensure everyone has fun, but also help them to understand how to behave with birds, animals and insects, so they don’t frighten them off.
With younger children you can turn the whole thing into a game: seeing how long you can all keep still or quiet. Remember that other wildlife watchers can get annoyed if a child is being persistently noisy – on the other hand, you don’t want to suppress all that enthusiasm. If you are at all worried about taking young children into a hide, then save the experience until they are a little older – it’s usually more fun out in the open air anyway.
Not so long ago, when children reached the age of ten or 11 they would go off and explore their local wild places by themselves or with their friends. Indeed, many of today’s expert naturalists first discovered their interest in wildlife by encountering it in this informal setting.
Sadly, nowadays, parental fears of danger mean that few children are able to discover the world around them by themselves. So to compensate, try taking them off to a wood or meadow where they can simply roam around and discover what is there. And if they want to collect a few flowers, insects or some frogspawn, don’t discourage them; it’s a great way to learn about wildlife and won’t do any harm.
Finally, many reserves and wildlife centres now have family walks or open days. If you’re just starting out, it gives you the chance to pick up knowledge and have some fun together. Younger children like to ‘do’ rather than sit, and these events are just perfect for them.
Bill's top tips
On a family outing:
_ With younger children, keep hide visits to around 15–20 minutes.
_ Take a snack and a drink, as you may be a long way from a café.
_ Try to put everything you need in a small rucksack, so you’re not laden down with stuff to carry.
_ Don’t leave any valuables in your car – reserve car parks are often targeted by thieves.
_ If you’re outdoors for more than an hour, make sure you use sun cream on any exposed flesh; children burn more easily than adults do.
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