The wild wonders of Britain you must see in your lifetime

While long-haul travel remains off the menu until the summer at least, thoughts of seeing jaguars, elephants and polar bears are on hold. But as travel within the UK opens up again, there is plenty to satisfy your wildlife wanderlust closer to home. From starling roosts and roaring stags to otters, orcas and ospreys, the natural history of the British Isles is rich in its abundance and diversity. Here is a guide to the 30 animal and plant species that will show you the very best of it.

Orca

With dorsal fins like dinghy sails, orcas are the largest members of the dolphin family – and in recent years, Shetland has acquired a semi-resident population of these formidable ocean-going predators. Mid-April to mid-September is the best time to spot them hunting seals close inshore among the rocks and skerries. Shetland Wildlife Holidays (01950 460939; shetlandwildlife.co.uk) offers week-long wildlife excursions including the services of an expert naturalist guide and seven nights’ full-board at Sumburgh Hotel and St Magnus Bay Hotel for £1,545 per person.

Great skua

Like a hefty brown gull in appearance, these piratical seabirds think nothing of attacking intruders in the nesting season, including humans. Unst, in Shetland – the most northerly inhabited island in Britain – is the best place to see them. Known also as bonxies, almost 1,000 great skuas breed on the moors of Hermaness National Nature Reserve –the third largest colony in Europe. Shetland Wildlife Holidays (01950 460939; shetlandwildlife.co.uk) includes visits to Hermaness in their week-long guided holiday, with the same prices and accommodation as listed above.

Fallow deer

Introduced by the Romans, these handsome animals have since become the most common deer in England. Not all have the typical spotted coats. Others vary in colour from donkey brown to chalky white. Most striking of all are the mature bucks with their typically broad palmate antlers, and the best time to observe them is during the autumn rut, when our ancestral deer parks echo to their rhythmic, rattling grunts. To see them in a classic parkland setting, visit Charlecote Park in Warwickshire (01789 4702 77; nationaltrust.org.uk/charlecote-park). The extensive grounds of this grand country house on the banks of the Avon are home to a herd of 200 fallow deer. Current opening times are subject to Covid restrictions.

Atlantic salmon

Long considered the king of fishes, Atlantic salmon can grow to more than a metre in length and weigh up to 40kg. Most of their life is spent at sea, miraculously finding their way back to spawn in the river where they were born. Making their way upstream is an arduous journey, aided by their powerful tail which enables them to make prodigious leaps to overcome weirs and waterfalls. No wonder their Latin name is Salmo salar – the leaper. Watch them leaping the Falls of Shin, near Bonar Bridge in Sutherland, or making their way up Pitlochry’s famous Edwardian salmon ladder.

Swallowtail butterfly

Among Britain’s 59 resident butterflies, the gorgeous swallowtail stands supreme. Once widespread through the fens of East Anglia, it is now a rare species, confined to a few populations in the Norfolk Broads where they are entirely dependent on milk parsley – the caterpillar’s food plant. Choose a warm, still day between late May and mid-July if you want to see one, although they sometimes produce a second brood. Likeliest spots are the Norfolk Wildlife Trust properties such as Ranworth, Hickling and Barton Broads – and take your binoculars. Swallowtails are fast flyers.

Minke whale

Minkes are the smallest of the rorquals, the group of cetaceans which also includes the giant blue whale. Even so, minkes can grow up to 28ft in length and are commonly seen close to the shore in the Hebrides. Unlike many other whales, they seldom raise their tail when diving. Instead, all you see as they submerge is their rolling back and small dorsal fin. Sign up for a three-night whale and dolphin cruise from Stornoway on board the MV Monadhliath, a comfortable former fishing boat, spending time in the minke whales’ favourite feeding grounds. Prices from £795 per person; details from Hebridean Adventures (07871 463755; hebrideanadventures.co.uk).

Wild daffodil

Not all of Britain’s wild wonders are animals. Also known as Lent lilies, these petite spring flowers are not to be confused with the bigger, brighter yellow garden escapes that adorn our parks and roadside verges. They are rare nowadays, but can still be found in damp woods and meadows in northern England, Wales and the West Country. By far the finest display is in Farndale, also known as Daffodil Dale, in the heart of the North York Moors National Park. Here they grow naturally in great drifts beside the River Dove in the Farndale Nature Reserve, established in 1955 to protect the valley’s famous flowers. Depending on the weather, mid-March to mid-April is the best time to enjoy them. Sadly, due to Covid pandemic restrictions, you will have to save this treat for next year.

Basking shark

These summer visitors to Britain’s coastal waters can be easily recognised by their floppy dorsal fins. Sometimes weighing in at over three tons, basking sharks are gentle giants, swimming with their cavernous mouths wide open as they feed exclusively on plankton. Join a cruise operated by Britain’s only dedicated basking shark tour specialists. From May to September there are departures from Oban, Coll, Mull and Lorn, with day trips costing from £195 per person and four-day excursions from £720 per person. Details from Basking Shark Scotland (07975 723140; baskingsharkscotland.co.uk).

Red kite

This is one of our biggest birds of prey, with a distinctive forked tail and a five-foot wingspan. Almost lost in the 1930s, when only one successful breeding female remained, they have made a dramatic comeback. Thanks to a hugely successful reintroduction programme, their UK population now stands at around 1,800 breeding pairs. Every day at Gigrin Farm in Rhayader, at precisely 2pm, up to 300 red kites fly into the feeding station at this family-run sheep farm. There, they compete with buzzards and ravens for the tastiest morsels within 30 of five large hides offering great opportunities for photography. Details from Gigrin Farm (01597 810243; gigrin.co.uk).

Beaver

Eurasian beavers were widespread in our rivers until they were hunted to extinction about 400 years ago. In May 2009 the first beavers to live wild in Britain were released in Argyll, and England’s only licensed population of free-living beavers are thriving in East Devon on the River Otter. Once seen as a potential pest, beavers are now regarded as the ultimate environmental engineers whose dam-building activities help reduce flooding. Join a naturalist-guided small group wildlife tour of Devon which includes two days of beaver watching on the River Otter and a cruise along the Torbay coast. Six days cost from £893 per adult. Details from Reef & Rainforest Tours (01803 866965; reefandrainforest.co.uk).

Puffin

With their colourful beaks and comical behaviour, it is no wonder these adorable auks are among the best-loved of all British birds. Some 580,000 pairs live in our waters – 10 per cent of the world population. They spend most of their time at sea and are excellent swimmers, and able to dive 200ft in search of sand eels, their favourite prey. Springtime to mid-August is when to see them at their clifftop breeding colonies. Top puffin hotspots are the RSPB reserves at Bempton Cliffs (Yorkshire), South Stack (Anglesey), Rathlin Island (Ulster), and the Farne Islands. In Scotland, Turus Mara (01688 400242; turusmara.com) runs daily boat trips from Ulva Ferry on Mull to see nesting puffins on Lunga, the largest of the Treshnish Isles, from £35 per person.

Bottlenose dolphin

Named after its beak’s likeness to an old-fashioned gin bottle, these highly intelligent animals often interact with humans and are commonly seen right around our shores, singly or in schools, hunting for prey such as cod and salmon. Adults can measure up to 12ft in length and weigh over 800lbs. The Moray Firth is the year-round home for around 200 bottlenose dolphins. The best place to see them is Chanonry Point near Fortrose, where you can look across the estuary and watch them feeding on the rising tide. Be aware, Covid restrictions may apply.

Starling

Once a common sight on every rooftop, Britain’s starlings are now red-listed as a bird of conservation concern. But in winter they are joined by millions of others from Eastern Europe, putting on spectacular wildlife matinees as they swirl overhead in huge shape-shifting clouds before roosting. For sheer numbers, the nightly displays at Ham Wall and Shapwick Heath in the heart of Somerset’s Avalon Marshes take some beating. They have become so popular that the RSPB has even started a starling hotline to advise visitors where to see them. Other main roosting sites include Brighton’s West Pier, the Royal Pier at Aberystwyth, and Albert Bridge in Belfast.

Otter

Anyone who has ever read Tarka the Otter, Henry Williamson’s nature classic, will be eager to see these playful but elusive mammals. In the early 1960s Britain almost lost them due to organochlorine pesticides leaching into our rivers; but when the poisons were banned the otter has since reoccupied most of its former haunts. One of the best places for watching otters in the wild is Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve at Silverdale on Morecambe Bay (01524 701601; rspb.org.uk). Even here, they are seldom seen out of the water, and the reserve with its hides and trails is temporarily closed because of Covid restrictions.

Wild geese

In winter, Britain becomes a vital refuge for enormous flocks of geese. Fleeing from weather much colder than our own, they pour in from as far as Arctic Russia to seek refuge around our shores. In Norfolk it is the enormous numbers of pink-footed geese that take centre-stage; but it was the late Sir Peter Scott who reckoned that the most important place in the British Isles for wild geese is Islay, in the Hebrides. Every autumn, up to 40,000 barnacle geese and 10,000 Greenland whitefronts arrive on Islay, and you can see them with Naturetrek (01962 733051; naturetrek.co.uk). Its seven-day tour costs from £1,495, with departures on October 20 2021 and October 19 2022.

Grey seal

Britain is home to more than 120,000 grey seals, representing 40 per cent of the world population. Also known as Atlantic seals, they are most numerous around Scotland and can be distinguished from the common seal by their flat head and Roman-nosed profile. By far the biggest colony in England can be seen at Blakeney Point, the National Trust’s National Nature Reserve on the north Norfolk coast, where they gather to breed from September to December. It is not possible to walk out to see them, but boat trips are available from Morston Quay (although currently operating with reduced capacity due to restrictions.) Beans Boat (01263 740505; beansboattrips.co.uk) runs trips daily, April- October, £13 per person. Advance booking is essential.

Black grouse

Lekking – the extraordinary courtship ritual of the black grouse – can be seen all year but peaks in May when, using the same sites year after year, the all-black males strut with lyre-shaped tails fanned out, filling the air with their strange, bubbling voices as they woo the grey hens. For those willing to get up early, Naturetrek’s seven-day guided Speyside in Spring holiday, based at Grantown-on-Spey, promises the memorable sight of black grouse lekking – plus the chance of spotting other Cairngorm specials such as osprey, ptarmigan, and golden eagle. Departures in May 2021 and 2022, costing from £995 per person. Details from Naturetrek (01962 733051; naturetrek.co.uk).

Brown hare

With their long, black-tipped ears and large staring eyes, brown hares are easy to recognise. Creatures of the open grasslands, they are thought to have originated on the Central Asian steppes and were introduced into Britain in Roman times. Being nocturnal, they spend most of the day resting in their forms (shallow depressions in the grass) and unlike rabbits they live exclusively above ground. One of the best places to see brown hares is Orford Ness on the Suffolk coast. Once a top-secret military test site, this shingle spit is now a National Nature Reserve, a National Trust sanctuary for brown hares and other wildlife. Open from April to October and accessible only via the National Trust ferry from Orford Quay (01394 450900; nationaltrust.org.uk/orford-ness-national-nature-reserve).

Pine marten

Formerly widespread in Britain, these handsome chocolate-and-cream members of the weasel family have mostly retreated to the remotest corners of the Scottish Highlands. As their name suggests, pine martens are excellent tree climbers, among the few predators agile enough to catch a squirrel. Watch pine martens from the comfort of a hide at the Aigas Field Centre in Beauly, near Inverness, the home of naturalist and author Sir John Lister-Kaye. From April to October a full programme of week-long ranger-led programmes offer the chance to explore the Highlands by vehicle and on foot in search of Scotland’s most iconic wildlife species. Prices from £1,051 per person. Details from Aigas Field Centre (01463 782443; aigas.co.uk).

Snake’s head fritillary

Once these exquisite spring wildflowers were picked by the handful from Thameside meadows for sale in Covent Garden. Today their chequered purple bells are harder to find unless you know where to look. One such place is Iffley Meadows, on the banks of the Thames near Oxford. When the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (01865 775476; bbowt.org.uk) acquired the reserve in 1983, just 500 plants were left. Today 42,000 snake’s head fritillaries bloom every year.

Peregrine falcon

Capable of speeds over 200mph, these fabulous falcons are a masterpiece of aerodynamic design. Even when at rest, perched halfway up a cliff, they seem to possess this extraordinary aura of imminent drama as they observe the world with lustrous eyes eight times sharper than our own. Almost lost in the 1960s when pesticides entered their food chain, they have recovered so successfully that they even nest in the heart of London. One of the best peregrine hotspots in Devon is the National Trust’s Plymbridge Woods near Plympton, where they have been breeding at Cann Quarry for at least 50 years. For details contact the local National Trust office (01752341377; nationaltrust.org.uk/plymbridge-woods).

Gannet

With its baleful glare and pickaxe beak, the gannet is never going to win an avian beauty contest; but when they take to the air, gliding over the waves on snow-white wings, they become creatures of matchless soaring grace. St Kilda not only has Britain’s highest sea cliffs; its seabirds also include 60,000 pairs of gannets, the world’s second biggest colony. Naturetrek’s nine-day cruise around the islands of northwest Scotland offers a rare opportunity to visit this remote wildlife stronghold. Prices from £2,695 per person. Details from Naturetrek (01962 733051; naturetrek.co.uk).

Bittern

Back in the 1870s these secretive members of the heron family became extinct in Britain but have since staged an encouraging comeback, with nearly 200 males recorded from 89 different locations. They remain famously elusive, the ghosts of the reed beds, seldom venturing into the open. But you will certainly hear the male’s booming call in the breeding season. Minsmere, on the Suffolk coast near Aldeburgh is the RSPB’s flagship reserve, renowned for bitterns and other birds including avocets and marsh harriers. Car park and trails are open at present, but the visitor centre, café and hides are closed due to Covid restrictions. Further details from the RSPB (01767 680551; rspb.org.uk).

Scottish wildcat

It looks like a large domestic tabby with a thick striped tail; but there the resemblance ends. With a population numbering 300 at most, these ferocious felines shun human life, clinging on in the loneliest corners of the Highlands. Naturetrek (01962 733051; naturetrek.co.uk) offers a guided eight-day holiday searching for the birds and mammals of the Ardnamurchan Peninsula including wildcat, otter and pine marten, costing £1,395 per person, with departures in August and September.

Osprey

Extinct in Britain as a breeding species in 1847, the return of the osprey is one of Britain’s greatest conservation success stories. It began in 1954 when a pair nested at Loch Garten in Scotland. Today, around 270 pairs breed every year on both sides of the border, although they are still rarer than golden eagles. One of the most accessible locations is the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust’s Lyndon Nature Reserve (01572 737378; lrwt.org.uk) on the shores of Rutland Water, where over 150 young ospreys have fledged since the first chick in 2001.

White stork

You may have seen white storks in Spain and Portugal, standing atop their bulky stick nests on church towers and village rooftops, but they had not bred in Britain for more than 600 years until last year, when a pair nested at Knepp Castle, near Horsham. The Knepp Estate is the biggest rewilding project in lowland Britain, transforming 3,500 acres of Sussex farmland into a haven for nightingales, cuckoos, turtle doves – and storks. Knepp Safaris (01403 713230; knepp.co.uk) offers guided morning and afternoon safaris for £65 per person.

White-tailed eagle

There is no mistaking the white-tailed eagle and its eight-foot wingspan. Also known as the sea eagle, it is our biggest bird of prey and the fourth largest eagle in the world. Persecution led to its extinction in 1918. Reintroduced in 1975 they have made a dramatic comeback on the west coast of Scotland, with at least 10 pairs on Mull, sharing the skies with golden eagles and other birds of prey. The best place to see them is the Eagle Watch hide on Mull, with ranger-led trips all year on weekdays. Adults £5; booking essential (01680 812556; rspb.org).

Crane

These graceful birds and their bugling voices were lost to Britain 400 years ago. Since then, a small population has become established in Norfolk and they have also become a familiar sight on the low-lying meadows of the Somerset Levels following a successful reintroduction programme. Access to the RSPB’s West Sedgemoor Reserve (01458 252805; rspb.org.uk), where the cranes were first released, is by guided walks only and currently unavailable due to Covid restrictions. However, with luck and a good pair of binoculars you may pick out the adults and their brown-headed youngsters from road bridges and other viewpoints across the Levels.

Bewick’s swan

Like the wild geese, these beautiful birds with their buttercup bills forsake their breeding grounds in Arctic Russia to winter in Britain from October to March. Bewick’s swans turn up every year at Slimbridge (01453 891900; wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/slimbridge), the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust reserve set up on the banks of the Severn estuary in 1946 by Sir Peter Scott.

Red deer

The largest of our native animals, red deer are most famously associated with Scotland, where maybe a quarter of a million roam the Highlands and islands. Originally a woodland species, they have adapted to Scotland’s open moorlands, moving to lower ground only in winter when food is harder to come by. In autumn, the Highland glens and hillsides echo to the roaring of the stags but there is no need to travel that far to hear them when you can watch red deer all year round in Richmond Park, London. Please keep dogs under control.

Brian Jackman is the author of Wild About Britain (Bradt Guides, £9.99).

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