Join author Steve Wright as he travels across the UK in search of wildlife in his book, Wild Enthusiasm
Posted by Lydia Unwin on
Imagine yourself in a busy Parisian café and the locals are chatting – but you only understand English. Then envisage the same scene if you are fluent in French and how your surroundings become more interesting. A proficiency in nature’s language will also widen your senses.
Like learning languages, there are many stages to becoming a fluent wildlife watcher and my journey has novice beginnings. If you want to be more connected to nature, then I hope that by following my adventures you will learn a method that’ll help you see dolphins, eagles, snakes and otters.
Some friends think I witness an abundance of wildlife because I’m lucky. It won’t take you many pages to realise I’m not overly blessed with luck. Instead I rely on building experience, learning field skills and being inquisitive. I don’t claim to be an expert, I’m fascinated by everything and haven’t specialised in any particular field. There’s great complexity and diversity in British nature, and there are considerable gaps in my knowledge. I’m able to identify 200 British bird species, but there are more than a thousand moths and that’s too challenging! I like the fact there’s always something new, whether it’s the first sighting of a species, habitat, behaviour... or a new, to me, moth.
Like most people I don’t have the luxury of a full-time job in nature conservation, but in my spare time I’m a wildlife tour guide and cameraman. Whenever I go for a walk or stare out of a window, I look for wildlife – never to the detriment of other pursuits – it just embellishes my daily life.
My adventures as a wildlife enthusiast have taken me across the world and most importantly to remote locations around the British Isles. What is so special about British wildlife? I once took a Russian on a guided tour and promoted our wildlife to him and he replied dryly, ‘Back home we have bears and wolves.’
True, Britain lacks the megafauna of Russia or the ‘Big Five’ of the Serengeti. Whale watching around Britain never guarantees a sighting and our largest land mammals are red deer – tiny in comparison to African elephants. Our largest land carnivores are foxes (small dogs) and badgers (who eat worms, not zebras). I researched Britain’s most dangerous creature and the overriding consensus was... a wasp. Fair enough if you are at risk of anaphylactic shock – for everybody else it’s a small insect which can be trapped in a glass of orange juice. Further down the list of ‘dangerous’ British beasts were seagulls (I will debate the term ‘seagulls’ later.) I’ve often feared for my lunch around gulls, but never felt in personal jeopardy. I weigh eighty kilos and a herring gull weighs about one and a half, so I fancy my chances, even against a flock. From personal experience the British creatures most likely to cause you harm are horseflies, midges and customers of late-night takeaways.
Canada has bears, India has tigers and Australia has venomous snakes. It’s a big positive that Britain presents little risk of lion attack or being bitten by a deadly spider whilst on the toilet. It’s always best to start with modest subjects and work your way up. If your first waterfall is the Angel Falls, subsequent waterfalls might disappoint. We British start with foxes and badgers, so we can get excited if we see leopards elsewhere in the world.
The changing seasons mean new things are poised to happen on the British calendar. After New Year I search for snowdrops or listen for song thrushes. When I get a phenological fix, the moment brightens my day. I’ll then look for the next seasonal event – wood sorrel in flower, tadpoles, and birds carrying nesting material.
Across Britain there are regional specialities – eagles above mountains, snakes in southern heathlands and abundant seabird colonies around the coast. Britain has hundreds of nature reserves, each with something special to celebrate. There are 140,000 miles of public footpaths and nearly 20,000 miles of coastline. I have explored locations all around the British Isles and this book features the highlights.
By learning from my experiences, you can enjoy sights you might otherwise miss, your life will become more exciting and you’ll have an increasing passion for nature. You can learn from my successful tricks and tactics – and hopefully avoid my mistakes.
