Top tips for spotting wildlife
Let’s win for LIVERPOOL
This month, Liverpool will join cities around the world in a competition worth getting out and about for! The challenge is to see which city can spot the most wildlife! We’re after different species of plants or animals, be that tree, reptile, insect or flower! This is Liverpool’s very first time at joining in the competition, so let’s get ready to show them what we’re made of!!
So how to take part: For 4 days from Friday 26th April – Monday 29th April , take your wildlife pictures and share them via the iNaturalist app from the App Store or Google Play From anywhere in Liverpool City Region: Sefton, Liverpool, Knowsley, St Helens, Halton, and the Wirral.
Your observation could be plant, animal, fungi, shell, fur or any other evidence of life! But don’t worry if you can’t name it, the iNaturalist community will help you out once you’ve uploaded your snap!
Knowsley Safari’s top wildlife spotting tips:
The more people recording wildlife, the better the chance of your city winning, so encourage your friends and family to get involved – plus it’s more fun as a team!
2) Know where to look
Stroll through woodland and look up in the trees for birds, in the ponds for signs of amphibians and down on the ground for invertebrates, small mammals and even bees who are ground nesters and spend a lot of time down below rather than in flight.
3) Sniff it Out
Seek out flowerbeds to spot butterflies and bees – follow your nose, if you can smell a nice flower, the butterflies and bees can too! They especially love brightly coloured open flowers like daffodils, crocuses and sweet peas.
4) A shot in the dark
Look for invertebrates like slugs and worms in damp, dark areas; lift logs and large stones (nothing too heavy!) and look in the cracks of tree bark, on low hanging branches and in wall crevices.
5) Be well-placed
Visit woodlands and open spaces. Knowsley Safari is the ideal landscape with an array of naturally occurring wildflowers and plants that attract UK wildlife and keep resident animals happy too. (Hint: the Wild Trail is a woodland on the edge of Wolf Country near the stream!) Plus you can do all of this as part of a wild family day out!