Spring is the best season to catch a glimpse of migratory waders

Spring is the best season to catch a glimpse of migratory waders and passerines. If you like your animals a bit larger, there are wild ponies, which you can see on the Adventurer’s Trail.If you’re short of time, you don’t even have to be in the countryside to watch wildlife. These in turn attract birds: more than 200 species have been recorded, including bitterns, bearded tits and marsh harriers. There are thousands of species of moth, butterfly and beetle, as well as 2,000 species of fly, and 20 of dragonfly. It covers 653 hectares, and is one of the most important wetland areas in Europe.

This is a good one for kids, with exhibitions such as “Under the Mud” allowing gooey glimpses of submerged creatures.Those with an eye for detail will appreciate the rich insect life at Wicken Fen, the National Trust’s oldest English reserve. Now is a good time to visit the Montrose Basin, covering a vast estuary of the South Esk and attracting more than 50,000 migratory birds. The interactive wildlife centre includes high-powered telescopes and CCTV cameras allowing close-ups of the huge numbers of pink-footed geese and knots. Inland you’ll find red deer, but most appealing are the raptors – this is one of the best places in the UK to see golden and sea eagles.Marsh regions are another wildlife hotspot, where the mix of landscapes attracts a rich variety of smaller animals.

Around 130 dolphins live in the area year-round, but late spring and summer are the best viewing times, when boats traverse the waters looking also for tiny harbour porpoises, grey seals and nesting sea birds.Another good spot for dolphins is the Isle of Mull, off the west coast of Scotland, which has a great combination of coastal and inland wildlife. Boat trips offer views of bottlenose dolphins, minke whales, European otters and birds, including puffins, crossbills and huge numbers of waders during the spring migration. A range of boat trips take visitors on tours around the islands.Cardigan Bay, on the west coast of Wales, has one of the UK’s only resident populations of bottlenose dolphins, and was the first area to be designated as a Marine Heritage Coast. The Outer Farnes are home to more than 4,000 grey seals, making this one of the most important seal-breeding colonies in Britain.

Tens of thousands of birds nest here in spring, including huge colonies of sea birds such as puffins, guillemots and razorbills, as well as dive-bombing terns and cormorants. The caves peppering the coastline are home to bats during spring. Walk from the visitors’ centre at Rhossili to Rhossili Down Commons for fantastic views of Worm’s Head.For some of the finest birdwatching in England, head two miles off the Northumberland coast to a cluster of islands known as the Farnes. The wide variety of habitats – cliffs, sand dunes, marshes and woodland – attract a huge range of animals, including rare dune-dwelling insects, otters and badgers. But the highlight is the birdlife, particularly around Worm’s Head. The reserve, covering 59 hectares of woodland, is best known for its peregrine falcons. The birds are due to return to the reserve around now, and can be either glimpsed from the ground or spied on from the live CCTV link-up at the visitors’ centre.

Other common species include badgers and bats: there are guided walks to see both throughout the spring and summer.Part pine forest, part shoreline, Formby Reserve, 15 miles north of Liverpool, is home to one of Britain’s last thriving colonies of red squirrels. A buffer zone prevents grey squirrels from interbreeding with the reds, and visitors can wander through the trees on a network of paths, getting glimpses of the squirrels scurrying around the trees.Our coastlines provide some of the richest wildlife habitats in the country, and the Gower Peninsula in Wales was the first area in the UK to be designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, 50 years ago this May. A wide range of walking routes can be followed through the estate, and guided wildlife walks are offered in summer.More demure but no less interesting is the recently refurbished visitor centre at the Falls of Clyde Wildlife Reserve, close to New Lanark. Recognised as one of the most important conservation areas in the UK, this is home to huge populations of deer, plus healthy numbers of pine martens, red and black grouse, red squirrels and elusive golden eagles. Mar Lodge Estate, a 29,380-hectare wedge of the Cairngorms National Park, is an excellent mix of forest and moorland. Special events include bat walks and dawn choruses, as well as talks at the Reptile Centre in Lyndhurst, which run until the end of September.Scotland has some of our richest swathes of forest.