Out Now - Wildlife and Places to See Now!

Here you can find out about the wildlife you can seen in Wiltshire and Swindon at the moment. Visit this months featured site to see a wealth of wildlife, take a look at our identification guide to find out a group you are most likely to see, don’t forget to send us in your records!
 

Pintail - Anas acuta A scarce winter visitor to Wiltshire as we are on the edge of their winter range, the Pintail arrives from northern Europe and is immediately recognisable by its long tapering ‘pintail'. They can be seen in small numbers during winter in Wiltshire on shallow lakes; Coate Water SSSI and Cotswold Water Park are two good spots in Wiltshire to see them. Pintails are long-necked with small heads a curved back and pointed wings, this along with the pointed tail – which is more prominent in males – makes them fairly easy to identify.

Tufted Duck - Aythya fuligula The Tufted Duck is a common resident diving duck and can be seen in large numbers on lakes and reservoirs. Most birds are resident but the numbers increase in winter as migrants from northern Europe come to the UK. TheTufted Duck is easily recognisable by the crest on its head which is larger on males than in females. Males are glossy black on the head, neck, breast and back with bright white sides and underparts and make a whistling noise. Females are dark brown in colour with pale brown sides and make a low growling noise. Both have golden eyes and a grey bill with a black tip.

Gadwall - Anas strepera The Gadwall is resident in Wiltshire and during winter numbers are boosted with winter arrivals. Cotswold Water Park and Langford Lakes are good places to spot the Gadwall in Wiltshire as their preferred habitats include flooded gravel pits and lakes. A small and compact duck, the males have subdued markings which when seen close up are made up of very fine barring and speckling; their heads are brown with these fine markings whilst their bodies are grey with the fine markings. During the non-breeding season the male’s plumage is more similar to the females. The females are light brown with dark brown markings. The bill is dark in colour with an obvious orange stripe along the side.

Species of the Week

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is 50 years old on 23rd July 2012! To celebrate this event and the fact that the Trust and its staff and volunteers have been working hard all this time to protect, improve and manage species and habitats in Wiltshire, we have decided to showcase 50 iconic, rare or otherwise interesting native species which can be found on its fantastic reserves. Find out which species is the one to spot this week.

This Months Must See

Bittern - Botaurus stellaria Only present in winter in Wiltshire, the Bittern can be very hard to spot; yet the booming voice of the male can be heard in late winter across dense reed-beds and marshy areas. A thickset heron, the Bittern’s plumage is subtly mottled in various shades of brown, which help it to blend with the reed stalks amongst which it lives.

A good spot to try and see Bitterns in winter is at the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s Langford Lakes Nature Reserve, in fact one was photographed there on 23rd January this year, it was sitting in the reeds on the far side of the Brockbank Lake!  

ID Guide

Tracks and Signs Many animals can be hard to spot at this time of year, so looking for signs in muddy areas is a good way to see what animals are out and about. Here we look at some of the common tracks you may come across.  

Find out about the tracks and signs you may see this month with our ID guide

Explore Cotswold Water Park

Send in records of any sightings

All environmental records are important, from the most common to the rarest, from the flocks of birds in the air to the fish in the river; we would like to hear about what you see in Wiltshire. If you have already sent us records, thank you very much. We are always interested in receiving more. We would rather receive duplicate records than none at all. Don’t forget to send us any records of your sightings along with any photos