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Family wildlife watching

If you have children or grandchildren, watching wildlife with them can be incredibly enjoyable and rewarding.

One of the best places to start is your own back garden. Children are closer to the ground and often more observant of detail than adults are, so they may even get you interested in things you’ve ignored for years. Worms, slugs and snails hold endless fascination for little ones, so gather a few snails into a bucket, take your time looking, and enjoy watching your children’s reactions. Show them how to turn over rocks, stones and small logs carefully, and put them back so that the creatures hiding beneath don’t come to any harm. And even if creepy-crawlies make you squeamish, please try not to make your children feel that way – they are generally far more fearless than adults and perfectly happy to let woodlice, spiders and earwigs run across their hands.

If you have a garden pond, then you have a ready-made entertainment package that is free and doesn’t involve buying expensive computer software: namely, pond dipping.

When staying in the garden, it’s a good idea to give older children a chance to get used to using binoculars. They can be a bit difficult to handle at first, sometimes leading to frustration and disappointment. But with a bit of practice, most children become quite good at focusing on the birds on a feeder or your friendly neighbourhood squirrel.

It is perfectly OK to cheat a little when you want to watch wildlife with the family. Long journeys can be a great opportunity for wildlife watching and you can turn it into the equivalent of I-spy, or whatever game your family play to try to pass the time. If you’re travelling by coach or car, motorways can be a surprisingly good place to keep a lookout.

Depending on where you are in the UK, a typical two-hour journey might reveal deer, rabbits, hare (in early spring), the occasional fox, kestrels, sparrowhawks and buzzards – or even red kites. See who spots the most, and the journey might pass a little quicker than usual. On a sadder note, the chances are you may also see a few road kills, which at least prove the wildlife is out there.

Bill's top tips

_ Younger children might enjoy trying to draw what they see from a hide; it helps them to observe and see what goes on.

_ Older children might enjoy a simple field guide – let them tell you what they think they’ve spotted.

_ Schools often promote local nature walks and events, particularly during the holidays, so look out for them.

Travelling further afield

Then comes that first proper outing to a nature reserve, and this is where a little wisdom comes in. You need to ensure everyone has fun, but also help them to understand how to behave with birds, animals and insects, so they don’t frighten them off.

With younger children you can turn the whole thing into a game: seeing how long you can all keep still or quiet. Remember that other wildlife watchers can get annoyed if a child is being persistently noisy – on the other hand, you don’t want to suppress all that enthusiasm. If you are at all worried about taking young children into a hide, then save the experience until they are a little older – it’s usually more fun out in the open air anyway.

Not so long ago, when children reached the age of ten or 11 they would go off and explore their local wild places by themselves or with their friends. Indeed, many of today’s expert naturalists first discovered their interest in wildlife by encountering it in this informal setting.

Sadly, nowadays, parental fears of danger mean that few children are able to discover the world around them by themselves. So to compensate, try taking them off to a wood or meadow where they can simply roam around and discover what is there. And if they want to collect a few flowers, insects or some frogspawn, don’t discourage them; it’s a great way to learn about wildlife and won’t do any harm.

Finally, many reserves and wildlife centres now have family walks or open days. If you’re just starting out, it gives you the chance to pick up knowledge and have some fun together. Younger children like to ‘do’ rather than sit, and these events are just perfect for them.

Bill's top tips

On a family outing:

_ With younger children, keep hide visits to around 15–20 minutes.

_ Take a snack and a drink, as you may be a long way from a café.

_ Try to put everything you need in a small rucksack, so you’re not laden down with stuff to carry.

_ Don’t leave any valuables in your car – reserve car parks are often targeted by thieves.

_ If you’re outdoors for more than an hour, make sure you use sun cream on any exposed flesh; children burn more easily than adults do.