IDENTIFY URBAN WILDLIFE

Which of these can you spot this spring?

With so many of us confined to towns and cities, outings to local parks, gardens, churchyards and allotments have become an important part of our daily routines. Even in the busiest urban environments, wildlife thrives. Here are eight species to spot...

PEREGRINE FALCON

This powerful hunter of pigeons and gulls replicates its clifftop nesting sites on tower blocks and cathedrals. It is most active in summer when feeding chicks.

GARDEN BUMBLEBEE

Several bumblebee species make a good living in city gardens, unfussy about which pollen and nectar they consume. The garden bumblebee has a large white tail.

FOX

Look for the fox at dusk, scuttling under street lamps and weaving among parked cars in search of tasty titbits. It loves to den under sheds and decking.

GREY SQUIRREL

Extremely common and easy to see in large gardens and parks, the grey squirrel is derided and yet, for many city people, it is a gateway to a lifetime of loving nature.

HERON

Suburban fishkeepers are all too aware of the depredations of the heron. It forms nesting colonies in the heart of city parks and finds plenty of food in urban waterways.

SLOW WORM

This sinuous, legless lizard has been surprising urban gardeners for decades, hanging out in compost heaps and under discarded corrugated iron.

ROSE CHAFER

A large and sensationally exotic beetle that, as an adult, feeds on flower nectar from May onwards. Large gardens and parks replicate its woodland-edge home.

TUFTED DUCK

This dapper little crested duck (the male is black and white, the female chocolate) is common on park ponds. Watch as it dives for aquatic snails and insects.