Wildlife

Worcestershire has an incredible diversity of local wildlife, from club-tailed dragonflies to great crested newts. If you're lucky, you might see some of the following:

Bats
Small, furry, winged mammals - in fact the only truly flying mammal - bats are likely to be found in trees or hidden in the nooks of a roof. 10 of the UK's 14 species of bat are found in Worcestershire and thankfully none of them is of the vampire variety! You are most likely to see bats out at night during the summer when they do most of their hunting for tiny insects or the occasional large beetle.

Dragonflies
A particularly noteworthy species of dragonfly known to Worcestershire is the club-tailed dragonfly. These beautiful green and yellow dragonflies are rare in most other parts of the country but relatively common in Worcestershire. They can grow to 4 inches in length, which is even more amazing as a large part of their diet is made of tiny mosquitos and midges.

Beetles
One species of beetle you're unlikely to forget is the enormous Stag beetle which, at lengths of up to 7cm, is Britain's largest land-based beetle. It's huge jaws, used to catch prey, resemble the anters of a stag and so give the stag beetle its name.

Nightingales
A relative of the robin though twice the size, the nightingale is now quite rare in Worcestershire but if you're lucky you might find one hiding away in small patches of dense woodland. The are about twice the size of a robin, with a light brown underbelly and darker brown feathers on top. Don't expect to see one during winter however; they migrate to Africa each winter to escape the chill.

If you see any interesting or unusual wildlife around the area please let us know. If you're fortunate enough to get a photo, we'd be happy to add it to the website and let everyone know who took it.