We’ve hunted high and low to find the best social media blogs, web sites and chat forums, and brought them all into one handy place:
Social media accounts (sorry but no X/Twitter accounts are no longer promoted here):
- Bluesky moderated feed collection of UK/Irish birding content (#ukbirding): Birding UK/IRE — Bluesky
- British Trust for Ornithology on Bluesky
- Botanical Society of British Isles on Bluesky
- Bluesky #ukwildlife tagged content
- Portland Bird Observatory and Field Centre on Bluesky
Blogs:
Organisations dedicated to nature conservation:
- Natural England – national and local focus in England
- NatureScot – national and local focus in Scotland
- The Wildlife Trusts (also see this site for your local Wildlife Trust web site) – locally focused organisations.
- Trust for Conservation Volunteers – for those who want to get their hands dirty.
- The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust – national wetlands wildlife conservation charity.
- Royal Society of Protection for Birds – primarily focused on bird conservation but providing reserves and support which benefits other species also.
- British Trust for Ornithology
- British Marine Life Society – great web site with lots of interesting features and a nature diary.
- Butterfly Conservation
- Bat Conservation Trust – The Bat Conservation Trust is working towards a world where bats and people live in harmony. They aim to secure and enhance bat populations for future generations to enjoy.
- Plantlife
- Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society – “The global voice for the protection of whales, dolphins and their environment”. An important campaigning organisation.
- Sea Watch Foundation – an organisation that aims to achieve better conservation of whales and dolphins in the seas around Britain and Ireland by involving the public in scientific monitoring of populations and the threats they face, and by the regular production of material to educate, inform and lobby for better environmental protection.
- World Wide Fund for Nature
- Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
- The Herpetological Trust
- Buglife
- British Arachnological Society – all things spidery
- British Mycological Society
- The British Lichen Society
- The Woodland Trust
- The English Hedgerow Trust – a charitable organisation dedicated to the promotion of hedgerow conservation.
- Botanical Society of the British Isles
- British Ecological Society
- Mammal Society – The Mammal Society works to protect British mammals, halt the decline of threatened species, and advise on all issues affecting British Mammals.
- Bumblebee Conservation Trust
- Marine Conservation Society
- Young People’s Trust for the Environment – more things to do and see in nature.
- Wildlife Watch – site aimed at younger people interested in nature.
Webcams:
Amateur websites:
- Naturenet – informative and engaging site addressing wildlife and countryside\conservation issues.
- Bird Forum – amateur wildlife enthusiasts’ site.
- UK Safari – An excellent resource with information about wildlife and the countryside. Contains articles, photographs, a newsletter, a list of rescue hospitals, and links to related web sites.
- The Natural History of British Wildlife
- British Garden Birds
- British Wild Flowers
- Fungus.org.uk
- UKMoths – a great resource for all your mothy needs
The BBC
The BBC has a number of amazing flagship series about wildlife around the world, hosted by Sir David Attenborough which are produced at the BBC’s Natural History Unit.
For the UK there is the BBC’s Wild Isles and also a very popular set of programmes called the “Watches”, which included Spring, Autumn and Winter watches. Autumn Watch has been axed unfortunately and as a result the host Chris Packham ran a series in Autumn in 2023 via YouTube. The current BBC Watch sites are here: Spring and Winter.
The BBC also have an interesting although old archived site call Nature’s Calendar, which is worth a visit, and an archived BBC’s Nature programme on Radio 4 web page. You may also like to visit Chris Packham’s TOP 40 wildlife spectacles.
Sometimes UK wildlife features on The OneShow and Countryfile.
There doesn’t seem to be an appetite from the other terrestrial channels for such programmes. Streaming services, especially The National Geographic may provide some interesting programmes.
Other organisations who significantly contribute to nature conservation:
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee
- Friends of the Earth – major environmental campaigning organisation.
- Forestry Commission
- Environment Agency
- National Trust
- Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group
- Natural History Museum
- Your local Council will also play an important role in nature conservation in planning and designations. If you can’t find anything on their web site ask them why not!
Biodiversity recording/Apps
- iNaturalist – a highly recommended to help you identify anything wild and even record its location.
- Merlin Bird ID – a remarkable app for identifying bird calls and songs.
- ObsIdentify – an app used to identify species by photographs.
- National Biodiversity Network.
Magazines (all commercial):
- British Wildlife – a rich and authoritative monthly journal about wildlife in the UK with articles, news and sightings etc.
- BBC Wildlife magazine – published by Immediate Media Company.
- Monthly Birdwatch magazine by BirdGuides.