This weekend... enjoy summer wildlife with us

This weekend the days are long so there is more time to make the most of them - and we can help!

Many of our nature reserves have fun events organised this weekend - we'd love to see you. Everyone is wellcome - you don't have to be a nature expert. We'll show you the best bits of summer and help you get close to some fantastic wildlife. You can enjoy walks looking for glow worms, bee orchids, nightjars or owls. If walking is not your thing, there are also craft events, pond-dipping sessions and close-up views of woodpeckers, peregrines and avocets to enjoy. Just visit our events pages to find out what's happening near you.

Look out for swifts

Swifts are here for the summer until about August, when they will fly all the way to Africa for the winter. If you see swifts when you're out and about this weekend, we'd like to hear about it. Our new swift survey is quick and easy to do, and it's a great way to help swifts - a species that has suffered in the last decade and we need to find out why.

Five reasons why swifts are simply the best

1. When they leave the nest, swifts can fly for up to three years before they touch down again.
2. Swifts eat, mate and even sleep in the air.
3. Swifts drink raindrops.
4. Swifts catch insects in their wide mouths and store them in a pouch at the back of their throat. They use saliva to bind these insects into a ball - there can be thousands of insects in one ball. They either deliver the food ball to their nest or swallow it and start again.
5. Swifts pair for life, meeting their partner at the same nest site each spring. Aw!