We’ve come up with the following top tips to increase your chances of spotting hidden nature and help get the most out of your wildlife watching adventures.

Be prepared:

	Do your homework Bring binoculars Bring a magnifying glass Bring a camera or note book and pencil

Keep a low profile:

	Don't get seen Don't get heard Don't get smelt Get comfy

Let your senses take control:

	Keep a good look out Listen very carefully What's that smell? Think like an animal Take an expert - go on a guided walk!

Help care for the natural world:

	Conserve what you enjoy for others to enjoy Get involved - volunteer

© NTPL / Jennie Woodcock

A little research on the web or at the library about the habitats and wildlife in the area you're going to visit will be more than worth it when you're out in the wild.

• Decide ahead of time where and when you will go.

• Many flowers, fungi and animals can only be seen at certain times of year – they might migrate to warmer or colder places in certain seasons - check in advance to avoid disappointment.

• A wildlife identification book or field guide will tell you what to see, where and when, as well as showing you how to spot creatures by their tracks, droppings or eating habits.

• Take a pocket field guide out with you - one with good pictures to help you identify plants or animals on the spot.

© NTPL / Ian Shaw

The greater the distance you keep between you and the wildlife you are watching, the less chance there is you’ll be spotted, smelt or heard and scare off the creatures you're searching for.

• If you do get seen, your wildlife find might not take flight if it feels you are far enough away not to be a threat.

• Always use binoculars to observe any nesting or young wildlife. Never get too close to a nest or burrow, as your scent may scare the parents away, leaving eggs or young exposed to the elements and predators.

• Bring a small tripod or lean on a steady rock - you’ll get a much less blurry, shaky image of your wildlife than if you’re holding your binoculars or camera.

• If you leave your binoculars on the ground, then you risk quickly grabbing at them when you see something interesting and this sudden movement is likely to scare the wildlife away.

© NTPL / David Levenson

Small wildlife is just as fascinating and exciting as the big stuff!

• Carry a magnifying glass so that you are can examine little things like flower petals and leaves, insects, fungi or lichen.

• Be very careful not to kill, injure, pick or uproot wildlife when looking at it - this is actually against the law.

• Make sure you don’t inadvertently magnify the sun’s rays onto wildlife, though, as by doing this you could kill it!

© NTPL / Ian Shaw

Record what you see and hear to help you recount your memories and stories when you return from the wild.

• Wildlife photography can be one of the most challenging and satisfying aspects of wildlife watching - a good snapshot is the ultimate prize for a modern day nature explorer.

• Animals, birds and insects rarely stand still and give you time to pose a picture - so always be ready to shoot.

• Keep the sun at your back - if the sun is behind the animal, you'll tend to get a dark silhouette without detail - early morning and late afternoon light tends to be softer and best for photography.

• Don't fill the picture with your wildlife - feature it in its natural surroundings for a more interesting photograph.

• A note pad and pencil can let you describe what you see and hear very personally - draw a simple field sketch, rub in a bit of soil or press a leaf between the pages to remind you what the place was like when you get home.

© NT / Richard Allen and © NT / Matthew Oates

Many animals have a very good eyesight and if they see you approach they will hide or run away, so be as quiet as possible.

• To help you blend into the natural world around you, avoid bright colours and wear natural or neutral-coloured clothing and rucksacks.

• Be careful that sunlight doesn't reflect off glasses and binocular lenses as this can be spotted by wildlife a long way off. Similarly, at night, any light travels great distances, so when it's safe to do so minimise your use of any torches when it’s dark.

• Check whether you're blocking out the sun when approaching insects as they'll get disturbed when your shadow falls across them.

• Use landscape features to hide or break up your outline.

• Sudden or quick movements catch the eye of wildlife very easily.

© NTPL / Joe Cornish

Many animals have an amazing sense of hearing and if they hear you approach they will hide or run away, so be as quiet as possible.

• Walk slowly, softly and stealthily. This will make you less noisy and make more things visible to you because you won’t be rushing by.

• Watch where you place your feet so as not to snap twigs or create other sudden noises.

• Dense undergrowth can be very crackly, so avoid walking through it - if this means you have to take a longer route, then take the longer route.

• Make sure that your rucksack and pockets don't rustle - use socks or jumpers as padding!

• If you are going to sit still for some time to watch wildlife, then open all of your food packets as soon as you arrive in order to avoid making noise later on.

© John Altringham and © NT / P.Brash

Many animals have an amazing sense of smell and will keep away if they can whiff something unusual.

• Avoid using strong-scented perfumes, shampoos, or suntan lotions - try to buy a non-scented brand to take with you when in the outdoors.

• The smell of washing powder can also alert wildlife to you, so wear or air your clothes for several days outside to absorb natural scents.

• Check the wind direction is not blowing your smell towards the wildlife you're spotting - change your position to adjust for this.

• Don't smoke! Tobacco fumes could ward off animals - a discarded cigarette butt could cause a fire too.

© NTPL / Nick Garbutt

Watching wildlife can take time, you need to be patient and wait quietly, so animals can be confident that you're not a threat. The more comfy you are, the less likely you will be to move around and scare things.

• Take a rug, foam or inflatable roll mat to sit or lie on - this will help avoid a numb bum and insulate you against cold or damp ground.

• Even in summer it can get chilly in windy outdoor places and just staying still for a while can reduce your body heat - bring cosy layers of clothing in any season.

© NTPL / Ian Shaw

Our observation skills can often be numbed by life in noisy, colourful, smelly towns and cities.

• Stand still or sit for a few minutes - animals may think you have gone, stop hiding and go back to what they were doing before you arrived.

• Our peripheral vision - the things we see out of the corner of our eye - is most sensitive to picking up little movements of wildlife.

• Most people look at the ground when they walk - make sure you look all around you, at the sky, the trees, nearby and on the horizon.

• Take time to look at ordinary common things in the countryside. A fence post might have a buzzard sitting on top; a little patch of grass could be home to hundreds of ants.

• Lots of animals and insects might be hard to spot but their tracks and droppings will give you an idea of where they have been.

© NTPL / Ian Shaw

• Close your eyes for a minute or two and let your hearing take control of your senses- suddenly background noises will come alive.

• Cup your hands to your ears to hear better and to determine the direction of the sound.

• You'll hear many more birds than you can ever see. Different species have different birdsongs, so they're a really useful clue to help identify our feathered friends.

• Nature is full of weird, wonderful and not so wonderful smells - sniff for hawthorn, elderflower, wild garlic and maybe even fox or badgers - they mark their territory with a stinky scent!

© NTPL / Stephen Robson

Understanding a bit about the living patterns of wildlife can enable you to choose where to go and at what time of the day. Field guides should give details about animals’ behaviour, but here are some general hints.

• Go to areas that are regularly visited by wildlife - places to get a drink, places to shelter from the wind, good viewpoints, sunny glades in woodlands.

• Flowering plants or shrubs attract insects and fruiting trees or bushes attract birds or insects.

• Is it the time of year when animals will be looking for a mate, nesting in a tree or underground, feeding for winter or preparing to migrate?

• Like humans many animals are less active during the hottest part of the day, but insects and butterflies are mostly likely to be out pollinating flowers when it's warm and sunny.

• Dawn and dusk are good times to see and hear foxes, birds and bats - get up early or go to bed late to spot them!

• After heavy rain, many animals emerge to feed on the flooded out insects and worms.

© NTPL / Joe Cornish and © NT / Pete Brash

There is nothing better than local knowledge of where and when to spot wildlife.

• Go on a Bat Walk, Bug Hunt or Badger Watch with our countryside wardens.

• Find an event near you

© NTPL / Leo Mason

When you go wildlife spotting, help us care for the natural world around you.

• Leave wildlife where it belongs – in the wild! Never take creatures home with you. Whether it’s an animal, plant or fungus - it has a vital role to play in its surrounding habitat. If you remove things you are also breaking the law!

• Leave the area as clean as – or cleaner than – you found it. Dropping litter can harm wildlife and discourage wildlife from visiting. Always carry a rubbish bag so that you can take your rubbish home.

• Avoid going near nests or burrows during breeding seasons -especially with a dog. If you disturb wildlife here returning parents may be scared away, causing them to abandon their eggs or young. Keep your distance, follow signs and use binoculars.

© NTPL / Paul Wakefield

A great way to appreciate the countryside and get close to wildlife is to join us on a working holiday or become a volunteer at your local National Trust property.

You will often help improve a place for nature in the company of experts, who will give you great spotting tips and knowledge.

• Find out more about volunteering and working holidays

© NTPL / Ian Shaw