Surrey Wildlife Trust has pressed ‘go’ on a new phase of its Surrey Species Search programme, which asks local people of all ages to look for some of the wildlife which typifies our county during autumn. It’s all part of the Trust’s campaign to track the fortunes of different species, while engaging people in the drive to appreciate and protect the natural world.

By going on a Surrey Species Search in your garden or a local community space such as a woodland, playing field or churchyard, you might spot the following creatures:

• Redwing - a small and sociable member of the thrush family, around one million Redwings start to arrive from their breeding grounds in Scandinavia in October, hoping to take advantage of the plentiful berries and worms to be found across the UK’s farmland, hedgerows, parks and large gardens.  They’ll range widely across the UK’s open spaces before departing in April.
• Muntjac - the UK’s smallest resident deer species, these cute, Labrador-sized creatures were privately introduced to Bedfordshire in the last century and have now become widespread. Solitary by nature, their small size and low profile means they can exist quite close to human habitation – and often wreak havoc on vegetable patches!
• Rowan - a small, slender native tree which is often seen in local parks, heaths and woodland edges and can live for up to 200 years. Bright red Rowan berries supply crucial autumn sustenance for many species of birds, including Blackbirds, Redwings and Waxwings. By eating the berries, these birds help the tree to disperse its seeds.
• Fly Agaric - one of the most iconic fungi species, the Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) is the classic red-and-white toadstool of fairy tales and a truly magical sight amongst the autumnal leaf litter.
• Giant House Spider - the Giant House Spider is the largest of many similar species of spider which take advantage of our warm, dry homes to find shelter, food and a place to nest.  There’s nothing romantic about family life with these guys though: males stay with their chosen females for some weeks, mating numerous times until eventually they die, at which point they are eaten by their female. Don’t be afraid though – these guys can’t hurt people!

SWT has produced a specially-designed app, Five2Find, which is easily downloadable to any smartphone, to help people record and identify these species and report their numbers and locations. Confirmed sightings of any of these species can also be logged online HERE or reported directly to SBIC via surreybic@surreywt.org.uk

Participants can learn where and when to spot the five key species at the SWT website, and then record their sightings, by following this short how-to video. The data on species sightings in Surrey will be fed to the Surrey Biodiversity Information Centre (SBIC), an arm of SWT which enables conservationists to understand the changing distribution and abundance of native plants and animals.

Surrey Biodiversity Information Centre’s Data Officer, Rob Schwar says:

“The first phase of Surrey Species Search was a surprise hit this summer, with over 200 records of Slow Worms, Oxeye Daises, Peacock butterflies, Swifts and bats submitted. I like to think that every new recruit to wildlife watching could one day become the next David Attenborough or Liz Bonnin, so I hope many more people will join in with our search this autumn.

“With around one-third of Surrey’s species at risk, we need to do all we can to build interest in the natural world and encourage more people to take simple steps – like phasing out harmful pesticides and using resources more carefully - to protect it.”

SWT plans to repeat each phase of the Surrey Species Search every year.  Over time, the information gathered will help map population trends and inform action to improve, protect or connect the local green spaces that are most important for wildlife.

Britain is one of the world’s most nature-depleted nations, and one-third of Surrey’s species are currently at risk or already lost. Surrey Wildlife Trust’s Save Surrey’s Nature campaign is now halfway towards its target of raising £1 million to halt and reverse this pattern in our county, so that everyone can enjoy the benefits provided by a healthy natural world. Find out more at https://www.surreywildlifetrust.org

Surrey Wildlife Trust works with local people and communities across the county to help them reap the benefits of learning about, creating, and caring for wild places – from window boxes and gardens to local parks, playgrounds and nature reserves. In 2024/25, it provided training to over 35 community groups to help improve habitats for nature.