BECOME A NATURE WALKER

A few simple steps can help you identify more wildlife on your walks - and open up a world of beauty and fascination, says Fergus Collins

- Fergus Collins

How would you like to never have a dull walk again? Would you like to turn every stroll into an adventure? How would you like to be able to identify the nature buzzing around you or growing by the wayside?

It sounds like quite a promise, but tuning into the natural world and learning how to find and identify more wildlife on your everyday outings will transform how you see the countryside and how you see yourself. Plus, it will definitely impress friends and family.

Most of us get excited when we see a nature marvel. Kingfishers have us pointing and gaping. Swirling starling murmurations have rightly become one of Britain's most celebrated spectacles. Everyone shouts "Buzzard!" when. one of these raptors lazily soars overhead. Most people never go beyond these basic connections. But once you've taken some very simple steps, these exciting marvels can be found every day. You'll be exclaiming "chiffchaff!" or "oil beetle!" or "cuckoo-flower" with equal relish.

HOW TO START 

Perhaps the biggest barrier to immersing yourself in nature is not knowing what you are looking at, hearing or even smelling. Where do you start with identifying the flowers or birdsong in the local park? Where should you go to find wildlife? To help you, I'm going to tell you a little bit about my own journey of discovery - and how I walk into nature on an almost daily basis.

When I was eight, my godmother gave me a small telescope and The Observer's Book of Birds. The book was full of exciting species, such as golden orioles and rough-legged buzzards. And yet all I ever seemed to see in my Somerset garden were starlings and sparrows. But it was the beginning of a curiosity that has flowered in adulthood to become my haven, my escape, my solace and where I find incredible thrills and discoveries.

WALK BY A RIVER