At 8:30pm on Saturday 22 March, many of the most iconic landmarks across the UK and around the world will plunge into darkness as they switch off their lights for WWF’s Earth Hour – an event that aims to draw attention to the climate crisis and nature loss around the globe.
But, as the human world switches off for the evening, some of the UK’s best-loved species are at their most active, and may be a little closer than you think.
Dr Benedict Dempsey, People and Nature Adviser at WWF-UK tells us more about how you can get involved with Earth Hour by looking out for this nocturnal life.
Nocturnal animals to spot in the UK
European otter
As the world starts to switch off and people slip on their cosy clothes for the evening, otters can be found sliding down the muddy banks of UK rivers and streams in search of food, hunting for fish, frogs, shellfish and the occasional small mammal.
Otters are most active at dawn and dusk, but they prefer habitats with plenty of cover, such as reed beds, tree roots and rocky areas near their dens or holts, so they may not always be easy to spot. However, there are some good signs of otter activity to look out for, such as tracks in the mud and sand or even droppings, known as spraint. If you feel brave, spraint is meant to smell like jasmine tea.
Otters can be found in various places throughout the UK, with hotspots in Scotland, the west of Wales and south-west England – in areas with clean freshwater.
Common toad
For the common toad, Earth Hour is a particularly active time, as it falls in the middle of their breeding season in early spring, when they may be seen heading from their hibernation spots to ponds and other water bodies to breed.
In the evenings, toads are often out foraging for insects and earthworms in damp areas such as grasslands, woodlands or gardens.
Found throughout most of England, Wales and Scotland (but not Ireland), common toads are easiest to spot at night as they live in shallow burrows during the day. Their low croak may sometimes be heard near their ponds.
European hedgehog
As winter melts into spring, hedgehogs will be emerging from their long nap, spending their evenings in search of worms, slugs, earwigs, beetles and other small insects.
Found throughout the UK in woodlands, hedgerows, parks and gardens, these prickly customers are always a joy to see or to hear as they snuffle and shuffle through the bushes and shrubs. But sadly, their numbers are in decline, particularly in urban areas and heavily farmed regions.
So, hedgehogs may need a little extra help, and if they are regular visitors to your garden, they’ll welcome some wet cat food or even specialist hedgehog food from the garden centre as they wake from their slumber. But remember: never give them milk, they’re lactose intolerant.
Barn owl
Flying through the evening sky in search of mice, voles and shrews, the barn owl, with its heart-shaped face, is a heartwarming sight.
Using their excellent hearing to find and capture their prey, barn owls themselves fly in almost complete silence. They can still be heard sometimes – not with a hoot though, but with a screech.
It may be surprising to know that barn owls live across most of the UK, and not just in barns. They’re most commonly seen in southern and central England, often found in open landscapes such as farmland, grassland and meadows, including in rural areas with access to tree hollows or old buildings where they can nest.
Fox
Responsible for many a disrupted night’s sleep as they crash through the bins and scream and bark at each other, the cunning fox is a species that has adapted to both rural and urban environments.
Opportunistic feeders, foxes are most active at dawn and dusk, using their keen sense of smell and hearing to hunt small mammals, birds and beetles in rural areas and scavenging for food scraps in urban environments.
Foxes are found all around the UK, including in woodlands, farmland and, increasingly, in towns and cities. While they might be heard in the dead of night, foxes can also be spotted in the evening, especially in the colder months as they search for other sources of food when prey is scarce.
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Badger
Like sleepy teenagers, badgers generally don’t emerge from their setts until the evening, when they hungrily search for a meal of earthworms, insects and fruits.
Badgers are found across most of the UK, with the largest population in southern England, especially in rural areas. But they can also be seen in urban areas if there’s suitable habitat.
Despite being most active in the spring and summer when food is plentiful, the badger’s nocturnal lifestyle means they’re often hard to see. But they do leave very distinctive tracks, with kidney-shaped foot pads behind five toes with long claws.
Main image: urban fox (Vulpes vulpes) in London/Credit: Laurent Geslin / naturepl.com / WWF
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