Go on a wildlife safari this summer and see if you can spot BBC Springwatch's Megan McCubbin's Big 5
Southampton resident, Megan McCubbin, sprang on to our screens during lockdown when she presented Springwatch with her step-father Chris Packham, from his home in the New Forest. Their enthusiasm for wildlife and the natural world was like a tonic for all of us stuck at home in the middle of the pandemic, and since then, Megan has become a household name, presenting on Springwatch again most recently, but also touring with Chris during their Wild Summer series last year.
Now, Lovat Parks, based in the New Forest, have teamed up with Megan to put together a UK-wide guide to encourage people to take a wildlife safari and try to spot Megan’s Big 5. She explains: ‘When Lovat asked me to put together a Big 5 wildlife safari it was great, as it meant I could pick all my favourites. I want to encourage people to look on their doorstep and discover the wildlife that’s near them and around them, but I always really want to encourage people to go out on little adventures to find the amazing wildlife that we share our county and country with.’
The five species that should be on everyone’s ones to watch list according to Megan are, the elephant hawk moth, an otter, a grey seal, a puffin and the blue shark. In Hampshire alone we are lucky enough to be able to spot at least three of the five, with Megan’s particular favourite being the elephant hawk moth, which can be found around the New Forest. ‘Otters are another big one in the county’, she shares. ‘You’ve got those on the River Test and the River Itchen. Otters were close to extinction in the seventies and have made a bit of a comeback, which is really nice. They are now in every county around the UK, still not quite at the numbers I’d like, but they’re still very well distributed. If you live in a town or city with canals, chances are they might be there so you can often look out for signs such as footprints in the bank, tail drag marks that they leave behind and spraint as well.’
When it comes to the marine species on Megan’s list, we may not be as lucky as our neighbouring counties, but certainly in Hampshire it may be possible to spot a grey seal, making it all the more special when you do as Megan explains: ‘The thing about Hampshire is that we live in the shipping lanes and that does cause some serious disturbance to our marine life, however, we do see grey seals popping up occasionally. There is one that has been popping up in Ocean Village harbour in Southampton, which is where I used to live, and it will pop up for a couple of days, bob around and then disappear again.’
Puffins and blue sharks are much more elusive locally but Megan is hopeful: ‘Sharks are a favourite of mine and they often get a bit of a bad reputation which they really don’t deserve. Blue sharks can be found off the coast so most people go to Cornwall or Wales to find blue sharks, however, they are a pelagic open water species and can travel vast distances. They’re one of the most successful shark species anywhere around the world and they live, pretty much, in every ocean. If you were to go off the coast, I’d be very surprised if you didn’t get blue sharks there. I’ve never tried in Hampshire but it’s definitely something I’d like to have a go at.’
During the summer we can give our local wildlife the best possible chance by doing a few simple things to help them cope with the hot weather as Megan explains: ‘At the moment a lot of species are rearing young, and that is something which costs a lot of energy and a lot of time and it’s really important that we are able to give them a boost as it’s incredibly hot. One of the most important things we can do throughout the summer is just put a shallow dish of water out, not too deep that anything can get stuck in it, but birds can come down to bathe and drink and mammals will come to visit. You could put in a little pond, which doesn’t need to be an expensive thing, it just needs a few oxygenating plants and little ramps for wildlife to get in and out and you’d be amazed by how quickly wildlife will find it. Of course, you can also continue to feed the birds with the right food such as sunflower hearts. You can help wildlife wherever you live, in the city or out in the countryside.’
Spending time outdoors among nature can increase mental wellbeing by 81%, and with so many different landscapes in Hampshire to explore, Megan encourages us all to take time this summer to spot some species for ourselves.
‘It’s been proven that the more biodiversity that you see and surround yourself in, the better your mental wellbeing. Leave your phone at home, find your favourite spot whether it’s in your own back garden, the New Forest or local community park and just sit and watch because that’s when you get attuned to the world around you. If you give yourself the time to sit and relax then wildlife feels more comfortable around you, and you’ll start to see so much more.
