Wildlife Group Invites Nature Lovers To Spot and Record Threatened Species

Published on: 7 Jul, 2025
Updated on: 9 Jul, 2025

People throughout Surrey are being invited to look for and record sightings of five key species which typify the range of the area’s wildlife – but could disappear if their decline continues.

The search has been launched by Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT), which has produced a specially-designed app, Five2Find. The app is downloadable to any smartphone and will help people record and identify the five species and report their numbers and locations.

SWT hopes people will go on their “Surrey Species Search” in their garden or a local community space such as a woodland, playing field or churchyard.

The species are:

Bats – with 15 of the UK’s 18 species sighted in Surrey, these nocturnal mammals can be seen in gardens and parks, where they eat as many as 3,000 flying insects every night. Bat numbers have declined due to the loss of mature trees, which they depend on to nest safely.
Swift – a migratory insect-eating bird seen soaring above Surrey’s streets during summer, this amazing creature sleeps on the wing, but numbers have fallen dramatically due to a changing climate, the decline in invertebrate numbers and the loss of its under-the-eaves nest sites, caused by changes in the design of buildings.
Peacock butterfly – formerly an extremely common species, this bright-red butterfly with big blue ‘eyes’ is still often seen in gardens but has become less prevalent due to the loss of wild areas in which to feed and breed
Oxeye daisy – this giant white-and-yellow perennial daisy thrives in gardens, roadsides, parks and meadows. It’s an important source of pollen for many invertebrate species and, like most native flowers, thrives in areas which are not excessively mown.
Slow-worm – not a worm, but the UK’s only legless lizard, this harmless reptile loves to hide in long grass and log piles, where it munches on garden pests like small slugs. Slow-worms need ‘messy’ areas to thrive, and suffer when gardens do not have any wild areas in which to hide.

The peacock butterfly – under threat

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), a body which enables conservationists to understand the changing distribution and abundance of native plants and animals and formulate conservation strategies for them.

SWT’s Community Programme Manager, Claire Harris, says: “Unless more people learn to see, appreciate and protect the riches on their doorstep, we risk losing our natural heritage without even noticing – and the long-term consequences of nature’s decline could be catastrophic for all of us.

“We hope that this project will open doors of discovery for Surrey residents of all ages and backgrounds. It could also help us build a more complete picture of where wildlife lives, how abundant it currently is and what we can all do to give it a helping hand.”

SWT says 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.

The trust’s Save Surrey’s Nature campaign is aiming to raise £1 million to halt and reverse this pattern, so that everyone can enjoy the benefits provided by a healthy natural world. Find out more at https://www.surreywildlifetrust.org

The swift – numbers have fallen drastically

Confirmed sightings of any native species can also to be reported directly to SBIC via surreybic@surreywt.org.uk.

Surrey Wildlife Trust hopes that the Surrey Species Search project will prompt many residents to report the wild flora and fauna they see around them.

You can download the Five2Find app here