My wildlife bucket list – 99 species to see

Since I love writing bucket lists and there are so many wildlife species I want to see, I thought why not combine them? For my wildlife bucket list, I will divide it into family groups. When I manage to see the species, I will add photos (if I manage!). I’m also going to share a nature bucket list full of places I want to visit to see wildlife/see natural wonders e.g., the Great Barrier Reef.

Just want to say, obviously, it would be amazing to see any animal, but these are the top ones I want to see. Also, I want to see these animals in the wild, rather than in captivity.

Photo by Dušan veverkolog on Unsplash

Mammals

To see in the UK:

1. Badger ✅ (Prestbury Hill Nature Reserve, Cheltenham)
2. Bank Vole ✅ (Slimbridge, Gloucestershire)
3. Blue Whale
4. Bottlenose Dolphin
5. Eurasian Beaver
6. Eurasian Otter
7. Hazel Dormouse
8. Humpback Whale
9. Mountain Hare
10. Orca
11. Pine Marten
12. Red Deer
13. Red Squirrel
14. Scottish Wildcat
15. Stoat
16. Weasel

To be seen elsewhere:

1. Capybara
2. Cheetah
3. Galapagos Penguin
4. Giant Otter
5. Kangaroo & Joey!
6. Koala
7. Sea Turtle ✅ (Green Turtle in Cape Greco, Cyprus)
8. Leopard
9. Lion
10. Marmot
11. Polar Bear
12. Quokka
13. Sea Otter
14. Snow Leopard
15. Squirrel Monkey
16. Tiger
17. Wallaby & Joey

Amphibians & Fish

To see in the UK:

1. Great Crested Newt
2. Seahorse – You can see them in Studland Bay, Dorset.

Birds

To see in the UK:

1. Avocet
2. Barn Owl ✅ (Stone, Staffordshire)
3. Bittern
4. Bluethroat
5. Chiffchaff ✅
6. Cirl Bunting
7. Crested Tit
8. Firecrest
9. Gannet
10. Goldcrest ✅ (Bournemouth, Dorset) I have seen this but would love to see it again.
11. Golden Eagle
12. Golden Plover
13. Goosander (their chicks are so cute!)
14. Great-crested Grebe ✅ (Slimbridge, Gloucestershire)
15. Great Shearwater
16. Kingfisher ✅ I have seen a kingfisher 4 times, but it is always so exciting, so I’m leaving it on.
17. Little Owl
18. Long-eared Owl
19. Manx Shearwater
20. Nightjar
21. Osprey
22. Peregrine Falcon
23. Puffin – The main wildlife species I want to see!
24. Redstart
25. Sand Martin ✅ (Congleton, Cheshire)
26. Siskin ✅ (My garden, Gloucestershire!)
27. Snow Bunting
28. Snowy Ow
29. Tawny Owl – ✅ (Congleton, Cheshire)
30. Waxwing
31. White-tailed Eagle
32. Whooper Swan ✅ (Slimbridge, Gloucestershire)

To see elsewhere:

1. Blue Jay
2. Emperor Penguin
3. Hummingbird
4. Toucan

Continue reading: My wildlife bucket list – 99 species to see

Invertebrates

This list is mainly going to consist of butterflies that I have yet to see!

To see in the UK:

1. Black Hairstreak butterfly
2. Brown Hairstreak butterfly
3. Clouded Yellow butterfly
4. Grayling butterfly
5. Grizzled Skipper butterfly ✅ (Rodborough Common, Gloucestershire)
6. Heath Fritillary butterfly
7. High Brown Fritillary butterfly
8. Large Emerald moth
9. Large Heath butterfly
10. Lulworth Skipper butterfly ✅ (Durlston Country Park, Dorset)
11. Magpie moth
12. Mountain Ringlet butterfly
13. Pearl-bordered Fritillary
14. Purple Emperor butterfly
15. Purple Hairstreak butterfly
16. Ruby Tiger moth
17. Scotch Argus butterfly
18. Silver-studded blue butterfly
19. Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary
20. Southern Hawker dragonfly ✅ (Home garden, Cheltenham)
21. Swallowtail butterfly
22. White Admiral butterfly
23. White-letter Hairstreak butterfly
24. Wood White butterfly

Related post: The ultimate list of butterfly species to spot in the UK

To see elsewhere:

1. Black-veined White butterfly ✅ (The Vercors, France)
2. Clouded Apollo butterfly
3. Large Tortoiseshell butterfly
4. Mazarine Blue butterfly ✅ (The Vercors, France)
5. Monarch butterfly
6. Scarce Copper butterfly ✅ (The Vercors, France)

Do you have a wildlife bucket list? Do you want to see any of these wildlife species?

Caroline ♡