Sanderlings, Ringed Plover and Dunlin on a beach Small Waders © Jen Vidal

Species Focus

Do you want to know what to record and when?  Species Focus can help you with some useful tips on what to look out for at different times of the year. Don't forget to send us your records or use our Online Recording System to record your wildlife sightings. 

January

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Wren
January Species Focus

Species Focus - Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)

So, we’ve missed out on participating in “Hunt the Wren Day” on the 26th December where, in the past, an unfor...

01 Jan 2022

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Molehills © Cofnod
January Species Focus

Species Focus - European Mole (Talpa europaea)

Mole, an overlooked, under-recorded mammal. Finding and recording mammal species can be difficult in North Wal...

01 Jan 2021

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February

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© Paul Brazier
February Species Focus

Species Focus - Carrageen (Chondrus crispus)

Take a trip to the lower shore, or before you get there, look in some rockpools on the midshore, and you will ...

01 Feb 2025

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© Claire Halpin
February Species Focus

Species Focus - Leucobryum sp.

There are about 850 taxa of mosses and liverworts in Wales, a substantial proportion of the bryophytes species...

01 Feb 2024

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February Species Focus

Species Focus - Winter Heliotrope (Petasites fragrans)

At this time of year, a distinctive non-native plant erupts from the ground with large kidney-shaped leaves an...

01 Feb 2023

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Common Frogs © Richard Gallon
February Species Focus

Species Focus - Common Frog (Rana temporaria)

As spring regains its hold, we welcome the return of our Common Frogs to their breeding ponds. A garden wildli...

01 Feb 2022

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A Redwing sitting on grass covered with patchy snow
February Species Focus

Species Focus - Redwing (Turdus iliacus)

With regular recent bouts of freezing weather, you might be lucky to encounter a flock of Redwings raiding a h...

01 Feb 2021

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March

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© Susan Hughes
March Species Focus

Species Focus - Hares and Rabbits

Rabbits and brown hares are both introduced non-native species that are a valuable part of our now extremely d...

01 Mar 2025

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Common Toad © Richard Gallon
March Species Focus

Species Focus - Common Toad (Bufo bufo)

It’s that time of year when adult Toads (Bufo bufo) abandon their hibernation sites on land and head en masse ...

01 Mar 2024

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A male Bullfinch sitting in a tree
March Species Focus

Species Focus - Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)

The Bullfinch is wonderful to spot, and one is rewarded by two quite different birds if a pair is seen togethe...

01 Mar 2023

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© Richard Gallon
March Species Focus

Species Focus - Springy Turf Moss (Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus)

The winter months and right on into the spring are a great time of year for looking at bryophytes. Vascular pl...

01 Mar 2022

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Lesser Celandine
March Species Focus

Species Focus - Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna or Ranunculus ficaria)

There’s no better sign of spring than a carpet of bright yellow flowers on a woodland floor. Lesser Celandine ...

01 Mar 2021

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April

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A Tawny Owl mother and juvenile in a tree
April Species Focus

Species Focus - Tawny Owl (Strix aluco)

The Tawny Owl is the commonest owl species in Britain, and can be found in any fairly well-wooded area, in the...

01 Apr 2025

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Yellowhammer
April Species Focus

Species Focus - Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)

From spring onwards, male Yellowhammers can be heard singing, often on top of a hedge or a bush. Their song is...

01 Apr 2024

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© Carl Payne (left) Steve Palin (right)
April Species Focus

Species Focus - Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) and Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) Butterflies

Brimstone. With fine, sunny spring weather we’re starting to see hibernating butterflies emerge from their hid...

01 Apr 2022

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© Kevin Hitch
April Species Focus

Species Focus - Dark-edged Bee-fly (Bombylius major)

Now is the perfect time to go looking for Bee-flies. These charismatic insects are about the size of a small b...

01 Apr 2021

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May

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© Jan Sheppard
May Species Focus

Species Focus - 10-spot Ladybird (Adalia decempunctata)

Ladybirds are colourful beetles in the family Coccinellidae, from the Latin for ‘scarlet’, presumably in refer...

01 May 2025

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May Species Focus

Species Focus - Bird Cherry (Prunus padus)

A good plant to look out for in May is Bird Cherry, which is when it comes into flower. It has nine Welsh name...

01 May 2024

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May Species Focus

Species Focus - Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)

If you go down to the woods today, you might not be in for a big surprise! It’s Bluebell season and this is su...

01 May 2023

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Two Curlews in a field
May Species Focus

Species Focus - Curlew (Numenius arquata)

The Curlew, with its long legs, large brown body and long, down-curved bill, is one of the most iconic and eas...

01 May 2022

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A collage of three pictures of Swifts
May Species Focus

Species Focus - Swift (Apus apus)

Many of you will have already spotted your first Swallows and House martins of 2021 and now Swifts will be ret...

01 May 2021

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June

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Two Red-and-black Froghoppers on a blade of grass
June Species Focus

Species Focus - Red and Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)

The Hemiptera are a large and ancient order of insects, traceable back to the Palaeozoic. They are colloquiall...

01 Jun 2025

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Pandorina morum © Wyn Hughes
June Species Focus

Species Focus - Microalgae and Protozoa

Microscopic plants (microalgae) and animals (protozoa) form the focus this month. In a recent Cofnod workshop,...

01 Jun 2024

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Small Pearl-bordered Frillary © Zac Spaul
June Species Focus

Species Focus - Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene)

Fritillary butterflies can be particularly challenging to identify as they look superficially similar and ofte...

01 Jun 2023

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© Kevin Hitch
June Species Focus

Species Focus - Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera)

We’ve not featured many plants in our Species Foci so we thought it would be a good idea to rectify this by hi...

01 Jun 2022

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Grass Snake © Wolfgang Wuster
June Species Focus

Species Focus - Grass Snake (Natrix helvetica)

We haven’t seen much sunshine this spring but on warm, even overcast days, you might see Grass Snakes out and ...

01 Jun 2021

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July

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© David Hill
July Species Focus

Species Focus - Sea Slater (Ligia oceanica)

Looking like a Woodlouse on steroids, the Sea Slater (Ligia oceanica) is an impressively large (3 cm) European...

01 Jul 2025

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Female Grass Snake © Stu Gregory
July Species Focus

Species Focus - Grass Snake (Natrix helvetica)

The Grass Snake is Britain’s largest snake with females reaching up to a metre in length. The sexes are simila...

01 Jul 2024

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© Susan Hughes
July Species Focus

Species Focus - Small Bluetail (Ischnura pumilio)

One of the rarer Damselflies to look out for in North Wales is the Small Bluetail or Scarce Blue-tailed Damsel...

01 Jul 2023

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© Susan Hughes
July Species Focus

Species Focus - Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)

Hogweed is now in flower so it’s the perfect time to look out for insects which are attracted to its flowers. ...

01 Jul 2022

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Misumena vatia © Richard Vandersteen
July Species Focus

Species Focus - Flower crab spider (Misumena vatia)

We’ve recently been getting interesting records of two unusual garden spiders coming in to Cofnod. Misumena va...

01 Jul 2021

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August

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© Susan Hughes
August Species Focus

Species Focus - Puss Moth (Cerura vinula) and Sycamore (Acronicta aceris) Caterpillars

Most moth records we receive at Cofnod are of adults, typically caught alive in specialised light traps. This ...

01 Aug 2025

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Billberry Bumblebee © Oliver Prys-Jones
August Species Focus

Species Focus - Bilberry Bumblebee (Bombus monticola)

From late March to mid September the bilberry bumblebee can be seen, predominantly in hilly and mountainous ar...

01 Aug 2024

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Adder © Wolfgang Wuster
August Species Focus

Species Focus - Adder (Vipera berus)

Mid- and late summer are good times to look out for Britain’s only venomous snake, the Adder. At this time of ...

01 Aug 2023

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Common Lizard
August Species Focus

Species Focus - Common Lizard (Zootoca vivipara)

Given that Common Lizards are so widespread, it’s surprising we don’t see them very often. You might occasiona...

01 Aug 2022

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© Robin Sandham
August Species Focus

Species Focus - Purple Hairstreak butterfly (Favonius quercus)

Following the recent spell of fine weather, we thought it would be a good idea to promote butterfly recording ...

01 Aug 2021

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September

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© Richard Vandersteen
Species Focus September

Species Focus - Common Haircap (Polytrichum commune)

Polytrichum commune is a widespread and familiar sight, forming sizable patches of miniature dark green forest...

01 Sep 2025

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Species Focus September

Species Focus - Jellyfish

Way down on the evolutionary tree, Jellyfish, let’s call them jellies, have been around and relatively unchang...

01 Sep 2024

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© Tony Brand
September Species Focus

Species Focus - Hummingbird Hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum)

Over 1,600 different species of moths have been seen in North Wales at one time or another. The situation is d...

01 Sep 2023

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© Andy Shotts
September Species Focus

Species Focus - Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)

September is probably the best time of year to record Garden Orb-web Spiders. They’ve hatched in the spring an...

01 Sep 2022

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© Andy Shotts
September Species Focus

Species Focus - Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum)

If you see something rare and unusual, you’re more than likely to record it. However, those species we see reg...

01 Sep 2021

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October

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Portuguese Man O'War © David Pitcher
Species Focus October

Species Focus - Hydrozoans

Many of us will soon be inviting or visiting relatives for various celebrations coming up. At this time of yea...

01 Oct 2025

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Violet Coral © Debbie Evans
October Species Focus

Species Focus - Violet Coral (Clavaria zollingeri)

Clavaria zollingeri is a Basidiomycete fungus in the family Clavariaceae, which includes the club and coral fu...

01 Oct 2024

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© Tony Cumberlidge
October Species Focus

Species Focus - Stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus)

Whilst the mushrooms get a lot of attention during the autumn, there is a fungus that is always lurking in the...

01 Oct 2023

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© Richard Vandersteen
October Species Focus

Species Focus - Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus)

Autumn is the time our Grey Seals haul out onto beaches in sheltered coves to give birth and nurse their pups....

01 Oct 2022

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© Mark Sheridan
October Species Focus

Species Focus - Sycamore Tarspot (Rhytisma acerinum)

With autumn leaf-fall fast approaching, now is the perfect time to look for a common, but widely overlooked fu...

01 Oct 2021

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November

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Fieldfare
Species Focus November

Species Focus - Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)

The Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) is the larger and more colourful of the two thrush species which are winter vis...

01 Nov 2025

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November Species Focus

Species Focus - Oedemera femoralis

Autumn is a good time to keep an eye out for one of our more distinctive beetle species. Oedemera femoralis is...

01 Nov 2024

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November Species Focus

Species Focus - Greater White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura russula)

For the past 10 years I have been recording the small mammal population of a private woodland adjacent to my c...

01 Nov 2023

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© Naomi Chapple-Parry © Dave Winnard
November Species Focus

Species Focus - Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) and Earthstars (Geastrum)

Fungi are a complicated group of species to identify at times and with many look-a-likes it can often take sev...

01 Nov 2022

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© Andy Shotts
November Species Focus

Species Focus - Harvestman (Opilio canestrinii)

Have you encountered these miniature War of the Worlds machines in your garden? Unlike their sci-fi lookalikes...

01 Nov 2021

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December

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© Richard Gallon
December Species Focus

Species Focus - Old Man's Beard (Clematis vitalba)

At this time of year one of our wild climbing plants puts on a fabulous wintery show. It’s not the flowers of ...

01 Dec 2022

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© Richard Gallon
December Species Focus

Species Focus - Holly Leaf-miner (Phytomyza ilicis)

With Christmas just around the corner we thought it would be the ideal time to highlight a festive species to ...

01 Dec 2021

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On the Record

On the Record is our monthly online newsletter. It's full of interesting information about local wildlife recording, including that month's events and what to look out for in our Species Focus feature. Subscribe now to get next month's issue .