Taunton is our county-town and is a town that still retains a rural, easy-going charm, lying in a natural valley between the Quantock, Blackdown and Brendon Hills. The town has retained a diverse array of wildlife despite continued growth, and although habitat connectivity throughout and around the town is quite limited, sites within Taunton still count rarer species like kingfisher, barn owls, dormice, water voles, otters, and bats amongst the wildlife contingent.

The aim of the Bat Watch Taunton is to enthuse everyone about wildlife mapping and the fascinating world of bats, and to monitor changes in both the variety of bat species and the number of bats, that we have across Somerset.

Somerset has some of the most spectacular and internationally-recognised habitats and wildlife in the country. We have beautiful and rare creatures like the Large Blue butterfly and the Eurasian bittern, important populations of Greater horseshoe bats and other incredible species such as Great white egrets, Red deer, Round-leaved sundew and magical murmurating Starlings.

From digging a wildlife pond to planting a bee-friendly window box, there’s always something that you can do to help the wildlife on your doorstep.

Find detailed answers to frequently asked wildlife questions.

Learn how to give wildlife a home in your garden. We have tips for building bird and bat boxes, hedgehog homes and more!

Wildlife crime can take many forms and it can be difficult to know what constitutes a crime. They can range from organised crimes (such as the trade in endangered species) to people shooting at birds with air guns. We have listed examples below of wildlife crime and if you believe you may have witnessed any of these, please share this information to assist in bringing offenders to justice.