The beautiful and bizarre ways our local wildlife says ‘I love you'

If you think it’s tough to impress your other half, wait until you hear about these starry-eyed species. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we’d like to share some of the beautiful and bizarre ways our local wildlife says ‘I love you’.

Heart beats

The snipe is a winter visitor, usually be found on wet grassland and marshes. During the breeding season it makes a distinctive ‘drumming’ sound to attract a mate, which can be heard as the male performs an aerial courtship display. The snipe doesn’t drum against an object or make the sound by calling – it is actually the result of its tail feathers vibrating in the wind!

Dance-off for dominance

During the mating season the male adder will dance for dominance. Although it is often mistaken for a courtship ritual, this dance is a show of strength that typically occurs between two or more males. It is known as the ‘dance of the adders’ and it is easy to see why - the intricate interlacing, twisting and rolling as they wrestle is almost hypnotic.

Tough love

In early spring you may spot hares batting at one another with furious, furry fists. While this strange ritual may look like a hostile feud, it is actually a precursor to courtship. The pugilists are usually the females, who fend off amorous male admirers by boxing with them. It is also thought that female hares use this technique to test the strength of their prospective partner before deciding whether to choose him as a mate.

Dress to impress

The common cuttlefish is a ghostly predator that drifts silently beneath the surface of our local seas.

It can quickly change colour to merge into its background, which helps it ambush prey and attract potential mates.

During mating season males put on a vibrant colour show to attract females, passing pulses of colour rapidly along their bodies.

To find out more about our amazing local wildlife, visit hiwwt.org.uk