Red Deer Rut, Isle of Rum, Inner Hebrides

With more than 300 red deer stags on one tiny island, there's nowhere better to witness the annual rut in which adult males compete for harems of females between mid-September and mid-November (the later you leave it the fewer midges there'll be). Should you ever tire of the flying antlers, you can chill with the Rum ponies, a breed unique to the isle.

• Kinloch Castle on Isle of Rum (01687 462037, isleofrum.com) has a choice of accommodation: doubles with four-poster bed for £55 per night B&B, £73.50 full board; bunks £14pp; campsite (charges tbc in 2009); wild camping free.

Wildcats, near Aviemore, Cairngorms

A Scottish icon, the wildcat is not a feral cat (a domestic cat gone native) but more akin to a lynx. Sadly, Britain's only native feline is also endangered and restricted to small pockets of northern Scotland. Notoriously elusive, just about the only way you're ever going to see a wildcat is by joining expert Adrian Davis as he stalks them through the glens and woods of the Cairngorms. Just don't expect them to curl up on your lap and purr.

• Wild Outdoors' (01350 727201, wildoutdoors.info) one-week Wildcat Holidays, from May 30 or Sept 26 2009, £850pp, including full board and wildcat trips.

Beavers, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Not since the reign of Henry VII has it been possible to see a wild beaver in Britain. Now, 500 years later, a reintroduction programme has borne fruit on the privately-owned Lower Mill Estate where the first kits were born this year. Have the run of the 550-acre estate, and the lake on which the beavers have built their lodge, by staying at your own - rather more sophisticated - dwelling, a waterside house from the modernist school.

• There is a range of accommodation at Lower Mill, sleeping 6-10, from £500 a week. (01865 312000, holidaylettings.co.uk).

Butterflies, Dartmoor, Devon

As we all know, a butterfly flapping its wings can cause untold havoc thousands of miles away, so best to keep them close at hand. On Dartmoor from May to August, a local guide will take you on a safari to seek out the pearl bordered, the high brown fritillary and the myriad other colourful butterflies that flit across the moor.

• Dartmoor Nature Tours (07858 421148, dartmoornaturetours.co.uk). £10 per hour for groups of up to 6. Beechwood B&B, Postbridge (01822 880332, beechwood-dartmoor.co.uk) is a cosy whitewashed cottage in the middle of Dartmoor, doubles from £26pp.

Birdlife, Druridge Bay, Northumberland

Fancy getting into birds but can't tell a wigeon from a pigeon? Try a one-day excursion to the dunes and sandy beaches of Druridge Bay with top birder Martin Kitching. Go now to see barnacle geese, redshanks, lapwings, twites, snow buntings and thousands of pink-footed geese in from Iceland. And those wigeons too, of course.

• Northern Experience Wildlife Tours (01670 827465, northernexperiencewildlifetours.co.uk) Safari Day, adult £60, child £40, family £160, including picnic lunch and transport to/from accommodation. Lansdown House, Morpeth (01670 511129, lansdownhouse.co.uk) is a Georgian B&B with a walled garden; doubles from £65.

Reptiles, The New Forest, Hampshire

The nation's newest national park is home to all half dozen species of British reptiles including adders (our only poisonous snake), the rare sand lizard and smooth snake. The New Forest Reptile Centre near Lyndhurst contains the slippery six plus all our home-grown amphibians. Afterwards hit the Reptile Trail, a one-mile, reptile-rich woodland walk. The centre is on the New Forest cycle network so pick a warm day and bike in.

• New Forest Reptile Centre (023 8028 3141). Open daily, 10am-4.30pm, April to September, free. AA Bike Hire, Lyndhurst (023 8028 3349, aabikehirenewforest.co.uk), one-day hire: adult £10, child £5, tandem £20. Heather House, Lyndhurst (023 8028 4409, heatherhouse.co.uk) is a cyclist-friendly Edwardian B&B, doubles from £60.

Whales and dolphins, St Davids, Pembrokeshire

For sheer wow factor there's nothing like seeing a mighty sea creature breaking the waves. Sail out from St Davids and you stand a chance of clocking dolphins, porpoises and basking sharks, or even orca, minke and pilot whales. And don't forget to take a tent - St Davids has a friendly micro-climate and more gorgeous campsites surrounding it than seems topographically possible.

• Thousand Islands' Whale & Dolphin Experience (01437 721721, thousandislands.co.uk), adult £55, child £30. Porthclais Farm Campsite (01437 720256, porthclais-farm-campsite.co.uk), Easter to October, adult £6, child £3 (under 5s free).

Badgers, Rhayader, Powys

Britain's largest native carnivore is also notoriously shy. At Nannerth Fawr farm on the river Wye, however, you can slip out at dusk to watch them playing and feeding to your heart's content. The trick? An ingeniously constructed treehouse hide. During the day you'll see pygmy goats on the farm and red kites just up the road. At night, sleep in a loft, converted granary, apartment or showman's trailer.

• Nannerth Country Holidays (01597 811121, nannerth.co.uk). Accommodation (sleeps from 2-7) from £169 per week.

Seals, Anglesey

Anglesey may not quite equal Alaska as a wildlife destination, but guests staying at the Windmill, a restored 18th-century property on the east of the island, can still see plenty of untamed flora and fauna. Set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, from the panoramic windows of the top-floor living room, beady-eyed visitors can look out over Beaumaris, the Menai Straits, Snowdonia and the Isle of Man, and - if they're lucky - spot grey seals. There's also a hot tub.

• The Windmill (01248 490011, whitebeachholiday.co.uk) sleeps four, from £90 per night .

Bats, The Crom Estate, County Fermanagh

No fewer than eight species of bat hang out at Crom. Night-time walks to see them on the 2,000-acre estate are led by an expert guide, so there'll be no mistaking the soprano pipistrelle for the lesser horseshoe. In daylight, look out for pine martens: Crom is the only place in the country where they've become accustomed to humans, so a sighting is practically guaranteed.
• Crom Estate (028 6773 8118, nationaltrust.org.uk), open mid-March to November. Seven award-winning cottages on the estate (sleep from 2-7) from £253 per week.