Week of events to celebrate Manx wildlife

Birdwatching will be one of the over 26 events taking place throughout the week

A week celebrating the Isle of Man's wildlife will allow people to find out more about the island's environment and nature while meeting the people who help "monitor and protect" it, organisers have said.

First launched in 2017, Manx Wildlife Week celebrates the Isle of Man being included on the National Biodiversity Network Atlas website.

Organised by Manx National Heritage (MNH), events include guided walks, birdwatching and gardening workshops, as well as the opening of wildlife photography exhibition Wild Mann.

Curator of natural history for MNH Laura McCoy said the event, which runs between 27 April to 5 May in 2024, had been continued to be met with "enthusiasm" each year.

Important work

Ms McCoy said: "There are all kinds of ways you can enjoy the natural world and find it amazing, so that is why I like the breadth of subjects and activities that are going on across the week."

She said one of the highlights of the more than 25 events being put on during the week would be a talk by underwater sound recordist Chris Watson, who previously recorded for Blue Planet and would be recording in Manx waters and talking about his work.

MNH "wanted to be a platform" for those involved in collecting wildlife data and to celebrate "why their work is important", Ms McCoy said.

The week is set to coincide with the photographic exhibition, which would showcase 40 of 200 entries received in the Wild Mann Nature Photography Competition.

The exhibition will be on display at the Manx Museum and the events during the week-long celebration of the island nature can be pre-booked online.