Plan around a species
The free Trip Engine ranks all twenty-two files against your dates and shows which of these are actually in your window — with a month scrubber to preview the whole year.
01 / HOW THE INDEX WORKS
Rarity, months, and where to find it.
Every entry carries a rarity band, the months it is actually in season, a one-line field note and the expedition files that hunt it. COMMON you will probably see; LIKELY rewards a little looking; LUCKY needs the day to go your way; ★ RARE is never promised and never chased. Tap any card to log a sighting to this browser.
28 ★ RARE122 LUCKY86 LIKELY118 COMMON22 FILESFREE · OFFLINE · NO ACCOUNT
02 / THE INDEX
Filter the archive.
Combine filters freely — "May, rare, in the Highlands" or "fish, any month" for the angling thread. The region filter asks you where you are rather than tracking you: no location permission, no coordinates, nothing to consent to.
YOUR MATRIX0 / 354
FIELD LAW: DISTANCE · PATIENCE · ENGINE OFF — THE CHECKLIST TICKS ITSELF; THE ARCHIVE NEVER CHASES.
03 / THE ANGLING THREAD
Rod, permit and season.
The archive tracks freshwater, fly and sea species alongside everything else, because a campervan and a rod belong together. Three honest rules travel with them: a rod licence is required for freshwater fishing in England and Wales (Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own permit systems); the coarse close season runs 15 March to 15 June on English rivers; and almost all water is owned or clubbed — a day ticket is the normal price of a cast. Sea fishing needs no licence, but size and bag limits do apply. Check locally, every time.
04 / TAKE IT WITH YOU
Where the index goes next.
Collect the archive
Six species carry each expedition. Four earns bronze, all six turns the patch gold. Rank runs Passenger to Archivist of the Nebuchadnezzar.
Spotting cards for the glovebox
Every expedition page prints an A6 spotting card — six species, tick boxes, no signal required. The best version of this runs on a picnic table.
How the archive watches
Distance, patience, engine off. No nests, no leks, no baiting, no chasing. Nothing in this index is worth disturbing an animal for — the log records what found you.
05 / A–Z
Every entry, alphabetically.
The whole Matrix as a plain list — useful when you already know the name, and readable with images off, scripts off or on a very slow connection.
#001 Abbotsbury cygnets#002 Adders#003 Adders on the heath#004 Adders on the moor edge#005 Adonis + chalkhill blues#006 Adonis blues#007 Ammonites on the foreshore#008 Ammonites on the scars#009 Anglesey red squirrels#010 Apple presses#011 Arctic charr#012 Arctic charr in the deep lakes#013 Arctic charr in the deep lochs#014 Arctic terns#015 Arctic terns screaming#016 Aurora over the forest#017 Aurora watch#018 Autumn fungi#019 Avocets#020 Badgers#021 Banded demoiselle#022 Barbel in the Severn#023 Barn owls at dusk#024 Barn owls hunting the dykes#025 Barn owls over the downs#026 Barnacle geese on the merse#027 Barrel jellyfish#028 Basking sharks#029 Bass in the Fleet#030 Bass in the races#031 Bass in the surf#032 Bass in the surf off the Sisters#033 Bass off Strangford#034 Bass off the Ness#035 Bats over the canal#036 Bats over the pitch#037 Beadlet anemones#038 Bee orchids#039 Bee orchids on the dunes#040 Beech hangers turning#041 Bempton’s gannets#042 Bird’s-eye primrose#043 Bitterns booming#044 Black grouse at the forest edge#045 Bloody cranesbill on the dunes#046 Blue sharks offshore#047 Bluebell beechwoods#048 Bluebells at Portglenone#049 Bluebells at Rannerdale#050 Bluebells in Borthwood#051 Bog cotton on the flows#052 Booming bitterns#053 Borrowdale gold#054 Boxing hares#055 Brent geese on Strangford#056 Brown trout in the Lymington#057 Brown trout in the Mournes#058 Brown trout on the Barle#059 Brown trout rising#060 Brownsea red squirrels#061 Bumblebees on the verges#062 Buzzards#063 Camellias + magnolias#064 Capercaillie#065 Cardigan Bay dolphins#066 Chalk orchids#067 Chalk-down orchids#068 Cheddar pink#069 Cheddar’s cliff goats#070 Cherry punnets#071 Chinese water deer#072 Choughs#073 Choughs at South Stack#074 Cliff peregrines#075 Common blue butterflies#076 Common blue butterfly#077 Common frogs + spawn#078 Common lizards on the Wall#079 Common lizards on the dunes#080 Common seals#081 Common starfish#082 Corn buntings jangling#083 Corncrakes on Rathlin#084 Cornish choughs at the Lizard#085 Crested tits#086 Cuckoos on the moors#087 Curlew + lapwing calls#088 Curlew over the dales#089 Curlew over the pastures#090 Dark-sky nights#091 Dartford warblers#092 Dartmoor ponies#093 Dinosaur casts at Hanover Point#094 Dippers#095 Dippers on the Dart#096 Divers + skuas#097 Dollaghan of Lough Neagh#098 Dolphins off the back of the Wight#099 Dolphins offshore#100 Donkeys in Brockenhurst#101 Donna Nook seal pups#102 Dotterel on the plateau#103 Dover kittiwakes#104 Duke of Burgundy#105 Duncansby puffins#106 Dyfi ospreys#107 Early gentian#108 Early spider orchid#109 Eiders off Cramond#110 Eiders — Cuddy’s ducks#111 Emperor dragonflies#112 Emperor dragonfly#113 Exmoor ponies + red deer#114 Exmoor red deer#115 Fallow deer at Bolderwood#116 Farnes puffins#117 Feral goats#118 Feral goats of Eryri#119 Fly agaric + fungi#120 Foals on the lawns#121 Foxgloves in the hedgebanks#122 Fulmars on the chalk#123 Fulmars riding the updrafts#124 Gannets off Grassholm#125 Gannets off the Scare Rocks#126 Gannets off the Worm#127 Geminid meteors#128 Glanville fritillaries#129 Globe flowers in the hay meadows#130 Glow-worms#131 Glow-worms on the down#132 Golden eagles#133 Goshawk display flights#134 Goshawks over the Derwent#135 Grass snakes#136 Grayling in the Derwent#137 Grayling in the Wharfe#138 Grayling in the Wye#139 Grayling in the chalk streams#140 Grayling in winter water#141 Great skuas — bonxies#142 Greater horseshoe bats#143 Grey herons#144 Grey partridge on the field edges#145 Grey seal pups#146 Grey seals#147 Grey seals at the Sound#148 Grey seals of the Farnes#149 Harbour seals + greys#150 Hay-meadow flowers#151 Heath in bloom#152 Heather at full purple#153 Heather in bloom#154 Heather on the moors#155 Hedgehogs#156 Hen harriers#157 Herdwick lambs#158 Highland cattle#159 Honey buzzards#160 Hop gardens at harvest#161 Irish hares#162 Kingfishers on the Kennet#163 Kittiwakes at Seaford Head#164 Lady orchid in the woods#165 Lambs everywhere#166 Lindisfarne winter wildfowl#167 Little owls#168 Lulworth skipper#169 Mackerel from the harbour wall#170 Mackerel from the pier#171 Mackerel off Chesil#172 Mackerel off Whitby#173 Mackerel off the Manx coast#174 Mackerel off the ledges#175 Mackerel off the pier#176 Manx loaghtan sheep#177 Manx shearwater night landings#178 Manx shearwater rafts#179 Manx wallabies#180 Marsh fritillary#181 Marsh frogs#182 Marsh harriers#183 Marsh harriers over the levels#184 Mayfly hatch#185 Merlins over the heather#186 Midges#187 Minke whales + dolphins#188 Minke whales off Whitby#189 Moon jellyfish#190 Mountain hares#191 Mountain hares in ermine#192 Mountain hares of the Dark Peak#193 Mountain pansies on the leads#194 Mountain ringlet#195 Mull of Galloway seabirds#196 Mute swans#197 Natterjack toads#198 Nightingales#199 Nightingales in the scrub#200 Nightjars churring#201 Nightjars in the forest rides#202 Noctilucent clouds#203 Norfolk hawker dragonfly#204 Northern brown argus#205 Orca in the Pentland Firth#206 Orchard blossom#207 Ospreys#208 Ospreys at Garten#209 Ospreys at Kielder#210 Ospreys over Bassenthwaite#211 Otters#212 Otters on the Barle#213 Otters on the Solway#214 Otters on the wrack#215 Parsley fern on the screes#216 Peacock butterflies#217 Perch on the drop-off#218 Peregrines#219 Peregrines at the Cove#220 Peregrines off Beachy Head#221 Peregrines on the cap#222 Peregrines on the chalk#223 Peregrines on the sea cliffs#224 Perseid meteors#225 Perseid meteors over the reserve#226 Pheasants#227 Pigs at pannage#228 Pike in the Broads#229 Pike in the Ken#230 Pike in the weed beds#231 Pine martens#232 Pink-footed geese#233 Ponies through the pitches#234 Poole Harbour ospreys#235 Poppies in the field margins#236 Porpoise + dolphins#237 Porpoises off the Sisters#238 Ptarmigan#239 Ptarmigan on the high tops#240 Puffins at Bempton#241 Puffins on Lunga#242 Puffins on Skomer#243 Puffins on the island boats#244 Purple emperor#245 Raft spiders on the mires#246 Rathlin puffins#247 Ravens#248 Ravens at the cairns#249 Red deer#250 Red deer of Martindale#251 Red deer on the pitches#252 Red deer rut#253 Red fox#254 Red grouse#255 Red grouse on the tops#256 Red kites#257 Red kites at Gigrin#258 Red kites everywhere#259 Red kites of Galloway#260 Red squirrels#261 Red squirrels at Kielder#262 Red squirrels at Kilbroney#263 Reindeer on the hill#264 Ring ouzels#265 Roach and bream shoals#266 Roach and rudd shoals#267 Rockpool life at Ballintoy#268 Rockpool life at Bembridge#269 Rockpool life at Botany Bay#270 Rockpool life at Kimmeridge#271 Rockpool life at Peel#272 Rockpool life at low spring#273 Rockpool life on the Gower#274 Rockpool lows#275 Roe deer#276 Roe deer at field edges#277 Roseate terns on Coquet#278 Round-headed rampion#279 Rowan + birch gold#280 Salmon at the Linn#281 Salmon at the forces#282 Salmon leaping#283 Sand lizards#284 Scottish wildcat#285 Sea kale on the shingle#286 Sea trout in the Dyfi#287 Sea trout in the Teifi#288 Sea trout off the Coquet#289 Sea trout off the north coast#290 Seabird cliffs in full voice#291 Seabird passage#292 Seals off Pegwell#293 Seals off Portland#294 Seals off the Brigg#295 Sessile oakwood greens#296 Shore crabs in the rockpools#297 Short-eared owls quartering#298 Sika deer at Arne#299 Silver-spotted skipper#300 Silver-studded blue#301 Silver-studded blue on the dunes#302 Skylarks in song#303 Skylarks over the Ridgeway#304 Slow-worms in the bracken#305 Small pearl-bordered fritillary#306 Smooth snakes#307 Snake’s-head fritillary#308 Snettisham wader whirl#309 Snow buntings on the summits#310 Snow on the tops#311 Solent seals#312 St Abbs seabird city#313 Starling murmurations#314 Strangford brent geese#315 Strangford seals#316 Swallowtail butterflies#317 Swifts over the wool towns#318 Symonds Yat peregrines#319 Tawny owls#320 The Glens in colour#321 The Milky Way itself#322 The auk-and-kittiwake wall#323 Thrift in full pink#324 Turtle doves#325 Twite on the machair#326 Wall lizards#327 Water voles on the becks#328 Waxcaps on old turf#329 Westonbirt’s blaze#330 Wheatears#331 Wheatears on passage#332 Wheatears on the fenceposts#333 White-tailed eagles#334 White-tailed sea eagles#335 Wild boar in the Dean#336 Wild brown trout in the Elan#337 Wild brown trout in the Kennet#338 Wild brown trout in the Wye#339 Wild brown trout in the becks#340 Wild brown trout in the flow lochs#341 Wild brown trout in the hill lochs#342 Wild brown trout in the lochans#343 Wild brown trout in the tarns#344 Wild garlic carpets#345 Wild gladiolus#346 Willow tit#347 Wood ants#348 Wood ants in the plantations#349 Wood ants of the Caledonian pines#350 Wood ants of the oakwoods#351 Wood ants of the pinewoods#352 Wood ants of the sessile oaks#353 Wood pigeons#354 Wood white butterfly
FOUND THIS USEFUL?
Buy the crew a coffee, if you’d be so kind.
Everything in the free archive today - the expedition files, the Nature Matrix, the seven calculators and the Trip Engine - is free forever. In future, we may offer paid expansions for people who want more. They will add to the free archive, never take anything away from it.
But if a file saved you a wasted weekend, or the Matrix put a puffin in front of your children, you are very welcome to stand us a coffee. It goes on diesel, ferries and the next expedition — which comes back up here, free, for you.
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