Where, when and how can you get involved in IOM wildlife week?

The beauty, diversity and potential fragility of the Isle of Man's natural environment is being celebrated in a week-long series of events.

The annual Manx Wildlife Week aims to encourage people to connect with the island's countryside, glens, hills and sea, as well as the creatures and plants that inhabit them.

Organised by Manx National Heritage (MNH), the events bring together experts and enthusiasts from across the island's environmental and conservation charities and groups to share their expertise with the wider public.

Beach cleans, bird watching, countryside walks, workshops, lectures and talks as well as a foray into macro-photography all feature in the programme of more than 25 events.

How did the week come about?

First held in 2018, the week stems from the island's involvement with an online atlas of wildlife.

Organiser Laura McCoy, who is MNH's curator of natural history, said while people could access lots of information online, "launching a website is a little bit boring".

"So we thought well how about we try and celebrate the work behind the scenes and the different groups that are involved in that process of collecting all that data?"

McCoy said the annual event had since "gained momentum - more and more people are ready to put their time into partnering up with us, which is really lovely".

McCoy said the week involved "a mixture of creative pursuits, scientific pursuits [and] also just fun".

"It's about all ages as well – so the kids can enjoy it, but also adults, if they're a little bit more serious and want to do something that's a bit more scientific," she said.

"Not everybody is interested in the super-scientific stuff; some people just like going on a lovely walk and some people like connecting to their environment in different ways, so we thought 'Well let's mix it up a little bit'.

"And I think it's really worked because we get hundreds of people every year getting involved in these things."

What are the events this year?

Bee trail drop-in with Friends of the Earth (FoE), at the Green Centre in Douglas between 10:00 and 16:00 BST (free)

Birds of the coast for young birders with the Manx Ornithological Society, at Scarlett from 10:00 to 12:00 (free)

Wildlife Obstacle Course with Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT), at the Children's Centre from 10:00 to 11:30

Secrets of the Shore – sharks, skates, rays and more with MWT, at The Vollan, North Ramsey Beach, from 12:30 to 14:00 (free)

Nature's Apothecary with the Manx Herbalist, at the Wellbeing Garden in St John's, from 14:00 to 15:30

How to Battle Invasive Plants with Friends of the Neb, at The Raggat between 11:00 and 12:00 (free)

Behind the Scenes Tour of Natural History Collections with MNH, at the Manx Museum from 11:00 to 12:30 (free)

Macro-photography: A technical field walk, at the Ballaugh Curragh from 9:30 to12:30

A Walk Through Time – Our peatlands past and future, with the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (Defa), at Beinn-y-Phott between 10:30 and 12:30 (free)

Minibeast hunt with MWT, at the Onchan Community Wetlands from 15:30 to 17:30 (free)

Managing your garden for fungi with the IoM Fungus Group, at the iMuseum between 19:00 and 20:00 (free)

Nocturnal Nature with Manx BirdLife, at the Langness Nature Reserve from 20:00 to 22:00

Rockpooling for all ages with the MWT, at Douglas Beach, Summer Hill Road between 16:00 and 18:30 (free)

Nest Monitoring on the Ayres NNR with the Defa, at the MWT's Ayres Nature Discovery Centre from 18:30 to 20:00 (free)

Rainforest under construction guided walk, with MWT at the Glion Darragh Nature Reserve, in West Baldwin from 18:00 to 20:00 (free)

Morning Birdsong with Manx BirdLife, at the Tynwald National Park and Arboretum between 08:00 and 10:00

Wildflower Seed Papermaking workshop with MNH, at the Manx Museum from 11:00 to 12:30

Wetland Wonders with the Invertebrate Group, at the Curragh Wildlife Park, drop-in from 11:00 to 15:00

Garden advice for very wet and dry with FoE, at the Green Centre, in Douglas, drop-in between 10:00 and 16:00 (free)

Spring Walk with the Manx Bat Group, in Silverdale Glen, from 20:30 to 22:00 (free)

Dawn chorus mindfulness morning and concert with MWT, at Ballaugh Old Church from 05:15 to 08:00 (free)

Meditation and Guided Walk with the MWT, in Onchan Wetlands between 10:00 and 11:30 (free)

Seawatch with the Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch, at The Sound from 11:00 to 13:00 (free)

Get to know your terns, with the Defa's Ayres Warden, at MWT's Ayres Nature Discovery Centre between 14:30 and 15:30 (free)