BIRDS, animals and insects will be hunted out by wildlife enthusiasts this weekend.

The National Trust is holding a BioBlitz event on Saturday (July 2) to allow participants to get close up with nature.

A BioBlitz is a community event where people try and find as many different wildlife species within a set time.

And the trust say the Whitehaven coastline is bursting with wildflowers as well as interesting creatures.

"I often see slow worms when I'm out working on the coast", said Chris Gomersall, National Trust ranger for Ennerdale and Whitehaven Coast.

"These are harmless legless lizards. Their habitat is under threat nationally so it's really great to see that the Whitehaven coast provides them with what they need. I really hope we find one during the BioBlitz."

Guided wildlife walks led by Chris and Sophie Badrick, the Colourful Coast Project Officer, will allow visitors to see some of the wildlife highlights and to learn to recognise plants and animals.

Throughout the day, there will be a range of activities including opening a moth trap to identify species (9am to 10am), a wildflower walk (10am to 11am) and an identification session (11am-12pm)

In the afternoon, organisers will lead a bug hunt (1pm-2pm) and there will be another identification session (2pm-4pm).

Last year there were 25 BioBlitz events held at National Trust coastal sites across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A 2015 BioBlitz survey counted 3,401 species and collected 22,317 wildlife records.

Visitors should meet at Haig Pit car park, Solway Road, Whitehaven at any time between 9am and 4pm. They are welcome to stay all day or just pop in for an hour.