Isobel’s talking rain, the Met Office is back-pedalling on its promise of a “barbecue summer”, and now we have to watch out for French storms as well? Sorry, but non.

No more rainy-day backups, no more hoping for blue sky: our summer may stink, but our wildlife this week is fantastic.

Ospreys are fledging in Scotland, seals are pupping in Norfolk, gannet chicks are squawking off the stunning coast of Kerry.

To hell with the weather — the encounters below are worth braving the elements for, but we’ve added plenty of cosy hides just in case the sun never shows.

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1 DOLPHINS
Cornwall

Bad weather can be good news off Cornwall: upswellings bring nutrients to the surface, sardines and squid vacuum them up, then dolphins home in like vultures to a kill. Superpods of 1,000 or more common dolphins are sometimes seen. Sailing from Falmouth at 10am, 2pm and 5pm, Orca Sea Safaris has two-hour trips, with basking shark, dolphin and seal sightings all possible (01326 214928, www.orcasea-faris.co.uk; adults £39.50, children £28).

2 RED SQUIRRELS
Dorset

All but muscled out of southern England by their brash American cousins, red squirrels thrive on Brownsea Island, a 550-acre haven at the entrance to Poole harbour (01202 707744, nationaltrust.org.uk/brownsea). It’s littered with hides, all but guaranteeing sightings of the island’s 200-odd red squirrels. Better yet, they’re more active when it’s wet and cold. Get there by ferry from Sandbanks (£5 return; 01929 462383, brownseaislandferries.com).

3 RED DEER
Exmoor

Exmoor’s 4,000 red deer form the largest concentration of Cervus elaphus in Britain. Get downwind of a herd in the westerlies they’re forecasting, and your chances of whites-of-the-eyes encounters with Britain’s largest mammal are good. Barle Valley Safaris (01643 851386, exmoorwildlifesafaris.co.uk) has guided half-day (£25) and full-day (£50) 4WD tours from Dulverton, Dunster and Minehead.

4 BATS
London

The best urban wildlife site in Europe, the Wetland Centre (020 8409 4400, wwt.org.uk), in Barnes, southwest London, has guided bat walks every Thursday evening. You’ll be looking for pipistrelles and the other eight species swooping about the 100-acre reserve. Tickets cost £10, the walk starts at 8.10pm this week, and you may well encounter tawny owls and foxes, too.

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