Wildlife
Conservation
Volunteering
Web Design
General
A Field Guide in Colour to Plants and Animals
Jan Toman & Kvetoslav Hisek
An absolutely brilliant general book that covers the species of plants, fungi, lichens, mosses, grasses, snails, spiders, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals that you are most likely to see while out and about. If you only have room to take one book in your rucksack, take this one.
Field Guide to the Animals of Britain (Nature Lover's Library)
Readers Digest
A very nice book, well illustrated which cover mammals (big and small), amphibians, reptiles, bats, and very usefully breeds of dogs and farm animals that you might come across. Also has a section on field craft and numerous sections on identifying animals that look very similar. Goes into some detail on each species with articles on groups of animals.
Mammals
Mammals of Britain and Europe (Collins Field Guide)
by David W. Macdonald (Author) & Priscilla Barrett (Author)
Good coverage in some detail of British and European mammals. Nice colour plates and it's a very sturdy hardback book which should survive well in the wild.
Birds
RSPB Handbook of British Birds (Ornithology)
Recommended to me recently on a beginners guide to birdwatching course. This book covers only British birds so you don't have lots of birds to wade through that you aren't likely to see. It has clear illustrations throughout to emphasise key identification features. It's a handy size too.
Field Guide to the Birds of Britain (Nature Lover's Library)
Readers Digest
Nicely illustrated book, ideal for the beginner because it restricts itself to British birds. The illustrations also emphasise key identification features of each species so you can recognise your Wimbrel from your Curlew. Also has sections on how to birdwatch, what equipment to get, where to go etc.
Invertebrates
Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland
Paul Waring, Martin Townsend, Richard Lewington
When I went on a moth trapping course this was reckoned to be THE book to get on moths. Lots and lots of colour illustrations. Covers micromoths too.
Field Guide to the Butterflies and Other Insects of Britain (Nature Lover's Library)
Readers Digest
Part of the Nature Lover's LIbrary series from Readers digest. Very similar to the the other books in the series in its format. Gives good coverage of butterflies and creepy crawlies (over 500 different species).
Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe (Collins Field Guide)
Michael J Roberts
Very comprehensive and in-depth treatment of perhaps not everybodys favourite creatures. As with the other books in the series, this one has good illustrations and photographs throughout as well as aids to identification. A good book to get if you're serious about spiders.
Tracks and Signs
Animals Tracks, Trails and Signs (Hamlyn Guide)
R.W. Brown, M.J. Lawrence & J. Pope
A very informative book which covers just about any species you can think of. It not only covers the more obvious things such as footprints, droppings and pellets but even shows the skulls of various different animals so you can identify them from that. Some very nice colour illustrations and comprehensive treatment of the subject.
Animal Tracks and Signs (Natural History Pocket Guides)
Preben Bang & Preben Dahlstrom
Another very good guide to tracks and signs with some very nice colour illustrations and some good photos.
Trees & Plants
The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) - How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
Francis Rose
Still THE book to get for identifying plants, and one which I've had since I was told to get it at university. Clear illustrations, informative text, a key to enable you to identify your specimen and a glossary for botanical terms.
Trees (Collins Nature Guides)
Gregor Aas & Andreas Riedmiller
A good photographic guide to the trees of Britain and Europe. The photos show the whole tree and close-ups of identifying features such as leaves and berries. At the back is a photographic guide to identifying trees by their bark. Accompanying each species is an informative text giving details of range, habitat etc.
Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Britain (Nature Lover's Library)
Readers Digest
Nicely illustrated general book on our photosynthesising woody friends. Same nice layout and informative text as the other books in this series.
Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of Britain (Nature Lover's Library)
Readers Digest
Good coverage of Britain's wild flowers. Has the advantage, like the other books in this series, of concentrating just on British plants so there's less species to get confused with each other. Good illustrations and photographs throughout just like the other Nature Lover's books.
Reptiles and Amphibians
Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe (Collins Field Guide)
Nick Arnold & Denys Ovenden
A good stout book on British and European slimy, wriggly crawly things (sorry - reptiles and amphibians). This book goes into great depth about each species with information on range, habitat, identification etc. Also has distribution maps. Also includes a section on the biology of reptiles and amphibians and how to identify eggs and tadpoles of frogs and newts etc.
Fencing: A Practical Handbook
Elizabeth Agate
One of the series of books produced by BTCV. Very good - a real 'How To . . .' manual.
Hedging: A Practical Handbook
Elizabeth Agate & Alan Brooks
What can I say - probably THE best manual for beginners and the experienced alike. The same goes for all of the books in this series.
The "Guardian" Guide to Volunteering
Liz Ford
A good introduction to the whole volunteering thing - not just conservation volunteering but all volunteering. Has a directory of contacts for volunteering in various different fields.
Dreamweaver 8 for Dummies (For Dummies S.)
J. Warner
I foud this book invaluable in trying to come to grips with what is a very big and complicated program. Leads you by the hand through lots of different topics without getting too technical.
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