Reference Books
This is a list of books which it may be useful to acquire for helping identify species. I would personally advise you NEVER to buy a photographic identification guide, as in my opinion there really are no good ones for any group of species with the possible exception of Roger Phillips Fungi and Grasses books (but they are a bit big to take in to the field).
BIRDS
There are more field guides on birds than you can shake a stick at!
There is only one you need – The Collins Bird Guide which is available in both hard and soft back versions. The Collins Bird Guide – Mullarney/Svensson/Zetterstrom/Grant - £24.99 hbk. £16.99 sbk
BUTTERFLIES
Collins Field Guide – Butterflies of Britain & Europe – Tolman/Lewington - £19.95
Pocket Guide to the Butterflies of Great Britain & Ireland – Richard Lewington – British Wildlife Publishing £9.95
MOTHS
THE book to get is the Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain & Ireland – Waring, Townsend, Lewington – British Wildlife Publishing - £29.95
A good alternative is Colour Identification Guide to the Moths of the British Isles – Bernard Skinner – Viking - £45
CATERPILLARS
The Colour Identification Guide to Caterpillars of the British Isles – Jim Porter – Viking - £40
DRAGONFLIES & DAMSELFLIES
Field Guide to the Dragonflies & Damselflies of Great Britain & Ireland – Brooks/Lewington – British Wildlife Publishing - £18.95
HOVERFLIES
There is only one book to get and it has recently been completely revised and updated, an excellent publication. British Hoverflies an Illustrated Identification Guide – Stubbs/Falck - £32.00
GRASSHOPPERS & CRICKETS
Grasshoppers & Allied Insects of Great Britain & Ireland – Marshall/Haes - £18.95 softback. A cassette of “song” is also available for £6.
SPIDERS
The classic set of books by Roberts is expensive and difficult to locate so an alternative is the Collins guide. Collins Field Guide: Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe – Roberts - £19.99
PLANTS
Lots of available books but my favourite is The Wildflower Key by Francis Rose. This has just (April 2006) been revised and updated by Clare O’Reilly and is even better than the original. It is published by Warne and retails for £19.99 although I got mine online from Amazon for just over £13.
The Field Studies Council produce a number of waterproof field cards which can be taken into the field and take up far less room than a similar number of field guides. These are excellent, cover a multitude of species groups, and whilst not as comprehensive as a dedicated book, will enable you to identify most species you will come across. These are available from:
FSC Publications, Preston Montford, Montford Bridge, Shrewsbury, DY4 1HW
Tel. 01743 852140.
MAIL ORDER SUPPLIERS of NATURAL HISTORY BOOKS
Whilst any bookseller can obtain any book in print for you it can sometimes be easier to deal with a specialist. There are a couple I have dealt with and whom I would recommend.
NHBS Mailorder Bookstore, 2-3 Wills Road, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5XN
Subbuteo Natural History Books, The Rea, Upton Magna, Shrewsbury, SY4 4UR
SUPPLIERS OF EQUIPMENT FOR SURVEY WORK
There are few suppliers of equipment and you cannot just walk in a shop and buy a butterfly net or a pooter. The following are companies that operate a good mail order service.
Anglian Lepidoptera Supplies – Moth Traps, lamps etc
PO Box 232, Northwich Delivery Office, CW8 3FG
Bioquip – Moth Traps, lamps, accessories
1 Clive Cottage, London Road, Allostock, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 9LT
Watkins & Doncaster - Just about everything you could need for any sort of survey work (but expensive)
P O Box 5, Cranbrook, Kent, TN18 5EZ
Tel. 0580 754054
Lydie Rigout - Nets, pooters, tubes, pots etc.
1 Hillside Avenue, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 8ET
B&S Entomological Services – Nets
This company have taken over the business of Marris House Nets. Good mail order service and reasonable
prices. www.entomology.org.uk
Alana Ecology – All manner of goodies from waterproof notebooks, clipboards and paper to bat detectors and infra-red night sights.
Tel: 01588 630173