Bill Oddie’s How to Watch Wildlife

Bill Oddie’s How to Watch Wildlife
Stephen Moss

Bill Oddie

Fiona Pitcher

A tie-in to the TV series, offering practical advice to beginners wanting to learn more about wildlifeBill Oddie's How to Watch Wildlife is a practical beginner's guide to enjoying the wildlife of Britain. Organised into a calendar of months, Bill tells you the best places to visit, how to catch a glimpse of our best-loved species, and things you can do for each month of the year. For example, in May, you could visit some wild flower meadows which are in their prime, see a nightingale, and experience the dawn chorus.Written in Bill's endearingly frank and witty style, this is an inspiring and refreshingly straightforward approach to watching wildlife. There are suggestions for places to visit within reach of wherever you live in Britain, and advice on watching wildlife with children. With stories of Bill's experiences in the field, it offers you and your family the know-how to start out with confidence.Bill Oddie sets out to demystify wildlife watching, giving advice on basic equipment and field craft, as well as explaining how to make the most of your encounters with animals. To guide you successfully through some of the finest wildlife experiences, there are top tips, advice for things to take with you that you might never have considered, and helpful addresses and websites for some of the activities less close to home. And in case you really get bitten by the bug, there is information on taking the next step, with hints on getting more advanced equipment, which conservation trusts to join, and wildlife holidays to make the most of your new-found skills.

Bill Oddie’s

How to Watch Wildlife

Bill Oddie, Stephen Moss and Fiona Pitcher

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

PART 1 GETTING STARTED

WHY WATCH WILDLIFE?

WATCHING WILDLIFE IN YOUR GARDEN

WILDLIFE BEYOND THE GARDEN GATE

KEEPING A RECORD

BASIC EQUIPMENT

BASIC FIELDCRAFT

GETTING HELP

FAMILY WILDLIFE WATCHING

PART 2 THE WILDLIFE YEAR

USING THIS SECTION

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

PART 3 BRANCHING OUT

ADVANCED EQUIPMENT

JOINING UP

MAKE SPACE FOR NATURE

READING LIST

INDEX (#litres_trial_promo)

Acknowledgements

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher

B (#ulink_e1b9dfbe-0037-5975-8b5a-1a343c515d3c)

Introduction

If you have bought or been given this book, and watched the television series that accompanies it, the chances are you already have an interest in wildlife. You may feed birds in your garden or notice the local fox as you come home late at night. You may enjoy country walks or take the children to the seaside and explore rock pools on the beach. You may even be knowledgeable about one particular group – such as birds, butterflies or wild flowers.

Or you may be a complete beginner, feeling completely out of your depth when faced with field guides, optical equipment and mysterious terms such as ‘fieldcraft’ or ‘jizz’. Like learning to cook or becoming a gardener, finding out about wildlife can seem quite daunting – perhaps even impossible! But just as novices become great cooks, or discover that they have green fingers, after a bit of practice you will soon realise that you know a lot more than you think about the world of wildlife.

If you still need convincing, then here are a few reasons why watching wildlife will improve your life …

As hobbies go, it is cheap as all you really need are a halfway decent pair of binoculars, a notebook and one or two field guides.

Wildlife is everywhere – in towns and cities as much as the countryside. So you can travel to the farthest-flung island or gaze out of your back window and there will always be something to see.

Even though Britain may not be able to boast lions or tigers, elephants or bears, there are still plenty of creatures to watch; enough to fill several lifetimes! The fact that it is ‘our’ wildlife – part of our natural heritage – makes it all the more special.

You can spend as much or as little time as you want; unlike some hobbies, which require a more regular and dedicated commitment.