Saltmarshes are areas of coastal grassland that are regularly flooded by seawater. They form important habitats for wading birds and coastal flowers alike. [Read More]
Flicking through this book when it arrived on my doorstep I was immediately impressed by the incredibly beautiful illustrations. Jonsson’s illustrations, a combination of sketch and soft watercolours, are skilfully artistic while maintaining an impressive amount of accuracy and detail. This should be no surprise given the author’s vast experience in producing illustrations over a long career. His images do a wonderful job of capturing the essence of each bird species and conveying the cold wintery surroundings and landscapes. [Read More]
Hugh Warwick’s Linescapes is an uplifting and heartfelt review of our landscape here in Britain today. The result of 11,000 years in the making, we sit upon a fragmented patchwork of application – we have made this island our own. The people whose feet stomped the dusty path beneath mine have built a prosperous nation, a safe haven for humans but at an indifference to the ecological consequences of continued progress.[Read More]
In the past few years, Rewilding has become a hot topic for those directly involved and interested in conservation, and the general public, thanks to press and politicians sharing their opinions. I was excited to read about Nick Baker’s thoughts on this widely discussed topic, but after just a couple of pages, I realised that the book was not about rewilding places and entirely about rewilding us.
Dead Zone is nothing less than an eyeopener. If you care about the planet and how the food we produce and eat is affecting it, you must read this book. Dead Zone sheds light on the myth that to provide for the world’s ever-increasing population livestock needs to be crammed into sheds, and fields and prairies around the globe drowned in pesticides and fertilisers, when in fact the opposite is true.
Book Review: The Way of the Hare by Marianne Taylor
Hares are not a creature I have seen an awful lot of throughout my life, but on the rare occasions I’ve spotted one, I have gazed eagerly into their wild eyes and greatly admired their speed as they sped off into the distance – it is always a delight and a real treat to see a hare. Having grown up in rural Cumbria I was surrounded by wild rabbits as a child, and I have never been one to dismiss hares as merely “big bunnies” and it has consistently frustrated me when other people have dismissed them as such.
I’m sure if you are reading this review then you’ll have already read the brilliant first instalment from M.G. Leonard, Beetle Boy. If not, what are you waiting for, grab a copy from your nearest bookshop and stop reading this to avoid any spoilers.
If you want to be taken on a journey through the varied patchwork of the UK’s landscape then this book is for you. Starting the journey on the highly managed setting of the UK’s farmlands, Stephen Moss takes the reader all the way to the heady heights of rewilding – letting go of control altogether and seeing what nature does if it’s untouched.
Book Review: Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland, Third Edition
When it first appeared on our natural history bookshelves back in 2003, this fantastic book transformed moth recording and the identification of Britain’s moths. No longer was it necessary to trawl through museum photographs in hefty guides depicting pinned specimens in faded and contorted positions. Identification suddenly became so much easier and accessible to the general public, and no doubt facilitated the rapid take-off of moth recording as a widespread past-time amongst the general public.
Book Review: A Prickly Affair and Hedgehog by Hugh Warwick
Having never seen a hedgehog in the wild before I now feel I have thanks to these enchanting books by Hugh Warwick. They really capture the hedgehog’s cute characteristics as well as highlighting some of the problems they face. As well as this I found it particularly interesting to learn about the hedgehog’s history and why they have become such a key animal in Britain.