Home > Other books and resources
Other books and resources
Other books and resources
Here are some suggestions for further reading about Surrey and British inshore wildlife, divided into these topics:


Each section lists books, Web sites and other sources. If you have any particular favourites that you don't see here, please let me know. I have not listed ISBNs (International Standard Book Numbers) because these often change.

Birds 
Books
Birds of Britain and Europe, Roger Tory Peterson, Guy Mountfort and P.A.D. Hollom, Collins. A good general field guide.
Birds of Europe with North Africa and the Middle East - Lars Jonsson, Christopher Helm. Many people's favourite field guide because of its illustrations.
Collins Bird Guide - Lars Svensson et al, Collins. Highly-rated modern field guide for Britain and Europe. Available in paper and hardback and in large print.
The Macmillan Field Guide to Bird Identification - Keith Vinicombe, Macmillan. Helps you distinguish among the LBJs ('little brown jobs') and other hard to separate species. Paperback.

Web sites
British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is Britain's premier organization for bird surveying.
Fat Birder Web ring takes you to dozens of enthusiasts' Web sites. Its own site offers a mass of useful information for bird watchers.
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) runs a comprehensive and stylish Web site, including birdwatching advice here. It lists British birds here, with audio and video clips available for many species.


Fish 
Books
A Field Key to the Freshwater Fishes and Lampreys of the British Isles - Alwyne Wheeler, Field Studies Council. One of its AIDGAP guides.
The Pocket Guide to Freshwater Fish of Britain and Europe - Malcolm Greenhalgh, Mitchell Beazley. Covers over 160 species.

Web sites
Freshwater Biological Association researches into and publishes on life in ponds, lakes and rivers.
FreshwaterLife is a joint project of the Freshwater Biological Association, the Ponds Conservation Trust (see Conservation practice, below) and Syngenta. Its aim is to bring together databases of and keys to all forms of British freshwater plants and animals. The project is in its early stages, so there is little to see yet.


Fungi, algae and lichens 
Books
Lichens: An Illustrated Guide to the British and Irish Species - Frank S. Dobson, Richmond Publishing, London. A standard work but expensive.
Lichens - O.W. Purvis, The Natural History Museum, London. Popular and well-illustrated introduction.
Mushrooms and Other Fungi of Great Britain and Europe - Roger Phillips et al, Pan. If you like photographic guides to identification, Philips's are as good as any and have the advantage of a large page size.
Mushrooms & Toadstools - Morten Lange & F. Bayard Hora, Collins. Out of print but seems to be the last serious field guide for amateurs that Collins produced. Still the favourite of many.

Web sites
Algaebase is an online database of information on algae. It deals mainly with seaweed at the moment but is spreading its coverage.
Association of British Fungus Groups links field enthusiasts and their local groups.
British Lichen Society has an informative Web site, helpful to beginners and experts.
British Mycological Society is the main learned society for people interested in mushrooms, toadstools and moulds. It publishes guides for the serious amateur and professional and holds occasional field meetings.
British Phycological Society is the main learned society for the study of algae. It publishes identification guides, mainly for the professional.
Paul Hamlyn has a useful site at fungus.org.uk, with identification keys, articles and a good selection of links.


Insects and other invertebrates 
Books
Field Guide to the Insects of Britain and Northern Europe - Michael Chinery, Collins. A newer work, with less on identification and more on insect biology.
Insects of Britain and Northern Europe - Michael Chinery, Collins. A good general identification guide; an old favourite with many.
Collins Field Guide: Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe - Michael J. Roberts, Collins. The only current handy guide at a reasonable price.
A Guide to Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe - Dick Jones, Hamlyn. Previously published by Country Life magazine, this photoguide covers 350 species. Out of print but still to be found.
Dragonflies and Damselflies of Britain and Northern Europe - Bob Gibbons, Hamlyn. Another photoguide previously published by Country Life, this slim but useful book covers 75 species.
Land Snails of the British Isles - A. A. Wardhaugh, Shire Books.

Web sites
British Arachnological Society offers a checklist of British spiders, along with the usual content of a well-managed specialist group Web site.
British Dragonfly Society promotes the study and conservation of dragonflies and their natural habitats.
British Entomological and Natural History Society researches into and helps conserve insects. It publishes books and guides.
British Myriapod and Isopod Group are enthusiasts for centipedes, millipedes and woodlice, and offer checklists on British species of each of the three groups.

Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust deals with all British invertebrates and aims to maintain sustainable populations of them. It has a good links page that covers several useful organizations not listed here.
Butterfly Conservation gives detailed information on British butterflies. Click on a species' common name for more information. The site also gives some general information on moths, here. (This is a 'naughty' site, one that won't let you return here by clicking the "back" button. You might therefore prefer to open a new browser window in which to view either of these pages.)
Ian Kimber's UK Moths site gives excellent coverage of moths.


Mammals 
Books
Field Guide to the Mammals of Britain and Europe - David MacDonald, Collins. Covers 230 species.

Web sites
Bat Conservation Trust publishes leaflets, offers advice and runs courses.
The Mammal Society offers advice, identification guides, training and books on the 60 species of wild mammal in Britain.


Plants 
Books
There are so many books on flowers and trees that it's hard to choose among them. Here are some perennial best sellers:
British Plant Galls: identification of galls on plants and fungi - M. Redfern, P. Shirley and M. Bloxham, Field Studies Council (see here). A comprehensive identification guide to over 1,000 galls.
Flora of Surrey - J.E. Lousley, David & Charles. Published in 1976 but the latest there is (but see below). Out of print, hard to find and due for replacement.
Flora of Surrey: Supplement and Checklist - A.C. Leslie. Alan Leslie published this in 1987, to update Lousley's flora.
Flowering Plants of the World - V.H. Heywood (consultant editor), B.T. Batsford / Oxford University Press. Useful for relating what we have in this country to global distributions. Superbly illustrated; encyclopaedic.
Grasses, Ferns, Mosses & Lichens of Great Britain and Ireland - Roger Phillips & Sheila Grant, Pan. Another of his excellent photoguides. Covers the main species in each group.

Grasses, Sedges, Rushes and Ferns of Britain and Northern Europe - Richard Fitter, Alistair Fitter and Ann Farrer, Collins. A pocket-sized all-in-one guide, up to the usual high Collins standard.
Grasses. A guide to their Structure, Identification, Uses and Distribution in the British Isles - C.E. Hubbard, revised by J.C.E. Hubbard, Penguin Books. A standard work for the more serious student.
New Flora of the British Isles - Clive Stace, Cambridge University Press (2nd edition, 1997). The definitive guide to British plants, native and alien, described in 1,165 pages. Not for beginners.
Silva: The Tree In Britain - Archie Miles, Ebury Press. A coffee-table book, admittedly, but packed with lively photographs and with a wide-ranging text to match.
The Wild Flower Key: British Isles and North West Europe - Francis Rose, Frederick Warne. Many people's favourite field guide. The illustrations are variable in accuracy but the text and keys are what you would expect from one of Britain's leading field botanists.

The Wild Flowers of the British Isles - Ian Garrard and Ian Streeter, Midsummer Books. The best one-volume collection of illustrations of British flowers, married to a concise but helpful text.
Trees: Their Natural History - P. A. Thomas, Cambridge University Press. An affordable and accessible guide to how trees work.
Trees of Britain and Northern Europe - Alan Mitchell, Collins. Although a hardback, is small enough to take out with you. Describes over 800 species, with many illustrations.
Trees and People in Surrey and Beyond - Chris Howkins, Chris Howkins Publications. Covers medicinal, folkloric and industrial uses, among other fascinating detail. One of several books on ethnobotany (plants and people) that Chris writes, illustrates and publishes.

Web sites
Botanical Society of the British Isles (BSBI) is the senior plant recording organization for this country. It publishes periodicals and guides (sold through Summerfield Books), carries out research and holds field meetings. There is a distribution database and a list of plants available here.
British Bryological Society is the main organization for those studying mosses and liverworts.
British Plant Gall Society is for people with an interest in cecidology. The site includes an introduction to the subject, a list of publications, and details of groups and meetings.
British Pteridological Society offers some information on ferns here.
The British Trees site offers guidance on native trees. Click on a species' common or scientific name for more information.

Forestry Commission of Great Britain owns and manages much of Britain's woodlands. It also carries out research and publishes guidance - some of it free. There is a publications search page here.
The European "HEDGES" project has a multilingual interactive list of hedgerow species.
The Natural History Museum's Postcode Plants Database has checklists of native plants by postal location. Here are the species typical of the Lingfield (RH7) postcode area.
Giles Groom's Reticule site has a guide to identifying wild flowers. It also has an online form for sending records to the Botanical Society of the British Isles.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is Britain's best known centre for research into plants. It publishes many reports and periodicals and has several databases - all listed here. It is based at Kew Gardens and Wakehurst Place.

Science & Plants for Schools has an educational database on native trees and shrubs. It also offers an identification key for when you're not sure.
Surrey Flora Committee is the primary botanical recording organization for Surrey. It provides a county recorder to the Botanical Society of the British Isles. No Web site yet. Contact its secretary for details of membership and activities.
The-Tree.org.uk has a good collection of material on trees and woods and how people use them. New Age in parts.
David Brear's Wharfe site has a section on wild flowers, including constantly updated news.


Reptiles, snakes and amphibians 
Books
Amphibians and Reptiles of Surrey - Julia Wycherley and Richard Anstis, Surrey Wildlife Trust. Its authors are committee members of the Surrey Amphibian and Reptile Group (see below).

Web sites
Froglife is a charitable organisation that works to conserve the native amphibians and reptiles of Britain and Ireland.
The Surrey Amphibian and Reptile Group (SARG) is a group of local enthusiasts for toads, frogs, newts, snakes and lizards. The group advises on habitat and conservation matters concerning these animals. No web site yet. Email: julia.wycherley@virgin.net.


Ecology 
Books
Hedges - Pollard, Hooper & Moore, Collins New Naturalist. Out of print, hard to find, superb. Well researched (including Max Hooper's "rules" for hedge dating) and readable. There's a table from it here.
The Common Ground. A place for nature in Britain's future? - Richard Mabey, Hutchinson. Also out of print. An influential lament for what was and a call to what might be by one of Britain's best nature writers.
The History of the Countryside - Oliver Rackham, J.M. Dent. A captivating and wide-ranging account of the development of Britain's natural environment. There is a later, colour version that has sacrificed some text for pictures.

Web sites
English Nature is a statutory body that promotes the conservation of England's wildlife and natural features. Its Web site gives details of National Nature Reserves, Local Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).
Field Studies Council is Britain's main provider of environmental training. It runs residential weekend and week-long courses in a wide range of subjects at its field centres around the country.
Natural History Museum's Web site is full of useful material, as you would expect.


Recording 
AditSite is a versatile and easy-to-use recording, mapping and analysis program. Adit, its maker, offers several other programs, some of them free. Excellent service.
Alana Ecology supplies a wide range of traps, nets, loggers, detectors and other equipment, especially electronical.
Biological Records Centre (BRC) looks after national records on the distribution of wildlife in the British Isles. The sites lists recording schemes and groups and species atlases and is a source for a wide range of record cards. It links to the National Biodiversity Network (see below).
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) researches, surveys and monitors terrestrial and freshwater environments in Britain. It is part of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

Alan Morton's DMAP is a widely used program for distribution mapping. It links to several of the recording packages listed here, usually with automatic data transfer.
MapMate is a new, cheap and popular program for recording and mapping. It uses a simple version of the National Biodiversity Network data model and can import to it.
National Biodiversity Network (NBN) collates the work of British biological recorders. It sets standards for data gathering, storage and access, and makes data available via the Internet. Among these is an omnibus dictionary of British species.
Pisces Conservation offers a selection of software for specific tasks, such as growth sampling, species richness and hedgerow analysis.

Recorder 2002 is the software mainly used by the Wildlife Trusts and other contributors to the National Biodiversity Network. Large, comprehensive and detailed, it's not for the faint-hearted. Delivery of the latest version is severely delayed.
Surrey County Council has enterprisingly put an interactive rights of way map on the Web. This not only lets you check the route of public paths, it gives you a detailed OS grid reference for any selected point.
Transect Walker is free software for butterfly recording, provided by Butterfly Conservation. Blonde recording angels are not included in the offer.
Watkins & Doncaster supply equipment for collecting and storing specimens, particularly insects. They also have books on insects.


Conservation practice 
Books
Caring for Small Woods - Ken Broad, Earthscan. An experienced forester's approach.
Habitat Creation and Repair - Oliver Gilbert and Penny Anderson, Oxford University Press. A highly rated guide to the practicalities of designing habitats for wildlife. OUP's riposte to Sutherland and Hill (below)?
Managing Habitats for Conservation - William J. Sutherland and David A. Hill, Cambridge University Press. A practical guide for the experienced and newcomer alike, covering all the habitats to be found in the British Isles. Deals with human as well as wildlife matters, concentrating on what needs doing rather than how to do it.
New Hedges for the Countryside - Murray Maclean, Farming Press. Practical advice on all aspects of planting and caring for hedges. Hard to find but worth it.

Oaks, Dragonflies and People: Creating a Small Nature Reserve and Relating Its Story to Wider Conservation Issues - Norman Moore, Harley Books. Brings an ecologist's mind and experience to bear on the practical problems and wider issues of habitat creation.
Pond Book: A Guide to the Management and Creation of Ponds - P.J. Williams, Ponds Conservation Trust. Unlike most other readily available books, which are wholly or mainly about garden ponds, this deals with larger ponds, such as on reserves, parks and farms.
The Urban Handbook - Elizabeth Agate, BTCV. A practical guide to environmental work in towns and villages. Includes allotments, parks, gardens, roadside verges and derelict sites. There is a list of BTCV's guides here, with ordering details.

Web sites
BT Countryside for All, working with the Fieldfare Trust, has produced standards and guidelines on access to the countryside by disabled people. Its Web site gives information on managing access for all.
English Nature publishes guides and handbooks, some of which can be downloaded free.
Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) is an independent charity that advises farmers and landowners on conservation matters. Has local groups throughout England and Scotland.

Field Studies Council publishes books and guides on a wide range of subjects, including these on biological and geographical techniques.
Forestry Commission is the government department responsible for forestry throughout Great Britain. It publishes a wide range of guides, some of which can be downloaded free.
Formerly the Urban Parks Forum, GreenSpace works to improve open spaces and public parks. It provides advice, acts as a conduit for funding and links local groups.

Friends of the Earth offers advice for people trying to save threatened wildlife sites.
Paul Blisset, a professional, has useful articles on hedgelaying.
National Hedgelaying Society offers advice on styles and tools on its Web site.
Ponds Conservation Trust researches, publishes on and promotes the informed creation, maintenance and restoration of wildlife ponds. Its publications are listed here.
Sensory Trust offers advice on designing and managing open spaces for accessibility to all, particularly the visually handicapped. It publishes books on good practice and has some useful free fact sheets here.


General information 
BBC offers a range of easily digested and well illustrated pages on a wide range of wildlife on its nature pages.
British Wildlife is a quarterly publication on species identification, conservation management, environmental news and related matters. Produced to a high quality and always readable, it is aimed at the keen amateur as well as the professional.
Gordon Ramel's Earthlife Web pages give a mass of introductory material on five life forms - lichens, prokaryotes, insects, birds and mammals.
Naturenet is a collection of informative articles and links for conservationists. Run by enthusiasts, this popular site gives plain-language guides to law, management, education and other matters of concern.

Offwell Woodland & Wildlife Trust has an excellent educational Web site, which includes an introduction to British species of wildlife.
The Tiscali reference pages give basic information on common species of insect, mollusc, amphibian and plant. Click on a species' common name for more information.
UK Safari contains short illustrated guides to the main creatures and some of the wild places of Britain. There's an emailed monthly newsletter, a downloadable free guide and much else.


Booksellers and publishers 
British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) is not only a volunteer conservation organization, it is a major supplier of training in conservation. It also publishes handbooks on conservation practice, including fencing, footpaths, hedging, tree planting and aftercare, and woodlands.
Field Studies Council (FSC) publishes the excellent AIDGAP (Aids to the Identification of Difficult Groups of Animals and Plants) range of identification guides. These cover such topics as plants, insects, crustaceans, seaweeds and sharks. For beginners and children, it also has attractively illustrated fold-out charts.
Mitchell Beazley offers a range of well-illustrated and slim pocketbooks. Its online catalogue does not encourage browsing, so best to look on one of the booksellers' sites listed here.
Natural History Book Service offers a comprehensive selection across all topics. Online distributor for over 40 publishers.
Shire Books has long specialised in slim, inexpensive but useful guides. It has over fifty natural history titles, listed here.

Subbuteo were originally bird specialists but now offer a wide range on other subjects. Official bookseller for the county Wildlife Trusts.
Summerfield Books specialises in botanical books, with an excellent secondhand selection (telephone for its catalogue). Official bookseller for the publications of the Botanical Society of the British Isles, including its advanced identification guides.
Surrey Library Service has its catalogue on line. If you're a member (joining is free), you can reserve books for delivery to your local branch. An excellent service, invaluable if you want an out-of-print work or one you don't intend buying.
Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT) is constantly adding to its list of publications about - you guessed it - Surrey wildlife. Topics covered so far include butterflies, dragonflies, larger moths, hoverflies, grasshoppers and crickets, ladybirds and amphibians and reptiles. Details here.
Whittet Books has a small but interesting catalogue. Here is its list on British natural history.

If you didn't know before, it will have become clear from the species lists that Collins dominates the British nature guides market. In fact, you would not go far wrong if you were rationalise your buying to its Gem Guides for the children or to have in the car, Field Guides for serious spotting and New Naturalists for background and debate. Although you might not get the favourite in each category by doing this, you would at least get a good book each time. Like Mitchell Beazley's, the company's online catalogue is not designed with browsing in mind. It's easier to look on one of the booksellers' sites named above.