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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
Acknowledgements
About the Publisher
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 …
So hopefully you’re now convinced that it’s worth making a bit of an effort to find out more and enjoy the rewards this will bring. That’s where this book comes in. How to Watch Wildlife is packed with advice, practical information, hints and tips – everything you need to know.
The book is in three parts
Part 1 – Getting Started deals with the basic things you need to know when you begin to take an interest in wildlife. This includes what equipment you will need; where and when to go; how to track down different creatures; how to identify what you see; and how to get the best possible views without disturbing the wildlife.
Part 2 – The Wildlife Year is a monthly guide to the very best of Britain’s wildlife. There are sections on what is happening at each particular time of year; places to visit around the country; how to see a particular wild creature, from badgers to golden eagles, otters to orchids, and red squirrels to kingfishers; and things to do each month.
Part 3 – Branching Out covers more advanced aspects of wildlife watching, including equipment such as telescopes; how to get involved with other enthusiasts through clubs and wildlife holidays; and more specialised pursuits, such as wildlife photography.
The aim of this book is to take the mystery out of the whole business of watching wildlife. As the old saying goes, it’s not rocket science. So take a look through the following pages; then go out and have a go yourself. You really will enjoy it!
