Guides, Books & Maps

Here we feature various different field guides, maps and other relevant content that you may find interesting.

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Wildlife of Britain and Ireland is a glorious visual testimony to the extraordinary scope and depth of the wildlife of the British Isles

RSPB Pocket Guide to British Birds is a compact, lightweight and informative field guide, featuring 310 bird species regularly seen in the UK

FIELD GUIDES & IDENTIFICATION

Comprehensive choice of field guides to British Wildlife

Mammals

Britains Mammals

A comprehensive and beautifully designed photographic field guide

Collins Complete Guide to British Wildlife

Well illustrated guide to every species of British wildlife

Mammal Tracks ID

Designed to be used outside: lightweight, rucksack-sized, splash-proof

Britains Habitats

A comprehensive and lavishly illustrated photographic guide-in a handy field-guide format

Birds

RSPB Pocket Guide to British Birds

Pocket guide version to British Birds

RSPB Handbook to British Birds

The larger handbook version of British Birds

The Owl Book

Stunning photography and fascinating facts, is a must-have for all owl lovers

RSPB Birdwatch Activity Book

Childrens birdwatching activity book with 170+ stickers

Insects

Concise Insect Guide

Practical pocket field guide including more than 180 species of insect

Field Studies Council: Bees of Britain

Designed to be used outside: lightweight, rucksack-sized, splash-proof

Others

Britains Reptiles & Amphibians

Produced in collaboration with the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust

Collins Butterfly Guide

The Most Complete Guide to the Butterflies of Britain and Europe

River Habitats for Coarse Fish

How Fish Use Rivers and How We Can Help Them

Ponds and small lakes

Micro-organisms and freshwater ecology

MORE INTERESTING READS

More interesting Nature and wildlife related books

Chris Packham's Nature Handbook

Explore the wonders of the Natural World

The Life Trilogy Boxset

The greatest story ever told by David Attenborough (hardcover)

Wonderland

A Year of Britain's Wildlife, Day by Day

Unforgettable Behaviour

A collection of astonishing images of animal behaviour, from the award-winning Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition

Beekeeping for Beginners

Beekeeping for Beginners is a treasure trove of step-by-step instructions to help you build your first DIY beehive and nurture a flourishing honey bee colony

MAPS

Extensive mapping options available below including paper maps, free downloads and also modern GPS systems

OS Explorer Maps

OS Tour Maps

GPS Systems

Garmin GPSMAP 65s

Altimeter, Compass, Expanded Satellite Support - Multi-band Technology, impressive 2.6" Color Display

OTHER ITEMS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST;

Various related items including clothing, packs and waterproof boots

Fjallraven Greenland Wax

A cost-effective and simple way to waterproof your clothing or walking boots

Fjallraven Pocket Bag

Small, durable pocket bag from Fjallraven

Sealskinz Waterproof Head Gaiter

Keep the rain out whilst wildlife watching with this waterproof head gaiter

Montane Dart XT Thermal Beanie

Simple and practical thermal beanie for those colder days

Harkila Reidmar Mid 2.0 GTX Boots

Waterproof walking boots without the messy laces

BINOCULARS

The following products are high-quality binoculars with premium optics and features

Nikon Sportstar Zoom Binoculars

Nikons Sportstar are lightweight spotter binoculars

Nikon Prostaff P7

High-end Nikon binoculars

Steiner Nighthunter

Suitable for low light conditions

Steiner Observer

Excellent wildlife-watching companion

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Playing Dead: Thanatosis

Thanatosis Explained: Why Some Animals Play Dead to Survive Imagine encountering a predator so dangerous that fighting or fleeing is no longer an option. What would you do? For many animals, the answer is surprisingly simple: pretend to be dead. This remarkable survival strategy is known as thanatosis, a behaviour seen across the animal kingdom in insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals and even some fish. Also known as death-feigning or playing dead, thanatosis can confuse predators, reduce the chance of being eaten and provide an opportunity for escape. Although it may appear dramatic, thanatosis is a genuine evolutionary adaptation that has developed independently in many unrelated species. Some animals remain motionless for just a few seconds, while others can convincingly "play dead" for several minutes or even hours. This guide explains what thanatosis is, why animals use it, which British species display the behaviour, and the fascinating science behind one of n...

Grass Snake: A Day in the Life

Grass Snakes in the UK: Britain’s Largest Native Snake Explained Learn about grass snakes in the UK, including identification, habitat, diet, and behaviour. Discover why Britain’s largest native snake is harmless and protected. Grass snakes are one of the UK’s most fascinating—and misunderstood—wild reptiles. Often spotted swimming in ponds, basking near compost heaps, or disappearing into long grass, these shy snakes play an important role in British ecosystems. Despite their size, grass snakes are completely harmless to humans and are protected by law in the UK. In this guide, we’ll explore a grass snakes daily life in the UK, including where they live, what they eat, how to identify them, and of course why they matter. What Is a Grass Snake? The grass snake (Natrix helvetica) is the UK’s largest native snake, capable of growing over 1.5 metres long. It belongs to the colubrid family and is non-venomous. Once grouped with European grass snakes, UK populations are now recognised ...

Fern Spores: How Britain's Ancient Plants Conquer the Landscape Without Seeds

Fern Spores: How Britain's Ancient Plants Conquer the Landscape Without Seeds Walk through almost any ancient woodland in Britain and you'll encounter ferns. They carpet damp valleys, emerge from stone walls, cling to shaded cliffs and unfurl graceful fronds beneath towering oak and beech trees. Although they are among the country's most familiar wild plants, ferns remain surprisingly mysterious. Unlike flowering plants, ferns do not produce blossoms, fruits or seeds. Instead, they reproduce using microscopic spores—a reproductive strategy that evolved hundreds of millions of years before flowers appeared on Earth. These tiny spores have allowed ferns to survive mass extinctions, shifting climates and continental drift, making them some of the oldest surviving plant lineages on the planet. For UK wildlife enthusiasts, understanding fern spores opens the door to one of nature's most remarkable life cycles. Invisible to most walkers, these microscopic particles travel ...

10 Amazing Nature Facts..

10 Amazing Nature Facts That Show How Incredible Our Planet Really Is Nature is full of surprises—some beautiful, some bizarre, and others almost unbelievable. From hidden underground networks to animals with superpowers, the natural world is far more complex than it appears at first glance. Here are 10 amazing Nature facts that highlight just how extraordinary life on Earth truly is. 1. Trees Can Communicate With Each Other Forests are not silent. Trees can communicate through underground fungal networks known as the “Wood Wide Web.” These networks allow trees to share nutrients, send warning signals about pests, and even support weaker or younger trees nearby. This hidden system helps entire forests survive and thrive together. 2. Octopuses Have Three Hearts and Blue Blood Octopuses are biological marvels. They have three hearts—two pump blood to the gills, while the third pumps it to the rest of the body. Their blood is blue because it contains hemocyani...

The Cambium Layer: Paper Thin Trees

The Cambium Layer – Paper Thin Trees A tree looks solid. Permanent. Immovable. We describe it as “wood,” as if it is one unified, living mass from bark to core. But that is not what a tree is. A tree is a living skin wrapped around a scaffold of its own former selves. The truly alive part of a tree is astonishingly thin—often just a few cells thick. Everything else, everything we think of as the tree, is either already dead or slowly becoming so. At the centre of this quiet transformation is a microscopic band of tissue: the cambium layer. It is here that a tree builds itself outward, year after year, while simultaneously turning its inner body into structural memory—stronger, harder, and more enduring than living tissue could ever be. This is the paradox of trees: they grow by dying. The Cambium Layer: A Living Film Just beneath the bark lies the cambium layer, a wafer-thin sheath of living cells that runs continuously around the trunk and branches. It is so thin that in many spe...

Blowholes in Dolphins: The Evolutionary Marvel That Helped Mammals Conquer the Sea

Blowholes in Dolphins: The Evolutionary Marvel That Helped Mammals Conquer the Sea Among the many remarkable adaptations found in the animal kingdom, few are as elegant and efficient as the external naris (blowhole) of a dolphin. Positioned atop the head rather than at the tip of the snout, the naris enables dolphins to breathe with extraordinary speed while remaining almost entirely submerged. This simple-looking feature represents millions of years of evolutionary refinement and tells a fascinating story about how land-dwelling mammals returned to the oceans and transformed into some of the most successful marine predators on Earth. For wildlife enthusiasts, understanding the blowhole is about much more than learning how dolphins breathe. It opens a window into the broader history of marine mammal evolution, illustrating how natural selection reshapes anatomy to meet the demands of life in a completely different environment. From ancient terrestrial ancestors t...

Orchid Seeds: Nature's Dust-Like Travellers

Orchid Seeds: Nature's Dust-Like Travellers and the Secret to One of Britain's Most Fascinating Wildflowers Among the many wonders of the plant kingdom, few are as remarkable as orchid seeds. To the naked eye they are almost invisible, resembling tiny grains of dust rather than the familiar seeds produced by garden flowers or woodland trees. Yet these microscopic structures are responsible for the survival and spread of one of the world's largest and most diverse families of flowering plants. For wildlife enthusiasts across the United Kingdom, orchids are among the most exciting plants to discover. From the striking Bee Orchid appearing on chalk grasslands to the elegant Early Purple Orchid carpeting ancient woodlands in spring, wild orchids have captivated naturalists for centuries. However, the spectacular flowers that attract photographers and botanists represent only a small part of an extraordinary life cycle. Hidden within every seed capsule are thousands—sometim...

Smooth Newts: A Guide to Identification, Habitat, Behaviour, and Conservation

Smooth Newts in the UK: A Complete Guide to Identification, Habitat, Behaviour, and Conservation The Smooth Newt is one of the most widespread amphibians in the United Kingdom. Often spotted in garden ponds and quiet countryside waters, this small, adaptable species plays an important role in local ecosystems. This in-depth guide covers everything you need to know—from identification and lifecycle to habitat needs and conservation in the UK. What Is a Smooth Newt? The Smooth Newt (scientific name: Lissotriton vulgaris) is a small amphibian belonging to the salamander family. It is the most common newt species across the UK and Europe. Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Amphibia Order: Urodela (also called Caudata — the salamanders and newts) Family: Salamandridae Genus: Lissotriton Species: Lissotriton vulgaris The Smooth Newt is one of three native UK newt species and is sometimes referred to in older literature as the “common newt.” Key Characteristics Leng...

How Much Methane Does One British Cow Produce?

How Much Methane Does One British Cow Produce? Verified UK Data Explained Methane emissions from cattle have become one of the most talked-about topics in discussions about climate change, agriculture, and sustainable food production. Headlines often claim that cows produce enormous quantities of methane, but the actual figures are frequently presented without context or vary widely between sources. So, how much methane does one British cow make? The short answer is that an average adult cow in the UK produces approximately 70–130 kilograms of methane (CH₄) each year through digestion, although the exact amount depends on the animal's breed, age, diet, weight, health, and production system. High-yielding dairy cows typically produce more methane than beef cattle because they consume significantly more feed. This guide explains where these figures come from, why they vary, how methane is measured, and what UK farmers are doing to reduce emissions while maintaining productive ...

Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)

Golden Eagle: Identification, Habitat, Behaviour and Fascinating Facts About Britain's Most Iconic Bird of Prey The golden eagle is one of the most magnificent birds of prey in the world and arguably the most iconic raptor in the United Kingdom. With its immense wingspan, extraordinary hunting abilities, and strong association with remote mountains and wild landscapes, the golden eagle has become a symbol of wilderness, freedom, and natural heritage. For many birdwatchers, seeing a golden eagle soaring above the Scottish Highlands is a lifetime ambition. Its graceful flight, commanding presence, and impressive size make it one of the most sought-after birds in Britain. Although populations are largely confined to Scotland today, the golden eagle once ranged across much of Britain. Conservation efforts have helped protect this remarkable species, but challenges remain. This comprehensive guide explores golden eagle taxonomy, identification, habitat, behaviour, diet, breeding biolog...

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