I have been immersed in nature since I was able to walk, my love for nature initially inspired by a chance encounter as a toddler with a buzzard amid South Devon’s leafy lanes. Upon fledging into adult plumage, I eventually became an award-winning wildlife and travel writer. After returning to Britain after several years leading wildlife tours in South America and Antarctica, I had an irrepressible desire to renew my relationship with British nature. My books 52 Wildlife Weekends, A Summer of British Wildlife (winner, Travel Guidebook of the Year, 2016) and Much Ado About Mothing (a travel narrative longlisted for the 2022 James Cropper Wainwright Prize) are the result.
I wrote
52 Wildlife Weekends: A Year of British Wildlife-Watching Breaks
Bradt’s popular guidebook 52 Wildlife Weekends suggests inspiring itineraries for 52 unforgettable British wildlife-watching breaks – each perfectly timed for…
Despite being a little long in the tooth, this remains the best overview of birdwatching sites in Britain.
It sets out clearly what species of birds you might to expect to say where – and when. As such, it has proved its worth scores of times when I’ve been planning weekends away, photography trips, or holidays with the family.
This guide covers the very best birding sites in Britain. In a format familiar to readers of this popular series, each site is considered in terms of 'Habitat', Access' and 'Birds', allowing birders of all levels to plan successful birding trips anywhere in Britain, and to maximise the chances of getting the best out of each site and each region. The book includes detailed maps of the larger sites, plus general maps of the regions covered, and it is illustrated with attractive line drawings. This book has been extensively revised, with several new sites added for this edition, together with…
Although this book is also rather dated, it remains a fine source of information – and particularly of inspiration.
It truly opened my eyes to the mammal-watching possibilities available in Britain and Ireland, and informed plenty of the travel involved in researching two of my own books. Get hold of a second-hand copy if you can, and treasure it!
Britain's mammals are relatively few in number, but include some notoriously hard-to-see, yet wonderfully charismatic species. There can be few people with even a passing interest in wildlife who would not want to see otters, red squirrels, bottle-nosed dolphins or Scottish wildcats. Even commoner species like the badger, roe deer and brown hare can be difficult to see without some specialist knowledge. This new guide provides sites and useful information to enable the reader to find and observe every British and Irish mammal species, including all marine mammals. Taking a species-by-species approach, the accounts give some background detail on the…
A spy school for girls amidst Jane Austen’s high society.
Daughters of the Beau Monde who don’t fit London society’s strict mold are banished to Stranje House, where the headmistress trains these unusually gifted girls to enter the dangerous world of spies in the Napoleonic wars. #1 NYT bestselling author…
Now on its second edition, this is a remarkable, unique book. It helped me greatly understand Britain’s landscapes and environments – how our country fits together.
Written accessibly by experienced ecologists, it also started me thinking about wildlife and plantlife assemblages – different animals and plants that might co-exist at a single site – which was critical when I was researching my book. An absolute must on your library shelf.
A comprehensive and lavishly illustrated photographic guide-now in a handy field-guide format
This lavishly illustrated photographic guide provides a comprehensive overview of the natural history of wildlife habitats in Britain and Ireland. Now completely redesigned in a handy field-guide format, and featuring revised and updated text throughout, this new edition of Britain's Habitats guides readers through all the main habitat types, presenting information on their characteristics, extent, geographical variation, key species, cultural importance, origins and conservation. It aims to help visitors to the countryside recognize the habitats around them, understand how they have evolved and what makes them special, and…
In my view, this is the finest field guide ever produced for a group of animals or plants.
It is not only the best guide available to identify this most spectacular of floral groups when in flower – but also helps you put names to them when mere leaves growing up or when in seed, and on the way out. Throw in excellent, up-to-date maps, and you have a wonderful field guide that inspires you to explore Britain like never before.
An accessible, comprehensive and beautifully illustrated guide-the only one to cover all the orchids found in Britain and Ireland
Covering all fifty-one native species and twelve of uncertain origin, as well as hybrids and variants, Britain's Orchids is an engaging, intuitive and in-depth identification guide to all the orchids of Britain and Ireland at all stages of development, from first emergence to setting seed. Drawing on the authors' extensive field experience and the latest scientific research, the book uses multiple techniques to help both beginner and more advanced orchid enthusiasts to identify even the most difficult plants. It is beautifully…
Embark on a riveting journey into Washington State’s untamed Olympic Peninsula, where the threads of folklore legends and historical icons are woven into a complex ecological tapestry.
Follow the enigmatic Petr as he fearlessly employs his pirate radio transmitter to broadcast the forgotten and untamed voices that echo through the…
Moths are the underdogs of the animal kingdom – unfairly castigated as pests and associated with evil darkness.
I wrote my book to set the story straight. Decades earlier, publisher P.B.M. Allan had done these insects a considerable service, showcasing Britain’s remarkable moths and relating, in a jocular fashion, his escapades across Britain to see many of them.
Reading his book, I came to appreciate quite what diversity of moths Britain harbours – and was inspired by his enthusiasm to go out and see them for myself. The moth hunter’s gossip is long out of print, but can often be tracked down at second-hand retailers.
Bradt’s popular guidebook 52 Wildlife Weekends suggests inspiring itineraries for 52 unforgettable British wildlife-watching breaks – each perfectly timed for one week of the year – stretching across 40 counties from Cornwall to northern Scotland. Perfect for staycations, this is the only guide to package Britain’s nature-watching highlights into deftly timed, user-friendly holiday suggestions. Find out how, where, and when to track down such thrilling creatures as beavers and basking sharks, eagles and otters, dolphins and dragonflies, glow worms, and grey seals! Written by an award-winning author and experienced naturalist James Lowen, the second edition (published August 2023) has been thoroughly updated to reflect Britain’s ever-changing natural history, integrating the latest information on our most exciting wildlife experiences, suggesting new target species, and showcasing fabulous new locations.
This book is set in Montauk, under looming threat from a warming climate and overdevelopment. Now outsider Clancy, a thirty-six-year-old claims adjuster scarred by his orphan childhood, has inherited an unexpected legacy: the power to decide the fate of Montauk’s last parcel of undeveloped land. Everyone in town has a…
An Italian Feast celebrates the cuisines of the Italian provinces from Como to Palermo. A culinary guide and book of ready reference meant to be the most comprehensive book on Italian cuisine, and it includes over 800 recipes from the 109 provinces of Italy's 20 regions.
