WAB Your Garden a piece of a jigsaw but which piece?

[nightshade]

Do you know just what is in your garden? Do you have a huge variety of insects or Birds or Mammals?
Is it a natural feeding station, a bathing place, a link (green corridor) to other gardens?
Gardens are now the most important habitat there is and really needs a good and thoughrough study, I am keen but not very good at paper work, does anyone know of a printable I.D list that an average person could use to build up a bigger picture of their garden that could be nationally corellated. This is the time to start planting bare root native hedging and following a garden through its cycle. Being worthless and shiftless I am looking for someone/s to take a lead in what I am sure would be a worthwhile project for all ages and nearly all abilities.

[Geoff F]

Quite a number of wildlife gardeners keep a daily diary for their garden.

I'm afraid that I am a bit more intermittent and tend to omit some of the commoner species, although I am a bit more strict with some of the insects that particularly interest me. Basically I just print myself a monthly calendar with plenty of writing space.

Personally, I only include sightings where I have a photograph which is of sufficient quality to enable a clear identification, or species for which there is absolutely no doubt. I must get around to taking some better photos of the overwintering Blackcaps before they move north in a month or two.

There are a number of UK Wildlife ID sites that specialise in garden insects but for a general starter identification book I would recommend Collins Complete Guide to British Wildlife. Not completely comprehensive, as that would require many volumes, but most of the commoner species are included; and even if it doesn't get you to species level it should point you in the right direction.

Recording sites exist for many individual wildlife families but they do require correct identifications, not approximations.

You may find this site useful http://www.gardensafari.net/english/birds.htm

This link is to the birds page but there are other sections which cover most of the wildlife which can be found in gardens.

[nightshade]

I had no idea this would be such an uphill struggle I will have to save for this book Royal Horticultural Society - Product Details - RHS Wildlife of a Garden: A Thirty-Year Study -

[Deb London]

Originally Posted by nightshade

I had no idea this would be such an uphill struggle I will have to save for this book Royal Horticultural Society - Product Details - RHS Wildlife of a Garden: A Thirty-Year Study -

If you do get that book, please review it here:

Reviews - Wildlife of a Garden: a Thirty-year Study

[artdemole]

Had a look on Wikipedia at gardening list And the amount of list is quite a lot to go through.