Please suggest a field guide

troutmask · #1 (**permalink**) 02-06-2006, 06:20 PM

I am a photographer and have only recently started taking pictures of insects and spiders. For identification I rellied on A rather taty old copy of Collins british Wildlife. This is obviously very limited. So could anyone reccomend a good field guide hopefully covering insects and spiders that is portable (dosn't have to fit in a pocket, but would fit in my backpack). I have seen so many guides and they are rather expensive, I would like to get the best first time rather than have to upgrade.

Kayleigh · #2 (**permalink**) 03-06-2006, 12:42 AM

I would also like a field guid just for IDing wildlife around the garden and local area.

Wild-Woman · #3 (**permalink**) 03-06-2006, 06:46 AM

Collins field guides are all very good.
My 'Complete British Insects' by Michael Chinery (collins) is very good. You'd have to have some biological guide book from the Natural History Museum to get every species or sub species though. I think the best thing to do is learn the basic insect/spiders off by heart then,as you are a photographer, get some good close up shots-helps sometimes to get a bit of the plant the insect is on, then post it on WAB.
There are some true experts on here,Imaginos/Henrya/Fourwings and many more, who really know their stuff and 99.99% of the time can ID straight away.
I suppose you could always take that lot with you-but I doubt if they'd fit in your back pack!!

I've just had a good idea.... The WAB Field Guides to the Wildlife of Britain, Has a good ring to it!!!

John can id birds 5 miles away with his eyes closed, Fungijohn, the fun guy, any toadstool at 40 paces, loads of brill photographers (yourself included) for advice, Boddie the camping expert, Gill/nicole the reserves experts...oh the list goes on... all members of WAB actually.

Right, now I've 'big-up'd' WAB, post some pictures and watch what happens.

Good luck getting your guide. ww

Kev Lewis · #4 (**permalink**) 03-06-2006, 07:41 AM

I use the Collins photoguide for birds. This is compact. plastic covered and contains decent photographs of all of the UK birds. A software programme I use is the RSPB guide to UK and Ireland Birds, this works on both PC and PDA's so if you own a PDA you would have a ready reference which provides images, habitat details and call sounds

matt_xyz · #5 (**permalink**) 03-06-2006, 07:55 AM

I recently bought Collins 'Complete British Insects' by Michael Chinery. It's very good, but I still find the majority of insects that I take photos of are not in it! Especially flies and beetles. This simply reflects the immense variety of insect species. I think this is probably the best photoguide you can get though.

Matt

Gill Catton · #6 (**permalink**) 03-06-2006, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt_xyz

I recently bought Collins 'Complete British Insects' by Michael Chinery. It's very good, but I still find the majority of insects that I take photos of are not in it! Especially flies and beetles. This simply reflects the immense variety of insect species. I think this is probably the best photoguide you can get though.

Matt

Yes I asked Imaginos about a field guide - particularly for flies and bees but it's not quite that simple, there's lots! The New Naturalist books were recommended as they describe habitats and behaviour that might help you get to family level at least!! So I'm going to go surf the second hand market tomorrow, see what I can find.

Gill Catton · #7 (**permalink**) 03-06-2006, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Collins field guides are all very good.

I've just had a good idea.... The WAB Field Guides to the Wildlife of Britain, Has a good ring to it!!!

. ww

Well We'd probably have enough for a dragonfly and damselfly one right? - With teneral phases too which is more than the current ones do. Do we have most of the butterflies? We've got quite a few of the common wildflowers.... We could try to get crickets and grasshoppers sorted by the end of the summer - there's already a few pictures of nymphs too which are rarely illustrated in books......
Who knows this time next year we could be millionaires!!!

troutmask · #8 (**permalink**) 03-06-2006, 08:36 AM

The PDA thing sounds good, I use one. I am a member of the RSPB so I will check that out, anyoneknow if somebody does the same for Insects?

Gill Catton · #9 (**permalink**) 03-06-2006, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by troutmask

The PDA thing sounds good, I use one. I am a member of the RSPB so I will check that out, anyoneknow if somebody does the same for Insects?

Unfortunatley not that I know of. Although I think there is a colins tree guide one in the making

eeyore · #10 (**permalink**) 03-06-2006, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

Unfortunatley not that I know of. Although I think there is a colins tree guide one in the making

I just found this on Google http://www.handango.com/SoftwareCata...tt=Insect%20ID It runs on a Palm pc

- I've no idea if its any good though, cos a) I don't own a PDA , and b) I know next to nothing about insects.

I do have a fullproof ID method though - ask imaginos he knows everything!