Collins Garden Wildlife of Britain and Northern Europe
Reviews
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Date of last review
1
1141
Thu 8, February, 2007
Recommended By
Average Purchase Price
100% of reviewers
£7.99
Quality
Value
Performance
5.00
6.00
6.00
Description:
Nearly 400 species are featured including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, spiders, beetles, butterflies and moths, flies, worms, molluscs, woodlice and flowering plants; each section is colour-coded for easy identification
•Each species is illustrated with a colour photograph
•Full descriptions for each entry provide details of appearance, behaviour and habitat
•Practical advice on attracting wildlife to the garden
Author:
Michael Chinery
RRP:
£9.99
Published Date:
22/07/1997
ISBN:
ISBN:
Format
Paperback Hardback
Author
wyevilla Officer of the Wild Empire
Registered: January 2007 Location: Dorchester, Dorset Posts: 513
Review Date: Thu 8, February, 2007
Would you recommend it? Yes |
Total Spent: £7.99| Rating: 6
Strengths:
Small, compact and easy to use
Weaknesses:
The photos of birds are not top quality with little attention paid to common differences between the sexes
This is a useful reference to those who are starting to notice the non-human visitors to the garden. It is arranged in a fairly traditional way, starting with mammals, birds, then insects, other invertebrates and finally on to plants.
The selection of mammals is quite esoteric. No room for weasels and stoats but a beech martin is included! Remember the sub-title of this little book is "Britain and Europe" so the british reader will need to be prepared for similar anomalies.
I also have some reservations about the bird section. No picture of a female chaffinch or greenfinch for example (two birds that have been known to confuse the beginner) and only one shot of a starling which changes quite makedly from immature to adult and again through the seasons.
The invertebrates fair slightly better in that a book this small cannot be a comprehensive guide but can, perhaps, lead one to allocate a specimen to a particular group thereby leading to more specialist publications.
Overall then, I see this book as a guide leading to a gentle transition from novice to interested amateur. But, with its limited scope, very soon it feels quaint and slightly out of place on the book shelf to be replaced by weightier and more informative tomes.
------------------------------ Best wishes, Neil
Who's Afear'd
