Gardenwatch: Making the Most of Wildlife on Your Doorstep

The humble garden can be a haven for wildlife, especially as natural habitats are fast disappearing as housing, farms, industrial estates and shopping centres sprawl further across the countryside. The garden is also where many birders first discover an interest in birds – standing next to a window, binoculars in hand, waiting to see which species will be attracted to the newly installed feeder. Sarah Whittley’s Gardenwatch is a great way to rekindle that love of garden birds, as well as the mammals, insects, reptiles and amphibians that can be found in the garden.

The book is divided into two parts: the first is an introduction to garden wildlife and the second details what you can expect to see during the year. The first two sections of the introduction are oddly named: ‘The garden habitat’ is really about how gardens are of importance to wildlife, while ‘The importance of gardens’ talks about recording your sightings. This quibble aside, the information is interesting and the statistics given in the first chapter make for some depressing reading. For example, in the past 50 years, 10 per cent of British dragonfly species have become extinct and 25 per cent of bird species have declined, while since the Second World War, 97 per cent of our wildflower meadows have been destroyed.

The next chapter explains how to get involved with wildlife surveys, and if you are a keen garden wildlife watcher these are worth looking into. The information gathered contributes to our knowledge of animal behaviour and trends. Next is a section on how to encourage wildlife into the garden. This contains invaluable information on what food, shelter and habitats to provide if you want a good range of wildlife. You might already know about nest boxes, but what about Ladybird houses or nesting sites for Grass Snakes? Finally, there is some advice on what equipment to buy. Space constraints mean that only the briefest overview is given and much of this will be old news to the keen birder, while details of expensive binoculars, telescopes, cameras and webcams could easily frighten off the uninitiated.

The bulk of the book is taken up by part two. This is divided into four sections, corresponding to seasons. Within each section is a description of what the garden will look like at each time of year, then mammals, birds, plants, reptiles and amphibians and invertebrates are dealt with under separate headings, with each detailing what you are likely to see and how best to cater for wildlife during these months. For example, the section on winter explains this is the quietest time for insects and that peeking into insect boxes you might have put out could inadvertently kill the inhabitants. The first butterflies to look for are Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone and Peacock.

The book is filled with advice on how to get more involved, such as keeping a record of summer migrants for the BTO’s BirdTrack project. It is also richly illustrated, with the many colour plates augmented by drawings to help identify all kinds of species. The text is lively and accessible, and the variety of wildlife on offer means that there will be something for even the most jaded birder.

Gardenwatch isn’t a must-have for every birder’s bookshelf, but it certainly offers some good advice on how to make the most of your garden and would make a great gift for anyone interested in learning more about watching wildlife.

Tech spec

• Gardenwatch: Making the Most of Wildlife on Your Doorstep by Sarah Whittley (New Holland, London, 2008).

• 128 pages, 100 colour photographs and 100 colour artworks.

• ISBN 9781847731128. Hbk, £14.99.

Available from Birdwatch bookshop

First published in Birdwatch  196:54 (October 2008)