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Field guides and handbooks for wildlife of the British Isles

Field Guides from the famous Collins series
Pocket Guides (small enough for rucksack)
Handbooks
CD-ROM

 

The Butterflies of Britain and Europe
This is a photographic field guide, although photographs might appear to be the best recognition guide, a good artist will bring out characteristics as they appear in the field (although this is most relevant to birds).
The Butterflies and Moths of Britain and Europe
Hofman, Marktanner

US Version

The Birds of Britain and Europe
Peterson, Mountford Hollom
The Collins Bird Guide hardbackpaperback
Very complete field guide.
by Lars Svensson (Author), Peter J. Grant (Author), Killian Mullarney (Illustrator), Dan Zetterstrom (Illustrator), David Christie (Translator) 
The Nests and Nestlings of the Birds of Britain and Europe

Note:-It is an offence for unauthorised persons to take the eggs of any bird or to disturb the nests of rarer species.

The Wildflowers of Britain and Northern Europe
Including native trees and shrubs
The Alpine Flowers of Britain and Europe
Scottish Wildflowers
A country specific guide to weed out non relevant species.
The Insects of Britain and Northern Europe

note that only a representative selection are possible in a book of this size
The Mammals of Britain and Europe
When you do get that fleeting glimpse it pays to have researched the subject first.
The Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe

Wild Scotland
James McCarthy. Geology, plants, animals, birds, insects and marine world. Conservation and "where to see" guide.Illustrated with line drawings, photographs and maps.
Pocket Guides

Mitchel Beazley Pocket Guide to Wild Flowers
These guides are small enough to carry in the rucksack, approx 6ozs each.
Mitchel Beazley Pocket Birdwatcher's Guide
Was it a whale? The marine mammals of the Hebrides
Handy pocket guide to identifying cetaceans, invaluable on the Scottish Islands.

Handbooks

The Birds of the Western Palearctic Concise Edition in 2 volumes (not illustrated here)

The Handbook of the Birds Of Europe, The Middle East, and North Africa Vol 1 to 9, The Birds of the Western Palearctic 
Exhaustive and authoritative guide to the birds of our region in its nine volumes. This impressive work requires a strong book shelf but has everything you could want to know about our birds. A remarkable piece of work.An edition to treasure and pass on to your children.
Edited by Stanley Cramp.
Main contributors: DJ Brooks E Dunn R Gillmour J Hall-Craggs PAD Hollom EM Nicholson MA Ogilvie CS Roselaar PJ Sellar KEL Simmons KH Voous DIM Wallace MG Wilson 

Field characters - habitat - mortality - population (with maps)- movements - food - social pattern and behavior - breeding - voice (with voice sonograms) - plumage - moults - measurements - weight - structure - geographical variation. Colour plates of birds and eggs. Black and white illustrations of display postures etc.

"this almost incomparable work of reference" New Scientist
"monumental and utterly indispensable" British Birds
"each volume gets a little more breathtaking" World Birdwatch
"no serious rival" Nature
"It will clearly be the standard english reference for many years" Ibis

All nine volumes complete:-

Individual volumes:-
1 Ostrich to Ducks

2 Hawks to Bustard

3 Waders to Gulls

4 Terns to Woodpeckers

5 Tyrant Flycatchers to Thrush

6 Warblers

7 Flycatchers to Shrikes

8 Crows to Finches

9 Buntings to New World Warblers

vol 7, 8 and 9 together

 

Flycatchers to Shrikes
A plate from vol VII (part)
The Complete Birds of the Western Palearctic: CD ROM only
Concise Birds of the Western Palearctic plus CD ROM
A Naturalist’s Shetland – J Laughton Johnston – Poyser
Geology, history, ecology, resident and migrant species, migration, fish and whales, seabirds, the Fair Isle, local naturalists, oil, sustainability. Places to visit, reserves, species lists and populations. Illustrated with photos, drawings, maps and tables.