Stephen Moss - Bill Oddie’s How to Watch Wildlife

Hang on. I could argue that all the above adjectives apply but … important? Is it really? This is the kind of question I’m frequently asked, especially when I’m attending a wildlife event. Inevitably, I will be interviewed by the ‘media’ – newspapers, radio, TV – and almost as inevitably the reporter will ask me: ‘So, Mr Oddie, why is (whatever the thing is) important?’ This may seem like a harmless and, indeed, supportive enquiry, but all too often it is said with a rather challenging inflexion, implying: ‘Come now, with all the problems in the world today, surely wildlife doesn’t really matter?’

In recent years, I have given up being patient and polite. Instead, I fear my response has a tinge of belligerence bordering on sarcasm. Like a typical politician, I answer the question with another question. ‘Why is music important? Why are sport, entertainment, drama or comedy important? Indeed, why are beauty, kindness, peace, love and understanding important?’ I don’t wait for the journalist to reply. ‘I’ll tell you why. Because they are all elements that make our lives richer and more enjoyable. They represent the best achievements and qualities of human beings. That is important.’

And that’s why wildlife is important too. Quite apart from the fact that wildlife has as much right to exist on this planet as we do, and that our very survival depends on natural resources, I would suggest that watching – and listening, learning about and understanding – wildlife enriches our lives. I reckon that’s pretty important, don’t you? Maybe I have come over a bit philosophical – nay, evangelical – but let’s at least accept that watching wildlife is what you want to do, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this book.

If I had to choose a single word to encapsulate the wonder of wildlife, I think it would be ‘variety’. Birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, marine life, flowers, trees, etc., they are all wildlife. Then there is the variety within each group: from ostriches to wrens, elephants to shrews, ants to butterflies, sharks to minnows, skinks to crocodiles, porpoises to whales, and so on. OK, not all of them exist in Britain, but there’s plenty to be getting on with.

There is also variety in the way you can watch – or should I say get involved with – wildlife. It can be a hobby or a job, a pastime or an obsession. You may simply want to know more about the birds in your garden, or you may feel compelled to pursue the creatures of Antarctica or the rainforest. You can become absorbed in scientific research, or you may not wish to ‘progress’ beyond feeding the blue tits. Anything is possible. Nothing is right or wrong. Never forget that.

Whatever level you wish to be on, it’s OK. Don’t be intimidated by the difficult areas. No one finds getting to know bird songs or identifying dragonflies easy. You can accept the challenge or decide it is not for you. It doesn’t matter. And don’t be put off by the sort of ‘experts’ that talk in a language that is unintelligibly technical or esoteric. Or, to put it bluntly, you can’t understand a word he or she is on about! Believe me, I have the same problems. One of the cardinal rules I always bear in mind when we are making a TV series is that while wildlife can be fascinating, it can also be excruciatingly boring! Well, talking about it can be!

We have tried to make both this book and the TV series – how can I put it? – accessible, entertaining and informative. You may or may not wish to take things further. By all means remain merely a viewer or a reader. There is nothing wrong with a bit of armchair birding or botany, but I would venture to suggest that if you enjoy wildlife on the screen or page, you may find the real thing even better.

One of the major elements of job satisfaction for me (and the team who make our programmes) is to hear from viewers who say that they have been inspired to get out and ‘see for themselves’, and that they are now ‘hooked’. That’s great news. Because not only have we helped them discover a new interest and pleasure, it also means that one more person can be added to the conservation lobby. If you enjoy something, you want to protect and preserve it. That too is important.

I hope this book will tell you how to watch wildlife, but – even more importantly – I hope it will help you to enjoy it. Go wild and have fun.

B CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PART 1 GETTING STARTED WHY WATCH WILDLIFE? WATCHING WILDLIFE IN YOUR GARDEN WILDLIFE BEYOND THE GARDEN GATE KEEPING A RECORD BASIC EQUIPMENT BASIC FIELDCRAFT GETTING HELP FAMILY WILDLIFE WATCHING PART 2 THE WILDLIFE YEAR USING THIS SECTION JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER PART 3 BRANCHING OUT ADVANCED EQUIPMENT JOINING UP MAKE SPACE FOR NATURE READING LIST INDEX Bill Oddie’s Acknowledgements Copyright Bill Oddie’s About the Publisher

If you are new to wildlife watching, your garden may not be the first place you would think of starting off. It’s certainly true that you are unlikely to step out of your back door and spot some of the really big spectacles – a sky filled with wild geese, or a wild flower meadow in full bloom. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing of interest – the secret to starting out at home is to delight in the detail.

Over time, what you are likely to see is a great deal more than you might at first realise. When was the last time you stopped and waited in your garden for more than a few minutes? Go on, have a try! Sit down in a quiet corner and look around you. At first you may think there’s nothing going on, but after a while the birds will get used to your presence and begin to return. A robin may hop across your lawn, blue tits visit the bird feeder, or a squirrel may appear on the fence.

Once you’ve begun really looking, start to tune your ears in too. What sounds can you hear? Traffic, a dog barking or an aircraft passing overhead? But as you filter these out you’ll hear birdsong, the buzzing of insects, or the rustle of a small mammal as it runs through the long grass.

Take a closer look: in spring or summer there may be butterflies or dragonflies; while even in autumn and winter there’s a lot more than you think, although you may need to do some searching under rocks, or lift a few logs to find it. Beetles, woodlice and larger creatures, such as newts and slow-worms, seek refuge in gardens during the colder months; while if you take a look inside the garden shed, you may even find a hibernating butterfly, wings tight shut against the cold.

Whatever the season, if you take just half an hour in your garden to look and listen, you’ll be amazed at what you discover. Think of it as a sort of Highway Code for wildlife watching – look, listen, then enjoy!

_ Keep a pair of binoculars easily to hand near your back window – you never know when you will need them in a hurry.

It’s also worth remembering that our gardens are arguably Britain’s biggest nature reserve. Together they provide over a million acres of land – an area the size of Suffolk – which can be home to some of our best wildlife. Also, you have a great opportunity to get to know your garden wildlife, and understand why it behaves in a certain way. After all, you probably spend more time at home than anywhere else.

But not all gardens are wildlife friendly. What you do in your garden makes a real difference to what you and your family will be able to watch and enjoy. And to be controversial for just a moment, all those makeover shows have not done us, or our wildlife, any favours. Wildlife likes your garden to be a bit rough round the edges, not all perfectly tidy. So if you’ve gone in for lots of slabs or decking, think about whether you have left enough places for wildlife to come and visit.