Temperate rivers are influenced by many factors including geology, climate, soils, sediment type, flow, as well as human activity. The complex interactions of the non-anthropogenic controlling factors have led to a wonderful diversity of river type throughout the British Isles. Sadly, almost all rivers in the UK have suffered significant and long-lasting modification by unsympathetic management, that has all but destroyed this variety, creating watercourses that are simplified conduits for water and sediment, designed primarily to drain the land and reduce flood risk. This volume aims to help reverse this, illustrating using over 200 images and descriptions, this variety of rivers in Britain, highlighting the many forms that temperate river systems take and providing an accessible summary of the underlying river science knowledge base. A Field Guide to British Rivers covers the full range of upland and lowland channel types and describes the full variety of substrate conditions from bedrock through boulder, cobble and gravel, to silt dominated systems. The authors describe examples gathered from their extensive research and practical experience working with rivers throughout mainland Britain and set those examples in their wider landscape context to exemplify the natural functioning of temperate river types. This book offers a practical and contextualised guide to contribute to efforts towards the sympathetic and sustainable restoration and re-naturalisation of degraded channels in the UK. Offering a unique viewpoint of both the underpinning science and the practicalities of river management, A Field Guide to British Rivers is an essential a stand-alone guide for anyone involved in river restoration and management as well as for those simply interested in rivers in general. Written as a field guide to demonstrate practical examples of river types, and to highlight the pressures they experience and their often-parlous condition, this book is intended to better inform both river management approaches and the policy necessary to achieve this. Fundamentally, the authors seek to demonstrate how the hydrological, geomorphological, and ecological functions of rivers and their catchments are inexorably intertwined, and together how they generate and maintain rivers as dynamic entities.

"Completely revised and expanded this Second Edition covers almost 300 individual species and groups of species seen underwater, from tiny fragile sea spiders to the massive planktonƯfeeding Basking Shark"--Publisher's website

A beautifully illustrated guide to the wide variety of species found in rivers, streams, lakes and ponds in Britain and Europe.

A comprehensively updated edition of an identification guide that was named a Guardian Best Nature Book of the Year Now in a comprehensively revised and updated new edition, Britain’s Spiders is a guide to all 38 of the British families, focussing on spiders that can be identified in the field. Illustrated with a remarkable collection of photographs, it is designed to be accessible to a wide audience, including those new to spider identification. This book pushes the boundaries of field identification for this challenging group, combining information on features that can be seen with the naked eye or a hand lens with additional evidence from webs, egg sacs, behaviour, phenology, habitats and distributions. Individual accounts cover 404 species—all of Britain’s “macro” spiders and the larger money spiders, with the limitations to field identification clearly explained. This new edition includes nine species new to Britain, many recent name changes, updated distribution maps and species information, new guides to help identify spider families and distinctive species, and the latest species checklist. A guide to spider families, based on features recognizable in the field, focussing on body shape and other characteristics, as well as separate guides to webs and egg-sacs Detailed accounts and more than 700 stunning photographs highlight key identification features for each genus and species, and include information on status, behaviour and habitats Up-to-date distribution maps, and charts showing adult seasonality Introductory chapters on the biology of spiders, and where, when and how to find them, including equipment needed in the field A complete list of the spiders recorded in Britain, indicating the ease of identification as well as rarity and conservation status Information on how to record spiders and make your records count, and guidance on how to take your interest further New to this edition: coverage of nine species new to Britain, updated species information and distribution maps, identification guides to spider families and distinctive species, and the latest species checklist

This compact, comprehensive field guide will enable you to spot, quickly and accurately, more than 400 species of fish, amphibians, shellfish and other forms of water life.

Bees are a fascinating and indispensable group of insects, but many species are in decline, and efforts to help determine distributions and changes in abundance have to date been compromised by a serious lack of identification resources. This book is from author Steven Falk, who is a professional naturalist and conservationist with over forty years' experience of working with bees. It is a comprehensive introduction to bee classification, ecology, field techniques and recording, a full glossary, and information on how to separate the sexes and distinguish bees from other insects. Also included are introductions to families and genera, describing key characters and life histories, as well as detailed species descriptions covering field and microscopic characters, similar species, variants, flight season, habitat, flowers visited, nesting habits, status & distribution, and parasites & associates. A series of innovative illustrated keys to genera and species are designed to guide the user step by step through the identification process. The book is illustrated with over 1,000 colour and black and white artworks by Richard Lewington, one of Europe's leading insect artists. It also includes stunning photographs of living insects as seen in the wild and 234 up-to-date distribution maps. This eagerly anticipated new addition to the highly acclaimed British Wildlife Field Guides series will unravel the complexities of identification, and is designed to cater for people new to the bee world as well as to more experienced recorders who wish to identify every species accurately. It provides the latest information on the identification, ecology, status and distribution of all 275 species of bee in Britain, Ireland and the Channel Islands.