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‘A cracking read.’ IOLA WILLIAMS ‘What an incredible
achievement!’ ALISON STEADMAN ‘An inspirational odyssey.’
NICK BAKER 'Immediately accessible.' BBC COUNTRYFILE - Mike
Dilger's nationwide quest to find 1,000 wild plant species in a
single year. For most of 2020, Mike Dilger’s day-job of
travelling to the four corners of the British Isles all but
disappeared. Having been confined to one place by the Covid
pandemic, and with daily dog walks his sole permitted outdoor
pursuit, the simple pleasure of getting to know the flowers at his
feet reignited a long-buried botanical passion. Now Mike is on a
mission: to see a thousand different wild plants in one calendar
year, and assess how our fascinating flora is faring in modern
Britain. From Cornwall to Kent and Breckland to the Scottish
Highlands, Mike meets the resilient reserve wardens and courageous
conservationists tasked with protecting some of the nation’s
richest botanical sites, and experiences first-hand the many
difficulties associated with saving our rarest and most charismatic
plants. Taking in city centres, mountain tops and every conceivable
habitat in between, One Thousand Shades of Green is a manifesto on
how to love and conserve our green and pleasant land, and
celebrates the beauty and diversity of the nation’s plants.
Have you ever wondered what 'our' birds get up to when they're not
pinching our peanuts, pilfering our pyracantha berries or nesting
under the eaves of our homes? The One Show's natural history star
Mike Dilger tells us the answers in Nightingales in November. This
brilliant almanac tells the very different personal and annual
stories of twelve well-known birds we deign to call 'British'.
Through a lyrical narrative, Nightingales in November showcases
amazing avian facts gleaned over decades by birdwatchers, ringers,
nest recorders and migration recorders. The perfect 'dip-into'
book, any enquiring naturalist will be able to find out such facts
as where British-breeding swallows spend Christmas Day, when to
look out for juvenile tawny owls, or when is the best date in the
calendar to listen out for nightingales. By using a combination of
cutting-edge satellite technology and millions of ringing records,
Nightingales in November reveals the mysteries of migration,
tracking the regular movements of, for example, cuckoos for the
eight months they're not in the UK, or divulging why not all robins
are the 'stay-at-home' territorial types we once imagined.
Illustrated throughout by Darren Woodhead, the birds featured
include a rich mix of resident birds, summer visitors, winter
visitors and passage migrants. Nightingales in November is a great
read for anyone with a fondness for British birds.
Discover the amazing wildlife you can find in your own garden with
this fascinating guide! Find out all about garden birds, animals,
plants and creepy-crawlies. Turn the pages to discover colourful
butterflies, friendly robins, shy hedgehogs and much more. You
might even get some unexpected visitors! Features stunning
photographs, brilliant facts and handy tips on where and when to
spot the wildlife that visits your garden. The perfect guide for
young nature-lovers everywhere!
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Wild Town (Paperback)
Mike Dilger
1
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R436
R372
Discovery Miles 3 720
Save R64 (15%)
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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Wild Town takes you on an amazing journey through the secret world
of wildlife in Britain's towns and cities. With eye-catching
photography, fascinating facts, and details on the locals as well
as some unexpected visitors, this is the ultimate urban safari!
An insightful assessment of the nation's flora, following Mike
Dilger's quest to find 1,000 plant species over the course of a
year. For most of 2020, Mike Dilger's normal day-job of travelling
to the four corners of the British Isles to film wildlife for The
One Show all but disappeared, limiting his daily wildlife fixes to
those short walks to and from home with son and dog. With his wings
clipped, he couldn't shake the feeling he was missing out and even
felt he was suffering from some form of 'nature deficit disorder'.
But as spring slowly turned to summer, the simple pleasure of
getting to know the wild plants on his own local patch turned his
daily exercise from being somewhat tedious to utterly enthralling.
Realising how little he knew about the wild plants just beyond his
doorstep became the catalyst for reigniting a long-buried botanical
passion. With the arrival of 2021 and a third lockdown, Mike
decides to pack an eye lens and plant book alongside his trusty
binoculars to see as many of our wild plants as possible, with
1,000 species the steep target. With the 'plant race' running for
an entire calendar year, he joins up with other hardcore botanists,
pointing him towards good sites with impressive plant lists and
even precise coordinates for twitching for a small, select range of
marquee species. During the course of the year he meets up with the
resilient reserve wardens and courageous conservationists tasked
with protecting some of the nations' richest botanical sites, and
experiences first-hand the many difficulties associated with saving
our rarest and most charismatic plants.
After the best part of forty years spent either living under his
parents' roof, in the tropical rainforests of three continents, a
vast array of student digs or most recently a one-bedroom flat, The
One Show's Mike Dilger has at last bought a house - and with it, a
(potentially) glorious garden... 'Potential' was definitely the
word that sprang to mind the very first time Mike and his partner
Christina viewed their new 'house-and-garden-to-be' in a small
rural village some eight miles south of Bristol. And so begins
their year-long journey to create their very own wildlife
sanctuary. From otters to badgers, chickens to hedgehogs, an
orchard, a pond and compost bins, to the best birdlife imaginable,
what began as a straightforward mission soon became the adventure
of a lifetime. Illustrated throughout with beautiful
black-and-white line drawings by Christina Holvey, Mike Dilger's
partner-in-crime, this light-hearted nature tale with a twist will
appeal to wildlife enthusiasts and keen gardeners alike.
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