Hoopoe – A blog by nhbs – The NHBS Conservation Hub

The NHBS Guide to Hedgehog Houses

How to choose, site and maintain a hedgehog house, covering materials, placement, bedding and cleaning, with product picks from NHBS.

A hedgehog house gives one of Britain’s most loved garden visitors somewhere safe to nest in summer and hibernate through the winter. This guide covers what to look for when choosing one, where to site it in your garden, what to put inside, and how to look after it year after year. Whether you’ve just spotted a hedgehog in the garden or you’re putting a box in ahead of autumn, everything you need to get it right is below.

Why hedgehogs need a place to shelter

Hedgehog numbers in the UK have fallen sharply over the last few decades, with the State of Britain’s Hedgehogs report in 2022 from PTES and BHPS showing steep long-term declines in both rural and urban populations. The gardens they once passed through have become harder to live in. Fences with concrete footings, tidier borders, less leaf litter and fewer hedges all mean fewer safe places to rest during the day, raise young in summer, or hibernate through winter. A hedgehog house gives them back one of those missing pieces.

What a hedgehog house does that a garden alone cannot

A well-sited box provides a dry, predator-resistant space with a stable temperature. Wild nests built in leaf piles or under sheds are vulnerable to flooding, disturbance from dogs and foxes, and collapse during strimming or autumn clear-ups. A proper hedgehog house is designed to survive all of that and still be there next year.

When hedgehogs use a nest box

Hedgehogs use nest boxes across all four seasons, not just for winter hibernation. Females use them as maternity nests in June and July. Males and non-breeding females use them as day nests through spring and summer. From October onwards, hedgehogs look for a hibernaculum, which is the nest they will stay in from around November until March or April depending on the weather.

Next, the features that separate a good box from a bad one.

What makes a good hedgehog house

Not all hedgehog houses are built equally well, and the differences matter more than the price tag suggests. Four things decide whether a box will actually be used and whether it will keep its occupant safe.

The entrance tunnel and why its length matters

The entrance tunnel is the single most important feature on a hedgehog house. A straight hole in the front of a box is not enough. Badgers are a natural predator of hedgehogs and can reach through short openings with a paw and pull a hedgehog out. A proper tunnel should be at least 11cm long and ideally closer to 15cm, with an internal right-angle turn or offset chamber so a badger cannot reach the nest directly.

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society lists badger-proofing as a core requirement for any hedgehog house they recommend. If the box you’re looking at has a short, straight entrance, it’s not doing the job it’s meant to do.

Ventilation and drainage

A sealed box traps moisture, and damp bedding is worse for hedgehogs than no box at all. Look for small ventilation holes near the top of the box, away from the nest chamber, along with either a raised base or drainage holes in the floor. Woodcrete boxes handle this differently to wooden ones because the material is breathable to begin with.

Internal chamber size

The nest chamber needs to be big enough for a hedgehog to turn around and curl up, which usually means around 30cm square as a minimum. Anything smaller is uncomfortable and may be rejected. Anything much larger wastes space and makes it harder for the hedgehog to warm the nest with its own body heat during hibernation.

Ease of cleaning

You will need to clean the box once a year, so a removable or hinged lid

matters more than people realise. Boxes that have to be taken apart or tipped on their side to empty are a chore, and a chore that gets skipped is a chore that leads to parasite build-up and mould. Check how the lid opens before you buy.

With those four features in mind, the next decision is what the box is made of.

Wood or woodcrete, which is better

This is the most common question we get about hedgehog houses at NHBS, and the answer depends on how long you want the box to last and where you’re putting it. Both materials work. Neither is wrong. They suit different gardens and different budgets.

Wooden hedgehog houses

Wooden boxes are the traditional choice and by far the most widely available. They look natural in a garden border, they’re lighter to move around, and they tend to be cheaper. The downside is lifespan. Even good-quality timber boxes made from FSC pine or cedar will usually need replacing or refurbishing after five to ten years of outdoor use, depending on how exposed the site is. Softwood boxes with thin walls degrade much faster than that.

Woodcrete and woodstone hedgehog houses

Woodcrete is a mix of cement and graded wood chip that’s poured into moulds like concrete. The result is a heavy, breathable, rot-proof material that lasts for decades. We wrote a full material guide to woodcrete covering how it’s made and where it’s used. For hedgehog houses specifically, woodcrete holds a more stable internal temperature than wood, resists damp, and will not be chewed through by predators. The trade-off is cost and weight. Woodcrete boxes are two or three times the price of a wooden equivalent and need siting in a permanent spot because they’re awkward to move.

A quick comparison

Feature	Wooden hedgehog house	Woodcrete hedgehog house
Lifespan	5 to 10 years outdoors	25 years or more
Weight	Light, easy to reposition	Heavy, awkward to move
Thermal stability	Good, better with bedding	Very good, stable year round
Cost	Lower	Higher
Predator resistance	Depends on entrance design	Very strong
Look in the garden	Natural, blends easily	Solid, needs camouflage

If you’re buying your first hedgehog house and want to try a spot in the garden before committing to a permanent location, start with wood. If you know exactly where the box is going and you want to set it and forget it, woodcrete is the better long-term investment.

Wherever you land on materials, placement is what actually decides whether the box gets used.

Hedgehog house placement in the garden

You can buy the best hedgehog house on the market and it will sit empty for years if it’s in the wrong spot. Placement matters more than product choice. Hedgehogs are selective about where they nest and will ignore boxes that feel exposed, too warm in summer, or too wet in winter. Open our helpful infographic so see what the best places are:

Which direction should the entrance face

Point the entrance away from the prevailing wind and rain. In most of the UK that means avoiding a south-westerly aspect for the opening. North, north-east or east-facing entrances work well. This keeps driving rain out of the tunnel and stops the box overheating in full summer sun, which can make a nest unusable on hot afternoons.

How close to the house or shed

A box tucked against the base of a shed, garage or garden wall gets extra insulation from the structure behind it and sits in a naturally quieter part of the garden. Keep it away from patio doors, bin stores, and anywhere pets regularly go. Hedgehogs will abandon a nest site if they’re disturbed repeatedly in the first few days.

Cover, camouflage and insulation

Cover the box with leaves, twigs and loose branches once it’s in place. This does three things at once. It insulates the box against temperature swings, it camouflages it from foxes and domestic predators, and it makes the site feel hidden, which is what a hedgehog is looking for. A bare hedgehog house sitting in the open is far less likely to be used than a partially buried one under a hedge.

Places to avoid

Skip anywhere that floods, anywhere with a compost heap being turned regularly, anywhere a strimmer is used, and anywhere dogs have free access. Also avoid placing the box directly under a bird feeder, because spilled food attracts rodents and the traffic will put a hedgehog off.

Once you’ve picked the spot, the next question is when to put the box out.

Any time of year works, though hedgehogs are most actively looking for a nest in late summer to early autumn (scouting hibernation sites) and again from April onwards (maternity nests for the breeding season). Installing a few weeks ahead of either window gives the box time to weather in and lose its new smell, which makes it more likely to be adopted.

What to put inside a hedgehog house

This is where advice splits. Some sources say stuff the box with hay or dry leaves. Others say leave it empty and let the hedgehog build its own nest. Both approaches have merit.

Bedding materials that work

If you do add bedding, dry leaves are the best choice because they’re what hedgehogs use in the wild. Oak, beech and hornbeam leaves all work well. Barley straw or meadow hay from a pet shop is a reasonable second option. Put a loose handful in the nest chamber rather than packing it tight, because the hedgehog will rearrange whatever you give them.

Should you add bedding at all

The argument for leaving a box empty is that hedgehogs are fussy about nest material and will reject or reshape anything you put in anyway. The argument for adding bedding is that a box with some material in it already reads as a ready-made nest site and gets investigated faster. Our view is to add a small starter handful of dry leaves, no more, and let the hedgehog do the rest. You’re signalling that the box is usable without forcing a nest shape on them.

Materials to avoid

Keep cotton wool, shredded newspaper, wood shavings with strong scent, and anything treated with chemicals out of the box. Shavings from cedar or pine in particular can irritate a hedgehog’s respiratory system. Synthetic fibres tangle around legs and can cause injury.

Once the box is in and set up, it mostly looks after itself. Mostly.

Looking after your hedgehog house

A hedgehog house is low maintenance, but it does need one proper clean a year to stay useful. Skip this step and the box can build up parasites, old food debris, and compacted bedding that makes it less attractive over time.

When to clean it out

Clean the box once a year in April or early May. By then any hibernating hedgehog will have left, and the summer breeding season has not yet started. Cleaning outside this window carries real risk. Disturbing a box in winter can kill a hibernating hedgehog, and opening one in June or July can cause a mother to abandon her young.

How to clean it safely

Before you open the box, tap the side gently and wait a minute. If there is no movement or rustling, lift the lid carefully. Remove all old bedding and debris. Brush out the chamber with a stiff brush. Rinse with boiling water from a kettle if the box is wooden, or with a garden hose and scrub if it’s woodcrete. Let it dry fully before closing it back up and adding a fresh small handful of dry leaves.

Wear gloves. Hedgehog nests can carry fleas, ticks and salmonella, none of which are serious for a careful adult but all of which are reasons to wash your hands after.

Checking for occupants

If you tap the box and hear movement, close it and walk away. Come back in a few weeks. A box you can’t clean this year is still worth having. The clean can wait until next spring.

Knowing if a hedgehog is using the box

You don’t need to open the box to find out whether it’s occupied, and you probably shouldn’t. There are better ways to check.

Signs of use without disturbing the box

Look for droppings near the entrance, which are dark, shiny and usually have visible insect fragments in them. Hedgehog Street has a useful identification guide if you want to be sure of what you’re looking at. Look for a flattened path through nearby leaf litter. Check whether the leaves covering the box have been disturbed around the tunnel opening. All of these are reliable signs without any need to lift the lid.

Using a trail camera or nest box camera

A trail camera set up a few metres from the box, pointing at the entrance, is the best way to see what’s using it without any disturbance at all. Night footage will show the animal coming and going. We cover trail cameras in more detail in our Buyers’ Guide: Trail Cameras.

With the box sorted and monitored, there are a few common slip-ups worth flagging.

Hedgehog houses from NHBS

We stock hedgehog houses covering different materials, budgets and installation types. Here are the options worth knowing about.

Wooden options

Wooden hedgehog houses are the best starting point for most gardens. We stock two: a straightforward nest box, and a larger house with an integrated feeding shelter for gardens where you want to put food out as well. Both suit anyone trying hedgehog support for the first time.

Woodcrete options

The Schwegler Hedgehog Dome is the woodcrete option in our range, and the one to pick if you want a box that will outlast the garden around it. Woodcrete is the material we recommend for ecologists, wildlife gardens, and anyone wanting a permanent installation. The higher up-front cost is offset by decades of use without degradation.

Integrated options for new builds

For construction projects and garden redesigns, integrated hedgehog domes can be built into walls, hedging or new garden structures. These are popular with ecological consultants working on biodiversity net gain requirements and with homeowners planning ground-up garden builds. They’re not the right choice for retrofitting into an existing garden, but for new projects they offer a level of permanence a standalone box can’t match.

You can browse the full hedgehog house range on the NHBS site, along with hedgehog highway fence plates, feeding stations and related wildlife products.

Final thoughts

A hedgehog house is one of the most useful things you can add to a garden if you want to support one of the UK’s most threatened mammals. Get the four basics right, which are a proper entrance tunnel, a sensible chamber size, a good siting spot, and an annual clean, and the box will do its job for years. Buy the best one your budget allows, put it somewhere quiet and sheltered, cover it with leaves and branches, and leave it alone.

Browse the full hedgehog house range on NHBS, or look at the wider wildlife gardening category for feeding stations, fence plates and other hedgehog-friendly additions.

30 Days Wild 2026

30 Days Wild is the UK’s biggest nature challenge. Run by the Wildlife Trusts, this annual event takes place throughout June, returning on 1st June 2026 for its 12th year. It is suitable for people of all ages and backgrounds and aims to connect people with nature by asking them to do one wild thing a day for the whole month. The idea is simple: small, daily ‘random acts of wildness’ that fit around everyday life, wherever you live.

The challenge has grown enormously since it began. From 12,000 participants in its first year, it now reaches over half a million people annually, and more than three million people have taken part since 2015. Popular activities include wildlife-watching or doing something to help the plants and animals in your garden.

How it works in 2026

The weekly themes for this year’s event are:

Week 1 – Help wildlife where I live

Week 2 – Discover wildlife with my senses

Week 3 – Learn about wildlife

Week 4 – Get creative with nature and celebrate

Easy ways to get involved
There are plenty of simple ways to take part. Some of the most popular activities include listening to birdsong, identifying wildflowers, wildlife gardening, going on a bug hunt, making a wildlife home such as a bird box or bee hotel and sketching or painting nature. Other ideas include reading a nature book, exploring a reserve, having a plastic or waste-free day, watching a sunrise or sunset, switching to a more sustainable household product, litter picking, or taking a wildlife photo.

If you are looking for inspiration for activities during 30 Days Wild, why not check out some of our guides below:

Bat Walk – The kit you need and the best times and places to catch a glimpse of bats in June.

Moth Trapping – When and where to set your trap to discover the moths visiting your garden (and see our guest blog from the BS3 Moth Club for some further tips).

Pond Dipping – What you need, when and where to go, and what to look for. Great for all ages.

Rockpooling – How to plan a trip, the kit and methods to use, common rockpool species, and recommended reading.

Hedgehog Watch – How to make your garden hedgehog friendly, tips for watching them, and books for further reading.

Wildlife gardening (part 2 here) – A two-part series on attracting pollinators, feeding birds and mammals, and creating habitats.

Get your free pack!
You can sign up for 30 Days Wild on the Wildlife Trusts website, where you will receive a free downloadable or postal pack full of activities, games and a calendar to help you plan your month. There are packs for individuals and families, as well as for businesses, schools and care homes.

Let us know in the comments what you plan to do for 30 Days Wild!

Guest blog from Charlie Tallis: BS3 Moth Club on a mission

Created by mother-daughter duo Charlie and Willow, the BS3 Moth Club is a brilliant initiative that aims to introduce people to the magic of moth-trapping and the amazing wildlife present on our doorsteps. As big supporters of the BS3 Moth Club’s mission, we were delighted to donate one of our NHBS Moth Traps and see it put to good use in the club’s community moth mornings across Bristol. Here, Charlie Tallis (BS3MothClub@gmail.com) shows us how they got on with the trap, tells us more about how the project began, and shares some tips on how to start your journey into the world of moth-trapping.

Charlie writes:

Nothing beats starting your day with moths.

You step outside, cup of tea in hand, still half asleep, and head towards the moth trap you left glowing in the garden overnight. You lift the lid… and suddenly the morning becomes a treasure hunt. You genuinely have no idea what will be inside.

Sometimes it’s a handful of familiar regulars. Sometimes it’s something you’ve never seen before. And occasionally It’s a species so beautiful, bizarre, or perfectly disguised that you can’t believe it’s been living in your garden all along. That sense of surprise is one of the reasons moth trapping is so addictive.

It fits neatly into real life too. Set the trap the night before, go to bed, and in the morning, before the school run or the commute, you get to experience something genuinely wild. It tunes you into the seasons in a way that little else does. Moths become your calendar.

NHBS Moth Trap at night. — NHBS Moth Trap at night

Seeing a moth up close is often a revelation. The intricate patterns, clever camouflage, and soft, furry textures are impossible to appreciate when they’re fluttering around a streetlight. Some look exactly like a broken twig. Some travel thousands of miles to reach your garden. All are vital to the ecosystem, supporting the birds, mammals and amphibians that feed on them, and acting as exceptional pollinators. Extraordinary creatures, hiding in plain sight.

We decided to make it our job to bring them out of the shadows and make these humble garden visitors visible to all.

Which is why, back in April 2024, my ten-year-old daughter, Willow, and I launched BS3 Moth Club: a community project with a simple mission – to help the world fall in love with moths, starting in BS3 (South Bristol).

We travel around with our moth trap, running moth mornings where neighbours can see what appeared overnight in their gardens or community spaces. There’s always excitement, curiosity, and genuine surprise that these marvellous creatures can be found right here. For many, it’s their first real encounter with moths at all.

To reach beyond BS3, we share photos and videos on Instagram, deliver talks, and create zines and fact sheets, spreading the word that extraordinary wildlife lives in the most ordinary places. We want people not just to fall in love with moths, but to understand how to support them in their own gardens, and why that matters. The macro picture, informing micro actions, shared in a fun and positive way.

The dream is to run free, accessible community moth mornings across the city, funded by private sessions, membership and talks.

So, you want to give moth trapping a go?

We’re lucky that our garden in BS3 backs onto a park, so we get a wonderful mix of species. Some of our personal favourites include:

The Lime Hawk-moth, the first hawk-moth we ever found in the trap.

The Oak Eggar, just like a warm, fuzzy teddy bear!

The Black Arches, whose hand-drawn scribbles are mesmerising.

The Large Emerald, so elegant and impossibly green all over.

If you fancy trying it yourself, warm, still, overcast nights are usually best. Numbers really pick up from April and peak through summer, though you can find moths year-round. Check the trap as close to dawn as possible, and look carefully around it before you open it up, as moths often settle nearby. Take your time. Being out in the fresh morning air that early is a such a special experience. It sets you up for the day in the best way.

For identification, ObsIdentify and iNaturalist are brilliant on your phone, alongside a good field guide for the trickier ones. We love the Concise Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland. Once you’re done, you can leave the trap in a cool, shady spot for moths to disperse naturally at dusk, or gently move them to sheltered spots in your garden.

There are a lot of species to get to grips with at first, but it comes with practice. Moth encounters are so magical, the names just stick. And if you’re able to, submitting records to your local recording scheme, Butterfly Conservation, or iNaturalist means your findings contribute to national data, turning curiosity into something genuinely valuable.

Remember to have fun! When we host larger moth mornings, we don’t obsess over documenting every species. It’s more about connection and curiosity. There’s room to enjoy wildlife in all kinds of ways. Spreadsheets aren’t for everyone, but if they are for you – hurrah!

So if you’re even a little bit curious, find us on Instagram @BS3MothClub, join a moth morning, or treat yourself to your own trap. You won’t regret it.

Charlie Tallis BS3 Moth Club

Author interview with Lin Baldock, Charlotte Bolton and Iain Dixon: Marine Crustaceans of Britain and Ireland

The Seasearch Guides have helped to revolutionise marine recording. Focused firmly on identification in the field, the books use top-quality photography, diagrams and clear text to highlight the things to look for in a typical encounter underwater or on the shore – i.e. the features that are most useful to recreational divers and rockpoolers. Having previously tackled seaweeds, fishes and sea anemones, among other groups, the latest in the series shines a light on the crustaceans, a diverse and fascinating group whose members are ubiquitous in marine environments.

Ahead of publication of Marine Crustaceans of Britain and Ireland, we had the pleasure of talking to the authors, Lin Baldock, Charlotte Bolton and Iain Dixon, about the inspiration for the book and their hopes for how it will contribute to recording efforts.

This is the latest instalment in the popular series of Seasearch photographic guides to marine life. Could you tell us a bit more about the series and its aims?

Charlotte says: As with so much about the community-based Seasearch project, the series emerged organically from the perceived need to support volunteer recorders and to ensure that the data produced was as accurate as possible. The series of guides follow on from the original UCS mini-prints (remember having to stick in the photos yourself?). Chris Wood (the first National Seasearch Coordinator from 2003 to 2016) was responsible for either authoring guides or persuading people to write one on their specialist subject – all done on a voluntary basis. They had pride of place on my bookshelf when I first started carrying out Seasearch surveying and recording and I particularly wanted to expand and update the range during my tenure as National Coordinator. Retirement has given me more ‘spare time’ to dedicate to this. Concentrating on in situ pictures to emphasise visual recognition and remove the need for sampling, with the images sourced from the recording community as well as the authors, the guides are both accessible and inclusive. Early editions were published by the Marine Conservation Society, then Wild Nature Press (bringing Julie Dando’s exquisite design eye and Marc Dando’s wonderful linework) took over, and now Princeton University Press (PUP) since their acquisition of Wild Nature Press. Without the support of these publishers the guides simply would not exist – it’s a very niche market!

And how did crustaceans come to feature in the series? Can you share the origins of this guide?

Charlotte says: Crustaceans were an obvious candidate for the Seasearch guide treatment, but we needed to find authors willing to write the book! Robert Kirk (head of Princeton Nature at PUP) was always keen to see a crustaceans guide and is a big fan of the series. Lin Baldock stepped up to the challenge (in the process revealing her familial connection to the group), Iain Dixon earned his PhD studying amphipods so was an obvious choice for that group and I came on board (as author, upgraded from series editor) to provide the interface between the experts and the book audience – it was a steep learning curve and an unexpectedly immense amount of work.

Crustaceans are amazingly varied, ranging from planktonic copepods through the Britain’s biggest arthropod, the European Lobster. How did you decide which species to cover when dealing with such a diverse group?

Lin says: It was a real challenge selecting the species we might include and the list was growing right up until the press proofs were delivered. The criteria we used to narrow the list were as follows:

Is it likely to be encountered by divers, snorkelers and beach walkers in the intertidal and shallow waters (<30m) around Britain and Ireland? (This excludes extremely rare species)
Can the species be accurately identified in the field without the need to resort to collection and microscopic examination?
Is the animal large enough for the critical features for accurate identification to be captured in field photographs?

The minute planktonic species so vital to pelagic marine ecosystems and the plethora of highly specialised parasitic crustaceans are mentioned and users pointed to freely available ID resources on the internet. We felt it was important that wherever possible we should provide pointers to articles that are freely available through open access.

Charlotte says: We wanted to cover ‘everything’ and in fact sneaked in pycnogonids as a bonus group bearing a resemblance to spindly spider crabs despite not being crustaceans… Obviously this was wildly ambitious and constrained by the page count available as well as the availability of images and the likelihood of being observed and recorded. The initial plan evolved and the book actually ended up being about 40% larger than originally anticipated.

How did you set about the task of gathering photos? Did you have to make dedicated field trips for some images?

Iain says: Photos were gathered from the authors’ collections, but most came from a wide circle of friends and contacts in the wider Seasearch community. Obtaining images from as wide a variety of people as possible is important as a means of ensuring buy-in, spreading the word and gaining feedback for improvements. On the whole this gave us most of what was needed and, because of the serendipitous nature of wildlife spotting and photography, dedicated field trips were generally unlikely to yield the specific results that might have been required.

Lin says: I had always been fascinated by crustaceans so I had built up an extensive image library of the larger crustaceans found around British and Irish coasts over the years. Our main source of images, however were contributions from members of the Seasearch community who themselves have been collecting images from all around our coasts for decades. We are hugely grateful to those many individuals who freely provided their images for us to use, without this invaluable library of pictures to hand we would have struggled to get hold of all the images we needed.

There was one group for which we did make a focused effort to collect images specially for the guide: the hermit crabs. The classic guides to this group of charismatic crabs require the animal to be sampled and reduced to a series of body parts resembling an Airfix kit while focusing on microscopic detail of the mouthparts or other inconspicuous appendages in order to name the species. Contributions of detailed macro photographs from a number of enthusiastic Seasearchers proved that the eight species of hermit crab likely to be found in shallow British and Irish waters can be reliably identified using the colour of live animals specially their legs, antennae and antennules. In fact a review of images submitted by Seasearchers showed that some species of hermit crab are much more common in habitats such as Scottish sea lochs than the records available on national databases would suggest.

We hear a lot about shifting marine communities, with the spread of warm-water species and arrival of invasives. Are we seeing changes in our crustaceans too?

Lin says: Yes, indeed the crustaceans as a group are not immune to changes in distribution. Changes in distribution are always hard to pin down but my impression (being based in Dorset) is that there are a number of native species which we have included in the guide which are now rare or no longer occur along the south coast of England despite the fact that the type locality for the species was located there. I call these ‘climate change losers’ which are retreating north or into deeper, cooler waters.

Non-native species are of course an ever present threat: examples are the Chinese Mitten Crab with its highly destructive behaviour of burrowing into muddy river banks seriously threatening the integrity of our flood defences in some parts of the country, or the replacement of our native Green Shore Crab by the invasive Brush-clawed Shore Crab in the estuaries of eastern England. Records of changing distributions raise the semantic puzzle of whether the species is an introduced non-native crustacean or simply a native species extending its geographical range northwards as climatic conditions change to suit its requirements. Just before the guide went to press we were alerted to a first record of a non-native crab species from the Solent highlighting the fact that we should constantly be on the lookout for the new and exotic.

Iain says: Yes, range changes over time are apparent in crustaceans as in all groups; certain species once thought to be mainly southern in distribution are now being observed further north and new species from warmer parts of Europe are appearing on the south coast. At the same time, species familiar in more northern waters are disappearing as our waters become warmer.

Finally, what do you hope this guide will do for interest in, and recording of, crustaceans?

Charlotte says: Hopefully it will persuade people to look more closely at what they are seeing on the shore or underwater – it has certainly opened my eyes. It should also highlight how much information can be gleaned from images taken with modern compact cameras – it’s not necessary to spend thousands of pounds nor to sacrifice animals in search of a label. One mark of success will be if the range descriptions and distribution maps rapidly become outdated because people have been encouraged to go out and see what they can find (and record it!).

Iain says: We very much hope that this guide shows that it is possible to identify species by direct observation and from photographs, and that species collection, dissection and microscopic examination is not always absolutely necessary. We hope that this guide sheds light for many and encourages closer examination, particularly of those groups which might formerly have been thought of as being ‘too difficult’. The more examination and recording that goes on, the more guides like this will improve and develop.

Lin says: We hope the guide will stimulate people’s interest in the group and provide an introduction to the huge diversity encompassed by the crustaceans. With my Seasearch recording hat on I anticipate a flood of species sightings helping us to build up a better picture of our crustacean fauna and future changes in distribution driven by shifts in climate or the introduction of non-natives. I am also hopeful that we may find better, more reliable ways to identify species in the field, thus teasing out some of the uncertainties which still exist in distinguishing species in some groups, particularly the spider crabs for example.

Author interview with Jack Perks: The Great British River

Jack Perks brings Britain’s rivers to life with his beautiful new book, The Great British River. Packed with fascinating information, insights, and stunning photography, it offers a fresh perspective on Britain’s waterways.

A passionate wildlife photographer, TV presenter, and writer, Jack is widely recognised as a leading expert on British fish. His work behind the camera includes acclaimed shows like Springwatch, Countryfile, and The One Show.

Beyond television, Jack contributes to top nature magazines such as BBC Wildlife and Country Life, and he’s the author of several books, including Field Guide to British Fish. As vice president of WildFish Conservation, he is deeply committed to protecting aquatic life. Jack also hosts The Bearded Tit’s Podcast, where he chats with a diverse range of guests about the natural world with a light-hearted touch. On his YouTube channel, Chasing Scales, he shares his love for nature, angling, and aquariums, inviting viewers into his vibrant world.

We recently had the pleasure of talking to Jack about his new book and the wonders of rivers in general.

What inspired you to write this book, and how does it differ from your previous releases?

Rivers are such a close part of my life. Spending time filming wildlife about and below them has meant I’ve seen most major rivers across the British Isles, and it’s fair to say many have declined. I wanted to highlight some of the issues in rivers while also celebrating the wildlife that calls them home and how the public can still enjoy them.

Your book highlights a fun and diverse selection of rivers, species, activities, and places to visit. What criteria did you use to decide which items to include or exclude?

I tried to keep it fairly simple, starting at the source and ending at the estuary, but I was a few chapters short so added other interesting topics like chalk streams (an almost uniquely English habitat), urban rivers, Scottish spate rivers and even ponds!

With all the knowledge you hold, did you still encounter any unexpected discoveries or surprises during your research or writing process?

There’s always more to learn and that was the great thing when delving into the world of British rivers. Some highlights included learning how many of them were named, discovering regional names for rivers, and revealing the wildlife you might not even know is living in them, from beavers to barbel.

In recent times, there has been growing concern about the state of British rivers due to pollution, including sewage spills, which you also mention in your book. What can the public do to help protect and improve British rivers?

It can seem rather depressing, but I think it’s key to hold those to account who are causing these issues and not let up. Report sewage incidents, lobby your MP and do what you can in the meantime on a smaller scale, like litter picks, habitat improvement, etc.

How do you see the balance between preserving the natural beauty and biodiversity of British rivers while accommodating human activities such as recreation, agriculture, and urban development? What approaches do you think are most effective for achieving or improving this balance?

It’s a case of working with nature where possible. Not building on floodplains, for example, seems rather obvious to me. Rewiggling rivers to help with flows and flooding, and keeping spots where people can enjoy the river while also having areas where wildlife can be left in peace, are both important.

It’s been a decade since you set up the UK national fish vote, where 21% of nearly 7,000 voters chose the Brown Trout as Britain’s favourite fish. The Environment Agency has warned that this species might disappear from most English rivers by 2080. What are your thoughts on this?

I find the idea horrifying that British rivers could be devoid of such iconic species. Look at Water Voles, once found pretty much on every beck and brook in the country, but now our fastest declining mammal. Common species we take for granted can be under threat.

How optimistic or pessimistic are you about the future of British rivers?

I won’t lie, I’m a pessimist generally in life, but the remarkable thing about nature is that, given the chance, it can bounce back and bounce back quickly. We simply need to give it the opportunity, but if we don’t then it’s not looking good.

What do you think should be the next step in raising public awareness about Britain’s rivers?

I think the more people who know about the issues, the better. Certainly, in recent years it’s become fairly public knowledge that our rivers are on a downward spiral. It’s never been more vital to record on your local patch to show what is currently there – or, in many cases, what isn’t there but should be. Taking pictures and videos on your phone, or with a larger camera if you have one, means we can keep records of what’s living on the riverbank.

What makes British rivers unique compared to waterways in other parts of the world?

I suppose, put simply, it is that they are British! You could argue that many rivers in France, Belgium and the Netherlands are geographically quite similar, but our rivers are an important part of our history – being trade routes into cities, inspiring stories like The Wind In The Willows, and allowing us glimpses into the natural world, whether in the heart of London or a hidden valley in Monmouthshire.

Other books authored by, or with photography from, Jack Perks:

Field Guide to British Fish: Freshwater and Marine

A richly illustrated photographic handbook showcasing 200 freshwater and marine fish species found across Britain. It offers detailed identification tips, notes on behaviour and habitat, and conservation insights, making it an essential guide for enthusiasts.

Small Fry: Britain’s Tiniest Freshwater Fish

Small Fry celebrates Britain’s often overlooked small freshwater fish, blending detailed biology with engaging stories to inspire both academics and enthusiasts. Richly illustrated and accessible, it highlights their ecological importance and enduring charm amid growing conservation needs.

The Complex Lives of British Freshwater Fishes

This beautifully illustrated book reveals the complex lives of Britain’s freshwater fishes, highlighting their ecological, cultural, and conservation importance beyond angling. Combining scientific detail with stunning photography, it engages conservationists, anglers, and nature lovers alike.

International Dawn Chorus Day – 3rd May 2026

Singing Robin – James Wainscoat, Unsplash

Taking place every year on the first Sunday of May, International Dawn Chorus Day is an initiative that aims to inspire people to pay attention to one of the great spectacles (or rather symphonies) of the natural world. The Dawn Chorus is a cacophony of birdsong performed by birds trying to find a mate and establish their territories. In spring, as the days stretch longer, and birds start to think of breeding, these songs amp up, as males compete for the amorous attention of females.

Across the globe, on the 3rd of May, people will be setting their alarms to wake up before the sun, hoping to listen to a phenomenon that happens every day through the spring and early summer, everywhere, yet is often overlooked in our busy modern lives.

This year the RSPB has set a challenge for the UK to wake up 30 minutes before dawn, step outside and record what they hear, uploading it to social media using the hashtag #DawnChorusClub to share with as many people as possible and raise awareness. Here at the NHBS, we want to help people get the best experience possible recording these songs and have put together a short product list that can help you take your recordings to the next level.

Parabolic Microphones

Below is a selection of parabolic microphones in our range. Small Parabolic microphones are ideal for picking up bird song but may not be as effective with low frequency animal calls such as deer. Whereas large or full size parabolic can pick up animal sounds through a wide range of frequencies, from bats to birds to deer.

Small Parabolics – Ideal for bird song

BirdMic One Parabolic Microphone with Audio Interface

Our most popular piece of sound recording equipment, the BirdMic One is a compact, lightweight and great value parabolic microphone, designed to make recording simple. A parabolic microphone acts sort of like an audio zoom lens, for focusing on particular sounds, able to amplify sounds at 1.5KHz and above – perfect for capturing bird calls. The included audio interface connects directly to the parabolic dish and allows for direct connection to a smartphone so that you can use an auto ID app (such as Merlin) to record and ID bird species in real time. This item does not include an iPhone adapter (3.5mm jack to Lightning) which are readily available online.

BirdMic Pro Parabolic Microphone with Audio Interface

A step up from the BirdMic, the BirdMic Pro uses the highly regarded PRIMO EM272Z1 microphone capsules, boasting high sensitivity and virtually no self-noise, ensuring crisp and clear recordings. This Microphone also has more versatile connection options allowing you to connect to a SLR camera, or other handheld audio recording devices.

Full-size Parabolics – Ideal for a wide range of animal calls

Hi-Sound Stereo AOL Parabolic Microphone

A professional grade parabolic microphone, the Hi-Sound is extremely directional and can pick up sounds over long distances, making it ideal for seeing which birds are making each sound. This microphone uses two pairs of microphones separated by a baffle to capture sounds in stereo, like how your own ears work. The only additional equipment needed is a compatible recorder. The recorder must support PIP plug-in power if it uses a 3.5mm jack and phantom power if it uses an XLR lead. The microphone is fitted with a handle with comfortable foam grip and a 1m cable. More information about what kit may be needed can be found in our blog Introduction to sound recording .

Telinga PRO-X Parabolic Microphone System

Our top of the range parabolic microphone, Telinga is one of the most well-regarded sound recording companies in the world. The microphone is fitted with a 45 PPF cell foam windshield and has a frequency response of 60-20,000Hz, low self-noise and matched stereo microphone capsules. The dish is also foldable and will pack down to a diameter of 15cm (6″) making it easy to transport and store. As with before, please check before purchasing that your chosen audio recorder is compatible with the system you choose.

Passive Microphone

Song Meter Micro 2

For those of us who find ourselves unable or unwilling to rise at unsavoury hours, passive recording devices can help us get by. The Song Meter Micro 2 is an excellent, popular and cost-effective option. The simple yet innovative design of this recorder allows for a lightweight and fully weatherproof device with an impressive 240-hour battery life. This device can be set to record at any time for as long as you want from an app available online, enabling you to hear the dawn chorus once you’ve woken up.

Recommended reading on birds and sound recording

The Sound Approach to Birding:
The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Bird Sound

£25.00

Collins Bird Identifier Set

£39.98

Perspectives on Wildlife Sound Recording:
An Overview of Modern Practice

£35.00

Field Recording:
A Practical Guide

£20.00

Nature Boy:
A Journey of Birdsong & Belonging

£16.99

Author Interview with Paul Stancliffe and Jeff Baker: The Collins British Bird Identifier

The Collins British Bird Identifier offers a fresh and inventive take on the challenge of bird identification, highlighting the five features that can be used to definitively identify every bird species in Britain. With beautiful new artwork and clear labelling, the guide aims to simplify the process of bird ID and make it accessible and enjoyable for everyone, from beginner to expert.

Collins British Bird Identifier was developed by a team from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), comprising Paul Stancliffe, who developed the BTO’s bird identification courses, and Jeff Baker, field guide illustrator and former BTO Marketing Director. We recently had the pleasure of talking to Paul and Jeff about the concept behind the guide and the process of bringing it to life.

Firstly, how did the two of you come to work together on this project?

Jeff says: Paul worked with me at the BTO for many years. I project managed a couple of Paul’s books – Collins BTO Guide to British Birds and Collins BTO Guide to Rare British Birds. Having worked on these he came up with an idea that perhaps all British species could be identified using just five features.

Paul says: I have kept notes on the identification of tricky species for many years and have often thought that I could share them more widely. Having worked successfully with Collins before they were the obvious publisher to approach once I had checked and double checked that the five features concept worked. I have always liked Jeff’s artwork and for me the choice for him to illustrate this book was an easy one.

The guide gives a novel but very effective take on the challenge of bird identification. How did the idea of the ‘five features’ approach come about?

Paul says: It has taken a lot of time and thought but I think the process began for me with my first ‘proper’ birding notebook over fifty years ago where I noted features that would help me identify birds that I saw if, and when, I saw them again. For some species only one or two but for others more. This approach has served me well and around a decade ago I began looking at how many features were needed to identify a species of bird beyond doubt – five seemed to be the answer and I then began testing this around Europe and the Middle East and during a trip to North America. It worked very well.

Was it difficult to whittle ID features down to five for some species?

Paul says: Identifying the five features needed took me over a decade of research, mostly in the field though many were already in my notebooks. There are a small number of species where one or two more features may help. Even with those, if the five features given in the book are seen, you can be confident you have the right bird, though that’s not always easy in the field, particularly with secretive and flighty birds.

A bonus of this guide is the inclusion of all birds recorded in Britain, meaning it doubles as a beautifully illustrated checklist of British birds. Were there any challenges in expanding the scope to cover rarer visitors?

Jeff says: Yes, the very rare species, and even scarce species I have not seen, posed more of a challenge when it came to illustrating them. Fortunately, the reference material available today, especially given the vast wealth of photographic libraries as well as identification articles, papers and books, made the task much easier than it would have been say even ten years ago.

Creating the illustrations, showing not just all species but all distinctive plumages, must have been a monumental task. Can you tell us a bit about the process and timeline?

Jeff says: The actual timeline from starting the illustrations for this book to finishing it was about four years. However, this is a bit misleading since a lot of detailed research on non-passerines birds was undertaken at the Tring Natural History Museum over several years to look for ageing and sexing methods using their vast collection of cabinet specimens. This work resulted in a guide to the Identification of European Non-Passerines (BTO Guide). This extensive piece of research work proved crucial for many of the non-passerine illustrations in this book. Also, as a bird ringer for over 55 years, I’ve been privileged to get up close and personal to hundreds of species and thousands of birds handled over the years. It all helps to build up a picture in your head!

Finally, what are your hopes for this guide in terms of how it will help to improve the identification process for birders, new or experienced?

Paul says: I hope it will give beginners a new approach to bird identification and provide experts with a handy memory jogger, but above all, I hope it will make bird identification less daunting for those just starting out, or thinking of taking up this wonderful hobby. It is not often that the opportunity to share a lifetime of watching and learning about birds with others is given.

Song Meter® SM5: A Guide to Wildlife Acoustics’ Passive Recorder Range

Wildlife Acoustics is a leading provider of bioacoustics monitoring technology, and since its founding in 2003 its products have been widely used by biologists, researchers, and government agencies around the world. Through a comprehensive range of recorders, bat detectors, and sound analysis software, the company has enabled the recording and analysis of thousands of hours of acoustic data, helping ecological professionals deepen their understanding of wildlife and ecosystem health.

Ahead of the release of the new flagship SM5 recorders, we have put together a brief guide to the passive recorder range, highlighting the some of the key differences and new functionality.

Key Improvements at a Glance

Extended Battery Life
The SM5 now accepts 18650 lithium-ion batteries, delivering up to 1,710 hours of recording. This is a substantial improvement over the SM4, which achieved approximately 440 hours in comparable configurations — making the SM5 far better suited for long-term and remote deployments.

Built-in GPS & Time Synchronisation
GPS and time synchronisation are now integrated directly into the SM5, eliminating the need for external receivers or antennas. This ensures precise metadata tagging and simplifies field setup.

Bluetooth Configuration
Configuration is now faster and more intuitive thanks to Bluetooth connectivity and a companion app, allowing users to manage settings in the field without opening the unit.

Expansion & Future Proofing
The SM5 includes an expansion port designed to support future accessories, including cellular remote access and data transfer, currently expected in 2027. This ensures the SM5 remains relevant as monitoring requirements evolve.

SM5 Bat vs SM Mini Bat 2: Which Should You Choose?

Why Choose the SM5 Bat?

The SM5 Bat is designed for demanding, long-term monitoring projects where flexibility and robustness are essential. Key advantages include:

Four channel recording (2 ultrasonic + 2 acoustic)
Simultaneous ultrasonic and acoustic monitoring
Exceptional battery life
Flexible power options, including solar compatibility
Increased storage capacity via dual SD cards

These features make the SM5 Bat ideal for multi-taxa monitoring, reducing the need for multiple devices in the field.

SM Mini Bat 2

The SM Mini Bat 2 remains a strong option for shorter term surveys or projects requiring a larger number of deployed units. It offers:

Acoustic or ultrasonic recording (not simultaneous)
A compact, lightweight design
A lower price point
Excellent flexibility for targeted studies

For users balancing budget, portability, and deployment scale, the Mini Bat 2 continues to be a practical and capable solution.

SM5 Bat vs SM4 Bat: What’s Changed?

The SM5 Bat takes everything users value in the SM4 Bat and enhances it further.

Key Differences:

Four independent channels (2 ultrasonic + 2 acoustic) for simultaneous monitoring of acoustic and ultrasonic calls
All the core SM5 upgrades, including:
Improved battery performance
Built-in GPS and time sync
Bluetooth configuration
Expansion port for future connectivity

For users currently running SM4 Bat units, the SM5 offers clear advantages in deployment duration, metadata accuracy, and future expansion.

Why Choose an SM5 Acoustic Recorder?

The SM5 Acoustic is the ideal solution for users requiring multichannel acoustic recording or deploying recorders in remote, hard to access locations. Its long battery life, integrated GPS, and precise time synchronisation make it particularly well suited to:

Longterm biodiversity monitoring
Remote ecological surveys
Projects where accurate metadata is essential

Like the SM5 Bat, it also includes the expansion port for upcoming cellular remote access.

Other Recorders in the Range

Song Meter 2

A good balance between functionality and affordability ships with one acoustic microphone but another can be added. Ideal for shorter term ecological surveys in less remote areas or where a larger number of recorders are used.
Insert pic here

Song Meter Micro 2

The most affordable and compact unit in the range, offering single channel recording. Although not as high fidelity as the SM5 or Mini 2 it an ideal choice for short term deployments where weight and budget are more of a considering that the highest quality audio.

Choosing the Right Recorder

Whether you need long-term, multi-taxa monitoring or a lightweight solution for short-term surveys, Wildlife Acoustics’ passive recorder range offers a solution to match almost any project requirement. The SM5 stands out as the most powerful and future ready model to date — delivering longer deployments, easier configuration, and expanded monitoring potential in a single, flexible platform.

Interview with Emma Onyejekwe: Mammal Society’s Mammal Champion 2026

Emma Onyejekwe is a Registered Veterinary Nurse and Citizen Scientist with a lifelong passion for helping animals and conserving wildlife. After qualifying she volunteered internationally before the COVID-19 pandemic shifted her focus to the UK. Alongside her veterinary role, Emma began volunteering locally and developed a strong interest in British wildlife. In 2021, her involvement with the Royal Parks ‘Hedgehog Heroes’ inspired Emma to explore hedgehog presence on Mitcham Common, where surveys confirmed their presence and led to the creation of the voluntary Mitcham Hedgehog Project.

We recently caught up with Emma to discuss her conservation project, Mammal Champion of the Year award, and plans for the future.

To start with, could you tell us a bit about yourself and how your passion for wildlife first began?

I’ve always been driven by a deep love for animals, which originally led me become a Registered Veterinary Nurse. For seven years, I worked within small animal clinical practices, but I always carried a dream of working with wildlife. In my early career, this took the form of traveling abroad to volunteer on various projects with wildlife.

However, my specific passion for British wildlife actually began closer to home during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the world slowed down, I found myself truly noticing and appreciating the local species in my own back garden. That newfound connection inspired me to start volunteering at a local wildlife hospital, and it ultimately became the catalyst for my decision to pivot my career toward wildlife conservation.

Congratulations on being named the Mammal Society’s Mammal Champion 2026. This award recognised your work on the Mitcham Hedgehog Project – could you explain the project’s aims and what inspired it?

Thank you! It’s an honour to be recognised. The primary goal of the Mitcham Hedgehog Project is to identify where hedgehogs are present in the residential areas and green spaces around Mitcham Common. We aim to support hedgehogs in our area by uniting the community and local stakeholders while promoting conservation efforts. These efforts include citizen science surveys, the creation of hedgehog highways, and the development of hedgehog-friendly greenspaces.

The inspiration for the project came from my time volunteering with The Royal Parks’ ‘Hedgehog Heroes’ survey. It made me wonder if hedgehogs were present on my own local Common. Collaborating with the Friends of Mitcham Common and securing a grant from the Mitcham Common Education Trust, we conducted initial surveys in 2022 and 2023. Confirming their presence was what encouraged me to launch the project in 2024. I was also inspired by the work being carried out by ZSL London Hogwatch, following my time volunteering with them.

What survey methods did you use during the project, and did any of the results surprise or particularly interest you?

Our main survey methods involve footprint tunnels and trail cameras. We’ve been very fortunate to have the ongoing support of ZSL London Hogwatch for our garden camera surveys, and we also conduct spotlight surveys under a Natural England license.

One particular garden survey stood out as a highlight. I worked with residents who had lived in their home for 26 years and had never once seen a hedgehog in their garden. They were so fond of the species that they had recently installed a ‘hedgehog hole’ in their metal gate and even travelled all the way to a rescue centre in Lewes just to see one up close! Though they were convinced we wouldn’t find anything, they agreed to a camera for two weeks. To everyone’s surprise, the camera captured a hedgehog. We were curious to see if they used the hedgehog hole, so set up another camera up for two weeks – this time capturing video footage. This revealed that at least one hedgehog was visiting every single night! It was a wonderful to see. The residents have since encouraged one of their neighbours to create a hedgehog hole and have set up a feeding station. Since the garden is opposite the Common, it was also a vital piece of data confirming that hedgehogs are crossing the road to utilise residential habitats.

In what ways did the project benefit wildlife on the common, as well as the surrounding local community?

For wildlife, our survey data directly influenced an amendment to the Common’s management plan. They now cut and clear selected grassland areas to maintain a mosaic of cut and uncut areas in any one parcel in any one given year. This benefits not just hedgehogs, but a whole host of other species.

For the community, it’s been wonderful to see people connect over a shared purpose. As one of our volunteers beautifully put it: ‘Being outside with a group of likeminded, decent people was rewarding in itself! I’ve been inspired to learn so much more about our spiky friends—and, more importantly, exactly what to do to help them.’

Finally, what’s next for you – are you planning to expand the project, or looking for something new?

I’m definitely looking to grow the project! I’m currently planning to expand the project into the neighbouring borough of Croydon to support the hedgehog population there.

One thing I’ve learned is that because hedgehogs are nocturnal and naturally elusive, it can be a slight barrier to community engagement. To help with this, I’ve set up a constituted community group – Our Wild Life – to connect people and wildlife, forming a general wildlife group, with a strong community focus. Hedgehog’s will always have my heart though!

Author Interview with Jackie Morris: The Book of Birds

Jackie Morris – Photo credit Urszula Soltys

Jackie Morris is an artist, illustrator and writer based in Wales. She has created many enchanting books, from fantastical adventures for children to wild folk tales for grown ups. Along with celebrated nature writer Robert Macfarlane, Jackie Morris Co-created The Lost Words (and its companion Lost Spells and Spell Songs), which has become a touchstone phenomena in British publishing for its celebration of wildlife, its consolation for the plight of nature in the UK, and for it’s rallying call to everyone and anyone to engage or re-engage with the natural world.

The Book of Birds is the newest collaborative title from Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane, released early this Summer as many of the species included in the book will be hopefully re-establishing nests and singing their songs among us. We’re thrilled that Jackie kindly took time to talk with us about this project ahead of the books release in May!

Are there particular books that have been important to you in your life, that have inspired your passion for, and celebration of, the natural world?

The main book that has lived a life with me is the Reader’s Digest Book of British Birds. It was published in 1969 I think, and these books (Reader’s Digest) were bought on subscription via a mail order catalogue. Iconic. I know it lives with and has inspired so many others. A tawny owl on the cover and no title or author names as it was co-created by so many people (almost but not quite 100% white men, Raymond Harris Ching being one of the foremost illustrators. And, I must confess, in the 56 years it has lived with me I have only ever read the pictures. But how I have read them. Taking in the shape of each bird deep into the eye of the soul.

As a child I copied the paintings, in crayon, then later in paint, learning the shapes and the English names of the birds, but even then understanding that these were not ‘British’ birds. For how can a cuckoo, who spends her life in so many other skies, be claimed by any nation? Is this why I love birds? They were my first realisation that humans are surrounded by other lives, equally as important as our own.

We had few other books in the house, but I did have a tiny Observer’s Book of Wild Flowers, bought with birthday money, for when we went on holiday to Torcross in Devon so I could learn the names of the flowers that grew there. I didn’t read that one either, but now love the language of these tiny classics. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to read, it was simply that I found reading so hard and incomprehensible, where as images were so perfect, accessible, easy to read. I did learn to read, but was slow to catch the way of it all.

The Book of Birds marks your fourth collaboration with celebrated nature writer Robert Macfarlane after the monumental The Lost Words and its subsequent Spell Songs, and the magical pocket-sized follow up The Lost Spells. Could you tell us more about how the collaboration between you and Robert began, and how the process looked working together on this new book?

The Lost Words grew from a few springs before it became a river. In Landmarks, Robert had talked of the dropping of words from a major educational dictionary as far back as 2007. This was picked up by Laurence Rose, a poet, who, like many, knew the power of language. He asked if I would sign an open letter to the dictionary’s publisher and willingly I did. This seeded an idea to make an illustrated slide show for The Guardian online, making these lost words into the central focus, to try to make them live again. But, the idea of a book of them wouldn’t go away. My idea was simple. Just the dictionary definition set in the way dictionary type is, a gold leaf icon, and I wrote to Robert, who I had only met through reading The Wild Places to ask if he might write a foreword. I had a reply. He was very sorry he said. He was busy he said, but he wished me luck with the idea. And he said lovely things about my work: he is very polite.

So, I got on with work. I had six books on contract at the time and was working my way through, writing The Quiet Music of Gently Falling Snow, illustrating another. A few weeks later an email came from Rob saying he couldn’t get the idea out of his head. Would I consider working on a children’s book with him around the idea, and I said, ‘not really’. I don’t want to do a children’s book, but a book ‘for people’ of all ages. So we talked, we passed ideas back and forwards, we wrote a proposal and Rob took it to his publishers and I think on the same day we had a resounding ‘yes please’. I was at Druidstone Hotel at the time, working on a short text (One Cheetah, One Cherry – very much a book for young children) and I remember the feeling of mild panic. Because now we had to do this thing.

Each book has been different. Each one a collaborative weaving of word and image. Birds is the third book in a curious series. Although there are two names on the covers there is a whole team of people behind these books, from our publisher and agent, editors and designers (Alison O’Toole designed Lost Words and Lost Spells, Daniel Streat designed The Book of Birds). Publishing is a collaborative experience that includes the book sellers and the readers. It is an ecosystem.

With birds, which took seven years, there was a constant dialogue between myself and Rob, responding to how we felt about, thought about each bird, each wonder. Then Rob would weave the words as a bird weaves a nest, and some came easier than others and likewise with the images.

I painted the 49 birds first and then had to tackle how to depict the wonders to wind poetry and awe into the images. The wonders are painted on claybord using shell gold. This change of visual pace gives the eye a breathing space, I hope, and sings a gentle song of wonder to accompany the beautiful words.

What formed the basis of the criteria for the 49 species chosen to feature in The Book of Birds?

Most of the 49 species were on the red and amber list when we first began the book. Because it took so long some birds moved off, others moved on, so there was negotiation with loss and each other.

In this new book, bird species are presented along with illustrations of their eggs. Were there particular species you enjoyed exploring for this project, or species who presented a challenge?

We are so lucky with our publisher. Not only did they understand as about seven deadlines whistled in flight past our ears, they also embraced things like, just as I finished the last painting, me phoning them to say ‘I’ve just had this idea. I think it’s brilliant, but it means I have to paint another 49 paintings. Hope that is ok. Shouldn’t take long.’ (This was the eggs that sit on each birds’ title page.)

Every single painting was a challenge, no more so than the simplicity of the perfect form of egg. When people say ‘you are so talented’ it grates a little. Every artist spends years learning how to master their chosen medium, struggling to learn the shape of things and how to communicate without words. Each blank page is such a challenge. But for The book of Birds, well, I just care so very much about these creatures. I am aware that I stand in the shadow of such great artists, from Tunnicliffe to Elizabeth Gould. They really knew and understood the shape of the bird. I am a beginner by their standards, but, when I paint what I am trying to do is to somehow show a glimpse of the soul of the creature, tree, seed, egg- whoever it is. I chase the essence. I always feel that I fall short of my ambitions but I guess this is what keeps me going. If birds did not matter so much to me maybe it would have been easier work for seven years, but nothing worth doing is easy, and embedding love, loss and a praise song into each and every piece is what I aimed to do. Each one is a prayer for the bird.

There is a serious plight acting as a catalyst for works like The Lost Words and The Book of Birds, namely the catastrophic decline of species, from both language and landscape. Could you tell us more about the role you feel art has in inspiring change, and integrating with science on these issues?

Art and science are integral to each other and both are seeded in the imagination. Music winds through this also and can thread ideas so deep in memory. It felt for a while that humans were making some headway at last after centuries of colonial degradation of species, environment. Rivers gaining rights, spokes people for forests and legal rights for forests and rivers. And then the world turned… It feels as if the world is in turmoil, but these are the very times when artists really need to go to work, to challenge, to try to find new ways forward, to imagine a better way to be. It’s hard to even think about in the chaos of today.

I am a pacifist. I am trying to understand the answer to this question myself, so if this seems a muddled and unsatisfactory answer then I can only offer up The Book of Birds as my answer for a reader to decide for themselves.

I wonder if you could tell us about what is next for you, if there’s any future projects you can share about?

I did threaten to retire after finishing The Book of Birds. But then I thought, well, in my retirement I might paint, or write a book.
Robert and I are, now and again, speaking of the seed of a new idea. It is slow to germinate as both of us are so busy, but I hope it will take root and grow. Meanwhile I am working on a new book with Hamish Hamilton, a small companion to the birds, perhaps an allegory, still very much feather related, and incubating at the moment. Also I am working with Tamsin Abbott who illustrated Wild Folk, a book I wrote and she illuminated with gorgeous pieces of glass. Our next book is coming together. Both working relationships are about friendship.