It's Naturalist, not Naturist! (The New Amateur Naturalist - Nick Baker)

Member Name: markos9

Product:	The New Amateur Naturalist - Nick Baker
Date:	19/05/09 (102 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gives people interested in the natural world the tools to explore.

Disadvantages: Section on handling snakes should have been left out.

Nick Baker will be familiar to many as a TV presenter from programmes such as The Really Wild Show. He is also an experienced naturalist and author of many books about wildlife.

As a child he was inspired by Gerald and Lee Durrell's book, The Amateur Naturalist. He is, therefore, admirably qualified to pen the updated version "The New Amateur Naturalist". This update is fully endorsed by Lee Durrell who has also written the foreword.

Many of us enjoy taking a walk in the countryside, or just around the garden, inspecting and admiring the plants and animals that we may encounter. For myself, one of the joys of a walk is unexpectedly coming across a shy mammal or beautiful bird; these experiences always enhance my days out.

This book aims to take this enjoyment a step further. Baker's goal is to help us to understand what we see, and learn to observe in such a way as to help us discover more about the natural world.

Baker firmly denies that to be an amateur naturalist involves a lot of science; no special knowledge is required to enjoy watching a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis, for example. He says that many of the best amateur naturalists he knows are kids.

This book then, gives the reader the knowledge to explore the natural world, be it in the garden, out in the British countryside, or on the African plains. The book is really aimed at people of all ages, from kids to adults. I can, however, see one fabulous use for this book; as a guide for an adult to aid a young child in exploring nature for the first time.

Baker gives us many tools and techniques to aid with this exploration. The equipment needed is first outlined; from binoculars and telescopes to note books and nets.

Each wildlife group is then explored, from birds, to mammals, to insects and plants. The different techniques for getting close to different types of creatures are explained in detail. How to make a 'hide' to get nearer to birds is shown. An alternative technique is to build a nest box and fit a camera. This wonderful wildlife spectacle can then be seen from the comfort of the living room!

For squeamish adults, some of the topics discussed may be a bit, well, gross! A full description of how to clean and mount bones and full skeletons is given, thankfully with a safety notice of the hazards of handling 'dead bodies' (kids, don't bring that dead badger home to your mum, I guarantee she won't be happy)!

Fortunately, many other 'nicer' techniques are explored, too. How to make casts of animal prints, and how to identify them is detailed, as is how to track the animals that made them.

One topic included which I don't agree with is the showing of techniques for capturing and holding snakes. Baker goes through the pros and cons of this and states that if people want to do this, he feels that, for their and the snakes' benefit, he should show them the proper techniques. I feel that this section should have simply have been left out.

Many other naturalist techniques are given too. If you want to know how to 'tickle' a lizard, or how to build an ant farm, go rock pooling, or make your own aquarium, these are all shown in excellent detail.

I always expect a book about the natural world to be filled with beautiful photographs of hard to see animals and birds and this book does not disappoint. More importantly, for a title of this nature though, are the excellent line drawing that illustrate the more practical aspects, such as building a bird box. These are extremely clear and colourful which makes them easy to follow.

I really enjoyed this book and learnt a lot from it. I do believe that anyone interested in the natural world will pick some useful information from this book. As I stated earlier, the best use for this book would be for an adult guiding a young child in their first explorations of the natural world. Imagine the joy on a young boy's face when his home built underwater viewer, enables him to visit the undersea landscape of an active rock pool, a world he's never even glimpsed before.

The book is available from Amazon resellers from £6.32.

Summary: An excellent way to learn about and explore the wildlife around us.