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Introduction

Like the monarchy, afternoon tea and the weather, Springwatch is a British institution. Of course it didn’t start that way: in fact, when it began, back in 2003, it wasn’t called Springwatch at all. Wild in Your Garden was a week of live TV programmes broadcast from a suburb of Bristol, presented by Bill Oddie, Kate Humble and Simon King. The following year it moved to Devon, was extended to three weeks, and turned into Britain Goes Wild. It wasn’t until 2005 that it finally acquired the name Springwatch.

Since then, it has changed location twice (to Pensthorpe in Norfolk and Ynys-Hir in mid-Wales), spawned numerous spin-offs, including Autumnwatch, Snow Watch and Winter Watch, and acquired a whole range of new presenters including Chris Packham, Martin Hughes-Games and Michaela Strachan. It has also become as fixed a part of the TV schedules as EastEnders and Top Gear.

The success of all these shows, and the various website content, campaigns and events surrounding them, is reflected in the fact that the British have rediscovered their age-old passion for wildlife. Actually it was always there, it was just that for a long time those in charge of the TV schedules preferred their wildlife to be foreign and exotic – lions and elephants rather than badgers and blue tits. Springwatch has shown that there is a real appetite not just for watching wildlife on our doorstep, but for learning about it, too.

That is what the Springwatch Guide to British Wildlife is all about. It is designed to help you learn more about the wildlife featured in the programmes: from the common and familiar species such as blackbirds and blue tits, through the more obscure examples such as natterjack toads and rare orchids, to iconic creatures such as the killer whale and white-tailed eagle. Each creature or group of plants or animals gets its own illustrated double-page spread, featuring fascinating facts and details of their lives.

Of course this can only scratch the surface: there are plenty of specialised guides available to every group of Britain’s wild creatures. But once you are hooked, it will hopefully inspire you to learn more about the wildlife we treasure so much.

©Marko König/Imagebroker/FLPA

The white-tailed eagle (also known as the sea eagle) is Britain’s largest bird of prey, with a wingspan of over 2m (6ft).