Interesting Beautiful Books on Urban Wildlife

this is how a robin works

This is How a Robin Works is a unique book by an American naturalist, on how nature is not just in a park or in the wild, but often right outside our door.

Nature can be a jumping spider on the screen, the bug in the shower, or the cluster of ladybirds. It’s the moss on brick (where gutters spill), a sprout in a storm drain, and the trash can lid that that birds bathe in.

The book begins with the author’s recollection as a child of being the only one to notice a dragonfly that had landed on a hat in a goodwill store.

She secretly takes it out to release it, wondering what would have happened, if nobody else had noticed it. And would they have rescued it too?

This ‘late-blooming naturalist with chronic illness’ now spends much of her time exploring the natural world, and encourages us to also have a zealous love for the flora and fauna that surrounds you. This urban almanac is weaved into 52 short lyrical essays, with earthy humour. 

Each essay offers a sketch of everyday wonders, focusing on habitat loss. Despite the sadness of a dead sparrow (perhaps due to preventable bird strike) or a dawn chorus that may not make your migraine better (but for sure won’t make it worse), this book celebrates nature by season, just as it is. On the pavement, in the backyard, in the park or in the parking lot.

Joanna is a suburban Thoreau. In essays that can be read as daily meditation, she takes us to pocket parks, dead mall parking lots and concrete canyons in pursuit of little ecological marvels. Georgann Eubanks 

She is a gift to the trees, the bees, the bats, the birds and me – as well as anyone else who is looking for microhabitats of hope on a fractured planet. She is my new favourite nature writer. Nancy Lawson

Brichetto’s keen eye wonders about the purpose of dandelions – is a dandelion to blow, or is it (as Thoreau mused) ‘the sun itself in the grass?’ Almost anything alive or dead merits her curiosity, voiced in cocktail party-worthy chatter. Barbara Jacobs

Joanna Brichetto is a certified naturalist, whose essays appear widely in the media. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee (USA).

How to help urban city wildlife

Wildlife-friendly urban gardens

  • Only cut and prune vegetation from September to February, outside of breeding periods (to help nesting birds – it’s a crime to harm them).
  • Safe havens for garden birds (know what not to feed birds (and how to site feeders/houses/bird baths safely – clear look-outs for predators and keep cats indoors at dusk/dawn when birds are feeding – avoid ‘climbable’ poles)).
  • Stop bird strike (switch off unused lights, avoid facing indoor foliage to gardens and place feeders less than 1.5 feet or more than 10 feet away).
  • Read more tips on wildlife-friendly gardens

If you share your home with animal friends, learn about pet-friendly gardens (many plants and mulches are unsafe near animal friends). And use nontoxic humane slug and snail deterrents (organic  gardens should take care of this by attracting birds, ladybirds, frogs and toads).

Wild City (encounters with urban wildlife)

wild city

Wild City (available on audio for blind readers) is a book that takes us on a fascinating journey into why we should learn to appreciate our fellow urban species, from the badgers of central Brighton to tunnel-dwelling Black Country bats. And even insects on the London Underground that are found nowhere else on earth.

The author shares what we might see (if we only take time to look). And how nature is adapting to human-engineered environments in unexpected and clever ways.

This a lyrical book that invites us to celebrate the natural world that surrounds us. And offers a clear  glimpse into the challenges that our fellow species face (both animals and plants) as cities turn to urban sprawl.

The author then offers a compelling manifesto for city wildlife, suggesting how we may take action to protect the often over-looked residents that live alongside us.

Florence Wilkinson is a journalist and filmmaker, who has written for Telegraph Magazine. She is also cofounder of Warblr, an app that recognises any bird by its song.

London in the Wild (exploring nature in the city)

London in the wild

London in the Wild is a guide to a city with over 15,000 species of flora, fungi and fauna (marsh frogs, hedgehogs, short-eared owls, dragonflies, foxes, stag beetles and pigeons!) London’s 800km of surface railway lines also is home to wildlife. And learn about the daily life of a London tube mouse!

This book is by London Wildlife Trust which has over 1000 volunteers who manage 36 free-to-access nature reserves (you can get married there, with profits helping local creatures). It’s also helping to transform London’s 3 million gardens into mini-nature reserves. Record your sightings to help them monitor welfare of:

  • Deer
  • Dragonflies and damselflies
  • Hedgehogs
  • Owls and kestrels
  • Glow worms
  • Stag beetles
  • Water voles

Ring-necked parakeets live wild in London, due to escaping from the pet industry. Native to Africa and Asia, they nest in tree holes in gardens and parks, and can roost in noisy flocks – eating nuts, seeds, berries and fruits.

For London wildlife concerns, contact:

How to help London’s wildlife

Only cut and prune vegetation from September to February, outside of breeding periods (to help nesting birds – it’s a crime to harm them).

Out walking? Follow the Countryside Code to keep all creatures safe. Keep dogs away from steep banks, mushrooms (and other toxic plants/trees) and on leads during nesting season (and near barnyard friends and wild ponies).

Helping urban foxes

London has around 10,000 urban foxes (often living under sheds, in gardens or in green roofs). For urgent help near Greenwich, contact The Fox Project. Read more on helping wild foxes. And how to protect chickens from predators (same advice can apply to rabbits and guinea pigs – foxes can survive on most other foods from fruit to earthworms).

Read tips on wildlife-friendly gardens.

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