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RSPB Secret Lives

The books are arranged by publication date with the most recent at the top.

RSPB pages

Field Guides
Secret Lives series
Spotlight series
What's That series
Management guides
First Book Of series
County guides (1940/50's)
Other RSPB bird books

Further sections will be added

Secret Lives of Garden Wildlife

Dominic Couzens

Christopher Helm / RSPB

2008

"There is no wildlife closer to us than that found in our gardens - or indeed, in our houses - so it follows that many of those creatures we love, such as foxes and ladybirds, are literally household names. However, despite this familiarity, many of the characters reveal surprising lifestyles if you take a closer look, and there is more going on in our precious backyards that we might imagine. Did you know that slugs and snails have spine-tingly good sex; that mosquitoes can dodge raindrops and that Grey Squirrels have regular sleepovers with their neighbours? Did you realise that unemployment causes the breakdown of society in wasps, or that it takes the average spider only one hour to build a web from scratch? Perhaps it would even surprise you to know that, in this day and age, it is still possible to have three Old Ladies stuck in your lavatory? (They are moths.) Written in an engaging style and illustrated with photographs and stunning colour paintings by Peter Partington, this book reveals, month by month, the extraordinary hidden world of our most familiar garden wildlife."

Secret Lives of British Birds

Dominic Couzens

Christopher Helm / RSPB

2006

"Following in the footsteps of the bestselling Secret Lives of Garden Birds, this trip around Britain's principal habitats looks beyond the confines of our gardens and parks to expose the extraordinary hidden world of some our most familiar birds. We learn the secrets of romance from Mute Swans, meet the perfect father in the Guillemot, the estranged couple (of Chiffchaffs) who share the same territory, and enter the bizarre, high-rise society of the Dotterel in which women rule. We also meet the ultimate killers, both by day (Peregrine) and by night (Barn Owl), and encounter the only true living monster in Scotland. At the same time, we find out how all these birds cope with living in seemingly inhospitable habitats such as muddy estuaries, lonely moorland or open ocean."

The Secret Lives of Garden Birds

Dominic Couzens

Christopher Helm / RSPB

2004

"Have you ever wondered what the birds in your garden get up to when they're not tucking into peanuts and seeds on the birdtable? This book takes us, month by month, into the secret lives of our most familiar garden birds, revealing inspiring, intriguing and scandalous real-life dramas such as the ferocious turf battles of Robins, the profound family ties of Long-tailed Tits and the remarkable sex-life of the Dunnock. The amazing facts that it reveals should help you to understand, encourage and enjoy your garden birds more than ever before. Written with engaging humour and enlivened throughout with colour paintings and photographs, this book should appeal to anyone who enjoys watching birds in their gardens."