Links that we find useful

The Links Page

 These are some links that we have accumulated and now use for identification and general information.
We hope that they are of use to our readers, too.
All links will open into a new window so that you can keep this window open for quick reference.

Where there are blanks... they will be filled... we are open to suggestions for the blanks and others where there is a link that readers use that we haven't discovered...

General:
First stop:      

• Loire Valley Nature  - -  Created by Susan & Simon [who live in Preuily-sur-Claise], this site is in their own words..."...designed to be used as an English language natural history web resource for lowland central France.".
• Planet Passion - - Based in 86, this site [just below us] covers most things too.

Then:

• iSpot - - An Open University and Opal project... get your 'spots' identified.
• Wild About Britain - - British wildlife, but useful
• Wildlife Online - - 
• First Nature - - Mainly British Wildlife

Taking the Long-vue

More specific info:
Animals:                                                                         

• Birds:
  
  1. RSPB Birdguide - - Limited, but accurate.
  2. BTO - - A fuller set of facts
  3. Oiseaux.net  - - Very good site this... full of OBSERVED information!
  4. Birdguides - -This link is to the Birds of the Western Palearctic... all the European species are covered... and further afield... but... that strange plumage might well be a bird in 'eclipse' [moulting and inbetween Summer and Winter or Juvenile and Adult plumages.]
  5. LPO - - The French version of the RSPB... they are 100 years old  this year and have a special site to commemorate this... LPO Centenary - there is a lot going on in 2012.
  6. Wild Echoes - - A birdsong site... very good comparisons given... includes sonograms for visual comparison.
  7. Surfbirds.com - - 
  8. Collins Birds - -  The Collins Publishers own bird identification and news site.
  9. RSPB Bird identifier - - 
  10. About Cranes - - Grus Grus - - The site for news of the migrating Cranes
   
• Mammals:                                                  
  
  1. The Mammal Society - - THE mammal site
  2. Wild About Britain [mammals] - - a direct link to the Mammal pages
  
  
• Reptiles and Amphibians                            

  

  Viperine Snake

  1. Herpetofauna of Europe - -
  2. Reptiles & Amphibians of the UK - -
  3. First Nature [Amphibians] - -
  4. Whose tadpole is it? - -
  5. European Field Herping Community - -

• Insects:
  
  1. First Nature [insect pages] - - Only eight orders are covered...
  2. Insects and Other Arthropods  - - It is 'key based' but helpful if you don't mind the struggle, it is very good. {I'm not good with keys!!] 
  3. British Bugs - - Covers only British Bugs [Hemiptera] but a lot are also European.
  4. Amateur Entomologists' Society - - Has a very good key on this page. [Even I can use it!]
  5. Dave's Garden [Bug files] - - Order, common names and picture based... mainly American and European.
  6. Online Picture-based Key - - You check the boxes against the characteristics you can see... then click a search button
  7. WildGuide UK - - UK...  Not complete but growing.
  8. BugGuide dot net - - American only

Sunset stamens

Plants:                                                                                 

• Trees and Shrubs
  
  1. Rogers Trees and Shrubs - - Roger Philips companion site to the book
   
• Flowers:
  
  1. 
     
• Fungi:
  
  1. Rogers Mushrooms - - Roger Philips companion site to the book
     
• Grasses:
  
  1. 
     
• Ferns, Mosses & Lichens:
  
  1. British Bryological Society - - British mosses, lichens and hornworts
  2. Alan Silverside's Lichen Pages - - British lichens and associated fungi
     

Other

• Natural History Museum - -

If you have a good natural history link that you would like to share, please leave details using the comments box.