Chistmas Stocking fillers for the naturalist
It doesn’t have to be a gold plated Robinson Moth Trap, a laminated carbon fibre monocoque butterfly net or indeed a diamond encrusted bat detector for Christmas this year. I’ve been thinking of a few last minute stocking fillers, you know the sorts of small thoughtful gifts that a naturalist would find handy or even useful without breaking the bank and more importantly without contributing to the pointless landfill.
Every naturalist I know whether a botanist, entomologist, amateur or professional simply cannot possibly have enough vessels to put things in. As a naturalist you find you become a connoisseur of the specimen tube. These glass ones are my favourite, they remain visually clear, are easily cleaned and last ages, the only downside is that being made of glass, you can’t put them in your back pocket, forget about them and sit down! Not only is this generally bad for the health and well being of the specimen but it can lead to glass shards lodged in your derrière – however having said that they are still the tubes of choice.
If you’re concerned about glass or will be working with clumsy young ‘uns then may I suggest the plastic equivalent, nearly as good but they do scratch with use.
I think these are as important a bit of kit as binoculars. The hand lens is an indispensible tool for nearly every one, this simple little loop, is literally a window into another world. They are worth investing in, stay clear of most plastic things, they don’t last and really belong in Christmas crackers. A well made one (Opticron are my favourites) will last for ages, stick it on a bit of string around your neck (naturalist bling?) or keep in a pocket. The small size means they are always at hand when you need them. A little tip, keep the screw tight – with use they can work loose, I stick a bit of thread-lock on mine to keep it secure.
The field Studies Council are an excellent organisation that have been forwarding scientific understanding, environmental training since 1943 they are purveyors of that good old field trip experience since.
They however are not the best at promoting themselves, so you would be forgiven for having not heard of them. On top of running field centres all around the country (yours truly runs family courses at both the Slapton and Flatford centres) they produce some excellent fold out, laminated field guides. These are useful, light-weight and long wearing and really handy for the beginner not quite ready to invest in the big books yet.
Probably the most sumptuous is the guide to British Butterflies, but I find the guide to Crickets and Grasshoppers very useful too, love the Ladybird one and my current favourite is the pictorial guide to the Harvestmen (a bit specialised, and some would say nerdy but it has certainly opened my eyes to another weird world).
For winter use a series of guides dedicated to the Lichens, the woodlouse key, Garden birds and Tracks and signs can all add an extra dimension to any family walk over the colder months.
What I like about these guides is that they cover so many subjects there will be one for everyone, from Granny to Grandson.
It’s not really a stocking filler, not unless you’ve got really big legs; but how about a nest box? The Schwegler 1B is an industry standard and although heavy the wood-crete construction means it has highly desirable thermal qualities, which make them some of the best on the market They are tough too, this nest box will last for ages (I’ve had one for nearly 18 years and it’s out lived and survived the fall of two trees!). This really is the gift that keeps giving and for an extra festive touch and to soften the sentiment of giving a heavy, German designed lump of wood-crete to a loved one you could fill it with other nice things as an extra surprise…nice undies for the wife, Chocolates for Granny are just a few serving suggestions.
I’m a big fan of camouflaged scrim net – it’s just useful stuff. Really handy for covering up any serious nature photographer/watcher but equally good stuff if you are out trekking and want to stash some equipment and make a base camp but not want it to draw attention in your absence. It is also great stuff for the kids too, what better way to make an instant den!
Dino-lite make excellent little USB microscopes – simply load the software provided and plug into your computer to create the perfect blend of technologies – a high quality microscope which will not only allow you to view your subjects but take pictures of them too. This is the entry level model in their range and is a good quality bit of kit, hence a price. While this may seem a bit steep it is much better than many others on the market that I’ve seen and well worth the extra. It’s quite steep in price for a stocking filler but at least it will fit.
After that last one you may be left gasping..so we’ll end up with a couple of the simplest and cheapest items on the website and ones that in my experience give hours and hours of informative pleasure for minimal outlay – how about a pooter for hunting and handling those fiddly little inverts and a magnifying bug pot to observe them in…simple.
Have a happy, informative, educational, fun and bio-diverse Christmas.