The pipes of pan-species listing

‘Pan Species Listing - How to Become a Super-naturalist’ has recently been published by Pelagic and is authored by Graeme Lyons. Regular visitors to ND&B will be familiar with Graeme as his blog appears in my blog list (found to the left) and he has featured on these very pages more than once. I think that I can safely refer to Graeme as a friend as we have spent time in the field together on several occasions (including some one-to-one sessions) and have conversed on subjects beyond those of natural history. I was therefore more than intrigued to find out what form his book on the subject would take. When he told me that he had been commissioned to write it I assumed that it would be mainly about his personal journey - I was wrong. Having now read the book and lived with it for a few weeks I feel in a position to review it. Putting it simply, it is a book that all naturalists should invest in whether they are a pan-species lister or not. It might only be late March but I feel confident in proposing that this could well be the most important natural history book of 2026. First though a bit about pan-species listing and, if you will indulge me, my own take on the subject - we can then get into the nitty-gritty of Graeme’s fine work.

The concept of pan-species listing (PSL) is to record and count every free-living organism in the British Isles, create a list from those findings, share that list with fellow listers and maintain and update that said list. There is a professionally run website that manages all of this and is free of charge to the user, there being no snobbery, no hierarchy and no judgement of those that take part - you can have a list of five species or one of 5,000 and you will be equally welcomed. Best visit the pan-species website by clicking here and have a look. I, along with several other naturalists, had independently started to create a ‘list of lists’ (in my case this was back in the 1980s comprising birds, plants and lepidoptera.) A few years later I wondered just what else I had recorded and of how many species, so started to collate my records from other orders, mainly being of big, colourful and obvious species. By some wonder of the internet us like-minded recorders came into each other’s orbit and pan-species listing was born, together with a fluid set of rules.

I have, since then, kept my PSL list up to date. There is a league table of totals, which in the early days saw me in the top 10, but since then has witnessed a gradual slide down the rankings to my current 51st placing. Now, as much as this could seem to suggest that the whole thing is competitive - and no doubt some PSL members do - that would be wide of the mark. Rather than me explain this it would be best if you got hold of a copy of Graeme’s book and let him do so, far more eloquently than me! He will also explain the many great features that the website offers to the lister. My approach to PSL is that I have three core interests (birds, plants and lepidoptera) which are the orders that I pursue every day of the week. There are others that I dabble in - certain ‘easier’ invertebrates for example - and, rarely, orders that might be present in one of my rare visits to a specialised habitat (such as a coastal rock pool). I am under no illusion that I am anything other than a passive PSL member who will add 100+ species a year at best. But here’s the thing… my lack of investment into these non-core orders (being both of time and ownership of literature) is OK, both personally and to the PSL community… the ‘your rules, your list’ mantra is fully to the forefront.

Now, what about the book?

The first thing you will notice is that it is a packed publication, 404 pages of highly varied information. Many book reviews will give a chapter heading breakdown, but to do so here would be to undersell the project. I will begin by mentioning the meat of the book, an almost 200 page chapter entitled 'Accessing the different taxonomic groups' - these pages will be referenced time and again and could possibly be the most important printed pages owned by any all round naturalist. For example, at random I looked at the text that covers a taxonomic group that I have no knowledge of - 'Protists other than algae and slime moulds'. If I wanted to tackle them, how would I go about it? Well, to begin with a simple colour coded guide lets me know what I would be letting myself in for - how many species are available to record; how difficult they are to identify; and their accessibility; this being followed by the percentage of the available species recorded by PSL listers and the name and total of the top lister. All of this will inform the reader of how difficult the task ahead of them may be, but then, with additional information, encourage them to jump right in and give protists a go! Graeme then helpfully lists the equipment you will need to obtain/use to meaningfully record this particular group and a few paragraphs of how best to approach your search for them, sprinkled with top tips, anecdotes and any necessary warnings. Essential texts are referenced alongside any website addresses that will be useful. Most of these taxonomic groups are accompanied by excellent photographs. Graeme's skill here is to be able to metaphorically place a reassuring hand on the reader's shoulder whilst whispering encouragement into their ear. Yes, I can do protists! I can give them a go!! See, it worked on me...

Even for the taxonomic groups with which you have familiarity this section will grant you extra layers of knowledge and increase your prowess. I avidly read through the entire section, at times laughing at anecdotes, being inspired by others, looking up the internet links and wondering, maybe for the first time, whether I'd be a fool not to fully immerse myself and jump into the PSL world with both feet. It is an inspiring piece of work. But there is much more besides.

Graeme has been searingly honest in the account of his life journey and how he got to where he is today and what helped create his personality traits. This has lead to a chapter on neurodivergence and his (and its) relationship with natural history recording and PSL. It is worth reading even if you may feel that this subject has nothing to do with you. Are you sure about that? Time and again I saw a trait mentioned and thought "Yes, I can relate to that." I think it fair to say that most people who list (whether that be birds, plants, moths, trains, football grounds visited, beers drunk) will find that what drives them to do so is that their brains are wired a little differently. And while on this subject he also looks at the demographics of natural history recorders. In our fast changing world, gender, race and social demographics are becoming more studied, more understood and more relevant.

I began to see this publication as 'books within a book' which neatly meld together. Yes, it's partly autobiographical. It's also a history of the PSL movement. But more than that it is a life-coaching manual and although the emphasis is on helping to ready your body and mind for the task of recording wildlife it could just as well be used by people who will never pick up a notebook, sweep net or pair of binoculars. The information and help offered to the reader is relentless - how to work unusual habitats; survey and monitoring tips; the positive effects of PSL; how PSL has ways of increasing our learning; the listing of sites; public speaking and engagement; threats to listing; PSL around the world; and its future. None of this is dry text, all written with a warmth and enthusiasm that is infectious.

As I mentioned earlier, I have had the privilege of having been out in the field with Graeme. He is vastly knowledgable and relentless in his recording. I have watched him at work and marvelled at his ability. He can go through the contents of a sweep net whilst a stream of (to me) unpronounceable Latin names comes flowing from his mouth, while, at the same time, taking specimens that he needs to look at later, also pointing out a moss that we are standing on top of and additionally asking whether or not you can hear that singing Firecrest. He is a machine. The sub-title of this book is 'How to be a Super-naturalist'. Graham is one. And, with this book, and a bit of hard work, you could be one too.