The tiny winged gems we know as hummingbirds occur in the Americas and nowhere else. This guide presents familiar species of North and South America together with basic information on their color patterns, field marks and geographical ranges. Each species description includes information on its habitat and behavior. Also included are tips for using feeders to attract hummingbirds. The Merlin Bird ID app download comes free with guide purchase.

'This is an epic journey by a man who’s not only obsessed with birds but who has a deep spiritual connection with the planet as he observes the environments and habitats he encounters.' David Lindo, author of How to be an Urban Birder The (Big) Year Flew By is the tale of one avid birder’s epic, record-breaking adventure through 40 countries over 6 continents – in just one year – to see 6,852 bird species, many on the precipice of extinction. When Arjan Dwarshuis first heard of the ‘Big Year’ – the legendary record for birdwatching – he was just twenty years old. It was midnight, and he was sitting on the roof of a truck high up in the Andean Mountains. In that moment, Arjan made a promise to himself that someday, somehow, he would become a world-record-holding birder. Ten years later, he embarked on an incredible, arduous and perilous journey that took him around the globe; over uninhabited islands, through dense unforgiving rainforests, across snowy mountain peaks and unrelenting deserts – in just a single year. Would he survive? Would he be able to break the ‘Big Year’ record, navigating through a world filled with shifting climate and geopolitical challenges? The (Big) Year that Flew By is an unforgettable, personal exploration of the limits of human potential when engaging with the natural world. It is a book about birds and birding and Arjan’s attempts to raise awareness for critically endangered species, but it is also a book about overcoming mental challenges, extreme physical danger and human competition and fully realizing your passions through nature, adventure and conservation.

The West Indies offer so much more than sun, sand, and shopping. This sweeping arc of islands, which runs from Cuba to Grenada and includes the Virgin Islands, teems with a rich diversity of plant and animal life. Up to 40 percent of the plants in some forests are found nowhere else on earth, while the West Indian flyway is a critical link in the migratory routes of many birds.

In A Birder's West Indies, Roland Wauer takes you on an island-by-island journey of discovery. He describes the unique natural features of each island and recounts his often fascinating experiences in seeking out the nearly 400 species of birds known in the West Indies. His accounts give insight into the birds' habitats, status, and ecology and record some of the threats posed by human activities.

For readers planning trips to the West Indies, Wauer also includes helpful, up-to-date facts about the best times to travel, the kinds of entry and customs systems to expect, the money exchange services available, and general information about weather, food, and accommodations. Filling a unique niche among current guides, A Birder's West Indies offers both professional ornithologists and avocational bird watchers a chance to compare notes and experiences with an expert observer. And for readers who haven't yet visited the islands, Wauer's fluid prose and lovely color photographs will be the next-best thing to being there--and an irresistible invitation to go.

Tom Michell is in his roaring twenties: single, free-spirited and seeking adventure. He has a plane ticket to South America, a teaching position in a prestigious Argentine boarding school, and endless summer holidays.

What he doesn't need is a pet. What he really doesn't need is a pet penguin.

But while on holiday in Uruguay he spots a penguin struggling in an oil slick and knows he has to help. And then the penguin refuses to leave his side . . .

Clearly Tom has no choice but to smuggle it across the border, through customs, and back to school. He names him Juan Salvador.

Whether it's as the rugby team's mascot, the housekeeper's confidant, the host at Tom's parties or the most flamboyant swimming coach in world history, Juan Salvador transforms the lives of all he meets - including Tom, who discovers a compadre like no other . . .

POULTRY BOOK - A GUIDE FOR SMALL OR BIG POULTRY KEEPERS, BEGINNERS AND FARMERS By Harry Roberts. A READ COUNTRY BOOKS CLASSIC REPRINT. Originally published in the early 1930s, this extremely scarce early work on poultry keeping is both expensive and hard to find in its first edition. READ COUNTRY BOOKS have republished it, using the original text and photographs. Two hundred and thirty three pages deal with every aspect of poultry keeping from egg to table, and will prove invaluable to both the backyard beginner and the larger commercial enterprise. Twenty detailed chapters contain much expert advise on: The Beginner. - Breeds and Strains. - Houses and Appliances. - Foods and Feeding. - Hatching. - Rearing. - Backyard Poultry Keeping. - Intensive Poultry Keeping. - Winter Egg Production. - Day Old Chicks. - Ducks. - Turkeys. - Geese. - Guinea Fowls. - Diseases of Poultry. - Vermin. - Egg Preserving. - Killing and Shaping. Plucking, Drawing, Trussing. - Marketing. - Accounts. Etc. The book is well illustrated with photos of breeds and equipment. This is a fascinating read for any poultry enthusiast, and contains much information that is still useful and practical today. Many of the early farming books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. READ COUNTRY BOOKS are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

One of South Africa's authors and photographers, Peter Steyn has been travelling to the Antarctic and the islands of the Southern Ocean for many years. Antarctic impressions is a record in words and pictures of these journeys, spanning the period from his first trip to Marion Island in 1979 to a 1997 visit to the Emperor Penguin colonies on the Antarctic coast. The title covers visits to the Antarctic Peninsula, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha, Gough Island and other outposts of this remote region. The author's particular interest is the magnificent and prolific bird life of the Antarctic region, and this title will be certain to attract birding enthusiasts. However, there is much to offer readers interested in the exploration of the region and in the ecology of these fragile environments.

This book is a compilation of bird stories written by our mother, Martha Ramseur Gillham. They were first published in the Arkansas Wildlife Federation newspaper Arkansas Out-of-Doors from 1972 until 1985. She was a longtime member of the federation which was instrumental in passing Amendment 35 to the Arkansas constitution which established the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission as an independent body. All the illustrations were drawn by another member and close friend, Joe Gray, a commercial and wildlife artist, and political cartoonist in Dardanelle Arkansas. The book has been assembled and published at the insistence and funding of our father Ralph Gillham. All proceeds from sales will go to the Yell County Wildlife Federation. Lucien and Richard Gillham, Joanna Gray Lange and Bob Gray

Birds at their Best - Birds and Man - Daws in the West Country - Early Spring in Savernake Forest - A Wood Wren at Wells - Secret of the Charm of Flowers - Ravens in Somerset - Owls in a Village - The Strange and Beautiful Sheldrake - Geese: An Appeciation and a Memory - The Dartford Warbler - Vert-Vert Or Perrot Gossip - Something Pretty in a Glass Case - Selborne

Reissue of J. A. Baker's extraordinary classic of British nature writing, with an exclusive new afterword by Robert Macfarlane. J. A. Baker's extraordinary classic of British nature writing was first published in 1967. Greeted with acclaim, it went on to win the Duff Cooper Prize, the pre-eminent literary prize of the time. Luminaries such as Ted Hughes, Barry Lopez and Andrew Motion have cited it as one of the most important books in twentieth-century nature writing. Despite the association of peregrines with the wild, outer reaches of the British Isles, The Peregrine is set on the flat marshes of the Essex coast, where J. A. Baker spent long winters looking and writing about the visitors from the uplands - peregrines that spend the winter hunting the huge flocks of pigeons and waders that share the desolate landscape with them. This new edition of the timeless classic, published to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its first publication, features an afterword by one of the book's greatest admirers, Robert Macfarlane.

From a life-long interest in nature, the author shares her love of nature and her understanding of the intricacies of the natural world through her observations of the plants and animals in three familiar settings. A formal training in Biology has given her a rare insight into the important vital processes that influence the actions and interactions of birds, mammals, insects, and plants as the seasons change. She tries in her own mind to come to grips with the predator- prey relationship and to explain to the reader the importance of this vital process that makes life on earth possible.Part one is especially rich in bird lore as she observes the birds at her feeder while watching her young children grow in their understanding and knowledge of the natural world surrounding their home in a small town in east central Wisconsin. The middle section takes place in the north woods where she spends time trying to blend into the wildness of the national forest setting at a rustic hunting cabin and observe birds and other wild animals without intruding on their lives. The last part contains selected observations at a small lake in the sand country near Shawano, Wisconsin. The book concludes with short anecdotes about nature originally printed in the 'Lake Flyer" the newsletter of the Winnebago Audobon Society.Written by one of the states leading naturalist, and environmentalist, this book is the rare culmination of years of observations and reflections going back to the 50s.

THE COCKER; Containing Every Information to the Breeders and Amateurs Of that Noble Bird, THE GAME COCK. By W. Sketchley. Originally published in 1814, this rare early work on the Game Cock is both expensive and hard to find in its first edition. READ COUNTRY BOOKS have republished it, using the original text and engravings. The author was born and bred in Staffordshire, a part of the country high in repute for its love of the Game Cock and Cocking. This important historical work contains a wealth of knowledge and experience gained over a period of fifty years as a top breeder of fighting cocks. The book's one hundred and fifty four pages are divided into two sections. The first contains detailed chapters on: Breeding. - Trials. - Remarks on the Change in Constitution. - Remarks on Steady Breeding. - The Necessity of Making Trials. - Bad Constitution in Cocks. - Some Favourite Breeds of Cocks. - Cockfeeders. - Cock Match Articles and Rules. - More Remarks on Breeding. - Matching etc. The second section consists of specially designed pages for keeping records: Pedigrees of Brood Cocks, Hens, or Pullets. - Names and Characters of Cocks. - Accounts of Cocks. - Bags in stock. - Memorandums. - Accounts. Having reproduced this book from an original first edition, the publishers decided to retain a small number of interesting hand written notes in the records section. These were made in 1825 by the original owner. This is a fascinating read for any Game Fowl enthusiast or historian, and also contains much information that is still useful and practical today. Many of the earliest poultry books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasinglyexpensive. Read Country Books are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Flying imprint sparrowhawks is often unfairly portrayed as being overly complex and highly technical. Sparrowhawks - A Falconer's Guide aims to paint a far more informed picture, and to perhaps dispel some of the myths. Written with the beginner in mind, it is based on considerable first-hand experience of the author and a number of other respected falconers from the United Kingdom, Croatia, Ireland and Turkey who have specialized in flying sparrowhawks. By drawing comparisons with some of the most ancient trapping and training techniques of the East, and by making a connection with modern Western falconry practices, this remarkable book encapsulates the timeless beauty and joy of sparrowhawking, which crosses all cultures. Topics covered include: equipment, preparing to receive your sparrowhawk chick and imprinting; training, behaviour, quarry, entering, field craft and hawking in many different types of terrain; methodologies of captive breeding in the West; problems associated with the rehabilitation and release of wild sparrowhawks in the United Kingdom and finally, the vitally important subject of sparrowhawk health and welfare.

Chirp up your card games with the most beautiful birds in the world. Includes 52 playing cards featuring illustrations of birds ranging from the familiar to the exotic, plus two jokers. From the cheerful red cardinal to the majestic white swan, the imposing California condor to the flamboyant great blue turaco, these delightful birds may make you forget your poker face