'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.

First published in 1956, Swifts in a Tower still offers astonishing insights into swifts' private lives along with thoughts about their life style and wider issues. Now more than sixty years later swifts have been studied even more thoroughly, with technology unimaginable in the 1950s. This continues to reveal even more of their secrets, so this edition, published in association with the RSPB for their Oxford Swift City project includes a new chapter by Andrew Lack, bringing the story of this remarkable bird into the 21st Century.

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

The Bowerbird is the irresistible tale of Bert - a small bird with a very big heart, from Number One bestselling Julia Donaldson and Kate Greenaway Medal-winning Catherine Rayner. Bert the bowerbird is looking for love. He has made the most perfect bower, complete with a pretty purple flower, and is hoping it will help him to meet the bird of his dreams. But when Nanette comes along, she is far from impressed. Poor Bert is hurt, and flies off to bring her presents a-plenty. But will it ever be enough, and is Nanette really right for Bert? A beautifully illustrated treat of a book from the creators of The Go-Away Bird.

The understanding of nature was Ralph Simpson's consuming passion, which he pursued with unmatched vigor and high spirits. In Grass Flats, 1890--1923, Simpson meticulously documents 218 species accounts of bird life in Warren County, Pennsylvania, including notes on other species observed at Presque Isle on Lake Erie. Simpson speaks of habitat preferences and population shifts, while at the same time offering a view of the natural world with a bit of whimsy, as in the following 1909 observations of the Screech Owl. I knew of an old Flicker's hole nearby, and on going past I saw feathers about the edges, so I investigated and found a Gray Screecher at home. She made no resistance, so I reached in and counted five eggs under her, petted her, and left her. Join this noted naturalist, as he seeks adventure birding in the virgin timber of Wild Cat Run, navigating a steep precipice in the wilds of Goshawk Basin, or climbing 70 feet up a giant Eastern Hemlock to peer into a Sharp-shinned Hawk's nest. From his exploits, Simpson learned early on that, with nature, every moment instructs. Simpson, with feet on terra firma, beckons you to his stomping ground--Grass Flats.

North Carolina has one of the richest arrays of birdlife in North America-460 species, including two of the rarest species in the Southeast: the Red-cockaded Woodpecker and the Wood Stork.
Birding North Carolina guides you to forty-four of the best birding locations across the state. Organized by region, this useful and comprehensive guide includes everything you need for a rewarding bird-watching experience.
Look inside to find:
Accurate bird-finding information for the entire state-from the Mountains to the Piedmont to the Coastal Plain
Where to find migrating raptors, a huge assortment of shorebirds and nesting waterbirds, plus many Southern specialties such as Swainson's Warbler, the
reclusive Black Rail, and the fire-dependent Bachman's Sparrow
Descriptions of each site, with information about key species
Where and when to go, how to get there, and what you'll see
Details on the seasonal distributions of 122 North Carolina bird specialties-
where they occur, their abundances there, and the best times to see them

Originally published in 1851. First editions are now extremely rare and very expensive. One of the first books to deal in comprehensive detail with the management, history, natural history and types of domestic and wild pigeons. The illustrated contents include chapters on: Earliest History - Domestication - Legends and Superstitions - Breeding and Management - Classifications - Breeds - Carriage, Flight and Colouring - Natural History - etc. This fascinating book will appeal greatly to all pigeon enthusiasts and contains much advice and information which is still of practical use today.

As the first stop in the continental U.S. for birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway, Washington offers a wide range of birding opportunities and species, from the typical fall migrations of ducks and geese to the convergence of millions of shore birds in Grays Harbor each spring.

Lakeland Book of the Year 2018, Bookends Prize for Art and Literature, WINNER. With its enchanting song, striking orange bill and endearing willingness to share our living space, the blackbird is one of our best-loved birds. And, in common with all our garden wildlife, it plays a critical role in Britain's fragile and precious biodiversity. In The Blackbird Diaries, Karen Lloyd shares her deep-rooted knowledge and affection for the flora and fauna of these isles. And she issues a clarion call for the conservation of endangered habitats and species - most notably the curlew, Europe's largest wading bird. Over the four seasons, Karen intimately chronicles the drama of the natural world as it all unfolds in her garden and in the limestone hills and valleys of Cumbria's South Lakeland. What emerges is a celebration of landscapes that rarely feature in nature writing. But more than that, at a time of critical species loss, she offers rare insights into the lives of animals that may be common but are no less remarkable.

From its long coastline, with cliffs and islands that bustle with breeding seabirds in the summer, to its open moorland that hold some of the most southerly Curlews and Black Grouse, Wales packs a lot of birds into a small area. It is significant for its populations of Chough, Hawfinch and Pied Flycatcher, and its Manx Shearwaters are of global importance. And it has played an important role in the study of migration, as Skokholm was the first bird observatory in Britain. It is almost 30 years since the first avifauna was published for all of Wales and much has changed. Knowledge of the status of many species has increased thanks to improved monitoring and a greater number of birdwatchers, and we have a better understanding of how humans have affected Wales' birds, particularly the twin challenges of land-use and climate change. The Birds of Wales synthesises the new information and sets it in context of each species' history in Wales. It tells the stories of all the birds that have been recorded here, whether common or rare, and looks forward, anticipating what may occur in the coming decades. It will have an essential place on the bookshelf of everyone with an interest in birds in Wales and should be on the desk or in the rucksack of everyone who influences what happens to the nation's land and seas. It is a once-in-a-generation state of Wales' birds.

Graced with bounteous natural beauty Costa Rica has become a popular destination for travellers from all over the world. Birds play a prominent role in attracting visitors, too. The shimmering quetzals, gaudy macaws, and comical toucans that populate tourism posters only begin to hint at the impressive avian diversity to be found throughout this small country. The principal objective of this book is to help you correctly identify birds in Costa Rica. Each family of birds is introduced by a brief description that should help the novice birder determine to which group a bird belongs. Nearly every species is illustrated by one or more images, as needed. Corresponding to each species' illustration is a written account on the facing page. The account begins with the unique field marks to look for that will distinguish each species from similar ones. Following the description is information about status, distribution and vocalisation. Most species accounts include a a map showing the distribution within Costa Rica. This new edition features 903 species in total, including 64 that are illustrated here for the first time. The 174 colour plates include 360 new images from artist Robert Dean. The text and maps have been fully updated to ensure that this guide is the definitive field guide for anyone visiting Costa Rica.

'A murder of crows', 'a charm of goldfinches', 'an ostentation of peacocks': collective nouns for British birds have existed since at least the mid fifteenth century. They are thought to originate in texts about hunting, but have since evolved into evocative, witty and literary expressions, each striving to capture the very essence of the animal they describe. Some are portentous - 'a conspiracy of ravens' perfectly evokes this sinister bird - others convey sound, such as 'a murmuration of starlings' or 'a chattering of choughs'. Yet more reflect with a flourish the beauty of the bird itself: what could be more celebratory than 'a crown of kingfishers', or 'an exaltation of larks'? The best of these imaginative expressions are collected here, illustrated with charming woodcuts by Thomas Bewick, the renowned naturalist engraver of the eighteenth century. Featuring songbirds, aquatic birds, birds of prey and garden favourites, this beautifully presented book will delight both bird-lovers and word-lovers in equal measure.

Conservation classic Hawks Aloft chronicles the founding of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, the world's first refuge for birds of prey. This personal account by the Sanctuary, the world's first refuge for birds of prey. This personal account by the sanctuary's first curator, shares the difficulties and discoveries he and his wife encountered during their first years on the Mountain. Filled with information for the flora, fauna, people, and other natural phenomena of the Hawk Mountain region, this is a lively and sometimes funny account of the sanctuary's early years. Published in co-operation with the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association.

Cape Peninsula Birdlife breaks new ground: it provides residents of, and visitors to, the Cape Peninsula with information where particular birds may be found, and why and how they occur where they do. Superbly illustrated with photographs by some of South Africa’s premier photographers, readers will gain an appreciation of the extraordinarily rich natural history of the Cape Peninsula. More than 80 bird species; over 200 colour photographs; 18 bird routes; night birds; easy cross referencing; fits in pocket/rucksack.

This volume contains listings of the resident, migrant, and rare birds found in every region of Texas in every season. There are pen-and-ink illustrations, location maps, explicit driving directions, detailed site descriptions, and bird checklists.

From the No.1 bestselling author of The Shepherd's Life, a spellbinding story of friendship, history and redemption on a remote Norwegian island

We are all in need of lights to follow.

One afternoon many years ago, James Rebanks met an old woman on a remote Norwegian island. She lived and worked alone on a tiny rocky outcrop, caring for wild Eider ducks and gathering their down. Hers was a centuries-old trade that had once made men and women rich, but had long been in decline. Still, somehow, she seemed to be hanging on.

Back at home, Rebanks couldn’t stop thinking about the woman on the rocks. She was fierce and otherworldly – and yet strangely familiar. Years passed. Then, one day, he wrote her a letter, asking if he could return. Bring work clothes, she replied, and good boots, and come quickly: her health was failing. And so he travelled to the edge of the Arctic to witness her last season on the island.

This is the story of that season. It is the story of a unique and ancient landscape, and of the woman who brought it back to life. It traces the pattern of her work from the rough, isolated toil of bitter winter, to the elation of the endless summer light, when the birds leave behind their precious down for gathering, like feathered gold.

Slowly, Rebanks begins to understand that this woman and her world are not what he had previously thought. What began as a journey of escape becomes an extraordinary lesson in self-knowledge and forgiveness.

This beautifully illustrated bingo game features 64 species of birds from around the world. Spot all kinds of birds-from the robin to the puffin and the kookaburra to the splendid fairywren-mark them off on your card and bingo!

Contains 64 superbly illustrated bird tokens, one board, 12 bingo cards, and brightly colored counters for you to mark up your card, as well as a leaflet containing basic information and a few quirky traits for all of the birds featured

The birds of Maine are as fascinating as the landscapes they inhabit. This clear, concise guide provides maps to the best birding spots, as well as information on where and when certain species are likely to be seen.

When Joe Hutto began his experiment in imprinting two dozen wild turkey-in the tradition of the great animal behaviorist, Konrad Lorenz-he had no idea that it would change his life. Told with skill and humor, and vibrating with the natural wonders of the Florida flatwoods, Illumination in the Flatwoods will amaze and enrich all who share this season with the wild turkey.