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.

Championed by the late Diane Fossey, the endangered mountain gorilla is just one of the animals covered in The World of Primates. With only 700 mountain gorillas left in the wild, those that remain are in great danger from the horror and waste of the illegal animal trade.
This useful and well-designed pocket guide helps to answer all your questions about primates -- how do they live, where do they live and what threats are they facing? It is also a handy guide to the sometimes amusing, sometimes puzzling, sometimes disturbing facts about primates that are fast disappearing from our planet. As the reader learns more, they are armed with ideas on how to protect these incredible animals.

One of the planet's oldest and most misunderstood animals, this guide helps to de-mystify sharks and inform about their value in the ocean eco-system. The World of Sharks -- edited by world-famous naturalist Jeff Corwin -- teaches about the way sharks evolved, how they are built and how they behave, reproduce and survive in different habitats around the world. It also highlights some of the most familiar and unique species found worldwide, their current status, what to do if you encounter a shark in the wild and what you can do to help to conserve and protect these spectacular creatures. This folding pocket guide is the ideal reference for shark-lovers and teachers alike. Made in the USA.

John Hare has made three expeditions to the Mongolian and Chinese Gobi deserts, the first in 1993 with Russian scientists and the second and third with Chinese scientists in 1995 and 1996. The book records the amazing adventures he has experienced on those expeditions and will record details of the 30-day walk on foot in the formidable Kum Tagh sand dunes in the spring of 1997. He is the first recorded foreigner to have crossed the Gashun Gobi from north to south.
The expeditions were primarily concerned with tracking down the mysterious wild Bactrian camel 'camelus bactrianus ferus' which lives in the heartland of the desert and is the ancestor of all domestic Bactrian stock. There are under a thousand left in the world and the wild Bactrian camel is more endangered than the giant Panda.
This is John Hare's magnificent account of a formidable feat of modern exploration.
 

Don Lerch was born and raised in Schuyler County, Illinois. He began coon hunting as a young boy and continued until he was no longer able to go. As a young boy, coon hunting was a necessity for meals, as there were nine other siblings, and the hides were as important because they would provide money for cloths, shoes, groceries or whatever might be needed for the family. Don and his wife Char retired in 2005 to spend more time together. He lost her in 2006 shortly after retirement. Although she was not a coon hunter, she was a rock of support throughout their marriage. The have two children and seven grandchildren. Don published his first book in 2012 and the response was so great for another one, be began gathering stories and went to work again. These stories generate from six different counties, Adams, Brown, Cass, Fulton, McDonough and Schuyler and span from the 1930's till present day. You will read about heartbreaking losses, mule riding, trying to cross the river without a plug in the boat, forgetting the gun, getting lost and some hunts you wish you had been along for the ride. The thrill of the hunt is priceless. Although Don is no longer able to hunt, the "fever" is still there, and as long as their are coon hunters, there will be stories, and he will listen.

A magical link connects all living beings on this planet, and in A Journey into the Soulful Garden, author L.M. Taylor describes her many and varied connections with members of the animal world.

This collection of eleven essays details Taylor's lighthearted adventures and the joy she experiences when interacting with nature's special creatures. Experience a lesson in magic in the story "Henry the Mule Deer" as Taylor describes her attempts to help this animal rid himself of wind chimes that became entangled in his antlers. Read about a lesson in bravery as she rescues Tulip the mallard duck from a month's accidental imprisonment in a drain pipe. Discover the special relationship Taylor has with Salem, a miniature, seven-pound, seventeen-year-old tabby cat.

Infused with a deep love and admiration for wildlife, these first person stories serve to awaken the heart and provide a deeper insight into the heart and soul of nature.

The gigantic anaconda, the mesmerizing, venomous cobra and the incredible flying snakes of Indonesia are a few of the many fascinating species covered in this guide. The World of Snakes -- edited by world-famous naturalist Jeff Corwin -- teaches about the way snakes evolved, how they are built and how they behave, reproduce and survive in different habitats around the world. It also highlights some of the most familiar and unique species found worldwide, their current status, what to do if you encounter a wild snake in the wild and what you can do to help to conserve and protect these spectacular creatures. This convenient e-book is an ideal, portable reference for snake-lovers and teachers alike. Made in the U SA.

" Honey bees--and the qualities associated with them--have quietly influenced American values for four centuries. During every major period in the country's history, bees and beekeepers have represented order and stability in a country without a national religion, political party, or language. Bees in America is an enlightening cultural history of bees and beekeeping in the United States. Tammy Horn, herself a beekeeper, offers a varied social and technological history from the colonial period, when the British first introduced bees to the New World, to the present, when bees are being used by the American military to detect bombs. Early European colonists introduced bees to the New World as part of an agrarian philosophy borrowed from the Greeks and Romans. Their legacy was intended to provide sustenance and a livelihood for immigrants in search of new opportunities, and the honey bee became a sign of colonization, alerting Native Americans to settlers' westward advance. Colonists imagined their own endeavors in terms of bees' hallmark traits of industry and thrift and the image of the busy and growing hive soon shaped American ideals about work, family, community, and leisure. The image of the hive continued to be popular in the eighteenth century, symbolizing a society working together for the common good and reflecting Enlightenment principles of order and balance. Less than a half-century later, Mormons settling Utah (where the bee is the state symbol) adopted the hive as a metaphor for their protected and close-knit culture that revolved around industry, harmony, frugality, and cooperation. In the Great Depression, beehives provided food and bartering goods for many farm families, and during World War II, the War Food Administration urged beekeepers to conserve every ounce of beeswax their bees provided, as more than a million pounds a year were being used in the manufacture of war products ranging from waterproofing products to tape. The bee remains a bellwether in modern America. Like so many other insects and animals, the bee population was decimated by the growing use of chemical pesticides in the 1970s. Nevertheless, beekeeping has experienced a revival as natural products containing honey and beeswax have increased the visibility and desirability of the honey bee. Still a powerful representation of success, the industrious honey bee continues to serve both as a source of income and a metaphor for globalization as America emerges as a leader in the Information Age.

Welcome to the Sunshine Island - where the beaches are golden, the lifestyle is perfect and anything is possible. Piper Le Brocq is happily single after the disastrous ending of her engagement eighteen months before. The only man in her life is Jax, her best friend and cousin, who spends his life teaching locals how to forage and taking tourists on boat trips around the island. Her days are filled with helping out at her mother's guest house and selling her glass mosaics at The Cabbage Patch emporium in Trinity. Piper loves living on the Sunshine Island, where the neighbours look out for each other and visitors are welcome. So, when handsome guest Alex Cooper arrives at the guest house to check up on his grandfather, she welcomes him to the sunny island. And when he needs help after his grandfather is injured, she's quick to get involved. Yet, the more she gets to know Alex the more mysterious he seems, and Alex isn't the only one keeping secrets from her. What readers are saying about Georgina Troy: 'A gorgeous beachside setting, divine ice-cream sundaes, and a scorching summer love story - this book has it all!' Christina Jones 'I thoroughly enjoyed spending time in this charming, evocative story. It's a perfect book to enjoy by the pool, in the sunshine, with a glass of Prosecco!' Kirsty Greenwood 'A wonderfully warm and sweet summer read' Karen Clarke