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Books > Sport & Leisure > Natural history, country life & pets > Wild animals
A New York Times bestseller about how cats conquered the world and
our hearts in this "deep and illuminating perspective on our
favorite household companion" (Huffington Post). House cats rule
bedrooms and back alleys, deserted Antarctic islands, even
cyberspace. And unlike dogs, cats offer humans no practical
benefit. The truth is they are sadly incompetent mouse-catchers and
now pose a threat to many ecosystems. Yet, we love them still. In
the "eminently readable and gently funny" (Library Journal, starred
review) The Lion in the Living Room, Abigail Tucker travels through
world history, natural science, and pop culture to meet breeders,
activists, and scientists who've dedicated their lives to cats. She
visits the labs where people sort through feline bones unearthed
from the first human settlements, treks through the Floridian
wilderness in search of house cats-turned-hunters on the loose, and
hangs out with Lil Bub, one of the world's biggest celebrities--who
just happens to be a cat. "Fascinating" (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
and "lighthearted" (The Seattle Times), Tucker shows how these tiny
felines have used their relationship with humans to become one of
the most powerful animals on the planet. A "lively read that
pounces back and forth between evolutionary science and popular
culture" (The Baltimore Sun), The Lion in the Living Room suggests
that we learn that the appropriate reaction to a house cat, it
seems, might not be aww but awe.
We think of bees as being among the busiest workers in the garden,
admiring them for their productivity. But amid their buzzing, they
are also great communicators and unusual dancers. As Karl von
Frisch (1886-1982) discovered during World War II, bees communicate
the location of food sources to each other through complex circle
and waggle dances. For centuries, beekeepers had observed these
curious movements in hives, and others had speculated about the
possibility of a bee language used to manage the work of the hive.
But it took von Frisch to determine that the bees' dances
communicated precise information about the distance and direction
of food sources. As Tania Munz shows in this exploration of von
Frisch's life and research, this important discovery came amid the
tense circumstances of the Third Reich.The Dancing Bees draws on
previously unexplored archival sources in order to reveal von
Frisch's full story, including how the Nazi government in 1940
determined that he was one-quarter Jewish, revoked his teaching
privileges, and sought to prevent him from working altogether until
circumstances intervened. In the 1940s, bee populations throughout
Europe were facing the devastating effects of a plague (just as
they are today), and because the bees were essential to the
pollination of crops, von Frisch's research was deemed critical to
maintaining the food supply of a nation at war. The bees, as von
Frisch put it years later, saved his life. Munz not only explores
von Frisch's complicated career in the Third Reich, she looks
closely at the legacy of his work and the later debates about the
significance of the bee language and the science of animal
communication. This first in-depth biography of von Frisch paints a
complex and nuanced portrait of a scientist at work under Nazi
rule. The Dancing Bees will be welcomed by anyone seeking to better
understand not only this chapter of the history of science but also
the peculiar waggles of our garden visitors.
This well-illustrated volume covers the birds of Singapore,
peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand and the tip of Tenasserim
(Burma) with their associated island archipelagos. David Wells'
historically complete accounts draw on a full range of recent field
and museum research. Over 380 species are described, including
topics such as systematics, distribution, plumage, biometrics,
status, habitat, food and foraging, voice, behaviour, breeding
biology, moult and conservation. Along with an accompanying volume,
on passerine species, it brings together the most complete modern
summery of field survey work and other research on all the birds
found in the peninsula. Volume 1 and Volume 2 available as a
shrinkwrapped set: 0 7136 7483 0 GBP99
Get the New Edition of New York's Best-Selling Bird Guide Learn to
identify birds in New York, and make bird-watching even more
enjoyable. With Stan Tekiela's famous field guide, bird
identification is simple and informative. There's no need to look
through dozens of photos of birds that don't live in your area.
This book features 126 species of New York birds organized by color
for ease of use. Do you see a yellow bird and don't know what it
is? Go to the yellow section to find out. Book Features: 126
species: Only New York birds Simple color guide: See a yellow bird?
Go to the yellow section Compare feature: Decide between
look-alikes Stan's Notes: Naturalist tidbits and facts Professional
photos: Crisp, stunning full-page images This new edition includes
more species, updated photographs and range maps, revised
information, and even more of Stan's expert insights. So grab Birds
of New York Field Guide for your next birding adventure-to help
ensure that you positively identify the birds that you see.
PHOTOGRAPHING WILDLIFE IN THE UK is a photography-location
guidebook. Author and professional wildlife photographer Andrew
Marshall describes 70 of the best locations for wildlife
photography in the UK in this lavishly illustrated guidebook with
over 450 stunning wildlife photographs. It includes detailed advice
on how to take great wildlife photographs.The book features the
best locations in Scotland, England and Wales for wildlife
photography with detailed directions, accessibility information and
maps and best times to visit. There is information on species and
field craft with tips on how to get closer to wildlife, insights on
equipment, clothing and wildlife welfare. For the less experienced,
there is advice on getting started, cameras, lenses, camera
settings, composition, light and photography tips.From the Foreword
by IOLO WILLIAMS, WELSH NATURALIST AND TV PRESENTER"This book is a
wildlife photographer's bible. It describes some of the best places
to see wildlife and gives tips on fieldcraft, techniques and
equipment. It travels the whole country from the northernmost tip
of Shetland down to Brownsea Island and from Skomer in West Wales
across to Norfolk in the east. This guidebook will prove invaluable
to beginners and experienced wildlife photographers alike."
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Birds of Borneo
(Paperback)
Susan Myers; Photographs by Carlos Bocos Gonzalez, Liew Weng Keong
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R442
Discovery Miles 4 420
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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The definitive photographic guide to the amazing avifauna of
Borneo. The world's third largest island, divided between three
countries - Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei - Borneo is home to some
of the oldest rainforests in the world, estimated to be 140
millions years old, and an avifauna of around 600 recorded bird
species. It is a haven for birdwatchers and a frontrunning
biodiversity hotspot. A range of habitats contributes to a diverse
and exciting birdlife, which features colourful forest dwellers,
mighty canopy dwelling hornbills, soaring raptors, as well as a
host of charismatic endemics species and subspecies confined to
this unique and special island. This guide is the perfect companion
for any wildlife-savvy visitor to the island. It includes superb
photography of more than 300 commonly encountered species,
including all endemics and many subspecies. Concise text, covering
key information on identification, habitat and distribution, and
the best birdwatching sites, accompanies the photos to guide
identification.
"A rewarding and enriching fusion of traditional wisdom, science
and first-hand experience." -Tristan Gooley, author of The Natural
Navigator, and How to Read Nature Drawing from a similar lifestyle
and environmental ethic as Henry D. Thoreau and Aldo Leopold,
Babcock has lived more than two decades off-grid deep in the forest
near the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Here he has
discovered a balance in the interconnectedness of all life in the
woods, and derived his sustenance from hunting, fishing, gardening,
gathering wild food, providing water from a hand-pump well and
minimal electricity from the sun. He befriended an Ojibwe Elder,
Chi-Ma'iingan (Big Wolf), from whom he learned the Seven
Grandfather Teachings (Wisdom, Love, Respect, Courage, Honesty,
Humility, and Truth). Each of these seven teachings are represented
by an animal. In this collection, Babcock shares his love of the
natural world through a unique land ethic that combines the
ideology of Thoreau and Leopold, and that which he learned from
Chi-Ma'iingan. Babcock proposes a radical shift in how Americans
support our environment and wildlife. He was recently featured in
the documentary films: MEDICINE OF THE WOLF, and WOLF SPIRIT. From
these pages: "We must stop seeing the natural world as a commodity
and start seeing it as we would see a family member-something to
love, protect, care for, and cherish."
Get the New Edition of Arizona's Best-Selling Bird Guide Learn to
identify birds in Arizona, and make bird-watching even more
enjoyable. With Stan Tekiela's famous field guide, bird
identification is simple and informative. There's no need to look
through dozens of photos of birds that don't live in your area.
This book features 151 species of Arizona birds organized by color
for ease of use. Do you see a yellow bird and don't know what it
is? Go to the yellow section to find out. Book Features: 151
species: Only Arizona birds Simple color guide: See a yellow bird?
Go to the yellow section Compare feature: Decide between
look-alikes Stan's Notes: Naturalist tidbits and facts Professional
photos: Crisp, stunning full-page images This new edition includes
more species, updated photographs and range maps, revised
information, and even more of Stan's expert insights. So grab Birds
of Arizona Field Guide for your next birding adventure-to help
ensure that you positively identify the birds that you see.
Identify Maryland and Delaware birds with this easy-to-use field
guide, organized by color and featuring full-color photographs and
helpful information. Make bird-watching in Maryland and Delaware
even more enjoyable. With Stan Tekiela’s famous bird guide, field
identification is simple and informative. There’s no need to look
through dozens of photos of birds that don’t live in your area.
This handy book features 148 species of Maryland and Delaware
birds—including Washington, D.C., and the Chesapeake
Bay—organized by color for ease of use. Full-page photographs
present the species as you’ll see them in nature, and a
“compare” feature helps you to decide between look-alikes.
Inside you’ll find: 148 species: Only Maryland and Delaware
birds! Simple color guide: See a yellow bird? Go to the yellow
section Stan’s Notes: Naturalist tidbits and facts Professional
photos: Crisp, stunning images This second edition includes new
species, updated photographs and range maps, expanded information,
and even more of Stan’s expert insights. So grab the Birds of
Maryland & Delaware Field Guide for your next birding
adventure—to help ensure that you positively identify the birds
that you see.
The first comprehensive coverage of a subject that has fascinated
natural historians for centuries. Avian vagrancy is a phenomenon
that has fascinated natural historians for centuries. From
Victorian collectors willing to spend fortunes on a rare specimen,
to today's high-octane bird-chasing 'twitchers', the enigma of
vagrancy has become a source of obsession for countless birders
worldwide. Vagrancy in Birds explores both pattern and process in
avian vagrancy, drawing on recent research to answer a suite of
fundamental questions concerning the occurrence of rare birds. For
each avian family, the book provides an in-depth analysis of recent
and historical vagrancy patterns, representing the first
comprehensive assessment of vagrancy at a global scale. The
accounts are accompanied by hundreds of previously unpublished
images featuring many of the most exceptional vagrants on record.
The book synthesises for the first time everything we know about
the subject, making the case for vagrancy as a biological
phenomenon with far-reaching implications for avian ecology and
evolution.
Get the New Edition of Florida's Best-Selling Bird Guide Learn to
identify birds in Florida, and make bird-watching even more
enjoyable. With Stan Tekiela's famous field guide, bird
identification is simple and informative. There's no need to look
through dozens of photos of birds that don't live in your area.
This book features 146 species of Florida birds organized by color
for ease of use. Do you see a yellow bird and don't know what it
is? Go to the yellow section to find out. Book Features: 146
species: Only Florida birds Simple color guide: See a yellow bird?
Go to the yellow section Compare feature: Decide between
look-alikes Stan's Notes: Naturalist tidbits and facts Professional
photos: Crisp, stunning full-page images This new edition includes
more species, updated photographs and range maps, revised
information, and even more of Stan's expert insights. So grab Birds
of Florida Field Guide for your next birding adventure-to help
ensure that you positively identify the birds that you see.
The Kruger National Park, one of the largest and best-known conservation areas in the world, supports a remarkable diversity of birds. This attractive and handy field guide lists more than 500 species that have been recorded here, and provides full-colour photographs, detailed distribution maps and succinct information on 400 of these – all the species that a visitor is likely to encounter in the park.
An informative introduction describes the park’s underlying geology, vegetation types, climate and rainfall, and how these dictate bird distributions within the area.
A chance to move to the US Wild West allows TV presenter Philippa
Forrester to fulfil a lifelong dream of living among and learning
all she can about wolves When Philippa Forrester and her
nature-loving family moved to the wilds of Grand Teton National
Park, they quickly learned to love the wildlife of Wyoming and
nearby Yellowstone. The sounds of wolves close to their new home
fed Philippa's lifelong fascination with these remarkable animals,
but nothing she had learned about wolves from her studies in the UK
could have prepared her for the reality of living in wolf country.
And as she and her family settled into their new wilder way of
life, she discovered many locals are not excited about sharing
their land with wolves. Twenty-five years after wolves were
reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park, wolf packs are spreading
into areas where their protection has been removed by the American
administration. Without that protection, what is the future for
wolves where many people resent that they were ever here at all? In
On the Trail of Wolves, Philippa vividly recounts her adventures
living among the grizzlies, elk and wolves in her new home in
America's Wild West and chronicles her journeys further from home
to talk to conservationists, rangers, hunters and ranch owners to
investigate when and why opinions on wolves became so polarised.
For a generation, the Basic Illustrated series has been as much a
part of the outdoors experience as backpacks and hiking boots.
Information-packed tools for the novice or handy references for the
veteran, these volumes distill years of knowledge into affordable
and portable books. Whether you're planning a trip or thumbing for
facts in the field, Basic Illustrated books tell you what you need
to know. Use Basic Illustrated Animal Tracks to discover how to
identify animal tracks, read other animal signs, make plaster casts
and tracings, practice observation techniques, participate in
conservation projects and more.
From mice to manatees, identifying mammals can be simple,
informative and fun. Award-winning author Stan Tekiela's famous
field guide includes all 83 of Georgia's mammals, organized by
family (from small to large). Each type of species gets a full-page
photograph and three pages of information including size, habitat,
range and more. Track patterns and other signs that an animal might
leave behind aid in ensuring correct identification. Professional
photos and Stan's naturalist notes help you to discover all of
Georgia's diverse species.
This special book-format issue of Birds New Zealands journal
Notornis is devoted to the birds of the Auckland Islands
Maukahuka/Motu Maha, the largest and biologically most diverse
island group in the New Zealand subantarctic region. Its 19
chapters, written by leading ornithologists, cover a wide range of
topics, including the history of ornithological discovery,
biogeography, the impacts of introduced mammals and people,
prehistoric bird communities based on bone assemblages, and
population, ecological and genetic studies of several of the
endemic or otherwise notable birds of the island group including
Auckland Island snipe, white-headed petrel, and several albatross
species.
Originally published in 1994, A Field Guide to Tracks and Signs of Southern and East African Wildlife quickly became the standard reference to the subject in the region, reprinting many times. This new edition provides the most detailed coverage of tracks, droppings, bird pellets, nests and shelters and feeding signs, not only for mammals, but also for birds, reptiles, insects and other invertebrates. Greatly expanded, this extensive update now features: full colour throughout.
This practical pocket field guide, published in association with
the Wildlife Trusts, provides essential information on identifying
and attracting eighty-eight species of garden bird. Each species
account contains accurate artworks that show details to help
readers differentiate between similar looking species, and male and
female birds. A concise written account further outlines their
size, plumage, voice, habitat, food and distribution in Britain and
the near Continent. The book also includes general guidelines on
food, feeders, nest boxes and other items that can greatly increase
the presence of birds in your garden. The easy-to-follow layouts
and illustrations aid quick identification, and make this book an
indispensable reference in the field as well as at home. It is
compact enough to fit in the pocket, yet filled with essential
information for nature enthusiasts.
A charmingly illustrated ode to increasingly threatened
wildlife.The much-loved illustrations of Hannah Dale celebrate a
new generation of wildlife around the world, including many
endangered animals. Born to Be Wild features 50 charming portraits
of new cubs, chicks and calves, some with the mother and father,
some in their pride or tribe and some setting off on their own.
Wildlife has never been under such threat from climate change,
habitation loss and poachers and hunters. This book is a timely
reminder of the beauty of the wild and the accompanying text
explains how the parents undertake their role of nurturer in the
wild. From orangutans to humpback whales, tigers to hedgehogs,
penguins to elephants, and meerkats to koalas, Hannah Dale captures
and preserves the essence of wildlife in this pocket sized book. A
wonderful reference and beautiful little gift book for nature
lovers.
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Alastair Fothergill, Keith Scholey, …
Hardcover
(2)
R857
R716
Discovery Miles 7 160
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