Renta
DungBeetle - NEW FOR 2020
Did you know that Dung Beetles were once praised as Gods? The Scarb was known for its power in protecting the Earth. So why do we abuse this beetle today?
Read how they could make a come back.
£5 plus P&P
The Return of Kitty the Toon - NEW FOR 2020
Kitty travels the Atlantic before coming home to the Tyne to breed. Follow her adventures and see how the future for Kittiwakes on the Tyne may well be.
£5 plus P&P
Joseph Starling
Follow the Starling on its migration from Moscow all the way to Britain escaping from a cold winter where food has disappeared. The British Trust for Ornithology [BTO] has allowed maps for you to show this migration. You will see also artwork from the best of wildlife artists in memory of Ian Langford who did so much for wildlife artists with his publications of their work.
£5 plus P&P
Belle the Barn Owl
Learn all about this amazing bird and its work removing mice and rats from the environment. See how we threaten this good work by adding poison in the rodent population causing secondary poisoning and how other countries are ridding this poison from their environment.
£5 plus P&P
Chrissie the Crested
Tit
Speyside is one of the best locations in Britain to go and see the Crested Tit. This delightful little bird is found in the remaining Caledonian Forest where it builds its nest in a rotting stump. Follow Chrissie from egg to adult moving through the forest.
£5 plus P&P
RentaFox
Read all about the urban fox and how it removes rats from the towns and cities of growing urbanisation. So why are councils and pest controllers still trying to kill them? RentaFox is working for us for FREE!
£5 plus P&P
Fred the Chaffinch
This is the sixth book in the series based on a bird which gives its name to the history of farming! Chaf is the waste left by taking corn from the stem of various grasses raised by early man to this present day.
The story takes you around the history of the bird from its first remains found in a cave in Derbyshire to the first drawing found on a mosaic in Pompeii in Italy. It tells you the effects of old to modern farming on the bird and even shows Charles Darwin with his famous beaks!
£5 plus P&P
Mavis the Song Thrush
This is yet another urban bird needing the help of the gardeners of our towns and cities to provide food and cover to make this bird successful. The story tells of the relationship with the Black Country and the town’s football team which has the Song Thrush as its emblem, West Brom.
There is also the reason for partial migration of the birds and the need not to use poisonous chemicals to kill its main food – slugs and snails. The bird can even mimic other songs and even information on the berry bushes to plant to keep the thrush family with food in autumn and winter.
£5 plus P&P
Gowk the Cuckoo
This is a great story following the breeding and migration of an adult bird from Norfolk to Africa using the modern information gained from satellite tracking thanks to the BTO.
The bird had its name on one of these birds sponsored by the Broads Authority but sadly it died in Spain. Our bird makes it to the Congo after flying via Italy, Malta and Lake Chad. It shows the remarkable chick hatching in a Reed Warbler’s nest and Gowk travelling
around Norfolk looking for females.
£5 plus P&P
Screamer the Swift
The story of Screamer is based in the historical city of Bath which traditionally has a healthy population of Swifts. The book follows the fascinating journey of a Swift from its breeding grounds in Bath to its huge migration down to Africa where Screamer sees some amazing places and animals. Ecological facts are included throughout the story aiming to educate and inspire the reader.
£5 plus P&P
Horus the Peregrine
The book tells the story of the important role peregrines play in an urban environment and covers a number of famous landmarks around the city as Horus goes on some exciting adventures in search of food.
£5 plus P&P
Kitty the Toon
The story of Kitty is based in the city of Newcastle which is home to the first inland colony of the species in the world. The book follows Kitty and family throughout the breeding season as they deal with all the challenges of life in the north-east of England.
£5 plus P&P
Meet the Author, John Miles...
"I want children in Newcastle to point out a kittiwake and say "Look there's Kitty!"
After writing several adult wildlife books from Egypt to the Solway, John was inspired to write children’s books by Ian Langford from Langford Press. He focused on an individual species in each title, some of which would relate mainly to an urban/suburban area around the UK, aiming to target a larger potential audience.
Ian sadly died in 2017 so John went out on his own publishing his first book in 2019. His new books keep to the style of the older books but are now soft back. A new series is also to be out in 2019.
John wanted the books to have an educational theme with an important sense of realism included in the stories, but fiction where needed. Another target was to make the stories work on two levels, with information that would intrigue adults as well as children.
The main focus of the books is to spark that curiosity and appreciation for wildlife from a young age and trigger a love for the natural world, especially in the ones where the readers have their own town or city.
John is sponsoring the 'Wild Zone' at the 2019 British Bird Fair. This is the 2nd year the fair has had a children's section and John is proud to be part of this great fair now in its 31st year.
Lectures: The Solway - the whole of Cumbria and Dumfries & Galloway; Hadrian’s Wildlife - History of birds back to Roman times + many present day locations to visit; Death on the Nile - looks at the history of birds from Ancient Egypt to present time birds while cruising the Nile; Mull: Not just Eagles! - year round look at this island; Go Birding - follows John around Britain in search of articles in ‘Go Birding’ in Bird Watching magazine; British Bee-eaters - Will they ever BEE Every Year!; Caithness - the forgotten part of Scotland!; Islay - Not just Geese!; Yorkshire - Not just a White Rose!
Book Reviews
Gary Storey
A captivating and informative read about the life of the Kittiwake. The book is ideal for the young wildlife enthusiast or beginner birdwatcher. The story is set in Newcastle or as the book refers 'The Toon'. The book includes many iconic architectural buildings of Newcastle and Gateshead in the illustration, which also makes this book a great read. I believe Primary school teachers would benefit from this book when teaching local children about the story of the Kittiwake and how Newcastle became the home to the most inland colony in the world.Overall a brilliant book written by an imaginative author and the illustrations add life to the story which should not be missed.
Dawn Balmer
It's early May and the Swifts have just arrived back in town. They are truly amazing birds and this book conveys the magic of seeing Swifts and tells the remarkable story of where they nest, their migration and where they go in the winter. The illustrations are excellent. My seven year old daughter loved this book and the story it told. Every time she sees a Swift she knows the story and hopefully that will stay with her for ever.
Rachel French
Horus the Peregrine is a wonderful story about a young Peregrine in the city of London. The book works on two levels as the story targets young children but also can provide a lot of facinating facts and informtion for adults to learn from as well. It could be a valuable tool to use to introduce local children to their urban wildlife and the iconic peregrine which has the power to spark a love for all of nature.