Published by Bloomsbury Christopher Helm Soft back 592 pages Price £40.00 This mammoth book covers a country based at 6th in the avifauna with a staggering 1384 species covered by 248 coloured plates along with distribution maps and text of all the birds. Like others in this series the book starts with description of habitats with an amazing 12 varieties of forest described along with 4 wooded habitats, an amazing coast line of 3800 km and dotted islands in the Caribbean and Atlantic as well as wetlands , mango and savanna. Various groups are covered with 15 plates of Birds of Prey, 14 of hummingbird sp, 8 of waders and 8 of parrot sp. There is a check list and even possible species that mig
I was reading a blog about Alder when it came to me that I had not expanded my work on our local Alder up the Gelt valley where I had lived since 1986. Yes I know there is only one species found in Britain but what I know of this Geltsdale area is that there are at least 3 types. There is the typical Alder found in river side growth. There is the Alder/Ash woodland also often found on flood plains. There is the Alder wood caused by ‘poaching’ the ground by cattle where a large number of suckers appear creating a thick woodland which will be invaded by Ash and other trees and then the ancient Alder found mainly in the Upper Gelt. I sent a few pictures of these older trees to Murray who wrote
Published by Bloomsbury softback 128 pages Price £9.99 This series is a great way for folk to get into individual species and what better way to start with one of Britain’s most colourful birds. There are plenty of facts to make you want to go out and look for that flash of blue along rivers, canals and lochs/lakes. There is a chapter on the world family with some not actually eating fish and even the obscure bills of a Stork billed Kingfisher. There are Pygmies to Giant Kingfishers with many colours of the rainbow. But the book concentrates on our own Kingfisher with its breeding and social behaviour and even migration of birds in other parts of Europe. [I have seen them down the Nile in wi
Published by Bloomsbury Hard back 288 paged price £25.00 This expanded volume has 48 added pages along with an extra 100 species of plants to add to your garden to make it more wildlife friendly. It is very much the same format with a mammal section which surprisely has no Pine Marten which is spreading across Scotland and is being reintroduced to Wales and shortly England. There is very many ideas to get you started and can change a conventional garden to one that will hopefully encourage you to see more of what a garden should function as. The book is packed with coloured pictures and sound advice. Still little on natural foods to grow for your birds but I can see this will come in time.
What a great idea! Forget the persecution of your species and head to where the grass is green or better still full of voles! First of all you have to find these areas and how do you do that? Fly around looking for tell tale signs. Follow other harriers, Kestrels or Short eared Owls who hunt the voles as well? Nobody knows how they do it but Wendy has struck gold on Mull. Wendy was born on a military site north of Glasgow and satellite tagged to follow her movements once she left the nesting area. Every year most tagged harriers end up dead on Red Grouse moors. The amazing thing is that by killing all the ground predators and birds of prey the vole population explodes encouraging wondering h
Published by Sasquatch Books paper back 206 pages £14.99 This is a charming little book on North American owls with an author who is learning the game of ‘owling’ from some very experienced birders, scientists and ringers [called banders in the USA]. It is concentrated in the north west of the USA but a trip to Alaska to see the Snowy Owl and information about status around the US is found especially with the likes of Barred Owl now pushing into the declining Spotted owl territory. A worrying note is about the decline of Short eared Owl with a 70% decline. This is a figure which could easily be used in the UK if any one tried to work with this species! It is the facts and figures that make t
