Cuckoo

Author: Nick Davies
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1620409534
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 374

Book Description
A gifted biologist's careful and beguiling study of why cuckoos have got away with tricking other birds into hatching and raising their young for thousands of years. The familiar call of the common cuckoo, “cuck-oo,” has been a harbinger of spring ever since our ancestors walked out of Africa many thousands of years ago. However, for naturalist and scientist Nick Davies, the call is an invitation to solve an enduring puzzle: how does the cuckoo get away with laying its eggs in the nests of other birds and tricking them into raising young cuckoos rather than their own offspring? Early observers who noticed a little warbler feeding a monstrously large cuckoo chick concluded the cuckoo's lack of parental care was the result of faulty design by the Creator, and that the hosts chose to help the poor cuckoo. These quaint views of bad design and benevolence were banished after Charles Darwin proposed that the cuckoo tricks the hosts in an evolutionary battle, where hosts evolve better defenses against cuckoos and cuckoos, in turn, evolve better trickery to outwit the hosts. For the last three decades, Davies has employed observation and field experiments to unravel the details of this evolutionary “arms race” between cuckoos and their hosts. Like a detective, Davies and his colleagues studied adult cuckoo behavior, cuckoo egg markings, and cuckoo chick begging calls to discover exactly how cuckoos trick their hosts. For birding and evolution aficionados, The Cuckoo is a lyrical and scientifically satisfying exploration of one of nature's most astonishing and beautiful adaptations.

Nature Detective: British Trees

Author: Victoria Munson
Publisher: Wayland
ISBN: 9780750293259
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Easy-to-follow identification guides for children about the most common trees found in Britain today. Full descriptions of the trees, along with their scientific name, size, family and habitat, will ensure you can recognise which tree is which. Stunning large colour photographs of the trees, their leaves, seeds and fruits, will help with easy identification. Perfect for the National Curriculum, this book includes information about broadleaved trees and conifers, explaining the difference between deciduous trees and evergreens, and looks at how the parts of trees, from the leaves and bark to seeds and berries. Includes a fun step-by-step activity to help you create your own tree guide. Become a nature detective and explore the natural world around you. If you enjoy this book, then why not search out the other titles in this series: British Birds; British Mammals; British Insects; British Wild Flowers; British Insects, Urban Wildlife and British Seashore. Features the following trees: English Oak, Turkey Oak, Sessile Oak, Aspen, White Willow, Weeping Willow, Pussy Willow, Crack Willow, Common Osier, Black Poplar, White Poplar, Silver Birch, Alder, Hazel, Hornbeam, Common Beech, Common Ash, Elder, Holly, Common Lime, Large-leave Lime, Small-leaved Lime, London Plane, Rowan, Horse Chestnut, Sweet Chestnut, Field Maple, Sycamore, Yew, Wych Elm, English Elm, Whitebeam, Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Crab Apple, Wild Cherry, Common Pear, Common Juniper, Walnut, Magnolia, Norway Spruce, Larch, Douglas Fir, Scots Pine, Sitka Spruce, Cedar, Monkey Puzzle Tree.

A Siege of Bitterns

Author: Steve Burrows
Publisher: Dundurn
ISBN: 145970844X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 353

Book Description
Domenic Jejeune is a reluctant police hero but an enthusiastic birdwatcher. After he's promoted to a post in the heart of Britain's birding country, his first case involves the murder of an environmentalist. Torn between loyalties to his job and his hobby, Jejeune faces mistrust from his colleagues and self-doubt as he works to solve the case.

Look and Learn Nature Detective

Author: Sarah Parvis
Publisher: Downtown Bookworks
ISBN: 1941367410
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 66

Book Description
A simple, fully-illustrated introduction to backyard nature comes packaged with a sturdy magnifying glass, a portable nature ID chart, and an activity poster. Armed with a magnifying glass and an innate sense of curiosity, any child can be a nature detective! PBS Kids Look and Learn Nature Detective is packed with pictures and simple information to encourage kids to go outside and explore—to look at leaves, nuts, seeds, bark, pine cones, mushrooms, animal tracks, and more. The kit encourages children not only to notice interesting items around them, but to inspect them up close—to touch and feel for texture and to compare and contrast their shapes, colors, and sizes. The book also encourages children to notice the amazing sounds, smells, and sights on any nature walk. This family-pleasing kit builds many skills in children ages 4 and up, including: *observation and exploration *sorting by size, shape, and color *identifying common properties and spotting differences and much more!

The Birdwatcher

Author: William Shaw
Publisher: Hachette+ORM
ISBN: 0316316253
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 286

Book Description
Police Sergeant William South has a good reason to shy away from murder investigations: he is a murderer himself. A methodical, diligent, and exceptionally bright detective, South is an avid birdwatcher and trusted figure in his small town on the rugged Kentish coast. He also lives with the deeply buried secret that, as a child in Northern Ireland, he may have killed a man. When a fellow birdwatcher is found murdered in his remote home, South's world flips. The culprit seems to be a drifter from South's childhood; the victim was the only person connecting South to his early crime; and a troubled, vivacious new female sergeant has been relocated from London and assigned to work with South. As our hero investigates, he must work ever-harder to keep his own connections to the victim, and his past, a secret. The Birdwatcher is British crime fiction at its finest; a stirring portrait of flawed, vulnerable investigators; a meticulously constructed mystery; and a primal story of fear, loyalty and vengeance. **Longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year

Raptor Prey Remains

Author: Ed Drewitt
Publisher: Pelagic Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1784272086
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 451

Book Description
Are you curious about the remains of an animal you have found? This compilation of the most likely found body parts of animals eaten by raptors will help you identify your discovery. Including over 100 species of bird and mammal prey of raptors such as sparrowhawks, peregrines and hen harriers, this photographic guide highlights the common feathers, fur and other body parts found at raptor nests, roosts, plucking posts and other opportunistic spots. Discovering what raptors eat is an important part of confirming their feeding ecology and how this might change over time, vary on a local level or in response to changing prey populations, as well as dispelling myths and assumptions about what certain raptor species eat. Diet studies are vital for the conservation of raptor species; the more we know about what they need for survival the more we can predict and plan long-term for the protection and survival of raptors that may be vulnerable and in decline. This is the first book to show in detail the actual parts of a bird, mammal or other animal that you are likely to find in a garden, woodland or beneath a raptor roost. As more people take an interest in raptors and watch species such as peregrines via webcams and through watch groups, there is greater opportunity for finding prey remains. This book provides the first and most important step in identifying a prey species.

Nature Detective: British Trees

Author: Victoria Munson
Publisher: Wayland
ISBN: 9780750292085
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Find out about more than 50 of the most common trees found in Britain today. Full descriptions of the trees, along with their scientific name, size, family and habitat, will ensure you can recognise which tree is which. Beautiful large colour photographs of the trees, their leaves, seeds and fruits, will help with easy identification. Includes information about broadleaved trees and conifers, explaining the difference between deciduous trees and evergreens, and looks at how the parts of trees, from the leaves and bark to seeds and berries, can help you to recognise each tree. You can also follow a step-by-step activity to help you create your own tree guide. Become a nature detective and explore the natural world around you. If you enjoy this book, then why not search out the other titles in this series: British Birds; British Mammals; British Insects; British Wild Flowers and British Seashore. Features the following trees: English Oak, Turkey Oak, Sessile Oak, Aspen, White Willow, Weeping Willow, Pussy Willow, Crack Willow, Common Osier, Black Poplar, White Poplar, Silver Birch, Alder, Hazel, Hornbeam, Common Beech, Common Ash, Elder, Holly, Common Lime, Large-leave Lime, Small-leaved Lime, London Plane, Rowan, Horse Chestnut, Sweet Chestnut, Field Maple, Sycamore, Yew, Wych Elm, English Elm, Whitebeam, Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Crab Apple, Wild Cherry, Common Pear, Common Juniper, Walnut, Magnolia, Norway Spruce, Larch, Douglas Fir, Scots Pine, Sitka Spruce, Cedar, Monkey Puzzle Tree.

Nature Detective: Coarse Fishing

Author: Martin Ford
Publisher: Wayland
ISBN: 9781526301192
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 64

Book Description
Learn how to fish with this easy-to-follow guide. Tips show you the best places to fish, the equipment you'll need and give useful tips. Find out about the most common fish found in Britain today. Full descriptions of each, along with their scientific name, size, family and food. Beautiful, large colour photographs will make identification easy. Become a nature detective and explore the natural world around you. If you enjoy this book, then why not search out the other titles in this series: British Birds; British Mammals; British Trees; British Wild Flowers and British Insects. Easy-to-follow identification guides for nature lovers, this handy series will help children and adults to become nature detectives

Tracks and Signs of the Birds of Britain and Europe

Author: Roy Brown
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472973216
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 845

Book Description
Tracks & Signs of the Birds of Britain and Europe contains a wealth of fascinating material for any field naturalist. This unique guide enables the reader to find, interpret and understand field marks left by a variety of birds throughout Britain and Europe, and to use these to identify the species in question. It covers subjects including tracks and trails, feeding and other behavioural signs, nests, pellets, droppings, feathers and skulls, habitat types and field analysis methods. All European bird families are featured, with numerous individual species being described in detail. Fully revised and updated, this third edition contains a great deal of new material, including 19 new colour plates and hundreds of new photographs, line drawings and diagrams. Tracks & Signs of the Birds of Britain and Europe is an indispensable addition to any feather-finder or track-watcher's backpack – the ultimate resource for anyone wanting to identify a bird species from the sometimes subtle clues they leave behind.

A Pitying of Doves

Author: Steve Burrows
Publisher: Dundurn
ISBN: 1459731077
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 369

Book Description
When a senior attaché with the Mexican Consulate is found dead alongside the director of a local bird sanctuary, many details pique Inspector Jejeune’s interest, including a vacant field research position — a full-time job studying birds. Is this the escape from policing that he has been looking for? But first there’s a murder to solve.