Search results for ""author bird david"

Pete Dunne, one of the foremost birding writers in the country, shares 33 funny, poignant, whimsical, and informative tales about birders and birding in his first collection of birding essays in more than ten years. Dunne is an expert birder, sought-after teacher, and popular author Includes wonderful illustrations by David Gothard"

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The Bird Book is a children's alphabet book by artist and educator, Brian D. Cohen, with rhyming couplets written by Holiday Eames. Created for their son, David, each letter of the alphabet in both uppercase and lowercase, corresponds to the bird illustrated on each page. The description can be read aloud to especially inquisitive children, or be enjoyed by an adult reader alike. Originally hand-colored and printed letterpress, only 26 copies were made. Now gathered in book form for the first time, printed in four colors on beautiful recycled paper, these stunning prints will also appeal to adults interested in art books, small press books, printmaking, and birds. Their children and grandchildren will thank the parents and gift givers as well, for the birds in the book, and the accompanying couplets will open up a world of art and poetry that will become a family favorite.

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In this first biography of David Henry Lewis, Ben Lowings examines his lifetime of adventure forensically yet sympathetically, and unlocks the secrets of his determination. This British-born New Zealander was the first person to sail a catamaran around the world, the first — in Ice Bird — to reach Antarctica solo under sail, and the first to make known to Westerners how ancient navigators reached — and could reach again — the Pacific islands. His many voyages resulted in thirteen books published and translated worldwide; many were bestsellers — We, the Navigators has not been out of print since first publication in 1972. David Lewis’s achievements have been acknowledged with a series of awards, including that of Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. But the price of David Lewis’s adventures had ultimately to be paid by others in the succession of families he created, then broke apart; and many of his actions brought him into conflict with the feelings of friends and contemporaries. We may legitimately ask 'was it really all worth it?' For the first time his six marriages are revealed, through more than a year of original research in Britain, Australia and New Zealand — including interviews with all surviving family members, as well as friends and fellow voyagers. Events thinly-sketched or omitted in his own writings, such as his father’s own failings, are investigated. His kayaking, mountain-climbing and sailing were struggles all the more difficult because of a fractured backbone, shattered elbow and impaired vision. David Lewis’s early years get the comprehensive documentation they deserve — in his own memoir he jumps straight from child to fully-fledged explorer. Inaccuracies are corrected in his tale of kayaking four hundred miles home from school. As playboy medical student, British paratrooper fighting in Normandy, and political activist in Palestine, Jamaica and London, he grappled with academic and colonial prejudice, and fought anti-Semitism and inequality; all is examined. As a general practitioner in the East End’s impure 1950s air he worked where the new National Health Service was most needed. Professional frustrations and marital disappointments were not soothed by weekend sailing. He would join a pioneering single-handed yacht race to America in 1960, leaving his first daughter to find him on board in Plymouth to say farewell only at the last minute. In 1964 he would race again, but this time in a catamaran, and then, with Fiona, his new wife, and their daughters, girdle the earth in it. For the first time, their circumnavigation is described in part from Fiona’s perspective. Media accounts and passages from his many books build up a picture of a consistently experimental, and utterly untypical, middle aged man. Every word in the Antarctic logbook of Ice Bird — scrawled with freezing hands — is closely compared with literary sources, National Geographic articles and his commercially successful book-length account. A new critical appreciation shows the white heat at the core of his being. He has abandoned his children again, and been drugged by ocean solitude. But in the act of writing he is earning his place among humanity. To hell with the frozen hands.

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A wonderful book that shares rare knowledge in a clear and focused way. I love it. - Tristan GooleyBird Tracks: A Field Guide to British Species explores and enhances the ability to identify a diversity of birds using just their tracks and trails. John Rhyder and David Wege approach this subject from the perspective of both the tracker and the birdwatcher. They have examined and described 139 species, each richly illustrated with a mixture of photographs and drawings of their unique tracks and trails.Bird Tracks is a comprehensive guide for trackers and birdwatchers interested in studying species found around the British Isles, and will also be of great use across northwestern Europe. Written by experts in their respective fields, this work represents several years of research collated into the most in-depth study of British bird tracks published to date.

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Trusted Bible teacher and New York Times bestselling author Dr. David Jeremiah understands that whether you're dealing with work stress, family issues, health problems, or just the challenges of daily life, peace can be elusive. In this morning and evening devotional, he guides you to focus on the One who created the universe and everything in it. With God, nothing is impossible. This handsome book is perfect for early birds and night owls who want to commit to spending time each morning and evening with God. With 730 insightful devotions, one for every day and night, David Jeremiah's Morning and Evening Devotions is: A leathersoft edition with a ribbon marker and note-taking section Ideal for Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays, graduation, retirement, and gift-giving holidays A moment in time may seem fleeting, but it is never futile when spent in the presence of the Lord--your days and nights will be richer for it.

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A treasure trove of carefully selected letters written by great artists, providing unique insight into their characters and a glimpse into their lives. Artists’ Letters is a collection of intriguing, entertaining, moving, significant, surprising, witty and insightful correspondence from great artists. Arranged thematically, it includes writings and musings on love, work, daily life, money, travel and the creative process. On the theme of friendship, for example, letters provide evidence of a creative community between peers, with support and mutual appreciation that helps to dispel the myth of the artist as solitary genius. Letters between Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin show an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas. We see mutual admiration between Claude Monet and Berthe Morisot, and Picasso’s quick notes to Jean Cocteau illustrate their closeness. Letters, some of which includes sketches and drawings, are reproduced with the transcript and some background and contextual information alongside. Artists include: Salvador Dali, Goya, Lucian Freud, Vanessa Bell, Michelangelo, Mondrian, Gustav Klimt, Jasper Johns, Edward Burne-Jones, William Blake, Marcel Duchamp, Dorothea Tanning, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Picasso, Mark Rothko, David Hockney, Monet, Marina Abramovic, Cindy Sherman, Joseph Cornell, Leonora Carrington, Wang Zhideng, Yayoi Kusama, Yoko Ono, Renoir, Rubens, Eva Hesse, Cy Twombly, Roy Lichtenstein, Mary Cassatt, Jackson Pollock, Leonardo da Vinci, Joseph Beuys, Judy Chicago, Frida Kahlo, Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O'Keeffe, Auguste Rodin, Camille Claudel, Henry Moore, Joshua Reynolds, Rembrandt, Whistler, Anni Albers, Naum Gabo, Kazimir Malevich, Francis Bacon, Ana Mendieta, Lee Krasner, Andy Warhol

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From Three at 4:43, and here comes my friend, limping on his heavy boot, the heel come off. A cobbler's shop appears, and I buy the black nails, the dwarf's hammer, glue and strapping. I work hard on it, bending there until he speaks and walks on. But as he is dead, his voice and step make no sound. In his third book of poems, David Gewanter takes on wartime America, showing our personal costs and inextricable complicities. The constructs of our social lives, the conventions of our political values, the ambitions of our private fantasies - all these collide comically and tragically. Here, the far right marries the far left, and the sacred is undone by the profane. Gewanter's ironic vision pulls together details from science, history, philosophy, the disappearing dailies, and the emotional life of an engaged and singular mind into poems on the move with tense rhythms, rich correspondences, and daring hairpin turns. "War Bird" gives the lie to the shining moral complacencies of the homefront. Unsettling yet radiant, this collection is a book for troubled times, for what Whitman called in '1861', our 'hurrying, crashing, sad, distracted year'.

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'This beautiful book is one to treasure forever' David Walliams, comedian and children's author WINNER of The Margaret Mallett Award for Children's Non-Fiction 2022 Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fly? Or to live high in the tree tops? Or perhaps you’ve wondered what birds do when no one is looking? Birds have some of the most extraordinary – and peculiar – behaviours on the planet. Ravens love PLAYING games. In winter, they sledge down snow-covered rooftops on their bellies, getting faster and faster. Partridges are SNEAKY and know just how to trick hungry foxes. And honeyguides are HELPFUL. They help humans to find the sweetest treat in the forest – honey. These are just some of the incredible stories you’ll read in this book. With fascinating factual detail and playful storytelling from ornithologist Tim Birkhead and vibrant, personality-filled illustrations from Cat Rayner, this book captures what it’s really like to be a bird.

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Between 1801 and 1812, North West Company fur trader, explorer, and cartographer David Thompson established two viable trade routes across the Rocky Mountains in Canada and systematically surveyed the entire 1,250-mile course of the Columbia River. In succeeding years he distilled his mathematical notations from dozens of journal notebooks into the first accurate maps of a vast portion of the northwest quadrant of North America. The writings in those same journals reveal a complex man who was headstrong, curious, and resourceful in ways that reflected both his London education and his fur trade apprenticeship on the Canadian Shield.In The Mapmaker's Eye: David Thompson on the Columbia Plateau, Jack Nisbet utilizes fresh research to convey how Thompson experienced the full sweep of human and natural history etched across the Columbia drainage. He places Thompson's movements within the larger contexts of the European Enlightenment, the British fur trade economy, and American expansion as represented by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Nisbet courses through journal notebooks to assemble and comment on the explorer's bird and mammal lists, his surprisingly detailed Salish vocabulary, the barrel organ music he and his crew listened to, and the woodworking techniques they used to keep themselves under shelter or on the move.Visual elements bring Thompson's written daybooks to life. Watercolor landscapes and tribal portraits drawn by the first artists to travel along his trade routes illuminate what the explorer actually saw. Tribal and fur trade artifacts reveal intimate details of two cultures at the moment of contact. The Mapmaker's Eye also depicts the surveying instruments that Thompson utilized, and displays the series of remarkable maps that grew out of his patient, persistent years of work. In addition, Nisbet taps into oral memories kept by the Kootenai and Salish bands who guided the agent and his party along their way.

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A stunning new story from the bestselling, prize-winning David Almond, unfolding the magic of the everyday. Mina, from the unforgettable Skellig and My Name is Mina, journeys to Japan and discovers the wonders of the world around her. Kyoto, Japan. Mina is on a bus. Everything is strange and beautiful. Mina watches as a woman folds a piece of paper into an origami boat, then floats it over to her. As Mina discovers the magic of origami, her eyes are opened to the wonders of the real city around her. Unfold the magic of the everyday, on a journey with one of the world's best-loved authors - with stunning illustrations from Kirsti Beautyman in black and orange throughout.'A master storyteller.' Independent

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'With charm, erudition, humour and passion, the world's favourite natural history broadcaster documents some of his expeditions from the late 1950s onwards' Sunday ExpressFollowing the success of the original Zoo Quest expeditions, the young David Attenborough embarked on further travels in a very different part of the world.From Madagascar and New Guinea to the Pacific Islands and the Northern Territory of Australia, he and his cameraman companion were aiming to record not just the wildlife, but the way of life of some of the indigenous people of these regions, whose traditions had never been encountered by most of the British public before.From the land divers of Pentecost Island and the sing-sings of New Guinea, to a Royal Kava ceremony on Tonga and the ancient art of the Northern Territory, it is a journey like no other. Alongside these remarkable cultures he encounters paradise birds, chameleons, sifakas and many more animals in some of the most unique environments on the planet.Written with David Attenborough's characteristic charm, humour and warmth, Journeys to the Other Side of the World is an inimitable adventure among people, places and the wildest of wildlife.'Abundantly good' TLS'A wondrous reminder of Attenborough's pioneering role . . . full of delightful tales' Daily Express'An adventure that sparked a lifetime's commitment to the planet' The Lady'Attenborough is a fine writer and storyteller' Irish Times

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What's the difference between a swallow and a swift? How many species of ducks, penguins, owls or thrushes are there? Which is the rarest parrot or the most endangered hummingbird? What do toucans eat? Discover all the key facts about the world's orders and families of birds with this ultimate handbook. Expert ornithologist Jonathan Elphick provides a comprehensive survey of every one of the 36 orders and 234 families of birds, revealing their remarkable diversity, appearance, behaviour and lifestyle. With clear, lively text, informative fact boxes that include the latest research and data, and special photography from award-winning wildlife photographers such as David Tipling, The Handbook of Bird Families belongs on the shelf of everyone interested in birds.

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I Begin with Spring weaves natural history around Thoreau’s life and times in a richly illustrated field notebook format that can be opened anywhere and invites browsing on every page. Beginning each season with quotes from Thoreau’s schoolboy essay about the changing seasons, Early Bloomer follows him through the fields and woods of Concord, the joys and challenges of growing up, his experiment with simple living on Walden Pond, and his participation in the abolition movement, self-reliance, science, and literature. The book’s two organizing themes—the chronology of Thoreau’s life and the seasonal cycle beginning with spring—interact seamlessly on every spread, suggesting the correspondence of human seasons with nature’s. Thoreau’s annual records of blooms, bird migrations, and other natural events scroll in a timeline across the page bottoms, and the backmatter includes a summary of how those dates have changed from his day to ours and what that tells us about the science of phenology and climate change. Megan Baratta’s watercolors are augmented with historical images and reproductions of Thoreau’s own sketches to create a high-interest visual experience. The book includes a foreword from Thoreau scholar Jeffrey Cramer, Curator of Collections for the Walden Woods Project.

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FROM THE #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WORLD WAR Z'TRUE TERROR' Guardian 'NAIL CHOMPING SUSPENSE' Total Film ______________________________________As the ash and chaos from Mount Rainier's eruption swirled and finally settled, the story of the Greenloop massacre has passed unnoticed, unexamined . . . until now.But the journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town's bloody wreckage, capture a tale too harrowing - and too earth-shattering in its implications - to be forgotten.In these pages, Max Brooks brings Kate's extraordinary account to light for the first time, faithfully reproducing her words alongside his own extensive investigations into the massacre and the beasts behind it, once thought legendary but now known to be terrifyingly real.Kate's is a tale of unexpected strength and resilience, of humanity's defiance in the face of a terrible predator's gaze, and inevitably, of savagery and death.Yet it is also far more than that.Because if what Kate Holland saw in those days is real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us - and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.Part survival narrative, part bloody horror tale, part scientific journey into the boundaries between truth and fiction, this is a Bigfoot story as only Max Brooks could chronicle it - and like none you've ever read before.______________________________________'Unputdownable' John Marrs, bestselling author of The One'A bloody good read' Andrew Hunter-Murray, bestselling author of The Last Day'A masterful blend of laugh-out-loud social satire and stuff-your-fist-in-your-mouth horror. One elevates the other, making the book, and its message, all the more relevant.' David Sedaris 'For any fan of Bigfoot or cryptozoology, it's a referential treat.' Guardian 'Dark, gripping and visceral, Devolution is a unique journey into terror.' Waterstones 'Another triumph from Max Brooks! . . . I can't wait until he turns every monster from childhood into an intelligent, entertaining page-turner' Stephen Chbosky, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of Imaginary Friend and The Perks of Being a Wallflower 'Drawing you in with likeable characters in a real-world situation, then smashing your trust to pieces like a giant ape crushing a skull with his bare hands. Devolution will make you think twice about booking that remote weekend getaway in the woods.' Sci-Fi Now, 5* review 'Max Brooks has written the next great epistolary novel. Devolution is phenomenal' Josh Malerman, New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box 'One of the greatest horror novels I've ever read. The characters soar, the ideas sing, and it's all going to scare the living daylights out of you' Blake Crouch, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter 'Grisly page-turner . . . Brooks' eye for rich characterisation, pointed social commentary and nail-chomping suspense is as sharp as ever' Total Film 'Delightful . . . A tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy' Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 'Timely, terrifying, and utterly terrific.' SFX Magazine *****

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'The most glorious cornucopia celebrating our enduring love affair with birds - an uplifting and eye opening tribute to the way they enrich our lives.' - Alan Titchmarsh MBE, British TV presenter, broadcaster, and gardener 'Wonderfully illustrated.' - Wall Street Journal Let your imagination take flight and celebrate the beauty and diversity of birds throughout art, science, history, and culture This visually stunning survey of birds, chronicling their scientific and popular appeal throughout the ages and around the world, showcases the remarkable diversity of species in the avian kingdom, from tiny hummingbirds to ostriches taller than humans, and icebound penguins to tropical macaws. With its content curated alongside an international panel of ornithologists, art historians, wildlife photographers, conservationists, and curators, this extraordinary book includes illustrations and artwork of all styles, with works by a diverse and often surprising range of creators from many different backgrounds, including: John James Audubon; Robert Clark; Mark Dion; Charley Harper; Barbara Kruger; Edward Lear; Ustad Mansur; John Ruskin; Joel Sartore; Sarah Stone; and Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe. Arranged in thoughtfully paired juxtapositions, it reveals how artists, illustrators, ornithologists, and photographers - from ancient Egypt to the present - have captured the spirit, likeness, character, and symbolism of birds. Including Tweety pie paired with the Twitter bird; birds as 300-foot desert carvings or 2-inch-tall ivory statuettes; bird bones, bird bank notes, sculptures and birds shaped as beds, the book's three hundred visually stunning entries span four thousand years of fine art, photography, ornithological drawings, popular culture, and scientific discovery from all corners of the globe to create the ultimate celebration of the winged world. Advisory panel: Dawn Balmer, Tim Birkhead FRS, Dr Alexander Bond, Gordon Campbell, Dr Sylke Frahnert, Joëlle Garcia, Elizabeth Hammer, David Lindo aka The Urban Birder, Jen Lobo, Fred G. Meijer, Sabine Meyer, Penny Olsen, Oliver Rampley, Katrina van Grouw and Dr Lisanne Wepler Additional texts: Giovanni Aloi, Sara Bader, Dr Alex Bond, Dr Michael Brooke, Tim Cooke, Clare Coulson, Nick Crumpton, Louisa Elderton, Diane Fortenberry, Carolyn Fry, Elizabeth Hammer, David Lindo, Fred G. Meijer, David B Miller, Rebecca Morrill, Penny Olsen, Michele Robecchi, Gill Saunders, James Smith, David Trigg, Katrina van Grouw, Martin Walters, Isabella Wing-Davey and Dr Lisanne Wepler

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Italian sculptor Davide Rivalta seeks out wild animals in their natural habitat and in captivity, then creates sculptures in bronze that capture their energy, otherness, and power. This book documents an exhibition at the Forte di Belvedere in Florence, where Rivalta turns the gallery and garden into a savannah with life-size buffalos, eagles, wolves, and a rhinoceros. Site-specific wall drawings of large birds highlight another artistic practice that the artist uses to explore the untamed essence of the animal world. His works are on show in permanent exhibitions in various cities, both in Italy and abroad, and have been shown in many art galleries and museums.

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From 1837 to 1861, Thoreau kept a Journal that began as a conventional record of ideas, grew into a writer's notebook, and eventually became the principal imaginative work of his career. The source of much of his published writing, the Journal is also a record of his interior life and of his monumental studies of the natural history of his native Concord, Massachusetts. Unlike earlier editions, the Princeton edition reproduces the Journal in its original and complete form, in a reading text free of editorial interpolations but keyed to a comprehensive scholarly apparatus. Journal 8: 1854 is edited from the 467-page notebook that Thoreau kept February 13-September 3, 1854. It reveals him as an increasingly confident taxonomist creating lists that distill his observations about plant leafing and seasonal birds. Two particularly significant public events took place in his life in the summer of 1854. On July 4, at an antislavery rally at Framingham, Massachusetts, Thoreau appeared for the first time in the company of prominent abolitionists, delivering as heated a statement against slavery as he had yet made. And on August 9, Ticknor and Fields published Walden, the book Thoreau had been working on since 1846. In Journal 8 Thoreau indicates that these public accomplishments, though satisfying, took a toll on his creative life and did not fully compensate him for the hours spent away from the woods.

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This wonderful tale transports Mina to Kyoto, Japan, an entirely new and different cultural landscape, where she encounters the magic of origami and an older magic, too. She accepts an origami paper boat from a woman on the bus. 'Ko-ni-chi-wa,' says the woman, 'Take it.' And then, 'Float it.' Mina watches as the woman's fingers fold another elaborate paper form: creased, tugged and teased into the shape of a paper bird. She imagines what it would be like to be a sheet of paper in the woman's hands, to become a paper Mina. The crowds around her disappear and Kyoto is gone.This is a beautiful story from one of the masters of magical realism, David Almond, with stunning illustrations from Kirsti Beautyman."Spell-binding... impossible to resist... breathless, intoxicating prose. [Almond's] books seem to exist in their own otherworldly universe, outside all the trends in modern publishing, yet resolutely of the now." The Glasgow Herald"David Almond's books are strange, unsettling wild things - unfettered by the normal constraints of children's literature. They are, like all great literature, beyond classification." The Guardian"[David Almond] is that rare thing - a writer of lucid, mature elegance, who can still see the world through adolescent eyes." The Daily Telegraph"A writer of visionary Blakean intensity." The Times"A master storyteller." The Independent

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It felt like the slipknot on a rope round my chest was being tightened without pity Trouble is the last thing Albert needs. Travelling back to his childhood home on Christmas Eve to mourn his mother's death, he finds the loneliness and nostalgia of his Parisian quartier unbearable... Until, that evening, he encounters a beautiful, seemingly innocent woman at a brasserie, and his spirits are lifted. Still, something about the woman disturbs him. Where is the father of her child? And what are those two red stains on her sleeve? When she invites him back to her apartment, Albert thinks he's in luck. But a monstrous scene awaits them, and he finds himself lured into the darkness against his better judgment. Unravelling like a paranoid nightmare, Bird in a Cage melds existentialist drama with thrilling noir to tell the story of a man trapped in a prison of his own making.

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One day, Elmer notices that there are no birds around. How strange! Soon he finds them hiding from the nasty bully bird in a nearby cave. The bully bird is mean and likes to frighten the little birds. Led by Elmer, the animals work together to frighten off the bully - and succeed!

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The Tilda Characters Collection: Create 40 lovable sewn Tilda characters with this charming collection of four beautiful hardback sewing books. Includes four titles presented in a stylish slipcase – Birds, Bunnies, Angels and Tilda Dolls – perfect for both dedicated fans and crafters new to the Tilda series. Gorgeous colour photographs and delightful step-by-step illustrations accompany each sewing pattern, along with easy-to-follow instructions for an array of sewing techniques, from appliqué to free embroidery. Tilda Birds – beautiful bird toys and decorations, including doves, hens and ducks. Tilda Bunnies – an assortment of cuddly bunnies, as well as applique projects an cute Easter gifts. Tilda Angels – friendly angels for every room, including garden helpers, party girls and bedtime friends. Tilda Dolls – dolls of all shapes and sizes, including pixies, babushkas and snowmen.

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Feather your nest with this avian collection of easy sewing patterns for beautiful bird designs, all made using simple hand-sewing techniques. Featuring the most popular and distinctive species ; including garden birds, exotic birds, birds of prey, water birds, flightless birds and more ; each pattern wings its way to you with step-by-step instructions and full-size templates, making them perfect for all abilities. The finished little birdies would make cute brooches, bag charms and home accessories, or can even be scaled up to make bigger plushes, all of which will make your friends into avid twitchers! Author Alison J Reid has spent months brooding away in her studio, researching all different kinds of birds, both common and rare. She has checked out their shapes, plumage and markings, and spent so much time trying to perfect their colourful, beautiful wings. It became an obsession! It was only by researching the various details that make each breed so distinctive, that Alison has been able to capture each of their unique qualities and differences. Pattern, colour and shape are key, so capturing these details in felt was important. Luckily, there are so many different colours of felt available! Felt's non-fraying, double sided, robust qualities make it easy to create all the little details that make each bird design so unique and instantly recognisable. Each bird pattern can be traced straight from the page (or enlarged if you want to sew a larger plush), and simple instructions mean that even beginners can get started. And because all the birds are sewn by hand, you don't need a sewing machine and can sit out in the garden with the birds while you sew. Whether you choose to sew just your own favourites, or make gifts for the other bird-lovers in your life, this book will provide hours of fun and inspiration.

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How to get good, then better, then even better at identifying birds in the field-and have fun doing itA straightforward approach from Pete Dunne, one of the country's top birders and birding instructors, written in his distinctive styleIncludes descriptive information for 75 bird groups to help get the ID process off on the right footPractical, expert advice and entertaining in-the-field examples of birding successes and common mistakes

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The dream team of David Almond and Dave McKean bring us a complete story set in an incomplete world.The gods have created a world – they've built mountains, a sea and a sky – and now their days are filled with long naps in the clouds (and tea and cake). That's until Harry, Sue and Little Ben begin to fill the gaps of the world: with a mousy thing, a chirpy thing and a twisty legless thing. As the children's ideas take shape, the power of their visions proves to be greater than they, or the gods, could ever have imagined.

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Birds are a delight in the garden, not only for their beauty and birdsong, but also because they eat many harmful garden pests. This book contains a wealth of feeding ideas for backyard birds, from seeds, grains and peanuts to fruits, suet cakes and fat balls, and suggestions for the best flowers, shrubs, hedges and trees to plant to encourage birds into the garden. There are step-by-step projects for tables, nest boxes, birdbaths and birdhouses that will enhance and decorate your garden, and the book also features illustrated directories of the most common garden birds in the UK and in the USA, from woodland and countryside locations to town and city environments, with information about identification, distribution, habitat and feeding habits. With its helpful practical advice and superb photographs and illustrations, this is the ideal source book for all wildlife enthusiasts Learn what to feed garden birds, from seeds, grains and peanuts to fruits, suet cakes and fat balls, as well as how to attract birds by planting the right flower borders, trees and shrubs, and by making wildlife hedges and ponds * Features practical step-by-step projects for making your own feeders, tables, birdbaths and nest boxes, from simple designs to highly ornamental creations * Includes a visual directory of all the most common garden bird species, with natural history information on distribution, size, nesting, eggs and feeding habits * Explains how birds live - from flying and feeding to egg-laying and migrating - with a guide to birdwatching in urban, country, woodland and aquatic locations * With over 760 beautiful photographs and illustrations.

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‘Funny, accessible and full of wonders – a genuine breath of fresh air.’ – Melissa Harrison, author of All Among the Barley; Lev Parikian is on a journey to discover the quirks, habits and foibles of how the British experience nature. Open a window, hear the birds calling and join him. ; ---------; It's often said that the British are a nation of nature lovers; but what does that really mean? For some it’s watching racer snakes chase iguanas on TV as David Attenborough narrates, a visit to the zoo to convene with the chimps; for others it’s a far-too-ambitious clamber up a mountain, the thrilling spectacle of a rare bird in flight. ; Lev Parikian sets out to explore the many, and particular, ways that he, and we, experience the natural world – beginning face down on the pavement outside his home, then moving outwards to garden, local patch, wildlife reserve, craggy coastline and as far afield as the dark hills of Skye. He visits the haunts of famous nature lovers – reaching back to the likes of Charles Darwin, Etta Lemon, Gavin Maxwell, John Clare and Emma Turner – to examine their insatiable curiosity and follow in their footsteps.; And everywhere he meets not only nature, but nature lovers of all varieties: ramblers, dog-walkers, photographers; loving couples, striding singles, families; kite-flyers, den-builders, grass-loungers; young whippersnappers, old farts, middle-aged ne’er-do-wells; beginners, specialists, all-rounders; or just people out for a stroll in the sun.; Warm, humorous and full of telling detail, Into the Tangled Bank puts the idiosyncrasies of ‘how we are in nature’ under the microscope. And in doing so, it reveals how our collective relationship with nature has changed over the centuries, what our actions mean for nature and what being a nature lover in Britain might mean today.

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This book brings together scientific evidence and experience relevant to the practical conservation of wild birds. The authors worked with an international group of bird experts and conservationists to develop a global list of interventions that could benefit wild birds. For each intervention, the book summarises studies captured by the Conservation Evidence project, where that intervention has been tested and its effects on birds quantified. The result is a thorough guide to what is known, or not known, about the effectiveness of bird conservation actions throughout the world. The preparation of this synopsis was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and Arcadia.

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The threat of global mass extinction of bees, and the alarming decline in many native bird species, are key topics of discussion today. The main causes of this situation is intensive cultivation of monocultures, and the wide-scale use of pesticides, that in turn lead to destruction of traditional habitats and the various food sources they provide. We know that if just one species in a food chain is lost - and thus no longer able to perform its particular function - this will inevitably lead to the extinction of further species, and a reduction in the stability and productivity of the entire ecosystem. The preservation of biological diversity is guaranteed only if pollinators are able to survive - and each of us can contribute to supporting and strengthening them by creating a natural garden that welcomes and sustains these species, providing what they need to flourish. The spirit and magic of a natural garden stems from the fact that it is not created by human hands - at least not in the usual sense, with a great deal of effort and expenditure. A natural garden is about creating an ecologically balanced slice of nature - one that is not shaped by external forces, but works with what is already there. Turn your garden into a wildlife wonderland - and help to save the environment!

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“Magnificent. . . . David Tipling’s lush photographs stun and delight with every page. . . . Mr. Tipling’s skill in telling the birds’ stories is broad and unrivaled. Flights of Passage is a privileged look at birds as we’ve never seen them before.”—Julie Zickefoose, Wall Street Journal A visually stunning, photographically driven celebration of bird migration—one of the great marvels of the natural world The vast transcontinental journeys made every year by millions of feathered migrants were not known to naturalists before the late nineteenth century. Even today, while cutting‑edge technology such as geolocators and isotope analysis helps us map these journeys in detail, much of the science remains poorly understood. In this luxuriously illustrated volume, celebrated nature writer Mike Unwin and award‑winning photographer David Tipling highlight sixty‑seven different species of birds from around the world and explore how each has adapted to its migratory cycle. As they bring to life the drama of the Bar‑headed Goose’s journey over the Himalayas and the amazing sixty‑thousand‑mile annual round trip taken by the Arctic Tern between the United Kingdom and Antarctica, Unwin and Tipling offer deep insights into the science, mysteries, and wonders of migration.

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A fully updated new edition of David Attenborough’s bestselling classic. BIRDS. Over 9,000 species, the most widespread of all animals: on icebergs, in the Sahara or under the sea, at home in our gardens or flying for over a year at a time. Earthbound, we can only look and listen, enjoying their lightness, freedom and richness of plumage and song. David Attenborough has been watching and learning all his life. His classic book, now fully updated with the latest discoveries in ornithology, is a brilliant introduction to bird behaviours around the world: what they do and why they do it. He looks at each step in birds' lives and the problems they have to solve: learning to fly; finding food; communicating; mating and caring for nests, eggs and young; migrating; facing dangers and surviving harsh conditions. Sir David has no equal in helping others to learn and making it exciting. His curiosity and enjoyment are infectious. He shows the lifelong pleasure that birds around us offer, and how much we miss if unaware of them.

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ELEVEN ROMANTIC STORIES TO WARM YOUR HEART, FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERS ME BEFORE YOU AND STILL ME From the author of THE LAST LETTER FROM YOUR LOVER, now a major motion picture_________In Paris for One, Nell is deserted by her boyfriend minutes before setting off on what was supposed to be a fantastic romantic weekend away to Paris. Can she forget him and find herself? Honeymoon in Paris is a tale of the early days of two marriages in both 1912 and 2012, featuring Liv and Sophie from Jojo Moyes' bestselling romance The Girl You Left Behind.Beth is faced with a difficult decision in Bird in the Hand when she bumps into an old flame at a party, with her husband . . . You'll love this unmissable collection of stories about love, family and relationships._________'A beautiful read' Hello 'Funny, heart-warming and pure escapism' The Pool'Like her peers David Nicholls and Marian Keyes, Moyes possesses the enviable gift of making the reader laugh' Independent on Sunday

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Journey through the skies with this beautifully illustrated bird book for children!Parrots, hummingbirds, eagles and more, swoop across the pages of this colorful bird book, featuring illustrations and photographs to immerse young nature enthusiasts in the extraordinary world of birds. Discover the surprising homes, relationships, and habitats of our feathered friends, and learn about how we can protect the wonderful bird world. Within its pages, you will find: -Fascinating and detailed information about birds, making it a perfect classroom read-A glossary of bird terminology and full list of national birds -Detailed illustrations and photographs of all things bird - beaks, feathers, nests, eggs, habitats and more! -Fun and surprising facts that will make you want to learn moreDiscover the wondrous world of birds!Also known as the Urban Birder, author David Lindo's engaging text will show children just how amazing birds are, what they do for our planet, and how we can help to protect birds and their natural habitats. This book shows that birding can be accessible to all, inspiring even city-dwellers to engage with birds in urban environments.Accompanied by enchanting illustrations of bird families including gamebirds, flightless birds, and perching birds, are amazing facts about how birds talk to each other, what they eat, and how they are able to fly.From frozen ice-scapes to sweltering deserts, from prehistoric ancestors to amazing adaptations, explore the surprising homes, relationships, and habits of our feathered friends.For the bird watchers of the future, this is the perfect bird identification book for kids to encourage their interest in the animal planet, and learn how to conserve it. Explore the natural world in its entirety! The Extraordinary World of Birds is the most recent title in the breathtaking series that contains The Magic and Mystery of Trees, The Book of Brilliant Bugs, and Earth's Incredible Oceans.

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FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCAWith an Introduction by 'Britain's most sophisticated film critic' David Thomson, THE TIMES'A remarkable imagination continually provokes both pity and terror' OBSERVER 'One of the last century's most original literary talents' DAILY TELEGRAPH'She wrote exciting plots . . . a writer of fearless originality' GUARDIAN 'How long he fought with them in the darkness he could not tell, but at last the beating of the wings about him lessened and then withdrew . . .'A classic of alienation and horror, The Birds was immortalised by Hitchcock in his celebrated film. The five other chilling stories in this collection echo a sense of dislocation and mock man's sense of dominance over the natural world.

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The Birds of America is one of the best known natural history books ever produced and also the most valuable - a complete set sold at auction in December 2010 for GBP7.3 million, which is a world record for a book. First published in double elephant size (approximately a metre tall) in the first half of the nineteenth century, it is famous for its stunning life-size illustrations of birds set within landscaped backgrounds. The book was issued inparts over 11 years and only around 200 completed sets were ever produced. Less than 120 of these survive today, locked away in museums, galleries and private collections around the world. To create this edition of Audubon's masterpiece, the Natural History Museum's own original edition was disbound and each of the 435 beautiful hand-coloured prints was specially photographed. The artworks are accompanied by the scientific descriptions that were used in the original The Birds of America and there is also a new introduction by David Allen Sibley.

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Based on the spectacular ten-part program on PBS, The Life of Birds is David Attenborough at his characteristic best: presenting the drama, beauty, and eccentricities of the natural world with unusual flair and intelligence. The renowned writer and filmmaker treks through rain forests and deserts, through city streets and isolated wilderness, to bring us an illuminating panorama of every aspect of birds' lives--from their songs to their search for food, from their eggs and nests to their mastery of the air. Beautifully illustrated with more than a hundred color photographs, the book will delight and inform both bird lovers and any general reader with an interest in nature. Attenborough begins at the beginning: reviewing ideas about how and when creatures first took to the air--and why ostriches, kiwis, and other flightless birds later returned to the ground. He introduces us to the marvels of flight. We encounter the albatross, which can soar for hours without flapping its wings; hummingbirds that beat their wings two hundred times a minute; and the swift, which eats, sleeps, and mates in mid-air. We read about birds' extraordinary methods of hunting and gathering--about crows that use twigs and leaves to hook and harpoon insects, and eagles that can stamp venomous snakes to death. Attenborough explains why and how birds sing and why many have such dazzling plumage. He reviews courtship and mating strategies, including the extravagant dances of cranes and the bizarre and ornate pavilions that male bowerbirds build to attract females. We learn how birds defend their young against predators. Attenborough explains how birds have colonized the globe more effectively than any other vertebrates, adapting to Antarctic winters and African summers, to vast oceans and the densest, most polluted cities. He also outlines the threat that humans pose to many species, showing how we have already driven many to extinction. The book presents birds in all their complexity and glory, revealing in clear and elegant prose Attenborough's infectious sense of wonder about the rich variety of life on Earth.

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An enchanting book Joanna LumleyFull of amazing facts and beautiful clear illustrations. A book to inspire the young and indeed the old! Alison SteadmanWill not fail to ignite young imaginations David LindoFull of stunning illustrations and incredible facts, My Book of Birds is a glorious celebration of birds. From majestic golden eagles and snowy owls to brilliant red crossbills and puffins to the tiniest of hummingbirds, the book covers them all. Meet cormorants that can dive underwater for up to 30 seconds at a time, and ptarmigans whose feathers turn completely white in winter, so they can blend in with their snowy habitat. Beautifully designed, and with a debossed wibalin cover, this is an ideal gift for bird lovers of all ages! If you''ve loved Beautiful Birds, or The Genius of Birds, or Bill Bailey''s Remarkable Guide to British Birds, then you''ll love this. Incredible collage illustrations from Gera

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