Author: Katherine

NHBS Weekly Digest: Avian Architecture, snow ecology, conservation handbooks, eTrex and Paramo

New books in stock this week

The best of the new arrivals from the last seven days:

Avian Architecture jacket imageAvian Architecture: How Birds Design, Engineer and Build

Peter Goodfellow

A beautifully designed and fascinating book which documents in clear detail many examples of bird nesting styles, with full-colour illustrations and text describing technical details about construction means and methods, and further detail about such things as the purposes of adornment, and defence structures built into nests. Case studies illustrate the nest-building process, and the chapters are ordered around different nest types, eg Aquatic, Domed, Hanging etc.

The Ecology of Snow and Ice Environments jacket imageThe Ecology of Snow and Ice Environments

Johanna Laybourn-Parry, Martyn Tranter and Andrew J Hodson

New volume summarizing the state of research into these environments, looking at their function as indicators of climate change, their biological and ecological importance, and the service provided by glacial systems as an environmental analogue for astrobiologists studying eg. the evidence of life on Mars or the moons of Jupiter. As such the material is presented in terms accessible to the environmental scientist getting to grips with the biology, and vice versa.

Two reprints of essential conservation handbooks:

Herpetofauna Workers' Manual jacket imageHerpetofauna Workers Manual

Edited by Tony Gent and Steve Gibson

 

Bird Monitoring Methods jacket imageBird Monitoring Methods: A Manual of Techniques for Key UK Species

Gillian Gilbert, David W Gibbons and Julianne Evans

 

 

 

Wildlife Equipment Highlights 

Our weekly suggestions to help you get kitted out for conservation field work, wildlife watching, travel and photography, selected from our range of over 2,000 equipment items.

eTrex10

eTrex 10

Garmin’s long awaited replacement for the eTrex H, the eTrex 10 retains the core functionality, rugged construction, affordability and long battery life that made eTrex H the most dependable GPS device available. The perfect tool for most basic GIS projects, from mapping nature reserves to geocaching.

Browse our range of landscape survey equipment 

Paramo Unisex Torres Jacket Paramo Unisex Torres Jacket

Ethically produced, with a lifetime warranty, and designed by outdoors people, the Paramo Torres Jacket provides fast block insulation and water repellency in extreme or prolonged cold and wet. Packs down small when not needed.

Browse our range of Paramo clothing

 

NHBS Weekly Digest: Bird Sense, highland mammals, beauty in nature, insects and whales, Elekon and the CB2 Deluxe

New books in stock this week

Looking at the very best of the new arrivals from the last seven days:

Bird Sense jacket imageBird Sense: What it’s Like to be a Bird

Tim Birkhead

The author of The Wisdom of Birds returns with this thought-provoking exploration of the subjective sense experience of birds. The premise is that there is much more to being inside a bird’s head than at first we may assume. The chapters journey through the different senses, revealing the fascinating insights that surround each through generous reference to the history of avian scientific investigation. Birkhead shows by implication that the sensory life of birds has a rich diversity and specificity which may make many readers revisit the question of what it’s like to be a bird.

Atlas of Highland Land Mammals jacket imageAtlas of Highland Land Mammals

Edited by Ro Scott

The second publication that we have stocked from the Highland Biological Recording Group, the previous being Highland Bumblebees. The area in question corresponds to the administrative area covered by the Highland Council and accounts for one third of the land mass of Scotland. Drawing upon data from previous surveys by HBRC of specific species, plus the results of mammal recording over the last 12 years from 1999 to 2010, this is a summary of the appearance, behaviour and location, ecology and conservation status and history/management history  of 37 species. Illustrated with clear distribution maps and four colour plates.

Survival of the Beautiful jacket imageSurvival of the Beautiful

David Rothenberg

Explores the evolutionary nature of beauty, and beauty in nature, taking on the challenge that led to Darwin’s pronouncement that “The peacock’s tail makes me sick!” Rothenberg’s investigations roam through a world of natural and artistic phenomena, from Bowerbirds and their elaborate nest-building to attract a mate, to abstract art and its demolition of the traditional pursuit and exaltation of beauty in art – and his observations about the interplay of beauty, art and culture interrogate the capacity of Darwin’s concept of sexual selection to fully explain the sense of the aesthetic and its appearance in the evolutionary history of animals and humans. Rothenberg is currently collaborating with researchers from CUNY, NYU, and the Netherlands Institute of Ecology on the quantification of the musicality of nightingale songs.

Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Insects jacket imageEcological and Environmental Physiology of Insects

Jon F Harrison, Arthur H Woods and Stephen P Roberts

Volume 3 in the Ecological and Environmental Physiology Series from Oxford University Press.
From the publisher’s description:
“Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Insects presents a current and comprehensive overview of how the key physiological traits of insects respond to environmental variation. It forges conceptual links from molecular biology through organismal function to population and community ecology. As with other books in the Series, the emphasis is on the unique physiological characteristics of the insects, but with applications to questions of broad relevance in physiological ecology. As an aid to new researchers on insects, it also includes introductory chapters on the basics and techniques of insect physiology ecology.”

The Sounding of the Whale jacket imageThe Sounding of the Whale

D. Graham Burnett

A majestic and sweeping history of the development of the relationship between science and the whale in the twentieth century, drawing in the implications and side-stories from the whaling trade, politics, environmental activism and cultural perceptions. The author is professor of history and history of science at Princeton University, joint editor of Cabinet magazine, and author of four books, including Trying Leviathan, which won the New York City Book Award in 2007.

Wildlife Equipment Highlights 

Our weekly suggestions to help you get kitted out for conservation field work, wildlife watching, travel and photography, selected from our range of over 2,000 equipment items.

Elekon Batscanner Bat Detector jacket imageElekon Bat Scanner Bat Detector

The most advanced heterodyne-only detector on the market. Just turn on the device and listen. The ultrasonic sounds are automatically transformed into the audible range without the need for any adjustments, whilst the large LCD screen provides an immediate display of the peak frequency.

Browse our range of bat detection equipment

 

Cluson CB2 Clubman Deluxe Li-Ion 9.2Ah High-Power Lamp/TorchCluson CB2 Clubman Deluxe Li-Ion 9.2Ah High-Power Lamp/Torch

All the great features of the CB2 combined with the reduced size and weight but increased battery life of a Lithium Ion battery. The 12V 9.2Ah version can now produce the high beam for 2.25 hours continuously on a single charge whilst the 12V 18.4Ah version will run for 4 hours. The total weight of the CB2 has also been reduced considerably with the 12V 9.2Ah version now at 1.65kg and the 12V 18.4Ah version at 2.2kg whilst the size of the units has been reduced by approximately 30%.

Browse our range of lamps and torches

 

NHBS Weekly Digest: ferns, tigers, butterflies, Copernicus, Stealth and the BirdMIKE

New books in stock this week

Looking at the very best of the new arrivals from the last seven days:

Fern Fever jacket imageFern Fever: The Story of Pteridomania

Sarah Whittingham

This wonderful book tells the story of the nineteenth century obsession with ferns, the infinitely various manifestations of which – in the ferneries, the pottery, sculpture and paintings, albums and frontispieces and other curiosities of the day – are amply illustrated throughout.

An unmissable addition to the literature on botanical history.

The Tiger jacket imageThe Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival 

John Vaillant

Astonishing true story about a tracker and leader of a tiger conservation unit, Yuri Trush, who discovers that the tiger which has been creating terror in a remote Russian village is attacking not at random but seemingly by design. Trush must stop the tiger from pursuing its ‘vendetta’ before anyone else comes to harm.

The narrative of his pursuit takes the reader deep into the Siberian winter, where animals and humans struggle to survive – and through this Vaillant weaves fascinating threads of the history of the natives and settlers, conservationists and poachers who have been at odds over the status of the Siberian tiger.

Butterflies of Europe and the Mediterranean Area jacket imageButterflies of Europe and the Mediterranean Area

Vadim V Tshikolovets

A classic example of a work born of the passion and dedicated research of a true enthusiast, this volume, which covers 700 species, is the result of contributions from about 100 lepidopterists, combined with the rich knowledge and field experience of the author – known for his book series on the butterflies of Palearctic Asia.

The extensive geographical range should be of interest to butterfly fanatics and entomologists who may wish for a single volume as they travel Europe, North Africa, Asia Minor and the Near East in search of their subjects. The detailed species descriptions are accompanied by full colour photographs of butterflies in situ, collection specimens, and butterfly habitats.

A More Perfect Heaven jacket imageA More Perfect Heaven: How Copernicus Revolutionised the Cosmos

Dava Sobel

Sobel is famous for her international bestseller, Longitude, which was integral to the massive popularisation of the history of science over the last two decades. Her new book tells the story of the historical moment in which humanity found that it was no longer at the centre of the cosmos. In the early 1,500s Copernicus was developing his theory that placed the Sun at the centre of the universe, and the narrative explores the fateful collaboration between Copernicus and a young German mathematician, Georg Joachim Rheticus, which resulted in the publication of the infamous book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres).

Wildlife Equipment Highlights 

Our weekly suggestions to help you get kitted out for conservation field work, wildlife watching, travel and photography, selected from our range of over 2,000 equipment items.

Stealth Gear Two Man Chair HideStealth Gear Two Man Chair Hide

Spacious enough for two photographers with tripods to work comfortably together, this is one of our most popular chair hides. The Camo-Tree camouflage pattern is designed for the UK countryside and is effective all year round.

Browse our range of hides and camouflage

 

BirdMIKEBirdMIKE

With spring fast approaching, it’s time to start learning or refreshing your bird call identification skills before the summer migrants start to arrive. The BirdMIKE  pack contains all you need to develop a sound knowledge of common British birdsong, without the use of a computer.

Browse our range of sound recording equipment

 

NHBS Weekly Digest: Birds of the Indian Subcontinent, Carnivore Ecology and Conservation, Pond Dipping Net, Stealth Gear

Looking at the very best of the new arrivals from the last seven days…

New Books

Birds of the Indian Subcontinent jacket imageBirds of the Indian Subcontinent

Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp and Tim Inskipp

New second edition of the ground-breaking 1998 original, featuring the usual quality of plates and information associated with the Helm Field Guides.

Covers India, Pakistian, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and the Maldives. Updated with new species and some newly painted plates.

 

Carnivore Ecology and Conservation jacket imageCarnivore Ecology and Conservation

Edited by Luigi Boitani and Roger A Powell

From the Techniques in Ecology and Conservation series, this is a practical guide to the methods and processes involved in the study and conservation of all the world’s carnivore species, with particular emphasis on the human/carnivore interface. The book provides information on the diversity of practical considerations for field research and technical considerations for accurate analysis and modelling.

 

A Natural History of Belize jacket imageA Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest

Samuel Bridgewater

As well as being a unique and richly illustrated portrait of this fascinating country, A Natural History of Belize provides a lens through which the reader is introduced to questions regarding the debates around rainforests and their ecology and conservation.

The Maya Forest is an important regional biodiversity hot spot and provides some of the last regional habitats fo the jaguar, the scarlet macaw, Baird’s tapir, and Morelet’s crocodile.

 

Scotland jacket imageScotland

Peter Friend

Volume 119 in the New Naturalist Series takes the reader on a journey around the landscape of Scotland. Friend explores the incredible diversity of the country, region by region, looking at how it formed over the ages.

Illustrated with photographs, and maps and diagrams created using the latest computer imaging technology.

 

Adventures Among Ants jacket imageAdventures Among Ants: A Global Safari with a Cast of Trillions
Mark W. Moffett

Moffett recaps his exploration around the world of the lives of ants, recounting stories of their behaviour on the human scale – looking at ants in terms of various familiar roles like warriors, builders, big-game hunters, and slave owners. These tales demonstrate the incredibly complex ways in which ants have evolved to flourish and dominate the ecosystems in which they live.

 

New Wildlife Equipment

 

Pond Net - Complete Net Bag, Frame And PolePond Net – Complete Net Bag, Frame And Pole

A high quality new pond dipping net designed to be affordable enough for non-professionals but robust enough to be used year after year by school children and other such demanding users.

Browse all Nets

Stealth Gear Extreme Photographers Jacket2

Stealth Gear Extreme Photographers Jacket2

The latest version of the ultimate wildlife photographers jacket – plenty of space for lenses and batteries in the ample pockets.

Browse all Hides, Camouflage and Clothing

Book of the Week: Statistics for Ecologists Using R and Excel

Continuing our selection of the very best titles available through NHBS:

Statistics for Ecologists Using R and Excel

Mark Gardener


Statistics for Ecologists Using R and Excel jacket imageWhat?

A step-by-step guide to data analysis for ecologists in both the R language and Microsoft Excel.

Why?

It takes the reader through the process of data analysis and explains the theoretical basis of statistical tests, and how to apply them in R and in Excel. The author also covers methods for preparing and presenting results.

Statistics for Ecologists Using R and Excel is the first book in the Data In the Wild series from Pelagic Publishing, which is a series of practical books, sharing key tools and methods for the collection, analysis and interpretation of environmental data.

Who?

Mark Gardener began his career as an optician but returned to science and trained as an ecologist. His research is in the area of pollination ecology. He has worked extensively in the UK as well as Australia and the United States. Currently he works as an associate lecturer for the Open University and also runs courses in data analysis for ecology and environmental science.

Available Now from NHBS


NHBS Books of the Year 2011

To celebrate another fantastic year in natural history book publishing we have put together a list of some of our favourite highlights of 2011. These ten books stand out as being uniquely interesting, original and informative, providing new angles on old topics and furthering fields of study into new areas. We hope you find as much to enjoy here as we do, and we look forward sharing what 2012 has in store.

Winged Sentinels: Birds and Climate Change jacket imageWinged Sentinels: Birds and Climate Change

Janice Wormworth and Cagan H Sekercioglu

‘The ability of the birds to show us the consequences of our own actions is among their most important and least appreciated attributes. Despite the free advice of the birds, we do not pay attention.’ – Marjory Stoneman Douglas, 1947. From ice-dependent penguins of Antarctica to songbirds that migrate across the Sahara, birds’ responses provide early warning signs of the impact of climate change.

The Private Life of Adders jacket imageThe Private Life of Adders

Rodger McPhail

The common European adder (Vipera berus) is found throughout Europe and northern Asia. Despite its widespread distribution, and its notoriety as one of Europe’s few truly venomous snakes, very little is known about its private life. Rodger McPhail, the celebrated wildlife artist, has had a life-long fascination with adders.

 

Tropical Plant Collecting: From the Field to the Internet jacket imageTropical Plant Collecting: From the Field to the Internet

Edited by Scott A Mori, Amy Berkov, Carol A Gracie and Edmund F Hecklau

This book is based on 40 years of tropical plant collecting in Central and South America by the senior author and his colleagues and, in particular, draws from his experience in publishing a guide to the vascular plants of central French Guiana and a monograph of the Brazil nut family (Lecythidaceae).

 

Fascinated by Fungi jacket imageFascinated By Fungi: Exploring the Majesty and Mystery, Facts and Fantasy of the Quirkiest Kingdom on Earth

Pat O’Reilly

For millennia the mysterious nature of fungi has intrigued the intrepid. Fungal fruits of field and forest have fed the fearless, while the (surprisingly few) resulting fatalities have fuelled myths and legends. Monks and murderers have turned mushrooms to their advantage; artists and authors have fallen for the fascination of fungi.

Multimedia Identification Guide to North Atlantic Seabirds jacket imageMultimedia Identification Guide to North Atlantic Seabirds: Storm-petrels and Bulwer’s Petrel

Bob Flood and Ashley Fisher

This identification guide on the storm-petrels of the North Atlantic is the culmination of many years of at-sea observations by the authors. It is the first in what is planned to be a four-part series on regular and vagrant bird species of the North Atlantic. The book is accompanied by 2 DVDs with over 120 minutes of both at-sea footage and, for some species, in-hand and at-colony footage.

Field Guide for Sharks of the Genus Carcharhinus jacket imageField Guide for Sharks of the Genus Carcharhinus

Matthias Voigt and Dietmar Weber

All known and relevant data and features to enable an identification of sharks of the genus Carcharhinus (BLAINVILLE 1816) are summarised and visualised in this book. The introduced species are difficult to separate for somebody who is not experienced in identifying sharks. An identification key is given to determine and to differentiate the species.

The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles jacket imageThe Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles

Bo Beolens, Michael Watkins and Michael Grayson

Who was Richard Kemp, after whom the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is named? Is Wake’s Gecko named after Berkeley’s Marvalee Wake? Or perhaps her husband, David? Why do so many snakes and lizards have Werner in their name? This reference book answers these and thousands of other questions about the origins of the vernacular and scientific names of reptiles across the globe.

British Boletes jacket imageBritish Boletes: With Keys to Species

Geoffrey Kibby

Boletes are some of the most popular fungi around the world, both because they are often choice edibles and also because of their frequently exotic colours and large size. There are approximately 80 species in Britain and this book aims to provides user-friendly identification keys and descriptions to all the known species along with colour photos of the majority of species.

The Great Sperm Whale jacket imageThe Great Sperm Whale: A Natural History of the Ocean’s Most Magnificent and Mysterious Creature

Richard Ellis

This study covers the full spectrum of the sperm whale’s prehistoric past to its current endangered existence. Richard Ellis illuminates the iconic impact of Physeter macrocephalus (“big-headed blower”) on our history, environment, and culture, with a substantial nod to Herman Melville and Moby-Dick, the great novel that put the sperm whale (and whaling) on the literary map.

Wildlife of a Garden: A Thirty-year Study jacket imageWildlife of A Garden: A Thirty-year Study

Jennifer Owen

For 30 years, Owen recorded all the wildlife in her Leicester garden. Using several trapping and monitoring methods, she recorded 2673 species of plants and animals. She discusses diversity, abundance, seasonality and annual fluctuations and relates these to weather, changes in surrounding land use and other ecological factors.

 

Book of the Week: Peonies of the World, Volume 2: Polymorphism and Diversity

Continuing our selection of the very best titles available through NHBS:

Peonies of the World, Volume 2: Polymorphism and Diversity

Hong De-Yuan


Peonies of the World, Volume 2: Polymorphism and Diversity jacket imageWhat?

Second in a three-volume work dedicated to the genus Paeonia.

Why?

The first volume began this series’ focus on a comprehensive taxonomic revision of the genus Paeonia. This second monograph continues the high standard with a look at the rich diversity found in the worldwide population.

Hong De-Yuan’s work exemplifies a conscientiousness in exploring and defining developments in taxonomy of a plant species, taking into account striking morphological variety, and the existence of herbarium specimens not found in nature.

The result of decades of extensive study in the field, work which was funded by the National Geographic Society, Peonies of the World, Volume 2: Polymorphism and Diversity, is illustrated with 356 colour photos of peonies in their natural context.

This is a very attractive quality monograph and an essential for botanists and horticulturists.

Who?

Hong De-Yuan is Professor of the State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany at the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing. He is also Chair of the Life Science Division at the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Dean of the School of Life Science, Zhejiang University.

Available Now from NHBS


Book of the Week: Convergent Evolution: Limited Forms Most Beautiful

Continuing our selection of the very best titles available through NHBS:

Convergent Evolution: Limited Forms Most Beautiful

Convergent Evolution: Limited Forms Most Beautiful jacket imageGeorge McGhee Jr


What?

New volume in the MIT Press Vienna Series in Theoretical Biology.

Why?

Following the ethos of this series which looks in detail at the theoretical models behind the practical application of the biological sciences, this new volume looks at the phenomenon of convergent evolution through its manifestation in animal and plant biology, as well as in natural systems of all scales from the molecular world to large-scale ecosystems, and finally extending into the realm of mind where convergent characteristics are found in phenomena like tool use, and the evolution of various behaviours such as reproduction and herding.

This is a fascinating account of the state of current thinking on this subject, which brings into perspective the possibilities of life on our planet and Darwin’s vision of “endless forms most beautiful”.

Who?

George McGhee Jr is Professor of Paleobiology in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Rutgers University and a Member of the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research in Altenberg, Austria.

Available Now from NHBS


Book of the Week: The Natural History of the Proboscis Monkey

Continuing our selection of the very best titles available through NHBS:

The Natural History of the Proboscis Monkey jacket imageThe Natural History of the Proboscis Monkey

John CM Sha, Ikki Matsuda and Henry Bernard


What?

A new natural history of this unique species, endemic to Borneo.

Why?

This concise, informative and abundantly illustrated volume summarises the current state of knowledge about the natural history of the proboscis monkey. After introducing these charismatic creatures – pictures of which weave through the pages of this book, bringing the animals to life in all the colourful diversity of their behaviour – and their homeland of Sabah, Borneo, the chapters range through distribution, behaviour and social organisation, ecology, predation, and conservation issues.

The latter emphasis, on conservation, includes guidelines for ecotourists observing the proboscis monkeys at large, and suggestions of places to visit. The proboscis monkey is on the IUCN endangered list, and this volume should go some way towards raising awareness of their needs and nature, and their position in the lush forest ecosystem of Sabah.

Who?

John CM Sha, Ikki Matsuda and Henry Bernard are field researchers on proboscis monkeys in Sabah, East Malaysia.

Available Now from NHBS


Save 20% on some of our top choices from 2011 in the NHBS Winter Gift Catalogue

Welcome to the NHBS Winter Gift Catalogue!

We’ve brought together all our favourite books from across our subject areas from the past twelve months, plus the best of the year’s DVD/Blu-ray documentaries (including the BBC’s Frozen Planet, due December), and some interesting gift ideas for photographers and young enthusiasts from our range of wildlife conservation equipment.

Save up to 20% on some of the top books of the year, and look out for a great saving of £54 on on the Bushnell XLT Trophy Cam Trail Camera, on page 6.

You can browse the catalogue below, or download here as a pdf. – it’s fully linked up so you can find out more about anything you are interested in by clicking on the images.
NHBS Winter Gift Catalogue 2011