Author Interview: Matthew Oates, His Imperial Majesty: A Natural History of the Purple Emperor

Matthew Oates has spent fifty years trying to unravel the ‘Emperor’s’ secrets and with His Imperial Majesty: A Natural History of the Purple Emperor,  due to be published in June, he has written an accessible account of one of Britain’s most beloved butterflies; the majestic Purple Emperor.

 

Matthew Oates has taken time to answer our questions about his book and about the beautiful and elusive butterfly, that if lucky enough, we can glimpse through fissures in its tree top world

 

  1. You describe the Purple Emperor as the most ‘cherished prize’ among Victorian butterfly collectors, while you personally have chosen to devote much of your life to studying this species. What is it about this butterfly that makes it so alluring?

This butterfly is all about mystique. It exists within a different dimension to us, but one which we desire to experience and understand. It is a unique being, capable of doing anything – which means it is unpredictable and utterly captivating. Make no mistake, the Purple Emperor is addictive – but this is a positive addiction, which provides depth of experience tinged with great humour. No one forgets their first Purple Emperor, the experience leaves you wanting more.

2. How has our understanding of the Purple Emperor changed in the half century since your first encounter with ‘his imperial majesty’?

Much of our so-called knowledge was actually mythology and assumption. Oh, the power of assumption, even in ecology! So much of what was considered true, and real, has proven to be utterly wrong; not least because the Purple Emperor, and nature more generally, continually moves the goalposts. Nothing is ever static in nature, perhaps especially with insects.

3. You tell of some of the remarkable lengths that butterfly enthusiasts have gone to in pursuit of the Purple Emperor. What is the most unusual technique you have used when searching for this species?

There is a long history of extreme endeavour here. This is the one butterfly the Victorian collectors most assiduously sought, to form the centrepiece of their precious collections. The Purple Emperor has generated some of the most extreme eccentric behaviour in human history. Collectors used to obtain specimens of this canopy-dwelling butterfly by means of the ‘high net’, a butterfly net attached to a pole often ten metres long. There is a long history of baiting Purple Emperors too, exploiting the male’s attraction to festering messes – the juices of dung, offal, and worse. I helped develop the practice of baiting for Purple Emperors using (relatively inoffensive) shrimp paste, and also pioneered The Emperor’s Breakfast (as shown on TV, several times).

4. It is heartening to read of a species whose populations are on the increase. Can the story of the Purple Emperor offer any lessons for the conservation of other wildlife in Britain?

Yes, definitely! This is proving to be a highly mobile species with good powers of colonisation and, in consequence, recovery. It is becoming a suburban species, and is certainly not the ancient forest inhabitant we once thought it was. Above all, the Purple Emperor is a good news story, at a time of horrific loss and adverse change. It provides hope at a time when we need hope.

5. What do you plan next in your studies of the Purple Emperor? Are there mysteries that you are still hoping to solve?

The journey is by no means over. My book is merely the launching pad towards proper ecological understanding. I sincerely hope it generates the necessary detailed scientific research, and have suggested areas where that need to be conducted. I’ve merely done the spade work. My job now is to help landowners and others to give this magnificent butterfly the future it deserves.

His Imperial Majesty: A Natural History of the Purple Emperor
Hardback,  June 2020,  £13.99 £16.99

Matthew Oates has spent fifty years observing and researching this beautiful and elusive butterfly.

 

Browse all our books covering Butterflies & Moths (Lepidoptera)

John Beaufoy Publishing: Publisher of the Month

Established in 2008, John Beaufoy Publishing (JBP)  is a natural history publisher covering a range of subjects such as ornithology,insects & invertebrates, reptiles & amphibians, marine & freshwater biology, and conservation from all over the world, with a focus on South Asia, South-East Asia and tropical regions.

NHBS is pleased to announce John Beaufoy Publishing (JBP) as our Publisher of the Month for April. We have great offers on a selection of their new and bestselling books throughout the month; making this a perfect opportunity to celebrate the world’s fauna and flora by exploring their catalogue of books.

Books from JBP are written by leading experts in their fields, many notable, such as Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne and his books on Sri Lanka’s natural history and botany. Another JBP author Bikram Grewal, of The 100 Best Birdwatching Sites in India, is a trustee of the Wildlife Preservation Society of India (WPSI) and was awarded the Lifetime Award for spreading awareness about birds and conservation in India.

JBP has an exciting programme of new titles, together with revised and updated editions of some of their most successful books. We have selected ten titles to highlight, and you can browse their full range available at nhbs here

 

The 100 Best Bird Watching Sites in India
Paperback| February 2020| £16.99 £19.99
This fully illustrated guide describes the 100 best sites for viewing both common and rare species throughout the 26 states of the subcontinent, including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

 

Phillipps’ Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo: Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan
Paperback| February 2014| £19.99 £24.99
669 species superbly illustrated in 141 colour plates with more than 2,000 full colour bird images, including most of the sexual variants and immature forms of polymorphic species.

Wild Flowers of the Mediterranean
Paperback| August 2017| £13.99 £16.99
A user-friendly pocket nature guide to the plant world of the Mediterranean: a region is remarkable for its great diversity of species and forms.

 

 

A Field Guide to the Birds of Mongolia
Paperback| October 2019| £24.99 £29.99
Birdwatchers have long wanted a field guide to the birds of Mongolia. Featuring fantastic illustrations on 154 plates, this guide covers all 521 officially recorded species.

 

A Naturalist’s Guide to the Mammals of Australia
Paperback| November 2017| £11.99
This easy-to-use identification guide to the 300 mammal species most commonly seen in Australia is perfect for resident and visitor alike – part of JBP’s Naturalist’s Guides Series

 

The London Bird Atlas
Hardback| December 2017| £29.99 £39.99
Brings together the analyses of millions of bird records and research to tell you which birds are doing well, which ones have declined or held steady, and what the changes have been in relation to previous distribution surveys.

A Naturalist’s Guide to the Butterflies & Dragonflies of Sri Lanka
Paperback| October 2018| £9.99 £11.99
An excellent book for residents and visitors alike to learn about the commoner butterflies and dragonflies of Sri Lanka before progressing to more advanced technical books.

A Naturalist’s Guide to the Reptiles of India: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
Paperback| December 2017| £9.99 £11.99
High-quality photographs from the region’s top nature photographers accompany this identification guide to the 239 reptile species most commonly seen in South Asia.

Wild Philippines: The Landscapes, Habitats and Wildlife of the Philippine Islands
Paperback| August 2019| £19.99 £24.99
More than just a ‘coffee table’ book; Wild Philippines provides an authoritative and entertaining study of the wide spectrum of wildlife on the land and in the seas of this diverse country.

A Field Guide to the Birds of Malaysia & Singapore
Paperback| Due August 2020| £19.99 £24.99
Due to be published in August 2020, this is a fully comprehensive field guide to the 815 bird species of Malaysia and Singapore

 

 

Browse all John Beaufoy Publishing at NHBS

The Accidental Countryside: interview with author Stephen Moss

Stephen Moss is a naturalist, broadcaster, television producer and author. He is the original producer of the BAFTA award-winning series Springwatch and has worked with David Attenborough, Chris Packham, Alan Titchmarsh, and other leading naturalists. Passionate about communicating the wonders of nature, he also lectures in Nature and Travel Writing at Bath Spa University. Originally from London, he lives with his family on the Somerset Levels and is President of the Somerset Wildlife Trust.

In The Accidental Countryside: Hidden Havens for Britain’s Wildlife, Stephen writes about the secret places, that are often overlooked when it comes to protecting habitats and wildlife. Stephen has given his time to sign copies and answer our questions about these vital habitats in our hidden corners. 

 

What inspired you to write about the ‘hidden havens’ for Britain’s Wildlife?

I’ve always been fascinated by these forgotten and secret places, that are often overlooked when it comes to protecting habitats and wildlife. As I say in the book, I first got my passion for the natural world by visiting the gravel pits near my suburban home; today I live near the Avalon Marshes in Somerset, another post-industrial habitat, created from disused peat diggings. During my career at the BBC Natural History Unit, I often filmed at these edgeland locations, as they harbour such a range of interesting wildlife, and are often more accessible to people than classic nature reserves in the countryside. 

Of all the places you visited, which habitat surprised you the most regarding its biodiversity?

That’s a tricky one, as I think they all surprised me in some way or another. The Avalon Marshes is probably the most packed with wildlife – three species of egrets, marsh harriers, bitterns and the famous starling murmurations on winter evenings – but I also loved the Montiaghs (in rural Northern Ireland, where peat was dug by hand), Parc Slip in South Wales (a former open-cast coal mine) and best of all, Canvey Wick in Essex, Britain’s first brownfield nature reserve, and a paradise for invertebrates including rare dragonflies and damselflies.

Avalon Marshes

Your book features exceptional and inspirational people that have found ways to make the most unlikely places wildlife friendly. Is it possible to highlight just one project that has succeeded against the odds?

Again, the Avalon Marshes stands out: once the peat had been removed, we were left with an ugly, scarred and wildlife-free landscape, which it was suggested could be used as a landfill site for Bristol’s domestic waste. Thanks to a local campaign, they were instead turned into nature reserves; thirty years later this is one of the best places for wildlife in the whole of the UK. Others include Canvey Wick, which again could have fallen to the developers; the roadside verges of Blandford Forum in Dorset, which are now awash with wildflowers and butterflies each summer; and the RSPB’s Window on Wildlife at Belfast Docks, home to breeding Arctic Terns.

A Murmuration of Starlings

Is there one habitat that you think hasn’t reached its wildlife friendly potential?

That’s easy! The rest of the ‘official’ countryside – the 70% of the UK that is used for farming. Of course we need to produce food, but not at the expense of wildlife, which is what is happening on the vast majority of farms at the moment. Some visionary farmers are working with conservationists to buck the trend – for instance, the Marlborough Downs Nature Improvement Project in Wiltshire – but most are simply fulfilling the consumer and supermarkets’ demands for cheap food, whatever the cost to the environment. 

You have been writing for many years and unfortunately, wildlife has suffered a substantial decline over the last few decades. Has your recent experience writing The Accidental Countryside left you more optimistic or more pessimistic regarding the future of wildlife in the UK?

I’d love to live in a country where the sites I feature in The Accidental Countryside are not important because the wider countryside has been transformed into a haven for wildlife. But I’m not holding my breath, despite the things we hear from the government. Now, more than ever, we need to understand that a healthy, wildlife-filled environment is not some ‘bolt-on extra’ to our lives, but essential – to the health and well-being of nature, of ourselves, and of course for the planet as a whole. So I have to be optimistic: there is no other choice!

Are there any books or projects that you are currently working on that you can tell us about?

Yes, I am just about to deliver the third in my series of ‘Bird Biographies’ for Square Peg (Part of Penguin Random House). Following bestselling books on the Robin and the Wren, I am now writing about that classic sign of spring and summer, the Swallow. I am a late convert to Swallows – only since I moved from London to rural Somerset in middle age have I grown to appreciate this classic bird of the British countryside. Writing this book, I have also grown to appreciate that the swallow is, as the writer Collingwood Ingram once noted, “beyond doubt the best known, and certainly the best loved, species in the world.”

 

The Accidental Countryside: Hidden Havens for Britain’s Wildlife                              Hardback,  published February 2020           £13.99 £16.99

 

 

Also by Stephen Moss: 

The Wren: A Biography                                                           Hardback,  published November 2018                                    £12.99 

 

Mrs Moreau’s Warbler                                                                                  Paperback,  published April 2019                                                  £7.99 £9.99

 

Wonderland: A Year of Britain’s Wildlife, Day by Day                    Paperback,  published April 2018                                                             £9.99 £12.99

 

Wild Hares and Hummingbirds: The Natural History of an English Village                                                                                 Paperback,  published September 2012                                                   £7.50 £9.99

 

  

Cambridge University Press: Publisher of the Month

 

Cambridge University Press (CUP) published its first book in 1534, making it the world’s oldest publisher. Since then it has been at the forefront of scientific research, publishing ground-breaking works such as: Newton’s Principia Mathematica and Noam Chomsky’s Language and Mind.

NHBS is pleased to announce Cambridge University Press as our Publisher of the Month for March.  We are offering up to 40% discount on a selection of their new and bestselling books throughout the month; making this a perfect opportunity to explore their vibrant publishing history.

Just Published and Forthcoming Highlight

From accessible books on climate change, works on barn owl ecology and textbooks on the fascinating subject of mycology,  there are plenty of forthcoming books for the beginning of 2020 to augment their recent bestsellers in conservation, ecology and natural history.

The Citizen’s Guide to Climate Success: Overcoming Myths that Hinder Progress

Paperback| February 2020| £13.49 £14.99

 

Barn Owls: Evolution and Ecology – with Grass Owls, Masked Owls, and Sooty Owls

Hardback| March 2020| £39.99 £44.99

 

21st Century Guidebook to Fungi

Paperback| Due May 2020|£44.99 £49.99

 

Bestsellers from Cambridge University Press

Save 40% on classic  Cambridge University Press books in our backlist bargains sale, as well as some recent bestsellers on price offers until March 31st.

Ecology and Conservation of Forest Birds
Paperback| March 2018| £35.99 £39.99
Part of the bestselling  Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation series. This is a unique review of current understanding of the relationships between forest birds and their changing environments.

 

Habitat Suitability and Distribution Models: with Applications in R
Paperback| September 2017| £35.99 £39.99
Introduces the key stages of niche-based habitat suitability model building, evaluation, and prediction required for understanding and predicting future patterns of species and biodiversity

 

Human-Wildlife Interactions: Turning Conflict into Coexistence
Paperback| May 2019| £31.49 £34.99
The latest in the Conservation Biology series explores a variety of theories and methods currently used to address human-wildlife interactions – one of the most urgent issues facing wildlife management and conservation today.

Rewilding
Paperback| January 2019| £34.49 £37.99
The latest addition to the Ecological Reviews Series, Rewilding discusses, analyses and summarizes the conservation concept of rewilding.

 

Wood Ant Ecology and Conservation
Hardback| July 2016| £37.99 £62.99
Get a great deal on this study of The Wood Ant – a keystone species in woodland ecosystems.

 

 

British Plant Communities, Volume 1: Woodlands and Scrub
Paperback| April 1998| £56.99 £62.99
Volume 1 in the British Plant Communities series; the first systematic and comprehensive account of the vegetation types of Britain

 

Browse all Cambridge University Press books

Cambridge University Press is a contributing publisher to the Gratis Book Scheme.

One of the most rewarding CUP-NHBS collaborations has been in the form of the Gratis Books Scheme. Since 1999, with support and assistance from the British Ecological Society, this scheme has been sending free copies of books to conservationists in developing countries who would otherwise be unable to obtain them.

 

Author Interview: Mike Potts, Untangling the Knot, Belugas & Bears: My Natural World on Film

Film-maker Mike Potts.

Mike Potts’ career as a wildlife cameraman took him to many of the world’s most spectacular locations and involved filming with Sir David Attenborough.

Mike has signed copies and answered questions about his new book, Untangling the Knot, Belugas & Bears: My Natural World on Film, giving readers the chance to travel with him and share his incredible experiences.

 

Mike on location with Sir David Attenborough.

What made you pursue a career as a wildlife cameraman?                         From an early age I developed an interest in natural history and photography, particularly of birds. I was fortunate in being able to turn a passionate hobby into a profession from early beginnings with the RSPB  Film Unit.

How did you manage a work-life balance when your work took you far away for significantly long periods?

My wife, although working herself, was able to run things at home in my absence.

 

Mike signing copies of his new book

Today, there is GPS and the internet: 30 years ago that technology wasn’t as advanced. What difficulties did that present and how were they overcome? (I’m trying not to say, did you ever get ‘lost’?)

In the early years of my career, before mobile phones, we would often be out of contact for many days, or weeks, when out in the field camping. On some trips, we did have the use of the early satellite phones, so at least there was some contact. Having a local biologist that was familiar with the terrain was essential, otherwise getting lost was a real possibility. It did happen in Australia when I was lost on my own in a tropical forest for several hours, quite scary!

Walruses at Round Island, Alaska

Was there one exceptional location you filmed in that stood out from all the rest?

Alaska particularly has many special memories. I spent over a year there working on three 50 minute programmes. If I had to choose one location, it would be the McNeil River in SE Alaska; here brown bears gather in summer to feed on salmon moving upriver to spawn. Sometimes, over 50 bears can be seen in the river, and standing shoulder to shoulder use various different techniques to capture the fish that are so essential to put on fat for their winter hibernation.

What does ‘Untangling the Knot’ in the title of your book refer to?

Some years ago I worked on a film called ‘Untangling the Knot’, which was about the bird, the Red Knot. It has a long migration from its wintering grounds in South America to breeding grounds in the high Arctic of Canada. So ‘Untangling the Knot’ was the story of the feeding habits, complex migration routes, and remote breeding areas of these great travellers.

 

If someone was inspired to pursue a career filming wildlife, what advice would you give them to get started?

When I started my filming career in 1978 everything was shot on film, which was expensive, as was the equipment to shoot it with. The only way to prove your ability was to shoot a sequence and try to get it seen by wildlife producers at the BBC Natural History Unit or the RSPB film Unit. There were not any wildlife film courses back then. Now there are many more people interested in becoming wildlife cameramen, so the competition is great. What advice would I give? One advantage now with the proliferation of video cameras at low cost is that it is possible to go out and shoot a sequence at no great expense. Choose a subject that you have good knowledge of and try to shoot it differently from what has been done before, then get it seen by someone within the business. If you have access to a scarce or unusual subject, even better, especially if it is on your doorstep (always check licence requirements). You can of course try and get a placement on a ‘wildlife film making’ course but that doesn’t mean a job at the end of it. Virtually all cameramen are freelance, so work is never guaranteed. Good luck.

Can you recall any one moment or experience in your career that encapsulates all that being a wildlife cameraman involved?

I think the most rewarding experience was filming Birds of Paradise in New Guinea. Sitting in my tiny mosquito-filled hide in the pitch-black, 150 feet off the ground, I wondered quite what I was doing there. Then as the dawn began to break and the chorus of tropical birds started I knew why. Shortly afterwards as the first Greater Birds of Paradise appeared the excitement was overpowering. Several males with their golden plumes were bouncing around just 60 feet in front of me, courting the growing number of females nearby. This made all the 3.00 am starts, the long walks through the forest and the exhausting tree climbing worthwhile.

What are your current plans and are there any future projects you can tell us about?

I am now retired from filming, and although I have been trying to get a film off the ground on the Albatross, it is difficult to get the substantial funding for these projects. For the last 2 years I have been writing the book and having exhibitions of my photographic work.

 

Untangling the Knot, Belugas & Bears: My Natural World on Film
Paperback,  published February 2020              £16.95 £20.95

Mike has spent more than 30 years as a wildlife cameraman. A highlight of that career was filming the Birds of Paradise and Bowerbirds with David Attenborough.

 

Further reading…

Journeys in the Wild: The Secret Life of a Cameraman
Hardback,  published August 2019,

£13.99 £16.99

Gavin’s book, Journeys in the Wild, is available from NHBS and you can read more about his life as a cameraman in our blog post from last year.

Red Sixty Seven: A Collection of Words and Art Inspired by Britain’s Most Vulnerable Birds

Red Sixty Seven features our most vulnerable bird species, beautifully illustrated by some amazing wildlife artists. All of the publishers profits from the sale of this book will be donated to BTO and RSPB to further their work on red listed birds.

Contributors include Chris Packham, Ann Cleeves, David Lindo,  and Patrick Barkham.

This book should not exist.

In an ideal world this book, and the official Red List of the most vulnerable birds in the UK it is based on, would not be needed. But the world is far from ideal and our bird populations are declining at an alarming rate. In the past few years alone the once widespread Wryneck has ceased breeding in the UK altogether and has dropped off the list completely. Which species will be next?

Editor, Kit Jewitt has taken some time to answer a few questions about the Red Sixty Seven book project and the list itself.

Hen Harrier: Jane Smith

Of all the birds on the Red List which do you think is most vulnerable?

If I had to choose one, it would be the Hen Harrier. Not only do they have to deal with all of the natural challenges they face, they also have to contend with persecution from criminals within the grouse shooting industry, which evidence now suggests is the main cause of their decline in numbers. The fact that 72% of tagged Hen Harriers are confirmed or considered likely to have been illegally killed is a national disgrace. However, in terms of the recent rate of decline I would also suggest Turtle Dove is a species of highest concern.

Herring Gull: Crow Artist

Many people will be surprised to see herring gull on the list, could you expand on how this seemingly ubiquitous bird has made the list?

Herring Gull populations in coastal areas have dropped by over 50% in my lifetime. This is largely due to the lack of food at coastal sites, with overfishing of UK coastal waters and warming seas caused by climate change likely to be the main reasons for the reduced amount of food available to gulls and other seabirds. They are adaptable, intelligent birds though, so moving to inland areas, or areas where humans create waste for them to eat has been a way for some populations to survive.

Merlin: Natalie Toms

Have any birds managed to move away from the Red List to Amber over the last year or so, and which birds are the most recent additions?

Nineteen species were added to the red list for the first time when it was last updated in 2015, and one species, Merlin, moved back onto the list. Breeding seabirds, such as Puffin, Kittiwake and Shag are now included, and with the additions of species such as Woodcock, Nightingale and Pied Flycatcher there are now more woodland birds on the list than any other habitat. Two species, Bittern and Nightjar, have moved from the red to amber lists thanks to the creation and management of suitable habitat, stimulated by species action plans.

White Fronted Goose: Szabolcs Kokay

We know how we as individuals can help garden birds, but the list contains a high proportion of iconic water birds. How can we as individuals help preserve the many waders and ducks that are on the list?

Many projects being conducted by BTO, RSPB WWT and others help waders, seabirds and ducks, so fundraising for these is vitally important. My main motivation behind the Red Sixty Seven project was to do something to help these declining birds, by spreading the word and raising money for conservationists on the ground. By highlighting the red list far and wide, more people will care and will then hopefully start their own fundraising for BTO’s Operation Wader or Curlew appeal, or WWTs Black-tailed Godwits appeal, or whichever scheme chimes with them. I can’t run marathons or undertake extreme endurance like my friend Jonny Rankin, who has raised over £19,000 for Turtle Doves, so I had to think of a different way of fundraising!

Corncrake: Robert Vaughan

Farmland bird species also make up a large part of the list. Can you see any hope for securing the future of our most rapidly declining farmland species?

The change in farming and land management practices over the last 40 years, including the use of pesticides and changes in crops grown have ultimately reduced the amount of appropriate habitat, and food sources for our farmland birds. Post Brexit, there is an opportunity for the government to make changes to policy to help our farmland wildlife. I just hope they take full advantage of it.

Lesser Redpole: John Threlfall

We love the idea of using the power of beautiful words and paintings to deliver a conservation message. Do you think that engaging the reader emotionally can result in more concrete conservation actions being taken?

I hope so! As well as raising funds for crucial work to help red-listed species, I hope Red Sixty Seven brings the list and the plight of these birds to a wider audience, inspiring other people to take action themselves, whatever that might be. The artwork and stories within the book bring home the message in a very accessible way, and you are left under no illusion that we must do something. There is a poignant sting in the tale at the end of the book; an ‘In Memoriam’ section devoted to the birds we have lost as breeding species in recent years. This book is a call-to-arms.

All of the publisher’s profits from the sale of this book will be donated to BTO and RSPB to further their work on red listed birds.

Red Sixty Seven: A Collection of Words and Art Inspired by Britain’s Most Vulnerable Birds
Hardback,  published February 2020              £19.99

Red Sixty Seven is 67 love letters to our most vulnerable species, each beautifully illustrated by some of the best wildlife artists around.

 

The Vegetative Key to the British Flora: an interview with author John Poland

With re-written keys, additional species, phenology and  many new identification characters, this second edition of The Vegetative Key to the British Flora will be an essential tool for anyone wishing to identify plants when no flowers or fruits are available.

Author John Poland has taken time to answer a few question about the making of this eagerly waited update.

 

John Poland at Hazelslack, Silverdale

Could you tell us a little about your background and how you got interested in botany?

I grew up in urban Lancashire but luckily nature and ‘weeds’ are everywhere. The Lake District was a weekend camping haunt as a child so my curiosity of the natural world never disappeared.
I think the i-spy/Find 50 books that adorned bookshops at the time fostered this interest as I was always hunting for the rarities, sometimes even successfully! Later, local natural history societies and national societies such as the BSBI and Wild Flower Society were great at mentoring and developing more advanced ID skills.
My day job is in ecological consultancy which combines a passion for the natural world with protecting it for others to enjoy. Botany doesn’t always get the prominence it deserves but it plays such an important role in our environment.

Why did you consider producing a second edition of The Vegetative Key to the British Flora and how long has it been in preparation?

The second edition was started the day the first edition was in my hands in 2009! It was a good first attempt, but there is always much to learn and many diagnostic characters were overlooked. This volume aims to correct this by evolving a more definitive ID guide based on 10 years of extensive testing by many botanists. Writing The Field Key to Winter Twigs gave me a new perspective on key-designing concepts so some of these have been applied to the new Veg Key to make it easier for users.

Can you advise on the best ways to use this book?

Always read the keys and never try to pre-empt a question! In this edition, every key has been revised to make ID easier and more accurate.

What kit or equipment can you recommend to aid identification of plants in the vegetative state?

It’s mostly very basic (and inexpensive). A x20 hand lens is best in the field and an x15 LED magnifier is great when working indoors. A measuring loupe is a handy tool and easier to use than a microscrope for fine measurements.

Is there one easy mistake that can be made when identifying plants in their vegetative state?

Perhaps overlooking hair type or presence/absence of latex and stomata. These need careful interpretation but it gets much easier with practice, honest! The key works using obvious characters to start with before getting down to the nitty-gritty. I try to give both simple and technical characters to give the user confidence of getting a correct answer.

Have you got any future projects planned that you can tell us about?

There is always plenty to do in botany. I’m already working on including the entire British Flora. Neophytes are hitching a ride all the time and hortal plants constantly jumping over the garden wall. Perhaps a book on evergreen trees and shrubs would be useful for winter botany but I’m only on the bare bones of that key at the moment…

 

The Vegetative Key to the British Flora: A New Approach to Plant Identification
Paperback,  published January 2020                £24.99 

The second edition of this go-to identification guide is much revised, with re-written keys, additional species, phenology, and many new identification characters.

 

The Field Key to Winter Twigs: A Guide to Native and Planted Deciduous Trees, Shrubs and Woody Climbers (Xylophytes) found in the British Isles
Paperback,  published November 2019             £19.99

A unique identification guide to winter twigs, allowing for rapid species identification.

 

Helm: Publisher of the Month

Christopher Helm’s name has adorned some of the most cherished and authoritative bird books to have appeared anywhere in the world. Starting with the now out-of-print  Seabirds in 1983, a revolution in ornithology publishing began. The Helm stable has since grown into a series of groundbreaking identification guides.  As well as the justly famous Helm Identification Guides, the Helm imprint has expanded to include the Helm Field Guides, Helm Photographic Guides, and Where to Watch Birds series.

With three more fantastic books published in January, we are delighted to name Helm as our Publisher of the Month.

 

 

 

 

 

Over thirty years of ornithology publishing

Handbook of Western Palearctic Birds: Passerines (2-Volume Set)
Hardback| July 2018| £115.99 £150.00
In 2018 Helm published this long awaited 2-Volume Set  which has been among our bestsellers ever since.

We’ve selected more highlights from Helm’s illustrious publishing history below:

 

Birds of Costa Rica                                                                     Paperback| 2014| £16.99 £24.99
The detailed full-colour illustrations exemplify the high standards of Helm’s field guides

 

Flight Identification of European Seabirds
Paperback| 2007| £23.99 £39.99
Essential field guide for watching seabirds, whether it be from land or at sea.

 

Birds of Mongolia
Paperback| Aug 2019| £21.99 £29.99
With a guide to Argentina avifauna planned for late 2020, Helm’s field guides continue to cover increasingly popular destinations for birders, such as Mongolia

 

Antpittas and Gnateaters
Hardback| 2018| £33.99 £49.99
The ultimate reference on these remarkable and beautiful birds and a recent addition to Helm’s authoritative Identification Guide series.  With Birds of Paradise and Bowerbirds and Larks of the World to be published in 2020.

 

Gulls of Europe, Asia and North America
Hardback| 2004 | £32.99 £49.99
The book that that made accurate identification of gulls a realistic possibility for the first time. Still the standard text on the identification of the northern hemisphere’s gulls.

 

Where to Watch Birds in Southern & Western Spain
Paperback| July 2019| £16.99 £24.99
The birding hotspot of Southern Iberia gets an update for this fourth edition in the Where to Watch Birds in Britain and Europe  series

 

The Helm Guide to Bird Identification
Paperback| April 2018| £19.99 £29.99
A supplement to regular field guides for the more experienced birdwatcher, focusing on look-a-likes and other confusing species

 

Wildfowl of Europe, Asia and North America
Hardback| 2015| £23.99 £34.99
An essential reference for anyone interested in the ducks, geese and swans of Eurasia and North America

 

Owls of the World: A Photographic Guide
Hardback| 2013| £26.99 £39.99
An ever popular title in the Helm Photographic Guide Series, the photos are accompanied by concise text on the identification, habitat, food, distribution and voice of these charismatic birds.

To celebrate Helm as NHBS’ Publisher of the Month, we are offering up to 30% off selected Helm books. Browse all Helm books here

 

All price promotion valid until Feb 1st 2020

 

 

Author Interview: Lukas Jenni & Raffael Winkler, Moult and Ageing of European Passerines

The legendary Moult and Ageing of European Passerines returns in a completely revised second edition. This is the must-have reference for bird ringers, ornithologists, and anyone fascinated by feathers.

Bloomsbury’s publisher, Jim Martin has asked the authors Lukas Jenni and Raffael Winkler to share their thoughts about this eagerly awaited second edition.

 

How did the two of you first come to be interested in ageing birds?

Back in the seventies, Raffael was collecting data on skull pneumatization of live birds at the ringing station Col de Bretolet in the Swiss Alps as part of his PhD thesis, and Lukas was a young birder and wannabe ringer. We met at the Basel Ornithological Society, and began to collaborate. At that time ‘skulling’ was a new ageing method; we found as we worked that several plumage ageing criteria were either unreliable or simply wrong. We then started to record more precisely the extent of the post-juvenile moult.

What drove you to keep up your work in counting the moulted and unmoulted feathers of thousands of birds?

We were both fascinated by the large variation in the extent of moult we found, both between species and between individual birds of a species. We wanted to discover the reasons for this variability. And we also wanted to tackle the ‘either/or’ criteria that prevailed for ageing birds at the time – for example, tail feathers might be recorded as either pointed or rounded, but if a young bird had moulted some tail feathers they would have some of each. Ringers were using fixed ‘recipes’ for ageing that did not account for the moult process and its variability.

When did you decide to collate your findings into a book?

Lukas became head of the Swiss Ringing Scheme in 1979, and we both held many ageing courses for ringers, and produced numerous fact-sheets for them. The basis of these was Lars Svensson’s famous Identification Guide to European Passerines; each new edition of this formidable work was eagerly awaited. However, we realised that explaining verbalised differences – for example, such as between buffish-grey and greyish-buff – was a little difficult. It was much easier to teach ringers with the help of wing preparations and skins from the Natural History Museum, Basel. Finally, we decided to take photographs of these elements, with a view to producing a guide to ageing. This eventually became the first edition of Moult and Ageing of European Passerines, which was published in 1994.

The new second edition is publishing in January 2020. This book is more than an ageing guide. What made you develop the sections on moult strategies?

During our work on moult, we realised how complex the moults of passerines are and how incomplete our understanding of moult still is. We felt that a full review is needed for two reasons. First to demonstrate how important moult is in the life of a bird and how moult interacts with other events of the annual cycle. Second to enhance the understanding of the plumage ageing criteria, and to enable ringers to discover new ones.

This will be expanded on in your follow-up book, The Biology of Moult in Birds, which will be coming out in the summer. For Moult and Ageing, how did you take the many excellent photographs of the wings of live birds?

We developed a simple system of a camera with a ring-flash mounted on a tripod, and put the wing of the bird on an oblique grey board, fixed at the wrist with double-sided adhesive tape (we should add that the birds were completely unharmed by the process). This sounds simple, but the tedious part was to put all the feathers and feather vanes in a perfect order, one that satisfied our sense of aesthetic perfection! We then realised that we needed help, and we employed several people over the years to operate as ‘feather beautician’ and photographer.

Physically, it’s quite a big book, and not easy to use in the field. What was the thinking behind that?

We pondered for a long time about this. We finally decided on such a large format so that the reader can see many photographs on one page for direct comparison. A smaller format would have entailed smaller photographs, or continuously turning pages, or both.

How do you think this book will be received?

We were really surprised at the reception for the first edition, how quickly it sold out, and the enormous price second-hand copies went on to fetch. We therefore decided to do a second edition long ago, but it has taken us many years of research, and so has materialised only now. We thoroughly revised the first part of the book about the moult strategies, we’ve included a schematic table of the moults of all European passerines and added pictorial schemes of the various moult strategies, and we have also added 16 new species to the species accounts. The book was printed in Switzerland, so we could supervise the printing. We are glad that the quality of the photographs is now ’pretty good’ (complying with English understatement) or ‘phenomenal’ (following American usage), and we hope that readers will feel the same.

Thank you Lukas and Raffael, and good luck with the new book.

Jim Martin: Bloomsbury Publishing

 

 

 

Moult and Ageing of European Passerines
Hardback,  published 9th January 2020,  *£82.99 £94.99

A brand-new, completely revised second edition of Jenni and Winkler’s classic guide, updated and improved for the next generation of ringers and professional ornithologists.

 

 

*Offer price is only valid for a limited period

 

Staff Picks 2019

Welcome to our annual round-up of the books and equipment we have enjoyed reading and using this year, all chosen by members of the NHBS team. Here are our choices for 2019!

Browning Recon Force Advantage

I have chosen the Browning Recon Force Advantage as my staff pick as it is my favourite trail camera of 2019. We added the Browning cameras to our range in early 2019 and we have been really impressed with the quality of the cameras and the footage they produce. The Recon Force Advantage records 20MP still images and amazingly smooth HD video at 60 fps, with the night time videos in particular offering a step up in terms of definition. This really transforms trail camera footage and broadens the potential for using them in detailed behavioural observations.
Simone – Senior Wildlife Equipment Specialist

The Seafarers: A Journey Among Birds

This account of Stephen Rutts travels to know the seabirds of the British coastline makes for a rather special debut book, dealing in turn with different species of seabird that call Britain home for a spell of their seafaring year. This book lyrically weaves between autobiographical accounts of wild encounters and cultural and historical insight of our ongoing relationship with these birds, whose fascinating communities rely heavily on our actions. Seafarers at its heart, is a journey of deep re-connection with wild beings and wild places and is a mesmerising, witty and often deeply profound portrait of seabirds.
Oli – Graphic Designer

Painted Wolves: A Wild Dog’s life

This book is an epic, beautiful ode to Painted wolves (though you may know them as African wild dogs or Hunting dogs). Using twenty years of experience in the field, this book introduces us to the wolves of the wild Zambezi Valley and discusses conservation challenges and solutions. Throughout are incredible images, encapsulating the lives of these magnificent animals.
Natt – Sales & Marketing Manager

NHBS Moth Trap

My favourite item has to be the NHBS Moth trap, its super light and very easy to assemble. I have been in love with moths for a long time and been lucky enough to publish a paper on the diversity of moths. However, I was not a fan of the big and bulky traps that were very heavy and hard to transport (especially if you have to fit it in your suitcase!).
This trap has been tested by experts from Butterfly Conservation and is handmade in Totnes, Devon. The NHBS Moth trap also has a very high capture rate, as many moths seem to stay in the trap rather than flying out. Another added plus is that 10% of each sale goes directly to Butterfly Conservation!
Angeline – Key Account Manager (Trainee)

Colourful Creatures Memory Game By Shanti Sparrow

I bought this for my 7 year old niece and she loves it. The illustrations are so beautiful and the bright colours really help with remembering the different animals and maintaining attention. She really liked the fact that there is a little booklet of facts about the different animals and the fact that they have names makes them more relatable. The fact we played this game non-stop for a whole afternoon, at her request, is the best review I can give.
Lizzie- Customer Service Manager

Green and Prosperous Land: A Blueprint for Rescuing the British Countryside

Can restoring nature, increasing biodiversity and enhancing the environment go hand-in-hand with economic prosperity? Economist, Dieter Helm gives a resounding ‘yes.’  In fact, he would maintain protecting the environment is ‘essential’ to economic prosperity. He pulls no punches and may ruffle some feathers in his assessment of who is accountable for the decline of nature and what needs to be done to put Britain on a greener and more prosperous path.
Nigel – Books and Publications

A Cloud a Day

Following the success of the Cloud Appreciation Society’s ‘Cloud-a-Day’ subscription service, this book collects a year’s worth of entries. As always with anything produced by CAS, the collection pulls together science, art and philosophy – from explanations of fascinating cloud formations; to historical diagrams from early cloudwatchers; to wistful excerpts of poetry. Many of the photographs featured come from CAS members themselves, and Pretor-Pinney and his odd little community of cloud enthusiasts (of which I myself am a member – no. 28,360) encourage you to take a minute’s mindfulness each day, contemplating the exquisite detail of nature’s most egalitarian of displays: “Look up, marvel at the ephemeral beauty, and always remember to live life with your head in the clouds!”
Rachel- Deputy Customer Service Manager

Hi-Sound Stereo Parabolic Microphone

I have recently been able to test Dodotronic’s Hi-Sound Stereo Parabolic Microphone and I was so impressed by it, it just had to be my staff pick this year! My regular walk in the woods was completely transformed by listening to and recording the birdsong around me. The 53cm diameter parabolic dish is excellent at picking up even the most subtle of sounds and is easy to use, meaning it is perfect for both the budding or experienced wildlife recorder. It pairs perfectly with a Tascam DR-05X for recording and a pair of headphones or earphones for listening in the field. I would strongly recommend the Hi-Sound to anyone with an interest in wildlife recording.
Antonia- Senior Wildlife Equipment Specialist

The Outlaw Ocean: Crime and Survival in the Last Untamed Frontier

“Only one?” Picking favourites has become very hard, but if I have to pick one it would be Ian Urbina’s The Outlaw Ocean. From overfishing and smuggling to piracy and slavery, The Outlaw Ocean is an exceptional reportage that encompasses almost every conceivable form of misconduct playing out on the high seas. The book is shocking, urgent, and in places gut-wrenching. Impossible to put down, it left a deep and lasting impression on me.
Leon- Catalogue Editor

Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities

This is as ambitious in scope as Smil’s previous title Energy and Civilization, with few illustrations and many references, and combines two fascinating (to me) subjects: systems in nature and systems in society, and ultimately how we came to be where we are today. I admit I haven’t read this yet, but I have been looking forward to immersing myself over the Christmas days.
Anneli – Head of Finance and Operations