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

The Urban Birder

by David Lindo

What?

A personal account of a life’s passion for birds, seeded in the urban sprawl of 1960s London.

Why?

Urban environments are attractive to a diverse selection of bird life, with the patchwork mix of gardens and parks, rivers and reservoirs creating unique ecosystems.

David Lindo has a passion for birds and in the Urban Birder he tells his story from growing up in London to adventures in Brooklyn, Hollywood and beyond. Throughout weaves the thread of his main crusade which is to encourage “urbanites to realise that there is a whole world of wildlife under their noses in the world’s cities.”

This entertaining autobiography has a simple message and is a great read, and as more people migrate to towns and cities it will become increasingly important that people learn to live alongside their avian neighbours, following David Lindo’s lead and becoming urban birders.

Who?

From the author’s website:

“I am David Lindo and I am The Urban Birder — writer, broadcaster, speaker and bird guider. My whole vibe is about getting urbanites to realise that there is a whole world of wildlife under their noses in the world’s cities.

I was a twitcher in the womb and was born clutching for a pair of binoculars. An interest in wildlife and in particular watching birds was a natural thing for me to get into, despite being surrounded by non-birders and having no mentors in my north London neighbourhood…” – read more on www.theurbanbirder.com.

David Lindo will be signing copies of The Urban Birder at Birdfair on Saturday 20th

Find out more about NHBS at Birdfair 2011

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

A Field Guide to Monitoring Nests

by James Ferguson-Lees, Richard Castell and Dave Leech

What?

A guide to the identification of the nests of 146 British and Irish bird species, and a source of information and guidelines about monitoring nests.

Why?

Along with the species accounts, this compact and well-illustrated guide provides a wealth of detail about fieldcraft, legislation, the BTO Nest Record Scheme and the importance of nest monitoring for conservation. It includes the key points of the BTO Code of Conduct for Nest Recorders plus a link to the full code on the BTO website.

In recognition of the potentially contentious nature of nest research, this guide gives clear information and links about the legal issues surrounding monitoring nests, so that conservation work may be carried out with greatest sensitivity to the welfare of birds and their young.

Who?

James Ferguson-Lees and Richard Castell are two of Britain’s leading experts in the field of monitoring nests, having seen and studied the nests of all 146 species covered by this book. Their wealth of field experience delivers a level of information beyond that seen in other publications on this subject.

Dr Dave Leech is a Senior Research Ecologist at the BTO, and also
an experienced nest recorder. His analysis of BTO nest record datasets has delivered much of the supporting information presented in this book.

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

Winged Sentinels: Birds and Climate Change

by Janice Wormworth and Cagan H Sekercioglu

What?

An exploration of the effects of climate change on various groups of birds, what can be done about the threats and the possible consequences of inaction.

Why?

“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 as quoted in the introduction to Winged Sentinels.

The chapters of this book take the reader on a global tour looking at the timing of seasonal activities of birds, their shifting distributions, and the abundance and make-up of avian communities – among various other factors – as ‘fingerprints’ which provide clues to the overall story of how our changing climate is taking its toll on the global bird community. It then provides an assessment of the current state and effectiveness of conservation efforts.

With its absorbing style and generous complement of colour photography Winged Sentinels is accessible to a general readership while being scientifically thorough, and tells a story that is of great interest to all scientists and policy-makers involved not only in avian conservation, but across the spectrum of climate-related ecological research.

Who?

Janice Wormworth is a freelance science writer.

Cagan H Sekercioglu is Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Utah and the director of the non-profit environmental organisation KuzeyDoga

Royal Entomological Society Book of British Insects

by Peter C. Barnard

Pre-order The RES Book of British Insects today for £34.99 (reduced from £39.95).

The Royal Entomological Society (RES) and Wiley-Blackwell are proud to present this landmark publication, celebrating the wonderful diversity of the insects of the British Isles, and the work of the RES (founded 1833). This book is the only modern systematic account of all 558 families of British insects, covering not just the large and familiar groups that are included in popular books, but even the smallest and least known. It is beautifully illustrated throughout in full colour with photographs by experienced wildlife photographers to show the range of diversity, both morphological and behavioural, among the 24,000 species. All of the 6,000 genera of British insects are listed and indexed, along with all the family names and higher groups. There is a summary of the classification, biology and economic importance of each family together with further references for detailed identification. All species currently subject to legal protection in the United Kingdom are also listed… [read more]

Publication scheduled for September 2011.

Offer ends 31/12/2011.

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

Field Guide for Sharks of the Genus Carcharhinus

by Matthias Voigt & Dietmar Weber

What?

A full-colour identification guide to members of the genus Carcharhinus, notably difficult to distinguish by species.

Why?

We are always really impressed by the books published by Verlag Friedrich Pfeil, and this is no exception. The excellent drawings by master technical artist Weber, carefully indicate the relevant anatomical distinctions between the 33 species covered, and the research is immaculate, providing all the facts required for identification. In addition there is plenty of information on the biology and natural history of the genus, plus a glossary of technical terms and many maps, tables and plates.

As well as appealing to marine biologists and shark enthusiasts, this volume has further application in the fields of fisheries, diving and other aquatic sports – in other words for anyone to whom positive species identification would be relevant.

It is hoped that this book will go some way to providing clearer records about threatened shark populations.

Who?

Dr Matthias Voigt studied marine biology at the University of Rostock (2000-2004), received his PhD from the University of Karlsruhe and now works at the University of Konstanz in the Department of Biology, Human Environmental Toxicology Group. He has had many experiences with sharks while diving, and as a member of the German Elasmobranch Society (D.E.G.), he tries to impart his experience, knowledge and fascination with sharks to the general public for increased understanding and protection.

Dietmar Weber is likewise a member of the D.E.G., and has a passion for the lifelike portrayal of animals, an art form which he has perfected over the last forty years. He is currently focused on sharks, skates and rays and his work has been featured in many publications. A graduate professional Technician for Biology i.e. Ecology, he has worked at the Research Institute for Forest Ecology and Forestry of Rhineland-Palatinate in Trippstadt since 1989.

 

The Freshwater Algal Flora of the British Isles: An Identification Guide to Freshwater and Terrestrial Algae, 2nd ed.

 

Save £15

Pre-order the new second edition of The Freshwater Algal Flora of the British Isles for £110 (reduced from £125).

Building on the success of the first edition and featuring contributions from leading experts in the field, this expanded and thoroughly revised second edition provides an indispensable guide to the freshwater and terrestrial algae of the British Isles.

It is an up-to-date account of and identification tool for more than 2400 algal species (excluding diatoms), highlighting their wider distribution around the world. Detailed descriptions are fully illustrated with clear line drawings and photographs including 190 full-page plates, eight of which are full colour… [read more]

Publication scheduled for late August 2011.

Offer ends 30/9/2011.

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

Atlas of British and Irish Hawkweeds

by David McCosh & Tim Rich

What?

A new atlas from the BSBI (Botanical Society of the British Isles) detailing the distribution of the various species of Hawkweed found in Britain and Ireland.

Why?

30 years of fieldwork and herbarium research from McCosh (see below) are behind this exciting new botanical atlas covering over 400 species of Hawkweed. This essential reference work has been produced with support from Tim Rich of the National Museum of Wales.

Each species account includes a map and a silhouette, and distribution information is accompanied by details on distinguishing features where required, plus official IUCN threat status.

This volume follows, and builds upon, the 2006 monograph by Sell & Murrell.

Who?

David McCosh is a retired management consultant currently living in Norfolk. He has been studying plants for over 50 years and has a special interest in the plants of Peeblesshire, Scotland in the area where he grew up. He started studying hawkweeds in the 1960s and is now one of the country’s experts, and this book of maps is the culmination of his life’s work compiling a database of the records.

Tim Rich is Head of Vascular Plant Section at the National Museum of Wales. His expertise is in the area of UK Plant taxonomy, especially Brassicaceae, Gentianaceae, Rosaceae and Asteraceae.

 

Important Bird Areas: Americas

 

“One of BirdLife International’s core research activities over recent years has centred on developing an Important Bird Area (IBA) network worldwide. The publication of ‘IBAs Americas’ represents a major milestone in this project. It is the culmination of 15 years of work by 72 partner organizations and over 3000 people to identify and document the most important sites for birds and biodiversity conservation in a region covering all of North America, Central America and, most ambitiously, South America – the ‘bird continent’, where one-third of the Earth’s avian species occur.

It takes the form of a comprehensive directory of 2345 sites identified in all 57 countries and territories, covering more than 3.25 million km2. The aim of the book is to provide a concise summary of these sites, and an overview of the opportunities they provide for biodiversity conservation. In general, this is achieved very well, and very attractively, as the final product is beautifully organized and liberally illustrated with detailed maps and stunning colour photographs.

If I had to put my finger on my only misgivings about the project, I would point to the practical obstacles of applying a site-based method to complex ecosystems such as Neotropical rainforests. The IBA approach seems tailor-made for developed nations, where biodiversity is largely restricted to patches of natural habitat embedded in human-modified landscapes, and where we often know fairly well what each patch contains in terms of species and populations. In contrast, the IBA maps of poorly developed regions seem to align, not with the distribution of biodiversity per se, but the happenstance of data availability. In Amazonia or the Andes, for example, IBAs tend to align closely with sites targeted by existing conservation actions, or else visited by expeditions or birdwatchers, whereas many remote regions are missing even though they appear to offer better habitat and better prospects for long-term conservation. The result is that the IBA map in such regions is often a better guide to accessibility than to importance for birds.There is a need to acknowledge that temperate-zone strategies may not work so well in such cases, and that the IBA approach may be less effective than regional conservation strategies based on habitat classifications and remote sensing data.

A similar argument applies to the quality of status or population data, which again is often poor in tropical ecosystems. As such, it is generally difficult to know whether a species listed for a particular tropical IBA occurs locally in numbers sufficient for long-term conservation. These caveats aside, ‘IBAs Americas’ is an impressive reference work embodying a huge amount of effort, and a major contribution to biodiversity conservation in a crucial region. It provides an excellent summary of current knowledge regarding many sites destined to play a key role in the fight to preserve rare species from extinction, deserves widespread acclaim and a space on the bookshelf of anyone interested in New World birds and their conservation.”

Joseph M. Tobias,

IBIS The International Journal of Avian Science

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

Phylogenetic Trees Made Easy: A How to Manual, 4th Ed.

by Barry G. Hall

What?

Well-established reference book for getting started in creating phylogenetic trees from protein or nucleic acid sequence data.

Why?

Phylogenetic Trees Made Easy is the full package for biologists who require a thoroughgoing induction into phylogenetics, and students who need practical back-up to their developing theoretical understanding.

This fourth edition has been produced in alignment with new developments in two major software packages used in phylogenetics, namely MEGA5, and MrBayes 3.2.

New topics have been added, new tools introduced, and sections rewritten to give this volume the cutting edge feel it needs to maintain its relevance in this ever-evolving field, and the screen shots are in full-colour and are new throughout.

There is an accompanying website containing files for working through the tutorials.

Who?

Barry G. Hall is Director of the Bellingham Research Institute, Adjunct Professor of Genomics and Bioinformatics at the Allegheny-Singer Research Institute’s Center for Genomic Sciences, and Professor Emeritus of Biology, University of Rochester. Dr. Hall earned B.S. and Ph.D. degrees, both in Genetics, from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and the University of Washington, Seattle, respectively.

In addition to the three prior editions of Phylogenetic Trees Made Easy, Dr. Hall is the author or coauthor of numerous journal articles, editorials, book reviews, and contributed book chapters. His current research interests include the molecular epidemiology of bacterial pathogens and application of genomic analysis to rapid prediction of antibiotic sensitivity in clinical applications.

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

Dormice: A Tale of Two Species

by Pat Morris

What?

Second edition of Morris’s  informative treatment of the natural history, and current conservation and ecological status, of Britain’s two native species of dormouse.

Why?

The dormouse had been particularly under-represented in biological and conservation research before Pat Morris, in 1983, began experimenting with designing a more suitable trap than had previously been available. His success led to meetings with other interested researchers and a project began to fully observe the hazel dormouse in its natural habitat.

The success of this project led to Morris and his colleagues being approached to consider the other native species, the edible dormouse – and the two species are treated separately in this volume, being of such different temperament and life-style.

This book, updated with new information for the second edition, is the product of the discoveries made over the years since these studies began, and its detail and comprehensive approach make it invaluable to anyone interested in the state of Britain’s natural history, and dormice in particular. It is written with both the researcher, the ecologist, and the general reader in mind and could do much to encourage amateur interest in these elusive creatures.

Who?

Dr Pat Morris was Senior Lecturer in Zoology at Royal Holloway, University of London until 2002. He has studied various mammals for over 50 years and has published over 80 scientific papers, and is author of The New Hedgehog Book. He has spent 20 years researching both species of native British dormouse.