Hoopoe – A blog by nhbs

Birdscapes: Birds In Our Imagination and Experience, written by Jeremy Mynott and published by Princeton University Press, has received high praise from Stephen Moss in The Guardian:

"Birdscapes is, for me, the finest book ever written about why we watch birds."

"Mynott’s lightness of touch, combined with his depth of knowledge, experience and above all perception, create a thought-provoking and compulsively readable book."

"A witty and insightful analysis that had me enthralled and delighted in equal measure."

Order your copy of Birdscapes today

In his review, Moss also has praise for two other birding books – Birdwatchingwatching and While Flocks Last – both available for purchase at NHBS.

See the full review in The Guardian.

Lewisian, Torridonian and Moine Rocks of Scotland has now arrived at NHBS. This is the latest volume in the Geological Conservation Review series from JNCC – order your copy today and save £13.50!

Lewisian, Torridonian and Moine Rocks of Scotland describes the outcrops of Precambrian rocks that lie north-west of the Great Glen in the North-west Highlands of Scotland and in the Outer Hebrides and parts of Shetland. The rocks and their convoluted tectonic and metamorphic histories chart the first 2700 million years of the geological development of Great Britain.

The fully revised and updated second edition of Sedimentology and Stratigraphy introduces the reader to sedimentology and stratigraphic principles, and provides tools for the interpretation of sediments and sedimentary rocks. The text and figures are designed to be accessible to anyone completely new to the subject; all of the illustrative material is provided in the companion CD-ROM.

Sedimentology and Stratigraphy is currently on special offer – order your copy today!

Browse Earth & Planetary Sciences

Browse our full range of Wildlife Equipment for hand lenses, waterproof notebooks, GPS units and all the other field essentials.

NHBS is distributing two new major new titles in the Important Bird Areas series, profiling the Important Bird Areas of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Both of these key conservation titles are now in stock at NHBS.

Important Bird Areas in Kazakhstan: Priority Sites for Conservation provides the results of the IBA inventory and its relations to nature conservation in Kazakhstan, and details the accounts for 121 IBAs identified in Kazakhstan which form part of the Central Asia IBA programme. A Russian edition of this book is also available for purchase.

Important Bird Areas in Uzbekistan: Priority Sites for Conservation provides the results of the IBA inventory and its relations to nature conservation in Uzbekistan, and details the accounts for 48 IBAs identified in Uzbekistan which form part of the Central Asia IBA programme. A Russian edition of this book is also available for purchase.

Browse Conservation, Care and Monitoring

Browse our full range of birding titles in Ornithology

Browse our full range of Wildlife Equipment for ringing pliers, binoculars, waterproof notebooks and all the other field essentials.

Dormouse Nest Tubes are now available from NHBS. These nest tubes provide a cheap and easy method of determining the presence of dormice within a habitat, and provide an effective alternative to using a large number of more expensive wooden nest boxes.

The dormouse nest tube consists of two parts – the wooden ‘tray’ and the ‘nesting tube’. The tray, made from 3-ply, fits securely inside the nesting tube (made from plastic tree guard material), with a wooden block sealing the tube at one end. Dormice make nests in these tubes, and it is these nests that are used as indicators of their presence in the habitat.

We supply the nest tubes as singles, and at discounted prices for 10’s and 100’s.

Find out more about dormice in Natural England’s Dormouse Conservation Handbook and the Mammal Society’s The Dormouse.

Also check out our sturdy wooden Dormouse Nest Box – ideal for long-term dormouse accomodation.

Browse Nest Boxes & Habitats for birds and mammals

New from Christopher Helm is Birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea – now in stock at NHBS.

Ethiopia and Eritrea have a fascinating and unique avifauna. Poorly known in comparison to many parts of Africa, knowledge on bird distribution in the two countries is scattered throughout the literature.

For more than 35 years, the authors have been painstakingly collecting bird records in the region. The resulting atlas provides, for the first time, an accurate assessment of the distribution of each of the 870 species known from the two countries, including valuable information on breeding.

This groundbreaking book fills a large hole in the literature for one of the most diverse and least known areas of Africa.

Order Birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea today!

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The latest volume in the classic New Naturalist series, Wildfowl provides a much-anticipated overview of the fascinating birds that have become icons of our diminishing wilderness areas.

David Cabot has been obsessed with wildfowl for nearly sixty years; in this seminal new work, he discusses the 56 species of wildfowl that have been recorded either in a natural state, or that have been introduced and now maintain self-sustaining populations in Britain and Ireland.

Wildfowl (New Naturalist #110) will be published in May 2009 – Order today and save £11!

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Our pre-publication special offer for The Handbook of the Mammals of the World, Volume 1: Carnivores has been extended for one week only – this special offer must end 15 April 2009.

Don’t miss the opportunity to get the first volume of this exciting new series from the publishers of the acclaimed The Handbook of the Birds of The World at the pre-publication price!

Order Volume 1: Carnivores today and save £29.50!

Set up a Standing Order today and receive future volumes of The Handbook of the Mammals of the World at the pre-publication special offer price.

Just published in English, Virunga tells the fascinating story of the development and survival of Africa’s first national park.

Under the leadership of Marc Languy and Emmanuel de Merode, 36 conservationists describe the past and present efforts to protect Virunga, Africa’s first National Park. With over 240 color photographs, 60 maps and 45 graphs, the authors also give a detailed overview of the park, its habitats and wildlife and propose practical measures for the protection of this unique conservation area that has been at the heart of some of the bloodiest conflicts in half a century. Combining historic data with the most recent technology, such as high-resolution satellite imagery, this book provides a wealth of information on the dynamics and the current status of the park, home to gorillas, okapis, tropical glaciers and the world’s largest active volcanoes.

Order a copy of Virunga today

Browse our full range of books on Africa

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Hot off the press from Collins are two great identification guides – the new edition of the Collins Complete Guide to British Insects, and the immensely popular third edition of the Collins Butterfly Guide – now available in paperback!

The new edition of the Collins Complete Guide to British Insects is a photographic field guide to all the common and some unusual species of insects across Britain that the keen amateur naturalist is likely to spot. Over 1,500 species are illustrated with detailed photographs chosen for their help in identification. Featured insect groups include: butterflies and moths, mayflies, dragonflies, damselflies, grasshoppers, crickets, earwigs, lacewings, bugs, bees, wasps, ants, beetles and larvae, all with keys to ensure accurate identification.

Order your copy of British Insects today!

The immensely popular third edition of the Collins Butterfly Guide is now available in paperback.  This comprehensive guide to the butterflies of Britain, Europe and North Africa describes and illustrates all 440 species, depicting both males and females and – where there is significant variation – subspecies.  Distribution maps accompany every widespread species, and the text covers all taxonomic nomenclature, distributions, flight periods, variations, habitats, behaviour, life cycles and conservation.

Collins Butterfly Guide is on special offer until 30 June 2009 – order your copy today!

Check out our new range of homes for bugs and bees in your garden, including the Bee Hut, the Bumblebee Box and the Bug Mansion.

An Atlas of Wader Populations in Africa and Western Eurasia has just arrived at NHBS.

This milestone publication from Wetlands International  is a compilation of current knowledge of the numbers, distribution and movements of one of the most remarkable groups of birds in the region covered by the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA). Long-term waterbird count data have been combined with an extensive literature review, especially published results of bird ringing and national bird atlases, to produce maps showing the population boundaries that are used as a basis of the conservation of these species.

The Wader Atlas will be a key resource for anyone involved in the conservation or study of wetlands.

We are offering a introductory special offer for the Wader Atlas – order today and save £20!
(This special offer expires 8 May 2009.)

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Browse our full range of books on Seabirds, Shorebirds and Wildfowl