Garden Birds and Wildlife
Description
GARDEN BIRDS AND WILDLIFE
The Ultimate Guide to British garden birds, their ecology and how to encourage and study them
Written by Dr. Paul Sterry, a leading wildlife author, and Mike Toms of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) with an introduction from Chris Beardshaw
Unique information from the BTO, providing readers with more information about birds and wildlife in their gardens than any other guide
Striking bird illustrations to mimic the accompanying photographs
Did you know that the drumming sound produced by the woodpecker relies not so much on a heavy knock, but rather on the correct frequency of knocks (10-40 strikes per second) to make the timber resonate; the front of the Blue Tit’s head glows brightly under UV light which is how females are thought to choose their partners; and that the Swift spends virtually it’s entire life on the wing – by sleeping with half of its brain at a time, the Swift can even sleep while airborne.
These are just a few of the brilliant facts available in Garden Birds and Wildlife – a truly unique, must-have guide perfect for all wildlife watchers. Each entry is accompanied by numerous photographs and illustrations to help with identification, regardless of the time of year or what the bird is doing. The pictures also underline behaviour and help readers understand why the bird behaves the way it does.
With highly detailed information, each entry includes distribution patterns and seasonal trends presented in clear, easy-to-use graphs; details of size, food, nest and eggs; bird numbers; typical lifespan and the longest recorded lifespan.
About the authors
Dr Paul Sterry trained as a biologist before embarking on a career as an author and wildlife photographer. Over the past 15 years he has written, or contributed to, more than 40 books and has worked for numerous wildlife magazines during this time.
Mike Toms is the director of the BTO’s Garden Birdwatch scheme, co-ordinating the network of 17,000 volunteers who record the birds in their gardens on a weekly basis.
‘Garden Birds and Wildlife’ (ISBN: 978 0 7495 5912 0) is published by AA Publishing on 31st October 2008 (priced £20.00) in hardback format and contains Colour photographs and illustrations throughout.
