Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald

$35.00 AUD

Category: Nature

Animals don't exist to teach us things, but that is what they have always done, and most of what they teach us is what we think we know about ourselves. From the internationally acclaimed author of H is for Hawk comes Vesper Flights, a transcendent collection of essays about the human relationship to th e natural world. In Vesper Flights Helen Macdonald brings together a collection of her best loved pieces, along with new essays on topics and stories ranging from nostalgia and science fiction to the true account of a refugee's flight to the UK. Her pieces ranges from accounts of swan upping on the Thames to watching tens of thousands of cranes in Hungary to seeking the last golden orioles in Suffolk's poplar forests. She writes about wild boar, swifts, mushroom hunting, migraines, the strangeness of birds' nests, what we do when we watch wildlife and why. This is a book about observation, fascination, time, memory, love and loss and how we make the world around us, by one of this century's most important and insightful nature writers. ...Show more

Written in Stone : Reading the Rocks of the Great Ocean Road by Philomena Manifold

$49.95 AUD

Category: Nature

A Brush with Birds: Stories and Art by a Passionate Animal Conservationist (HB) by Richard Weatherly

$60.00 AUD

Category: Nature

A Brush with Birds celebrates the exquisite artworks and incredible life of one of the world's finest bird painters, Richard Weatherly OAM. A skilled falconer and artist, Richard has spent more than fifty years observing birds and their natural habitats around the world, from Antarctica to Zimbabwe to New Guinea, Australia and America. In A Brush with Birds, Richard accompanies his stunning paintings and sketches with fascinating insights, anecdotes and knowledge gathered throughout his career. Richard's work continues to document and celebrate the natural world, and reminds us of the importance of conserving our unique environment. ...Show more

On the Red Hill: Where Four Lives Fell Into Place by Mike Parker

$35.00 AUD

Category: Nature

A multi-layered memoir of love, acceptance, finding home and the redemptive power of nature.In the early 2000s Mike Parker and his partner Peredur (Preds) moved into a small village in remote West Wales. A few weeks after arriving, they met Reg and George, a couple for over sixty years, who had arrived in the village at a time when their relationship could have landed them in prison. The four men became acquaintances, and over the years, firm friends. When Reg and George died, within a few weeks of each other, Mike and Preds discovered that they had been left their home- a whitewashed 'house from the children?s stories?, buried deep within the hills. All four men had arrived at the house following different paths. All four shouldn't have stayed. But they did. On the Red Hilltells the story of Rhiw Goch, the Red Hill, but also the story of a community, and of a remarkable relationship blossoming against the backdrop of rural life. On The Red Hillcelebrates the ebb and flow of seasons, of ever-changing landscapes, and the family (both beloved and infuriating) that you find when you least expect it. Taking the four seasons, the four elements and four extraordinary individuals as his structure, Mike Parker creates a lyrical but clear-eyed exploration of the natural world, one?s place in it, and what it means to find a home. ...Show more

Call of the Reed Warbler (Revised Edition) by Charles Massy

$39.99 AUD

Category: Nature

Call of the Reed Warbler will change the way we farm, eat and think about food. In this groundbreaking book Charles Massy explores regenerative agriculture and the vital connection between our soil and our health. Using his personal farming experience as a touchstone, he tells the real story behind ind ustrial agriculture and the global profit-obsessed corporations driving it. He shows how innovative farmers are finding a new way, regenerating their land and witnessing astounding transformations. Evocatively, he captures what it truly means to live in connection with the land. For farmer, backyard gardener, food buyer, health worker, policy maker and public leader alike, Call of the Reed Warbler offers a clear vision of a sustainable future for our food supply, our landscape, our health and our Earth. It offers hope and a powerful affirmation of our potential for change. Now is the time for a grassroots revolution. ...Show more

Flames of Extinction: The race to save Australia’s threatened wildlife by John Pickrell

$29.99 AUD

Category: Nature

Over Australia's 2019–20 Black Summer bushfire season, scientists estimate that more than three billion native animals were killed or displaced. Many species — koalas, the regent honeyeater, glossy black cockatoo, the platypus — are inching towards extinction at the hands of mega-blazes and the changing climate behind them. In Flames of Extinction, award-winning science writer John Pickrell investigates the effects of the 2019–2020 bushfires on Australian wildlife and ecosystems. Journeying across the firegrounds, Pickrell explores the stories of creatures that escaped the flames, the wildlife workers who rescued them, and the conservationists, land managers, Aboriginal rangers, ecologists and firefighters on the front line of the climate catastrophe. He also reveals the radical new conservation methods being trialled to save as many species as possible from the very precipice of extinction. ...Show more

Nature's Palette - A Colour Reference from the Natural World by Patrick Baty

$70.00 AUD

Category: Nature

First published in 1814 and expanded in 1821 - long before the era of colour photography or print - Syme's edition of Werner's Nomenclature of Colours attempted to establish a universal colour reference system to help identify, classify and represent species from the natural world. Werner's set of 54 co lour standards was enhanced by Patrick Syme with the addition of colour swatches and further references from nature, taking the total number of hues classified to 110. The resulting resource proved invaluable not only to artists but also to zoologists, botanists, mineralogists and anatomists. In Nature's Palette this technicolour trove has, for the first time, been enhanced with the addition of illustrations of the animals, vegetables and minerals Werner referenced alongside each colour swatch and accompanied by expert text explaining the uses and development of colour standards in relation to zoology, botany, minerology and anatomy. This fully realized colour catalogue includes elegant contemporary illustrations of every animal, plant or mineral that Syme cited. Readers can see for themselves Tile Red in the Cock Bullfinch's breast, Shrubby Pimpernel and Porcelain Jasper; or admire the Berlin Blue that Syme identified on the wing feathers of a Jay, in the Hepatica flower and in Blue Sapphire. Displays of contemporary collector's cabinets of birds, butterflies, eggs, flowers and minerals are interspersed at intervals throughout the compendium, with individual specimens colour matched to colour swatches. Still a much-loved reference among artists, naturalists and everyone fascinated by colour today, Werner's Nomenclature of Colours finds its fullest expression in this beautiful and comprehensive colour reference system. ...Show more

Wild Nature: Walking Australia's South East Forests by John Blay

$39.99 AUD

Category: Nature

An epic journey of discovery into the heart of a vast and contested Australian wilderness. John Blay laces up his walking boots and goes bush to explore Australia’s rugged south east forests – stretching from Canberra to the coast and on to Wilsons Promontory – in a great circle from his one-time home n ear Bermagui. In Wild Nature, the bestselling author of On Track charts the forests’ shared history, their natural history, the forest wars, the establishment of the South East Forests National Park and the threats that continue to dog their existence, including devastating bushfires. Along the way Blay asks the big questions. What do we really know about these wild forests? How did the forests come to be the way they are? What is the importance of wild nature to our civilisation?'...As well as being a story of 'spiritual regeneration', it’s also very much about the decades long 'war' between the forest industry and Aboriginal custodians and environmentalists, and about the history of this region. Reading Wild Nature is itself a deep immersion experience in the teeming tapestry of these wild places and what connects us with them.' — Fiona Capp, The Sydney Morning Herald 'This is a beautiful and enchanting book. John Blay is a superb walking companion – a naturalist, historian and philosopher whose writing glows with wit, wisdom and wonder. I savoured every word and relished every step. Wild Nature is a journal of meditation, observation and exploration, and a delicate natural and human history of the south east forests. What is nature, and how do we value it today? How did we save these special places and how might we lose them? Pick up this book and set foot in another world, a wild one nested within our own.' — Tom Griffiths ‘A brilliant natural history of the south east forests. Blay brings a lifetime of experience, knowledge and passion to every walk.’ — Inga Simpson, author of Nest, Where the Trees Were and Understory ‘Moving and vividly told. John Blay’s Wild Nature is a book like no other, written on the soles of his boots and in the wildness of his heart. At once personal, historical and political, it bears witness to the majesty and fragility of a unique Australian environment.’ — Mark McKenna ‘It’s a wonderful relief to read the work of others who are closely attached to forests and to landscapes – the kinds of books like this one written by John Blay are such an important part of the natural identity of this wonderful continent.’ — David Lindenmayer, Climate Change Institute ...Show more

Birds of Instagram: Extraordinary Images from Around the World by David Allen Sibley (Editor, Introduction by); Chris Gatcum (Editor)

$35.00 AUD

Category: Nature

A visually rich selection of the finest bird photography from around the world, presented by renowned ornithologist David Allen Sibley and sourced from Instagram's inspiring photographer communityWe love birds, but they can be tricky to photograph. Enter the expert avian photographers of Instagram who a re uploading astounding captures of beauty and wit to be viewed on your phone screen. Posting from all corners of the globe, this new generation of image-makers has raised the bar and then some with their technically brilliant, characterful portraits.But on small screens, a good many subtle features are hard to take in. This book showcases Instagram's gorgeous bird photography in breathtaking detail, alongside text from renowned ornithologist David Allen Sibley. The images are featured with anecdotes and technical details, always with name, location, and of course, Instagram account, for further bird joy, providing insight and guidance to bird enthusiasts and aspiring photographers alike. ...Show more

The Story of More by Hope Jahren

$22.99 AUD

Category: Nature

Hope Jahren is an award-winning geobiologist, a brilliant writer, an inspiring teacher, and one of the seven billion people with whom we share this earth. In The Story of More, Jahren illuminates the link between human consumption habits and our imperiled planet. In short, highly readable chapters, she takes us through the science behind the key inventions - from electric power to large-scale farming and automobiles - that, even as they help us, release untenable amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. She explains the current and projected consequences of greenhouse gases - from superstorms to rising sea levels - and the actions that all of us can take to fight back. At once an explainer on the mechanisms of warming and a lively, personal narrative given to us in Jahren's inimitable voice, The Story of More is the essential pocket primer on climate change that will leave an indelible impact on everyone who reads it. ...Show more

The 99th Koala by Kailas Wild

$32.99 AUD

Category: Nature

In last summer's devastating fires, Kangaroo Island lost half of its koala population, with many more left injured and starving. This is the inspiring and sometimes confronting story of someone who went to help and ended up a koala dad.   When Kailas Wild - arborist by trade and conservationist at heart - heard that there were injured koalas on Kangaroo Island who could only be reached by a tree climber, he drove 1500 kms to volunteer.   Seven weeks later, he had crowd-funded sixty-five thousand dollars, participated in the rescue of over 100 koalas and had formed a special bond with a baby koala - Joey Kai. His social media postings gained tens of thousands of views and press attention around Australia and overseas, including the BBC, The Times (London), The New York Times and The Daily Mail.   The 99th Koala shares that experience, in words and pictures, and introduces us to some of the koalas of Kangaroo Island. Sometimes tragic, sometimes hopeful, Kai's story above all commemorates our unique wildlife, and demonstrates the power of one person trying to make a difference.   'At a time when many people have felt helpless to act against the immensity of the fires or the threat of climate change, Kai's daily descriptions and videos of saving helpless animals have been a welcome dose of personal courage and deep humanity.' ABC   ...Show more

Turning the Boat for Home by Richard Mabey

$39.99 AUD

Category: Nature

For five decades Richard Mabey has been a pioneering voice in modern nature writing. From the rediscovery of foraging that led to Food for Free, through his groundbreaking expeditions in the 'edgelands' in the 1970s, to his reflections on the musicality of bird-song, he has consistently explored new way s of thinking about nature and its relation to our lives. In Turning the Boat for Home, he introduces pieces from his rich writing life that reflect on how his ideas evolved. At the heart is a passionate belief that Earth is a commonwealth, of all species. Mabey recalls the fight against the commercial afforestation of the Scottish peatlands and recounts the experience of running a 'community woodland', one of the first in Britain. Plants, the organisms that underpin all life, have been a source of constant fascination. In his encyclopaedic Flora Britannica Mabey explored how deeply they are embedded in our popular culture. But they are also autonomous beings with their own agendas, as experienced in his own 'serendipitous' garden 'in which wild organisms improvise their own landscapes'. From a new viewpoint, 'the slow-moving carapace' of a boat on the Norfolk Broads, Mabey ponders the migration of geese and the home-loving whirligig beetles. His epiphany is that a sense of "neighbourliness" may be the best model for our relationship with the rest of the living world. Throughout there is a commitment to writing and to language, which may be 'our greatest ecological gift'. In a celebration that links the work of the poet John Clare with the political warnings of Rachel Carson, Mabey suggests that 'the answer to the still present threat of a silent spring is for us to sing against the storm.' ...Show more