More Australian Birding Tales takes up where the author’s very successful first book, An Australian Birding Year, ended. In this new book Bruce Richardson describes his further birding adventures, which take his total ‘life list’ from 672 to 759, well exceeding his initial target of 700 species.
He delights in finding new ‘lifer’ species, whether they are common but not yet seen by him or mega rarities, but he also glories in the fact that his birding trips take him to stunning parts of Australia that he wouldn’t normally have visited. He travels through the outback, takes the ferry over to Tasmania, makes several pelagic expeditions and goes on a memorable trip to Cocos/Keeling and Christmas Islands.
He describes his travels with humour, and intersperses the ticks and the dips of birding with personal anecdotes of a life lived through good times and bad.
Although reaching the 700 species target was a milestone, for Bruce birding is equally about the vibe, the good friends he makes along the way and his exploration of the glorious Australian countryside. He certainly does see some cool birds though.
R. Bruce Richardson, originally from the USA, is a semi-retired singer/songwriter and entertainer living in Lara, Victoria. He became an avid birder rather late in life and continues birding across Australia and writing about his experiences.
Specifications: • 229 x 152 mm (9 x 6”) • 368 pages • 75,000 words approx. • 260 photographs + 20 maps
• ISBN 978-1-913679-24-8 • £19.99 / A$39.99 paperback • Publication (UK and Australia) October 2022
Blue Skies Guide to Langkawi is a complete guide to Langkawi’s cultural, historical and scenic attractions, featuring an extended introduction to its natural history. Langkawi, located off the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, is a beautiful island offering sunbathing and diving along its coastline and exciting opportunities for adventurers and nature lovers inland.
In four parts, the first section describes the major highlights of the island, the second section looks at significant locations with information for each on cultural sites, activities and shopping opportunities, section three introduces the habitats and geoparks followed by an identification guide to 114 notable wildlife species and the final section contains all of the practical information needed both before and during a stay.
David Bowden is a freelance journalist based in Malaysia, specializing in travel and the environment. While Australian, he’s been living in Asia longer than he can remember, and returns to his home country as a tourist. He’s the author of Enchanting Borneo, Enchanting Malaysia and Enchanting Singapore all published by John Beaufoy Publishing.
Specifications: • 192 x 135 mm (7 1/2 x 5 1/4”) • 160 pages • 40,000 words approx. • 100 photographs
• ISBN 9781912081462 • £14.99 paperback • Available
A Naturalist’s Guide to the Lizards of Southeast Asia is an introductory photographic identification guide to 226 lizard species commonly seen in mainland and maritime Southeast Asia (covering Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Peninsular and east Malaysia, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam).
High quality photographs from the region’s top nature photographers, some of species that have never before been published, are accompanied by detailed species descriptions which include nomenclature, size, distribution, habits and habitat. The user-friendly introduction covers climate and geography, lizard taxonomy, and habitats. Also included is an all-important checklist of all of the lizards of Southeast Asia encompassing, for each species, its common and scientific name, IUCN status as at 2021 and its status in each country.
Jordi Janssen is an ecologist, herpetologist and conservationist. He has an MSc in Forest and Nature Conservation from Wageningen University in The Netherlands. He works as a program officer for Monitor Conservation Research Society studying the trade in reptiles and amphibians. He has written and contributed to numerous scientific articles on herpetology.
Emerson Y. Sy is a herpetologist based in Manila. He has published two books and numerous scientific papers on amphibians and reptiles. Currently, he is a consultant for Traffic International Southeast Asia, board member of the Biodiversity Conservation Society of the Philippines, and editor of the Reptile and Amphibian Database, Philippines.
Specifications • 210 x 148 mm • 176 pages • 40,000 words approx. • 300 photographs
• ISBN 978-1-912081-58-5 • £24.99 hardback • Available
Photographic Guide to the Wildlife of India is a wide ranging overview of the subcontinent’s wildlife, describing and illustrating over 984 species from all 26 states, including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The Indian region is exceptionally rich in wildlife due to its wide variety of habitats and climates. Altitude ranges from sea level to the peaks of the Himalaya; rainfall from its lowest in the Rajasthan desert to Cherapunji in Meghalaya, one of the wettest places in the world. This diversity supports a huge range of charismatic species from the iconic Bengal Tiger to Clouded Leopards, crocodiles to King Cobras, hornbills to eagles.
The guide begins with an overview of India’s climate and geography, its wildlife habitats, threats to wildlife, extreme rarities and how to enjoy the forests. The main part of the book contains concise species descriptions of 678 birds, 114 mammals, 72 butterflies and other insects, 66 reptiles, and 54 trees and flowers; each one accompanied by a photograph. The book concludes with a section on wildlife watching in the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries which present the best chance of seeing many of these species described.
Bikram Grewal gave up his full-time publishing career to devote his time to the conservation of Indian wildlife, especially working on rare birds. He is the author of over ten books on birds of the subcontinent and also acts as a consultant on eco-tourism. He helped conceive the ‘birdsofindia’ website, now the biggest birding site in India and ranked amongst the top ten birding sites in the world. He is a trustee of the Wildlife Preservation Society of India (WPSI). He was awarded the Lifetime Award for spreading awareness about birds and conservation in India.
Specifications • 192 x 135 mm • 400 pages • 65,000 words approx. • approx. 1000 photographs
• ISBN 978-1-913679-01-9 • £19.99 paperback • Publication June 2022
An Identification Guide to Garden Insects of Britain and North-West Europe is an introductory photographic identification guide to 150 species of garden insect commonly found in Britain and North-West Europe. Packed with information, written with huge enthusiasm and illustrated with incredible close-up photos, this guide shines a spotlight on the insects in your garden.
The introduction covers how to attract insects to your garden, the insect lover’s year, a description of the parts of an insect and details of the insect orders described. For each species there is a keenly observed description to help you identify even the smallest creature, as well as one or two photographs labelled with distinguishing features. There are details of its life cycle from egg to adult, a calendar showing the time of year when the adult can be seen and star facts that give further proof of insects’ fascinating lives.
Dominic Couzens is an award-winning nature writer with 40 books and hundreds of published articles to his name. His best-known books include The Secret Lives of Garden Birds, Britain’s Mammals (WildGuides), Songs of Love and War and Save Our Species, while he contributes to magazines and newspapers, such as Bird Watching, Nature’s Home, BBC Countryfile and The Guardian. Gail Ashton is an award-winning wildlife photographer, writer and illustrator specialising in invertebrates, particularly insects and spiders. Her work has been published in books, magazines and nature journals.
Specifications • 192 x 135 mm (7″ x 5”) • 160 pages • 38,000 words approx. • 200 photographs approx.
• ISBN 9781913679897 • £10.99 paperback • Available
A Field Guide to the Birds of Malaysia is a fully comprehensive field guide to the 829 bird species of Malaysia, including Sabah and Sarawak. The species are clearly illustrated in over 170 plates, with many variants. The main identifying features of each species are described and key facts cover size, voice, range and status, habitat, specific country and breeding. The book also includes information on taxonomy and nomenclature, observing birds, climate, habitats, the breeding cycle, migration and conservation as well as a section on key birdwatching sites with maps.
This is a revised and updated edition of the book first published under the title A Field Guide to the Birds of Malaysia & Singapore (9781912081738)
Lim Kim Seng has 40 years’ experience of birdwatching across Malaysia. He has contributed to bird surveys in Peninsular Malaysia and also participated in bird races in Pahang, Selangor and Sabah. Yong Ding Li has worked extensively in Malaysia, having conducted field surveys and studies in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, and adjacent parts of Southeast Asia. Lim Kim Chuah has birded extensively in Southeast Asia and also conducted bird surveys in Peninsular Malaysia. Dana Gardner has illustrated over 24 books on birds and natural history. He has spent 10 years living and working in Southeast Asia, and Central and South America.
Specifications: • 210 x 148 mm (8¼ x 6“) • 396 pages • 100,000 words approx. • c.170 full colour plates
• 15 birdwatching site maps • ISBN 9781913679712 • £24.99 paperback • Available
Trees, Fruits and Flowers of the Bible is an engaging and informative study of all the most important trees, fruits and flowers mentioned in the Bible, identifying the specific species and explaining the message or symbolism behind the texts.
The Prologue sets the scene by giving a simple description of the topography and climate of Israel, so that readers – wherever they are – may get a sense of what the place is like. The following sections of the book cover the flora in detail.
A wide range of fruits, herbs, nuts, flowers and trees is covered from those of major symbolical significance such as the apple and the olive tree as well as those less prominent like the saffron crocus but which none the less give a fascinating picture of everyday life in the Holy Land.
Peter Goodfellow is a Methodist Local Preacher, has been a birdwatcher and wildlife enthusiast since he was a boy, and was a teacher till he retired – he’s put all three parts of himself together in this book. He is also the author of the successful Birds of the Bible and a number of birdwatching guides including Avian Architecture which won the 2011 Prose Award from the Association of America Publishers. Marianne Taylor is a lifelong wildlife enthusiast with a particular interest in birds. She is a successful writer and editor working on natural history books and magazines.
Specifications: • 228 x 175 mm (9 x 7”) • 128 pages • 40,000 words • c60 watercolours
• ISBN 978-1-912081-36-3 • £14.99 hardback • Available
A Photographic Field Guide to the Amphibians of Sri Lanka is a complete guide to the 120 species of frog, toad and caecilian found in Sri Lanka. Extinct species are also listed for completeness. With photographs from the authors, each species is illustrated with many variants.The general introduction includes details of the climate, geography and vegetation of the island, key characteristics that can be used in the identification of amphibians, information on amphibian conservation in Sri Lanka, a brief introduction to folklore and where to look for amphibians. The species descriptions include the common English name, the current scientific name, the vernacular name in Sinhala, a brief history of the species, a description with identification features, and details of habitat, habits and distribution (in Sri Lanka and outside the country). Key external identification features, such as body form, skin texture and colouration, are provided, to help in the identification of an animal in the field.
Anslem de Silva (MSc, DSc, Hon. Cau.) has contributed to nearly 500 publications on the herpetology of Sri Lanka. He has received the President’s Award for Scientific Publications four times and is the recipient of the IUCN’s highest award for Conservation Merit, the Sir Peter Scott Award in 2019. He is the current Co-chairman of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Amphibian Specialist Group of Sri Lanka. Kanishka Ukuwela (BSc, PhD) is a Senior Lecturer in Zoology at the Rajarata University, Sri Lanka. He has authored many research papers on the amphibians of Sri Lanka. He has received the President’s Award for Scientific Publications. Dilan Chathuranga (BSc, PhD) is a Lecturer in Zoology at the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. He has authored many research papers on the amphibians, birds, mammals and insects of Sri Lanka.
Specifications:• 210 x 148 mm (8¼ x 6”) • 252 pages • 52,000 words approx. • 400 photographs approx.
• ISBN 978-1-913679-11-8 • £29.99 hardback • Available
A Naturalist’s Guide to the Birds of Egypt & the Middle East is a compact, authoritative photographic identification guide to 280 bird species found in the Middle East, including Egypt, and the countries of the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula. It shows the region’s most commonly seen, unique and endemic species, and is perfect for resident and visitor alike.
High quality photographs from the region’s top nature photographers are accompanied by detailed species descriptions, which include nomenclature, size, distribution, habits and habitat. The user-friendly introduction covers biogeography, migration, bird topography and a glossary. Also included is an all-important checklist encompassing, for each species, its common and scientific name as well as its global IUCN status.
Richard Hoath is a leading naturalist based in Egypt who has travelled extensively throughout the Middle East. He is the author and illustrator of A Field Guide to the Mammals of Egypt (2nd ed. 2009), and many other books and articles on the wildlife of the region. He is a founder member and serves on the Egyptian Ornithological Rarities Committee, a long-time member of the Ornithological Society of the Middle East (OSME) and is currently on the faculty of The American University in Cairo.
Specifications:• 180 x 128 mm (7 x 5”) • 176 pages • 40,000 words approx. • 300 photographs
• ISBN 9781913679026 • £12.99 paperback • Available
Reef Fishes of Seychelles is a photographic identification guide to the reef fishes of Seychelles aimed at divers, snorkelers, scientists, students and general fish enthusiasts.
To date nearly 900 species of fish have been recorded from coral reefs and their associated habitats within Seychelles Exclusive Economic Zone. With over 550 species and almost 700 photographs all captured in situ, this book represents the most comprehensive field guide to the reef fishes of Seychelles currently available. The general introduction discusses Seychelles’ geography and coral reefs, followed by the taxonomy, classification and nomenclature of the species, fish diversity in Seychelles, endemic and endangered fishes, and fish anatomy. The species descriptions cover identifying features, size, biology and distribution.
– Christophe Mason-Parker is a passionate conservationist and a photographer who has long had a fascination for the marine world. Having worked on numerous conservation programs from Southeast Asia to the Caribbean, he is now living in the Seychelles where co-founded Sea Turtle Friends Seychelles, an NGO promoting education of the species. He has contributed articles to various newspapers and magazines.
– Dr Ryan Daly is a qualified Scuba diver. Following years of fieldwork, he became Research Director for the Save Our Seas Foundation – D’Arros Research Centre in Seychelles where he initiated the study that lead to this book.
– Clare Keating is a qualified Scuba instructor, who became Program Director of the SOS Foundation – D’Arros Research Centre
– Guy Stevens is the Chief Executive and Co-Founder of the Manta Trust, a charity dedicated to the conservation of manta rays, with collaborative projects in over 25 countries.