Ecology, Earth and Environmental Science
Jurassic trees to present day hedgerows, cartwheeling caterpillars to snoozing mosquitoes, oceans to garden ponds, clouds, snowflakes, rocks, wetlands and how you can do your bit to save the planet!
We have hundreds of books in this diverse and fascinating section to satisfy everyone from the natural science student to conservation managers - or simply anyone with a curiosity and sense of wonder for the diversity and fragility of life on our planet.
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The What on Earth? Wallbook of Natural…Paperback £17.50 Buy Now
Tells the complete story of natural history from the formation of the Earth to the latest breakthroughs in evolutionary science. A3 in size and comprising a remarkable 2.3 metre long, fully illustrated timeline, it can either be read like a book or unfolded and stuck on a wall. On one side the 4.5 billion year timeline presents a unique illustrated guide to the past, cleverly linking subjects together from asteroids to algae. Perfect for younger readers but also relevant to all ages.
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Woodland Creation for Wildlife and…Paperback £24.95 Buy Now
Describes how to create new native woodland for wildlife. Descriptions of case study woodlands illustrate many of the issues raised on woodland design and management practices. Colour photographs, maps, tables, 171pp. 2010
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Do Whales Get the Bends? Answers to 118…Paperback £4.99 RRP: £9.99Buy NowUsing a question and answer format, this entertaining narrative addresses a multitude of general interest questions about the sea, sea life, seabirds and man's relationship with the sea. Do you ever wonder whether drinking seawater will drive you mad? Whether fish drink water or does anything eat jellyfish? This title will answer these and over 100 intriguing questions. B/w diagrams, 165pp. 2010
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House Guests House Pests; A Natural…Hardback £16.99 Buy Now
Covers a wide range of domestic animals, pets as well as pests. Some we have invited into our homes, others are notorious pests, but many are mild mannered visitors eking out a quiet living without harming us or our possessions. This title poses questions such as where did these animals come from? Can we live with them? Can we get rid of them, and should we?
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Chris Packham's Back Garden Nature…Paperback £16.99 Buy Now
Explains the best ways to attract wildlife to gardens and encourage it to stay there. Written in a light hearted, yet passionate and authoritative style, the guide challenges popular notions of 'weeds' and 'pests' and invites gardeners to think again about the choices they make.
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Escaping from PredatorsHardback £64.99 Buy Now
When a predator attacks, prey are faced with a series of 'if', 'when' and 'how' escape decisions – these critical questions are the foci of this book. Cooper and Blumstein bring together a balance of theory and empirical research to summarise over fifty years of scattered research and benchmark current thinking in the rapidly expanding literature on the behavioural ecology of escaping.
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Experiments and Observations Concerning…Paperback £18.99 Buy Now
William Marshall (1745–1818), from farming stock, became a farmer and then estate manager and land agent after several years conducting business in the West Indies.
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Mammoths: Giants of the Ice AgeHardback £5.95 Buy Now
Complete mammoths lie frozen in the icy wastes of Siberia, and from time to time one is exposed as the temperature and conditions change. This provides excellent specimens that inform us how they lived and died. Illustrations, 48pp. 2004
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Meadowland: The Private Life of an…Paperback £8.99 Buy Now
What really goes on in the long grass?. Meadowland gives an unique and intimate account of an English meadow's life from January to December, together with its biography.
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Wildlife Conservation in Managed…Hardback £55.00 Buy Now
Written for conservationists and foresters the book aims to demonstrate that commercial management of woodlands need not be inconsistent with a varied and thriving population of flora and fauna and that if specialist guidance is followed then much can be done to sustain wildlife in productive forest environments. 1992
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National Audubon Society Field Guide to…Paperback £16.00 Buy Now
507 colour photos b/w line drawings 846pp 1994 reprint
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Practical Conservation: Boundary HabitatsPaperback £15.25 Buy Now
Well managed boundaries can be rich in wildlife as they often combine a variety of habitat types such as woodland scrub grassland aquatic & cultivated areas. This book is a well informed & practical guide to their conservation. B/w drawings, maps, tables, 127pp. 1991
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Restoration of Endangered Species;…Hardback £60.00 Buy Now
The restoration of an animal or plant community & the ability to make it function properly represents a critical test of ecological understanding. Restoration as a technique for ecological studies which in turn leads to improved restoration methods is the main subject of this book. What emerges is the outline of a new approach & the basis of a stronger relationship between ecological theory & practice. B/w photographs maps tables graphs 394pp 1994
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Collins New Naturalist; Yorkshire DalesPaperback £35.00 Buy Now
Illustration type: Colour photographs, Diagrams, 496pp. 2015
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Collins New Naturalist; Lakes, Loughs…Hardback £60.00 Buy Now
Illustration type: Colour photographs, Diagrams, 496pp. 2016
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Collins New Naturalist; Lakes, Loughs…Paperback £35.00 Buy Now
Illustration type: Colour photographs, Diagrams, 496pp. 2016
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Collins New Naturalist; Yorkshire DalesHardback £60.00 Buy Now
Illustration type: Colour photographs, Diagrams, 496pp. 2015
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At Home on the Earth: A new selection…Paperback £9.95 Buy Now
Richard Jeffries was a 'poet naturalist' with an ecological vision, he was both mystic and realist, and his writings show the beauty of 'wild England' but also the harsh conditions of labouring life in the Victorian countryside.
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Social Calls of the Bats of Britain and…Paperback £31.99 Buy Now
The authors start with an overview of the species of bats in Britain and Ireland, and then introduce us to communication within the social world of bats. Referencing the latest research, the authors explore how these calls can be classified according to their structure, and in many cases the context in which the calls are thought to be emitted, and addresses aspects of survey methodology to be considered by those studying social calls.
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Ecosystem Services: From Concept to…Hardback £40.00 Buy Now
Despite the growing popularity of the concept of ecosystem services, policy makers and practitioners continue to struggle with the challenge of translating it into practice. Drawing on a range of interdisciplinary perspectives, this volume takes up the challenge to provide a framework for the effective implementation of simple concepts into complex ecosystem related decision making
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The Biology of Mangroves and SeagrassesPaperback £34.99 Buy Now
Third edition of a classic introductory text, revised and updated throughout. Concise and affordable overview provides complete coverage of the field. This accessible textbook assumes no previous knowledge of mangrove or seagrass ecology and is intended for senior undergraduate and graduate students, as well as professional ecologists, conservation practitioners, and resource managers.
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Economy and Ecology of HeathlandsHardback £59.95 Buy Now
Heathlands in Europe reflect a long history of human activity and use. Through the ages heathlands have been of importance as (semi)agricultural areas, hunting territories and various other uses of mankind. The editors combine a broad variance in knowledge of heathlands varying from all aspects of ecology, land use, as well as economy.
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Herring Tales: How the Silver Darlings…Hardback £16.99 Buy Now
Throughout the long centuries men have fished around their coastlines and beyond, the herring has done much to shape both human taste and history. Men have co-operated and come into conflict over its shoals, setting out in boats to catch them, straying, too, from their home ports to bring full nets to shore. Women have also often been at the centre of the industry, gutting and salting the catch when the annual harvest had taken place, knitting, too, the garments fishermen wore to protect them from the ocean's chill. Following a journey from the western edge of Norway to the east of England, from Shetland and the Outer Hebrides to the fishing ports of the Baltic coast of Germany and the Netherlands, culminating in a visit to Iceland's Herring Era Museum, Donald S. Murray has stitched together tales of the fish that was of central importance to the lives of our ancestors, noting how both it – and those involved in their capture – were celebrated in the art, literature, craft, music and folklore of life in northern Europe. Blending together politics, science, history, religious and commercial life, Donald contemplates, too, the possibility of restoring the silver darlings of legend to these shores.
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Wildlife Adventurer's GuidePaperback £14.99 Buy Now
A naturalist's equivalent to the Dangerous Book for Boys, this book includes tips on everything from beachcombing, snorkelling and building your own hedgehog hotel, to tree climbing, natural foods and how to make traps for insects and mammals. This hands-on guide to enjoying nature is filled with practical advice on how to get involved with wildlife. Focusing mainly on Britain and northern Europe, it's packed with ideas for wildlife-watching and other activities in different habitats, including coast, mountains, heathland, garden, wetland, woodland and farmland. Alongside the practical advice on bushcraft and survival are suggestions on how to get close to nature through activities such as mountain-biking and climbing.
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The Greater World of Little ThingsPaperback £8.99 Buy Now
This is a book that seeks to encourage a different view of the supposedly "normal" view of nature. When we consider nature we tend to concentrate on the familiar and the well-known, whilst meanwhile, hosts of smaller creatures buzz, run, crawl, and glide past us, largely unaware of us as we are of them. Discovering them and their interactions with each other and their environment is intriguing as it is overwhelming, and enlightens us by revealing our place in, and connection with, the natural world.
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The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural…Paperback £9.99 Buy Now
Over the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions of life on earth. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. Elizabeth Kolbert combines brilliant field reporting, the history of ideas and the work of geologists, botanists and marine biologists to tell the gripping stories of a dozen species – including the Panamanian golden frog and the Sumatran rhino – some already gone, others at the point of vanishing.
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Lapwings, Loons & Lousy Jacks: The How…Hardback £19.99 Buy Now
The Lapwing once had many regional names; the Loon has a British–American identity crisis and the respectable-sounding Apostlebird is often called a Lousy Jack. Why do bird names, both common and scientific, change over time and why do they vary so much between different parts of the English-speaking world? Wandering through the scientific and cultural history of ornithology takes us to the heart of understanding the long relationship between birds and people.
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Fossils: A Photographic Field GuidePaperback £12.99 Buy Now
This is a reissue of Fossils: A Photographic Field Guide, formerly on the natural history list of New Holland publishers. This title offers a new, reformatted and updated edition of this popular title which is suitable for experts and armchair enthusiasts alike.
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Early Humans (Collins New Naturalist)Paperback £35.00 Buy Now
Setting the scene on the Norfolk coast almost a million years ago, Ashton tells the story of the fauna, flora and developing geography of Britain against the backdrop of an ever-changing climate. Above all, he explores how early people began as brief visitors to this wild remote land, but over time through better ways of acquiring food and developing new technologies, they began to tame, shape and dominate the countryside we see today.
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Early Humans (Collins New Naturalist)Hardback £60.00 Buy Now
Setting the scene on the Norfolk coast almost a million years ago, Ashton tells the story of the fauna, flora and developing geography of Britain against the backdrop of an ever-changing climate. Above all, he explores how early people began as brief visitors to this wild remote land, but over time through better ways of acquiring food and developing new technologies, they began to tame, shape and dominate the countryside we see today.
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Statistics for Ecologists Using R and…Paperback £34.99 Buy Now
This is a book about the scientific process and how you apply it to data in ecology. You will learn how to plan for data collection, how to assemble data, how to analyze data and finally how to present the results. The book uses Microsoft Excel and the powerful Open Source R program to carry out data handling as well as producing graphs.
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Wonderland: A Year of Britain's…Hardback £20.00 Buy Now
Wonderland is a book for anyone who wants to experience the world and to observe how it changes throughout the year.
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A Sweet, Wild Note: What We Hear When…Hardback £14.99 Buy Now
In this fascinating account, Richard Smyth asks what it is about birdsong that we so love. Exploring the myriad ways in which it has influenced literature, music, science and our very ideas of what it means to be British, Smyth's nuanced investigation shows that what we hear says as much about us, our dreams and desires, as it does about the birds and their songs.
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Nightingales in November: A Year in the…PAPERBACK £9.99 Buy Now
Have you ever wondered what 'our' birds get up to when they're not pinching our peanuts, pilfering our pyracantha berries or nesting under the eaves of our homes? The One Show's natural history star Mike Dilger tells us the answers in Nightingales in November.
This brilliant almanac tells the very different personal and annual stories of twelve well-known birds we deign to call 'British'. Through a lyrical narrative, Nightingales in November showcases amazing avian facts gleaned over decades by birdwatchers, ringers, nest recorders and migration recorders. The perfect 'dip-into' book, any enquiring naturalist will be able to find out such facts as where British-breeding swallows spend Christmas Day, when to look out for juvenile tawny owls, or when is the best date in the calendar to listen out for nightingales.
By using a combination of cutting-edge satellite technology and millions of ringing records, Nightingales in November reveals the mysteries of migration, tracking the regular movements of, for example, cuckoos for the eight months they're not in the UK, or divulging why not all robins are the 'stay-at-home' territorial types we once imagined. Illustrated throughout by Darren Woodhead, the birds featured include a rich mix of resident birds, summer visitors, winter visitors and passage migrants.
Nightingales in November is a great read for anyone with a fondness for British birds.