"In this elegant narrative, celebrated naturalist Ted Floyd guides you through a year of becoming a better birder. Choosing 200 top avian species to teach key lessons, Floyd introduces a new, holistic approach to bird watching and shows how to use the tools of the 21st century to appreciate the natural world we inhabit together whether city, country or suburbs." -- From book jacket.

Although the majority of the world's Herons live in the tropics and subtropics, Europe is home to nine species, some large, some small, some colonial, some solitary breeders. Highly specialized birds, they exhibit many interesting differences in their behaviour and ecology and are a favourite group for many ornithologists. Voisin begins her book with a general description of the family before going on to treat each species in more detail. The species accounts summarize such topics as field characters, distribution, population size, breeding and feeding ecology and behaviour. Numerous figures and tables are accompanied by fine drawings of behaviour by P. L. Suiro and colour and black and white pictures of each species by Gunnar Brusewitz.

An authoritative but accessible guide to 250 animals, insects, and birds that inhabit the average Aussie suburb, written by ABC Radio broadcaster and urban ecology specialist, Professor Chris Daniels. This book will appeal to nature lovers everywhere. Have you ever wondered what that peculiar insect sitting on a leaf in your backyard is called? What about the behaviour of those acrobatic possums that swing along the phone lines at dusk? And the beautiful lizard that lives under a stone near the compost bin? In every Australian suburban street there is a secret world; a world seen but not really understood, of animals that live alongside us. In Professor Christopher B. Daniels' A GUIDE tO URBAN WILDLIFE, he introduces you to 250 creatures that live on your street, in your backyard, in the air, at your local beach or even in your house, and takes you on a tour of their world, a world increasingly affected by its interaction with its human neighbours. In this fascinating book, you will learn how to recognise the animals you live among, and learn of their behaviours, communication, eating habits and peculiarities. Beautifully illustrated with full colour photography, this book is the essential guide for any nature lover, or anyone who wants to learn more about the world around them.

"The Names of My Mothers" is the touching story of the tender and all-too-brief relationship forged late in life between Dianne Riordan (nee Susanne Sanders) and her birth mother. In 1942 Elizabeth Bynam Sanders was a young woman who left home under false pretenses and travelled to Our Lady of Victory, a home for unwed mothers in upstate New York. Shortly after surrendering her daughter for adoption, she returned to her life in Johnston County, North Carolina. She never married and never had another child of her own. This powerful and moving memoir speaks of the profound need for connection. It is a story about identity, the hunger we feel for a sense of belonging and the ineffable significance of blood.