" Well, when it was discovered that the trolls had switched you babies (you in your floating water lily cradle, with the other babe in a nest of down), my friend the kingfisher was to give you each a gift. You see, we never knew that you had been changed in your cradle until it came time for your wings to grow and you to be starting to flutter and the other to be learning to dive. By then we loved you, and the water sprites loved her, and it was beyond changing things back. But your mother wept because you couldn't fly, and the water sprite mother wept because her babe couldn't breathe underwater, so the kingfisher tried to make it right.... "

_______________________________ THIS SHOCKING CONSPIRACY THRILLER IS A WORK OF FICTION. MOSTLY. _______________________________ What if the President of the United States is a foreign intelligence asset? It’s October 2016. A loud, brash businessman with a history of shady dealings and sexual misbehaviour is a serious contender to win the presidency. Even a porn star’s credible allegations don’t seem to slow him down. But his most dangerous secrets may be hidden behind the former Iron Curtain. Journalist Grace Elliot is dispatched to Europe, hot on the trail of a story so big it could blow up the entire election – if she can stay alive long enough to tell it: The man who might become President was married to a Czech woman with a beguiling and contradictory past, no records, and no history – and who has all the hallmarks of a Soviet intelligence asset. Her codename is Kingfisher. And her mission is almost complete... THE AUTHOR HAS CHOSEN TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS OUT OF CONCERN FOR THE SAFETY OF HIS OR HER SOURCES.

A review of the 123 species of kingfisher, bee-eater and roller. Dazzling in their beauty, many of the 123 species of kingfisher, bee-eater and roller are very poorly known. This reference provides a review of the group showing every species, all the main races and most sex and age variations. Text and 40 colour plates are closely coordinated with emphasis on behaviour, field characters and identification. Colour maps showing breeding and wintering ranges are also included.

'Delightful . . . an original look at the literature inspired by Britain's birdlife' the Guardian, Best Nature Books of 2017 '[The] pages light up with feathered magic' Evening Standard When Alex Preston was 15, he stopped being a birdwatcher. Adolescence and the scorn of his peers made him put away his binoculars, leave behind the nature reserves and the quiet companionship of his fellow birders. His love of birds didn't disappear though. Rather, it went underground, and he began birdwatching in the books that he read, creating his own personal anthology of nature writing that brought the birds of his childhood back to brilliant life. Looking for moments 'when heart and bird are one', Preston weaves the very best writing about birds into a personal narrative that is as much about the joy of reading and writing as it is about the thrill of wildlife. Beautifully illustrated and illuminated by the celebrated graphic artist Neil Gower, As Kingfishers Catch Fire is a book to love and to hold, to return to again and again, to marvel at the way that authors across the centuries have captured the endless grace and variety of birds. It will make you look at birds, at the world, in a newer, richer light. 'A joyful and a wondrous book . . . Each bird illustrated by Gower in a mixture of gouache and watercolour that brings to mind both William Morris and Eric Ravilious' the Observer 'I can see it under the Christmas tree of every family with a bird feeder and a copy of the RSPB Handbook . . . Preston captures his birds beautifully' The Times

RSPB Spotlight Kingfishers is packed with eye-catching, informative color photos and features succinct, detailed text written by a knowledgeable naturalist.

History leaps from the page in this completely revised and updated edition of the critically acclaimed Kingfisher History Encyclopedia. From man's earliest history right through to the technological and social revolutions of the current day, this trusted reference provides a one-stop source for research, and is the perfect companion to any study of world history. The encyclopedia is organized chronologically and then thematically within each time period. A timeline runs across the top of each page for context. Each section includes biographies of important people and key features on the art, architecture, and technology of the period. A brand new chapter details modern-day events, such as the fight for equality, the threat of climate change, the COVID-19 crisis, and space exploration and discoveries.With more than 2,000 full-colour illustrations, photographs, and source materials, as well as research-friendly back matter and index, this encyclopedia provides a beautiful, authoritative reference that is essential for any home, school, or library.

Many cultures around the world have used bird feathers as decorative accessories to denote status, wealth, and even royalty. Nowhere did this unusual art form reach greater popularity than in China, beginning a thousand years ago and continuing to this day. Using the kingfisher-with its uniquely iridescent range of ultramarine to bright turquoise-blue feathers-as their bird of choice, Chinese artisans created extraordinary objects, rendering the many-hued feathers with exquisite technique. The sheer breadth of these objects is staggering, from massive eight-foot-tall screens to tiny two-inch-long hair pins, from ornately ornamental lanterns to elegantly simple bird cages. Beverley Jackson has once again gathered an exceptional group of objects for study from great museums and private collections alike. Her lively, informative text and unique selection of historical photographs make KINGFISHER BLUE a coffee table book that reads like a novel. The first book-length treatment on this subject. With 150 full-color photographs throughout.