Dangerous Creatures of Australia by Martyn Robinson

$18.99 AUD

Category: Zoology (Birds, other wildlife, field guides) | Series: Michelin Green Guides

The Australian Green Guides have been created for wildlife enthusiasts of all ages. The most commonly asked questions are answered with particular emphasis on fascinating behavioural insights into both common and unusual creatures. The pages are alive with entertaining and informative text accompanied b y exciting action photography. ...Show more

Night Fishing by Vicki Hastrich

$29.99 AUD

Category: Ecology (Flora and Fauna)

A luminous and remarkable memoir of a singular life in art and nature.

A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings by Helen Jukes

$22.99 AUD

Category: Zoology (Birds, other wildlife, field guides)

''This book has found a special place in my heart. It''s as strange, beautiful and unexpected, as precise and exquisite in its movings, as bees in a hive. I loved it'' Helen Macdonald, author of H IS FOR HAWK ''Everyone should own A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings, which moved and delighted me more than a book about insects had any right to ... Jukes is a gloriously gifted writer and her book ought to become a key text of this bright moment in our history of nature writing'' Alex Preston, Observer ''Finely written and insightful'' Melissa Harrison, Guardian   A fascinating, insightful and inspiring account of a novice beekeeper''s year of keeping honeybees, which will appeal to readers of H is For Hawk and The Outrun Entering her thirties, Helen Jukes feels trapped in an urban grind of office politics and temporary addresses - disconnected, stressed. Struggling to settle into her latest job and home in Oxford, she realises she needs to effect a change if she''s to create a meaningful life for herself, one that can accommodate comfort and labour and love. Then friends give her the gift of a colony of honeybees - according to folklore, bees freely given bring luck - and Helen embarks on her first full year of beekeeping. But what does it mean to ''keep'' wild creatures? In learning about the bees, what can she learn of herself? And can travelling inside the hive free her outside it?   As Helen grapples with her role in the delicate, awe-inspiring ecosystem of the hive, the very act of keeping seems to open up new perspectives, deepen friendships old and new, and make her world come alive. A Honeybee Heart Has Five Openings is at once a fascinating exploration of the honeybee and the hive, the practices of honey-gathering and the history of our observation of bees; and a beautifully wrought meditation on responsibility and care, on vulnerability and trust, on forging bonds and breaking new ground. ''This is classic modern nature-writing; a synthesis of scientific learning, observation and the author''s response. If you care for the wellbeing of bees and the planet and for the state of the human heart, then this book, with its deft and beautiful prose, is for you... And like all good nature writing, it also - quietly, clearly and insistently - requires us, too, to respond'' Countryfile Magazine ''An intimate exploration of the heart and home, and a tantalising glimpse into an alien culture. A brave and delicate book, rich and fascinating'' Nick Hunt, author of Where the Wild Winds Are ''Subtly wrought personal journey into the art and science of beekeeping. Helen Jukes evokes both the practical minutiae of the work, and the findings of researchers who have illuminated bee ethology over the centuries'' nature ''A mesmeric, lovely, quietly powerful book. A gentle but compelling account of the redemption that comes from relationship and attention'' Charles Foster, author of Being a Beast ''A profound, funny and sometimes deeply moving book that describes a year of inner city bee keeping, while dancing between the history of bees and us and what it means to be human in our modern world''  Julia Blackburn, author of Threads: The Delicate Life of John Craske ''A very human story about the aliens gathering  in her back garden - bees, fascinating but almost unknowable. Their wildness and her duty to them help open up a desk rat''s uninspiring life to all the possibilities of love, care, connection and sheer wonder. It is a lovely, entirely personal journey into the very heart of the hive'' Michael Pye ''I raced through this really terrific, down-to-earth read. The existential threat to our entire ecosystem posed by the problems facing bees can be hard to grasp, but Helen manages to make this a very personal, human story that, hopefully, might inspire others to action'' Luke Turner, The Quietus ...Show more

Australian Medicinal Plants: A Complete Guide to Identification and Useage by E. V. Lassak; T. McCarthy

$40.00 AUD

Category: Ecology (Flora and Fauna)

Australian Medicinal Plants is an essential guide and invaluable resource for all those interested in herbal medicine, Aboriginal culture and Australian flora. Plants have been used for medicinal purposes since earliest recorded history and Australia's varied flora provided Aboriginal people with medici nes. With the arrival of Europeans much of this knowledge was overtaken by modern drugs and techniques but today there is a revival of interest in traditional medicines. Australian Medicinal Plants covers the Aboriginal use of native plants and explains how the first settlers learned from the Aborigines their medicinal values. There is information on nearly 500 individual plants, how they were used, what their known pharmacological constituents are, where to find them and how to prepare remedies. The species are helpfully arranged in chapters according to their use: for fevers, painkillers, antiseptics and digestive disorders for instance. - many hundreds of species covered in detail - colour photographs of many species enabling quick and easy identification - where to find particular species - how to prepare them for medicinal use - interesting historical facts on the Aboriginal uses. ...Show more

A Naturalist's Guide to the Snakes of Australia by Scott Eipper

$24.99 AUD

Category: Zoology (Birds, other wildlife, field guides)

Our Birds: Nilimurrungu Wayin Malanynha by Siena Stubbs

$17.99 AUD

Category: Ecology (Flora and Fauna)

A delightful gift book of birds from around Yirrkala, which is Siena's home in North East Arnhem Land. This beautiful liitle book includes the English and Yolnu names of the birds and their Yolnu moiety. In Yolnu culture, everything is divided into two moieties: Yirritja and Dhuwa - and as a result all things are classified, from a body of water to a specific type of tree and all our birds. Birds give themselves their Yolnu name by the sounds they make. Our Birds also includes beautifully captured landscapes from a child's perspective. When Siena was 12 years old, she took up photography on her iPad, but was gifted a camera from her aunty. In a short period of time, Siena was an avid photographer and had published her own book of birds. This book is the result of that inspiration. ...Show more

Australian Wildlife at Your Doorstep by Stephanie Jackson

$39.99 AUD

Category: Zoology (Birds, other wildlife, field guides)

A very useful and eye-opening book which will inspire people to step outside their front doors and discover the amazing world of wildlife that is all around us. Packed full of inspiring stories and tips, each chapter enthuses readers about the incredible variety of wildlife experiences and species that can be found close to home, and helps them to 'tune in' to nature. If you thought you knew everything there was to know about your local wildlife, and seen everything there is to see, then think again. This unique guide to the birds, animals and invertebrates that can be found close to the average Australian home will offer useful help and advice to all nature enthusiasts, whether long-standing converts or just starting out. ...Show more

Spiders of Australia - Green Guide by Terence Lindsey

$19.99 AUD

Category: Botany/Plant field guides | Series: Green Guide Ser.

This text is intended as an introduction to the habitats of the spiders of Australia, and to those Australian groups that are particularly common, interesting or significant to humans. Organized into behavioural categories, the five sections cover ancient spiders, roving spiders, sit-and-wait spiders, s nare makers and web-weavers. The individual species or group entries describe key characteristics such as where they are found, food requirements and behavioural habits, and each entry is accompanied by a colour photograph. A key feature is the gee whiz spread which aims to answer many of the most common questions about why spiders do what they do and reveals facts and practical information for the amateur enthusiast. ...Show more

Tracks, Scats and Other Traces by Barbara Triggs

$56.99 AUD

Category: Zoology (Birds, other wildlife, field guides)

This book contains hundreds of illustrations and is organized in an accessible format for easy identification of the visible traces left by Australian mammals in their passage. Triggs provides all the information needed to identify mammals anywhere in Australia, using only the tracks or other signs thes e animals leave behind. This is an indispensable guide for bushwalkers, naturalists, students, zoologists, and other professionals -- in fact, it will appeal to anyone who ever wanted a better understanding of Australia's unique mammal fauna. ...Show more

Simpson & Day Field Guide to the Birds of Australia by Ken Simpson; Nicholas Day (Illustrator)

$39.99 AUD

Category: Zoology (Birds, other wildlife, field guides) | Reading Level: very good

Since it was first published in 1984, Simpson & Day's Field Guide to the Birds of Australiahas been one of the most - if not themost - respected bird guide in the country. It has sold over 500 000 copies. The guide contains 132 superb full-colour plates showing all Australian bird species; key point s of identification using the latest classification system; distribution maps for all species; over 900 black and white line illustrations; breeding information; a vagrant bird bulletin; a core library list; and easy-to-use indexes. This eighth edition has been revised and updated, including some beautiful new plates. ...Show more

The Secret Life of Cows by Rosamund Young

$19.99 AUD

Category: Zoology (Birds, other wildlife, field guides) | Reading Level: very good

"Within a day of receiving this book, I had consumed it... Absorbing, moving, and compulsively readable."--Lydia Davis   In this affectionate, heart-warming chronicle, Rosamund Young distills a lifetime of organic farming wisdom, describing the surprising personalities of her cows and other animals   At her famous Kite's Nest Farm in Worcestershire, England, the cows (as well as sheep, hens, and pigs) all roam free. They make their own choices about rearing, grazing, and housing. Left to be themselves, the cows exhibit temperaments and interests as diverse as our own. "Fat Hat" prefers men to women; "Chippy Minton" refuses to sleep with muddy legs and always reports to the barn for grooming before bed; "Jake" has a thing for sniffing the carbon monoxide fumes of the Land Rover exhaust pipe; and "Gemima" greets all humans with an angry shake of the head and is fiercely independent.   An organic farmer for decades, Young has an unaffected and homely voice. Her prose brims with genuine devotion to the wellbeing of animals. Most of us never apprehend the various inner lives animals possess, least of all those that we might eat. But Young has spent countless hours observing how these creatures love, play games, and form life-long friendships. She imparts hard-won wisdom about the both moral and real-world benefits of organic farming. (If preserving the dignity of animals isn't a good enough reason for you, consider how badly factory farming stunts the growth of animals, producing unhealthy and tasteless food.)   This gorgeously-illustrated book, which includes an original introduction by the legendary British playwright Alan Bennett, is the summation of a life's work, and a delightful and moving tribute to the deep richness of animal sentience. ...Show more

Field Guide to Mammals of Australia - New Edition by Peter Menkhorst; Frank Knight

$49.95 AUD

Category: Zoology (Birds, other wildlife, field guides)

This fully revised and updated edition of A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia is the only comprehensive guide to identifying all 382 species of mammals known in Australia. This book provides concise and accurate details of the appearance, diagnostic features, distribution, habitat, and key behavio ral characteristics of all mammals known to have occurred in Australia or its waters since the time of European settlement. Each double-page spread provides all the information needed to identify an animal, a full-color illustration of the entire animal, a smaller diagram of diagnostic features, a distribution map, and species description and measurements, including details of how to differentiate between similar species. Identification keys are provided for groups that are difficult to identify to species level, including keys to the genera of small marsupials, rodents, and bats, and all marine mammals likely to be washed on to an Australian beach: whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and the Dugong. ...Show more