How to Know the Birds


Book Description

"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.







100 Things You Should Know about Mammals


Book Description

Introduction to the study of mammals is full of colorful illustrations and presented in an engaging format.




Vesper Flights


Book Description

The New York Times–bestselling author of H is for Hawk explores the human relationship to the natural world in this “dazzling” essay collection (Wall Street Journal). In Vesper Flights, Helen Macdonald brings together a collection of her best loved essays, along with new pieces on topics ranging from nostalgia for a vanishing countryside to the tribulations of farming ostriches to her own private vespers while trying to fall asleep. Meditating on notions of captivity and freedom, immigration and flight, Helen invites us into her most intimate experiences: observing the massive migration of songbirds from the top of the Empire State Building, watching tens of thousands of cranes in Hungary, seeking the last golden orioles in Suffolk’s poplar forests. She writes with heart-tugging clarity about wild boar, swifts, mushroom hunting, migraines, the strangeness of birds’ nests, and the unexpected guidance and comfort we find when watching wildlife.




The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do


Book Description

The simplest things are the hardest to master. From brewing your morning cup of coffee and reading the newspaper to apologizing or remembering names, it’s the small stuff that makes up day-to-day life. The Experts’ Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do provides unparalleled insights into how to do them better—more resourcefully, more effectively, and more efficiently—in 100 brief how-to essays by 100 of the world’s leading experts, including: • Interpersonal skills like how to Tell a Story by Ira Glass and Listen by Larry King • Etiquette essentials like how to Shake Hands by Letitia Baldrige, Set a Formal Table by Peggy Post, and Give and Receive a Compliment by Ms. Demeanor, Mary Mitchell • Home pointers such as how to Paint a Room by Bob Vila, Remove a Stain by Linda Cobb, the Queen of Clean, and Do Laundry by Heloise • Beauty basics that include how to Apply Lipstick by Bobbi Brown and Wash Your Hair by Frederic Fekkai • Cooking tips such as how to Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies by Mrs. Fields, Barbecue by Bobby Flay, and Make Eggs by Jean-Georges Vongerichten • Health hints like how to Breathe by Bikram Choudhury and Do Push-ups and Sit-ups by Kathy Smith • Athletic advice including how to Hit a Tennis Ball by Jennifer Capriati, Swing a Golf Club by Jim McLean, and Swim by Summer Sanders Some of these experts are household names, others are industry leaders—all are at the very top of their professions. From Holiday Inn’s housekeeper of the year (Make a Bed), the head groundskeeper of Fenway Park (Mow a Lawn), and the mayor of Buffalo (Shovel Snow) to the CEOs of Harry Winston (Buy a Diamond) and Thomas Pink (Tie a Windsor Knot), they are the authorities on their subjects. The Experts’ Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do brings together the best of the best, offering the world’s most valuable advice. With this book in hand, life will indeed be better.




The Life List of Adrian Mandrick


Book Description

“With a birder’s eye for detail, White takes us on [Adrian Mandrick’s] painful, near death descent…[her] life-affirming conclusion reminds us that endangered species aren’t the only ones that need to change and adapt in order to survive.”—The New York Times Book Review H Is for Hawk meets Grief Is the Thing with Feathers in this evocative debut novel about a pill-popping anesthesiologist and avid birder who embarks on a quest to find one of the world’s rarest species, allowing nothing to get in his way—until he’s forced to confront his obsessions and what they’ve cost him. Adrian Mandrick seems to have his life in perfect order with an excellent job in a Colorado hospital, a wife and two young children he loves deeply, and a serious passion for birding. His life list comprises 863 species correctly identified and cataloged—it is, in fact, the third longest list in the North American region. But Adrian holds dark secrets about his childhood—secrets that threaten to consume him after he’s contacted by his estranged mother, and subsequently relapses into an addiction to painkillers. In the midst of his downward spiral, the legendary birder with the region’s second-longest life list dies suddenly, and Adrian receives an anonymous tip that could propel him to the very top: the extremely rare Ivory-billed Woodpecker, spotted deep in the swamplands of Florida’s Panhandle. Combining sharp, elegant prose with environmental adventure, The Life List of Adrian Mandrick is a poignant, engaging story that heralds the arrival of a new literary talent.







Strange Birds


Book Description

From the award-winning author of The First Rule of Punk comes the story of four kids who form an alternative Scout troop that shakes up their sleepy Florida town. * "Writing with wry restraint that's reminiscent of Kate DiCamillo... a beautiful tale." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review When three very different girls find a mysterious invitation to a lavish mansion, the promise of adventure and mischief is too intriguing to pass up. Ofelia Castillo (a budding journalist), Aster Douglas (a bookish foodie), and Cat Garcia (a rule-abiding birdwatcher) meet the kid behind the invite, Lane DiSanti, and it isn't love at first sight. But they soon bond over a shared mission to get the Floras, their local Scouts, to ditch an outdated tradition. In their quest for justice, independence, and an unforgettable summer, the girls form their own troop and find something they didn't know they needed: sisterhood.




Birds of Prey


Book Description

Originally published: Essex, UK: Miles Kelly Pub., 2010.