{"title":"Landscapes","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"9781849950633_hadrians-wildlife","title":"Hadrian's Wildlife","description":"Built in the years AD122-30 by order of the Emperor Hadrian 'to separate Romans from Barbarians', Hadrian's Wall was 73 miles long, running from Wallsend-on-Tyne to Bowness on the Solway Firth. It was originally almost 5 metres high with 16 large forts along its length and is the largest Ancient Monument in northern Europe.  Following the author's previous successful book, Hadrian's Wildlife has been enriched and expanded with additional information on wildlife and Roman history. When standing on the WHO site of Hadrian's Wall, many visitors may wonder what the area would have looked like during Roman times. Bringing the bird remains from Roman digs into view reveals which species were living then as well as what the landscape looked like. Although some species such as White-tailed Eagle and Common Crane are no longer found here, others including Nuthatch, Hobby and Little Egret have colonized the area.  Living close to Hadrian's Wall, the author has explored its many habitats from the Solway Firth across to the east coast. Many of these wildlife sites have a Roman influence from old forts to the gathering of pearls from the oysters that are found on the North Tyne.\u003cbr\u003e\n\nHadrian's Wildlife will encourage visitors to the area to enjoy and appreciate the wide selection of these habitats on a year-round basis. This invaluable guide to the many and varied attractions of the area will take the reader on a voyage of discovery and will be an essential companion for visitors.","brand":"John Miles","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657170294,"sku":"9781849950633","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849950633.jpg?v=1764233826"},{"product_id":"9781849953139_a-last-wild-place","title":"A Last Wild Place","description":"\u003cp\u003eMike Tomkies gives a remarkable picture of the whole cycle of nature around him, in a harsh and testing environment of unrivalled beauty. Vivid colours and sounds fill these pages – exotic wild orchids, the roar of rutting stags, a pair of dragonflies mating, the flight of the redwing, the territorial movements of foxes, otters and badgers, an oak tree being torn apart by hurricane-force gales. Nothing seems to escape his penetrating eye, to which the selection of his photographs in this book – some revealing little-known aspects of animal behaviour – immediately testifies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eYet Mike’s extraordinary insights into the wildlife that shared his otherwise empty territory of 300 square miles are not gained without perseverance in the face of perilous hazards. Every pound of supplies (including heavy gas canisters) has to be manhandled in and out of his boat, which once sank beneath him in a storm. Thousands of miles of rock faces and hillside must be trekked each year in summer and winter, the tussock grass concealing sodden peat holes that will break an ankle. Hours on end, day and night, are spent in cramped hides on windy, precipitous ledges.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Last Wild Place\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e is much more than the chronicle of a man who left city life in order to study the wilderness.  It is a celebration of nature at its most rugged and spectacular in all Britain. Like the enormous ageing salmon he threw back because he felt he had no right to claim its life, Mike Tomkies reveals through his quest our urgent need to become retuned to natural rhythms if mankind is to regain a measure of health and sanity in a world bent on self-destruction.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mike Tomkies","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733659070838,"sku":"9781849953139","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849953139.jpg?v=1764233830"},{"product_id":"9781849952255_natural-history-of-tenerife","title":"Natural History of Tenerife","description":"\u003cp\u003eTenerife is a remarkable island, dominated by Mount Teide, an active volcano higher than any mountain in mainland Spain. The island has extraordinary volcanic landscapes, and thousands of species of plants and animals that are found only there.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors’ love of Tenerife stems from its enormous variety of habitats with their complex plant and animal communities. They have explored the island from the laurel forests of eastern Anaga to the cliffs of Los Gigantes in Teno, from the semi-deserts of the extreme south to the richly vegetated slopes along the north coast, and from remote black sand beaches to the lavas of Las Cañadas and the craters of Teide and Pico Viejo.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis book describes the varied natural habitats on the island and illustrates their characteristic plants.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eAn indispensable book for local naturalists and those visiting the island. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Philip Ashmole","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733658972534,"sku":"9781849952255","price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849952255.jpg?v=1764233829"},{"product_id":"9781849955522_life-in-lethinnis","title":"Life in Lethinnis","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA book that reveals life in the Scottish Highlands with all its humour and character.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eAfter 20 years working as a professional biologist, the author decided to ‘retire’ to the Highlands, moving with his wife to a croft at the edge of a small and somewhat inaccessible village on the west coast. This was no romantic and idealistic aspiration for the Good Life, nor really an attempt to ‘get away from it all’; rather a growing disaffection with living in the overpopulated south of England and a desire to return to his Scottish roots. Moving was like stepping back 50 years in time: most of the other residents of this tiny hamlet had been born and bred there, the majority were Gaelic-speaking and, with few of the conventional ‘services’, there was a strong sense of community that had been missed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis engaging story gives a collection of cameos from those first few years as they moved into and settled in their remote smallholding. It is developed as a series of short 'anecdotes' about life in this isolated west-coast Scottish community. Actual anecdotes are interwoven with snippets of natural history observation related to various topical wildlife issues.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn the tradition of Lillian Beckwith’s The Hills is Lonely, the stories revolve around the strong characters who made up this isolated community and became part of their everyday life. All the people and events described in this book are real, although places and names may have been changed. Enough clues remain that professional biologists or those with a keen interest in natural history will readily identify the peninsula.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rory Putman","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733660217718,"sku":"9781849955522","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849955522.jpg?v=1767336429"},{"product_id":"9781849955928_donald-watson-bird-artist-and-writer","title":"Donald Watson, Bird Artist and Writer","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDonald Watson was a seminal figure in the wildlife art and ornithological world from the late 1950s onwards. Since his death in 2005, his work has lived on through active public demand for his outstanding paintings of birds and the continued reading of his books. This is the first time his status and standing in the world of bird art and ornithology has been assessed.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis definitive book is a series of biographical essays written by those who knew him and his outstanding contributions. There are so many perceptive insights about him and his work, and many previously untold stories that enliven the text. Reading the stories will bring back memories for all who knew him and hopefully inspire those who didn’t but who follow in his footsteps.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eReaders will find detailed accounts of his life, his character, his work ethic, his link with his ornithologist son Jeff, his high standing in the world of raptor workers written by his daughter Louise, his daughter-in-law Vanessa and by his close friend and neighbour Chris Rollie. His high standing in raptor protection and especially his outstanding Hen Harrier work is updated by Des Thompson and Colin Galbraith. The author reviews his writing skills and describes how his conservation campaigns are still relevant today. They will also learn so much about his art from the perceptive in-depth account by John Threlfall, himself a very successful wildlife artist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eBeautifully illustrated with his outstanding paintings, examples of his exquisite scraper board sketches and family photographs, readers will want this book for its images alone.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Roger Crofts","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733661528438,"sku":"9781849955928","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849955928.jpg?v=1764233834"},{"product_id":"9781849955669_art-and-nature-in-the-outer-hebrides","title":"Art \u0026 Nature in the Outer Hebrides","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Outer Hebrides is an island archipelago on the remotest north-western periphery of a bigger island archipelago, itself part of Europe’s Atlantic coastline. And what is Atlantic Europe if not the north-western tip of the vast land mass of Eurasia? Here is an unrivalled sense of place, on the edge, the periphery, the brink.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eBruce Kendrick has been visiting these islands, regularly, since 1970. \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eArt \u0026amp; Nature in the Outer Hebrides\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e combines his highly commendable nature writing with fascinating stories of folk he has met over the years who create wonderful art and crafts in these remote islands. How do these artists, be they painters, potters, photographers, or poets, interpret their world of nature, their culture, their heritage, here in the wilds of the north-east Atlantic Ocean?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eLike many worthwhile things in life, making art is not without its challenges. There will be setbacks on any lifelong journey but there will be triumphs too. If there is one trait these Hebridean-based artists do have in common it is their single-minded determination and persistence to create art, in all its many guises, from out of the deep well of their own imagination and their inescapable world of nature’s beauty and inspiration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eBruce is also an accomplished nature photographer and his supporting images of both art and nature in these islands only add to the book’s appeal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eSo come along and enjoy Bruce’s fine narrative style as he travels from Lewis in the north to Vatersay in the south where nature prevails and art flourishes.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bruce Kendrick","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733660348790,"sku":"9781849955669","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849955669.jpg?v=1764233831"},{"product_id":"9781849955713_wild-places-wild-encounters","title":"Wild Places, Wild Encounters","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis is a book about Edinburgh and what you may find if you really look hard enough.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eIt is also a book book about reconnecting to nature wherever we find ourselves living and the personal benefits that can ensue. It explores how we can appreciate the natural world on our doorstep in line with the latest research from a range of disciplines, including ecology, outdoor and environmental education, learning for sustainability and mindfulness studies. It does so by means of a blend of encounter-based photography, connection with nature and reading the landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThere has been a tendency for people to lose contact with nature.  The industrial growth society generated  a catalogue of ecological disasters including acid rain, the hole in the ozone layer, the sixth mass extinction and climate collapse. Slowly, we are waking up to the fact that this society is fundamentally extractive and exploitative and the burden of costs has shifted onto the environment and future generations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn appreciating and understanding the enormity of this crisis, we risk compounding it with the mental health crisis that is sweeping the globe. Healing that relationship requires us to slow down and to seek reconnection with nature which can help revitalise and sustain us. Life passes by all too fast when we are oblivious to nature’s presence and are unable to be fully involved in nature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWild Places, Wild Encounters\u003c\/strong\u003e provides the means to break this cycle. The book’s essence is essentially about reconnecting with and learning to relate to nature as explored in these wanderings through the green heart of Scotland’s capital city and the wild nature reserves of the Lothians. Nature is still there, all around us.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Glen Cousquer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733660774774,"sku":"9781849955713","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849955713.jpg?v=1765521368"},{"product_id":"9781849954938_a-passion-for-snowdrops","title":"A Passion for Snowdrops","description":"\u003cp\u003eSnowdrops are known as the ‘harbingers of spring’ at a time when there is little else in flower in the garden to brighten the dull winter months. No-one should be without these dainty white gems which can symbolize innocence, purity and hope. The author describes all known snowdrop species, the cultivation of garden-worthy varieties and their naming as well as their history in early European and English literature. He includes the earliest reference to the English word ‘Snowe Dropps’ in 1615, preceding the previous earliest reference to ‘Snow drops’ in 1633.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eFor novice gardeners and those who have never grown snowdrops before he describes how to grow just a few reliable varieties, with advice on buying, planting, dividing, looking after snowdrops, labelling, diseases and companion plants. He also dispels the myth that snowdrops are difficult and don’t survive well in gardens, giving advice on all aspects of snowdrop culture. For galanthophiles varieties are recommended to extend their collection. This advice is based on personal experience from growing over 100 different cultivars in his town garden in Oxford.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe sequence of flowering of different snowdrop varieties from October to March is described, including the autumn-flowering Queen Olga’s snowdrop. 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With the author continuing to earn a living as a professional biologist, the characters featured are both human and animal as the various tales capture the atmosphere of living and working in this tight-knit community into which he and his wife were so immediately welcomed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eAfter 20 years leading a research group in wildlife biology at the University of Southampton, Rory Putman decided to ‘retire’ to the Highlands of Scotland, moving with his wife to a croft at the edge of a small and somewhat inaccessible village on the west coast. In the same vein as the well-received \u003cem\u003eLife in Lethinnis,\u003c\/em\u003e he offers a further collection of cameos from those first few years as they moved into and settled in their remote smallholding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe author’s intimate writing style draws the reader with him into the heart of that same community. 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We can follow his astounding adventures over the next ten years as he obsessively searches all through Britain for that elusive 'small wild paradise' so many of us would also like to find. He lives in, but finally loses, no less than six new homes in that time and the complications and reasons why are both hilarious and sad. Even more fascinating is his continual obsessive quest to get up close and personal with nesting goshawks, buzzards and ospreys, as well as mammals like fishing otters, a fox family and he even feeds wild badgers by hand.\u003cbr\u003e\n At one remote farmhouse in the Borders, he learns how to handle a bulldozer, digs out his own 70-yard lake and stocks it with trout. Over three years there he raises ten barn owl chicks and establishes three breeding pairs in areas where they had long been absent. It was the most successful barn owl release at the time. There are many amusing anecdotes such as when he dreaded taking some of Prince Harry's classmates to 'otter bay' and then saw far more otters than when he had gone there on his own! Transcending all are his new studies and descriptions of hunting and nesting golden eagles, during which he passed his 3,050th hour in one of his home-made 'invisible' hides, and a huge female allowed him to bring much-needed meat to her chicks in their eyrie. The book ends with triumphant filming of the magnificent white-tailed sea eagles on Mull, hunting and sailing into their high nest with prey and feeding their chicks. Mike also achieved valuable publicity for the pioneering public sea eagle hide project on Mull.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mike Tomkies","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56742974751094,"sku":"9781849951234","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849951234.jpg?v=1764331509"},{"product_id":"9781849954976_at-the-very-end-of-the-road","title":"At the Very End of the Road","description":"\u003cp\u003eAt the very end of the road is a six-bar metal gate. It is chained and padlocked and marks the exact line where the tarmac stops. Beyond that is a track, twelve pasture and hay fields, and an area of saltmarsh, bounded on one side by a river and on the other by vast tidal mudflats. Deep in the west of England, this is a place sculpted by the wind and painted by the tides. It is a place full of wildlife. 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