Britain's birds are among the best loved in the world, and also
among the best studied. In recent times, these studies, rather like
tabloid exclusives, have thrown up some surprising revelations and
sullied a few reputations in the process. They have, above all,
demonstrated that many of our birds lead much more complex lives than
we previously thought.
Following in the footsteps of the bestselling Secret Lives of Garden Birds,
this trip around Britain's principal habitats looks beyond the confines
of our gardens and parks to expose the extraordinary hidden world of
some our most familiar birds. We learn the secrets of romance from Mute
Swans, meet the perfect father in the Guillemot, the estranged couple
(of Chiffchaffs) who share the same territory, and enter the bizarre,
high-rise society of the Dotterel in which women rule. We also meet the
ultimate killers, both by day (Peregrine) and by night (Barn Owl), and
encounter the only true living monster in Scotland. At the same time,
we find out how all these birds cope with living in seemingly
inhospitable habitats such as muddy estuaries, lonely moorland or open
ocean.
Dominic Couzens is an acclaimed writer and bird
tour leader, whose popular monthly columns in BBC Wildlife and
Birdwatching magazines have brought a fresh and dynamic approach to
writing about birds and birdwatching. His previous publications include
Identifying Birds by Behaviour and Secret Lives of Garden Birds. Peter Partington's painting
is widely admired for the uniquely vibrant and fluid style in which he
captures the essence of bird behaviour. His previous publications
include Learn to Draw Birds and Secret Lives of Garden Birds.
'Whether it's the duplicitous love-life of certain male Pied
Flycatchers or the fragile pair-bonding of Dottorel, plenty of sexy
secrets are revealed.' Birds Illustrated, Spring 2007
- ISBN10 1472932420
- ISBN13 9781472932426
- Publish Date 23 March 2018 (first published 29 September 2006)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
- Imprint Bloomsbury Natural History
- Format eBook
- Pages 160
- Language English