Where Song Began: Australia's Birds and How They Changed the World by Tim Low

$22.99 AUD

Category: Animals

Renowned for its unusual mammals, Australia is a land of birds that are just as unusual, just as striking, a result of the continent's tens of millions of years of isolation. Compared with birds elsewhere, ours are more likely to be intelligent, aggressive and loud, to live in complex societies, and are long-lived. They're also ecologically more powerful, exerting more influences on forests than other birds. But unlike the mammals, the birds did not keep to Australia; they spread around the globe. Australia provided the world with its songbirds and parrots, the most intelligent of all bird groups. It was thought in Darwin's time that species generated in the Southern Hemisphere could not succeed in the Northern, an idea that was proven wrong in respect of birds in the 1980s but not properly accepted by the world's scientists until 2004 - because, says Tim Low, most ornithologists live in the Northern Hemisphere. As a result, few Australians are aware of the ramifications, something which prompted the writing of this book. Tim Low has a rare gift for illuminating complex ideas in highly readable prose, and making of the whole a dynamic story. Here he brilliantly explains how our birds came to be so extraordinary, including the large role played by the foods they consume (birds, too, are what they eat), and by our climate, soil, fire, and Australia's legacy as a part of Gondwana. The story of its birds, it turns out, is inseparable from the story of Australia itself, and one that continues to unfold, so much having changed in the last decade about what we know of our ancient past. Where Song Beganalso shines a light on New Guinea as a biological region of Australia, as much a part of the continent as Tasmania. This is a work that goes far beyond the birds themselves to explore the relationships between Australia's birds and its people, and the ways in which scientific prejudice have hindered our understanding. ...Show more

The Australian Bird Guide (Revised ed.) by Peter Menkhorst; Danny Rogers; Rohan Clarke; Jeff Davies (Illustrator); Peter Marsack (Illustrator); Kim Franklin (Illustrator)

$49.99 AUD

Category: Animals | Series: CSIRO

A new in-depth field guide to Australian birds The Australian avifauna is large, diverse, and spectacular, reflecting the continent's impressive habitats and evolutionary history. Looking at more than 900 species, The Australian Bird Guide is the most comprehensive field guide on Australian birds avail able, and contains by far the best coverage of southern seabirds. With 249 color plates containing 4,000 stunning images, this book offers a far more in-depth treatment of subspecies, rarities, and overall plumage variation than comparative guides. The artwork meets the highest standards, and the text is rigorously accurate and current in terms of identification details, distribution, and status. The Australian Bird Guide sets a new bar for coverage of Australia's remarkable avifauna and is indispensable to all birders and naturalists interested in this area of the world, including the southern oceans. Brand-new guide with an attractive look and design 249 color plates containing 4,000 superb images by some of the most talented illustrators working in Australia today Every bird species in Australia is covered (more than 900), including subspecies and rarities Up-to-date maps reflect the latest information on distribution Accurate and detailed text ...Show more

Budgerigar: How a Brave, Chatty and Colourful Little Aussie Bird Stole the World's Heart by Sarah Harris; Don Baker

$29.99 AUD

Category: Animals

A curiosity of everything you ever wanted to know (or realised you never knew) about budgies. Beautiful and cheeky, delightful and enchanting, wild or tamed budgerigars are Australia's gift to the bird world.They sing and dance, and yawn as contagiously as humans. They are masters of mimicry. They grasp simple grammar, can count to six and have memories that belie their size. They've been coveted by royals and been companions to the great and famous as well as grannies in suburban kitchens around the world. They've been painted by masters, rendered in the finest porcelain and graced fashionable hats and earrings of the highest order. Their image has been used to sell whisky, stamps and laundry detergent and everything in between.Surprising, charming and occasionally alarming, Budgerigar is the book that at last opens the cage door on the incredible story of the little bird that grew. ...Show more

Penguin Bloom: The Odd Little Bird Who Saved a Family by Bradley Trevor Greive; Cameron Bloom

$32.99 AUD

Category: Animals

PENGUIN BLOOM is a unique journey of recovery and an extraordinary celebration of life, featuring Cameron Bloom's exceptional photographs and a captivating narrative by NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Bradley Trevor Greive. Penguin the Magpie is a global social media sensation with over 113k followers on Instagram. People the world over have fallen in love with the stunning and deeply personal images of this rescued bird and her human family. But there is far more to Penguin's story than meets the eye. This is a true story of hope and courage. It begins with a shocking accident, in which Cameron's wife, Sam, suffers a near fatal fall that leaves her paralysed and deeply depressed. Into their lives comes Penguin, an injured magpie chick abandoned after she fell from her nest. Penguin's rescue and the incredible joy and strength she gives Sam and all those who helped her survive demonstrates that, however bleak things seem, compassion, friendship and support can come from unexpected quarters, ensuring there are always better days ahead. This plucky little magpie reminds us all that, no matter how lost, fragile or damaged we feel, accepting the love of others and loving them in return will help to make us whole.   ...Show more

Close Encounters with Marine Life by Nigel Marsh

$12.99 AUD

$35.00 (62% off)

Category: Animals

Wildlife photography onland is nearly always donewith a telephoto lens, withthe photographer rarelygetting close to thesubject. Underwaterphotography on the otherhand is the completeopposite, with thephotographer required toget very close to thesubject to capture greatimages. Fortunately, mostmarine ani mals are happy going about their daily liveswith a diver looking on, allowing for memorable closeencounters with these wonderful creatures of the deep.Nigel Marsh has been documenting his close encounterswith marine life for more than 40 years and in that timehe has observed and photographed octopus mating,sharks feeding, fish fighting, seals showing off and manyother incredible sights. Close Encounters with MarineLife details Nigel's underwater adventures with camera inhand, featuring some of his best images and manyremarkable stories of his experiences with amazingmarine life. ...Show more

Unleashed by Amanda Jones

$19.99 AUD

$34.99 (42% off)

Category: Animals

Dogs are in their natural element when they are playing outdoors. Pet photographer Amanda Jones captures this unbridled joy perfectly in her latest collection of photographs. Set against the backdrop of four distinct seasons—each with its own color palette and lush backdrops—these dogs are clearly havin g their favorite days in their favorite places. This handsome book showcases the energy and character of a diverse group of dogs as they run, jump, and play outdoors all year long. ...Show more

Extraordinary Insects: Weird. Wonderful. Indispensable. The Ones Who Run Our World by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson

$14.99 AUD

$32.99 (54% off)

Category: Animals

A journey into the weird, wonderful and truly astonishing lives of the small but mighty creatures who keep the world turning. Out of sight, underfoot, unseen beyond fleeting scuttles or darting flights, insects occupy a hidden world, yet are essential to sustaining life on earth. Insects influence our e cosystem like a ripple effect on water. They arrived when life first moved to dry land, they preceded – and survived – the dinosaurs, they outnumber the grains of sand on all the world's beaches, and they will be here long after us. Working quietly but tirelessly, they give us food, uphold our ecosystems, can heal our wounds and even digest plastic. They could also provide us with new solutions to the antibiotics crisis, assist in disaster zones and inspire airforce engineers with their flying techniques. But their private lives are also full of fun, intrigue and wonder –musical mating rituals; house-hunting for armies of beetle babies; metamorphosing into new characters; throwing parties in fermenting sap; cultivating fungi for food; farming smaller species for honey dew and always ensuring that what is dead is decomposed, ready to become life once again. Here, we will discover life and death, drama and dreams, all on a millimetric scale. Like it or not, Earth is the planet of insects, and this is their extraordinary story. ...Show more

Sam Bloom: Heartache and Birdsong (HB) by Cameron Bloom; Samantha Bloom; Bradley Trevor Greive

$32.99 AUD

Category: Animals

The follow-up to the ABIA award-winning, internationally bestselling sensation Penguin Bloom. The heart-warming Australian story Penguin Bloom - the miraculous tale of a baby magpie that helped save a young mother and her family - is a homegrown and international bestseller; soon to be a major Hollywood movie, starring Naomi Watts and Andrew Lincoln. Sam's personal message at the end of the book has resonated powerfully with readers - where, pulling no punches, she writes about what it is really like to face life in a wheelchair. In Sam Bloom, Sam tells her own story for the first time - how a shy but determined Australian girl became a nurse and travelled across Africa. How she fell in love with a like-minded free spirit, raised three boys and built a life together on Sydney's Northern Beaches. And then, in a single horrific moment, how everything changed. Sam's journey back from the edge of death and the depths of despair is so much more than an account of overcoming adversity. Sam's captivating true story - written by close friend, New York Times bestselling author Bradley Trevor Greive, and featuring extraordinary photographs taken by Sam's husband, Cameron Bloom - is humbling, heartbreaking and uplifting in equal measure. A triumph of raw emotion and incredible beauty, Sam Bloom: Heartache & Birdsong is a truly unforgettable book.         ...Show more

Underwater Australia by Jew Darren

$19.99 AUD

$39.99 (50% off)

Category: Animals

Discover the hidden depths of Australia's oceans through these stunning images full of sparkling coral reefs, diverse plant life and spectacular creatures both large and small.

Sharks Never Sleep: First-Hand Encounters with Killers of the Sea by Brendan McAloon

$9.99 AUD

$29.99 (66% off)

Category: Animals

Sharks Never Sleep explores dramatic accounts of first-hand encounters with the most feared creature in the ocean. At Shelly Beach near Ballina, Japanese surfer Tadashi Nakahari is attacked and killed by a great white shark, turning the country's favourite playground into a kingdom of fear. At Jeffreys Bay in South Africa, world champion surfer Mick Fanning fights off a great white shark during the final of one of the world?s biggest professional surfing competitions, broadcast live into living rooms around the planet and turning Fanning into a global celebrity overnight. At Trois Bassins on Reunion Island, 22-year-old French born British citizen Talon Bishop is killed by a tiger shark while swimming in waist-deep water with her boyfriend on Valentine's Day, sparking the small island's "la crise requin" (the shark crisis). At Surf Beach in Santa Barbara, California, 39-year-old father of two, Francisco "Paquito" Solorio Jr, is killed by a great white shark two years and one day after 19-year-old student Lucas Ransom was killed at the very same location, connecting two families in devastating loss. At Jaws on the Hawaiian island of Maui, the Everest of big-wave surfing, shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton is towed into monstrous, death-defying waves -- having lost her arm to a tiger shark as a 13-year-old junior surfing champion, Bethany has returned to compete at the highest level, written an autobiography, appeared on numerous US television shows (from Oprah and Ellen to The Amazing Race), been the subject of a feature film and, most recently, gave birth to a son. Hear of primal fear of being eaten alive by a wild animal, the unimaginable grief of losing a loved one, and the extraordinary survival and inspiring journey back into the ocean by shark attack victims. Meet a cast of crazy characters and explore our complex relationship with sharks in this gripping collection of true tales by award-winning journalist and filmmaker Brendan McAloon. ...Show more

Love Clancy: A Dog's Letters Home, Edited and Debated by Richard Glover by Richard Glover

$29.99 AUD

Category: Animals

Heartfelt and hilarious, this is a book for anyone who has tried to imagine what their dog was thinking. Human beings often write about their dogs, but the dogs don't usually get a right of reply.  In Love, Clancy, Richard Glover has collated the letters sent by Clancy to his parents in the bush. They a re full of a young dog's musings about the oddities of human behaviour, life in the big city, and his own attempts to fit in. You'll meet Clancy as a puppy, making his first attempt to train his humans, then see him grow into a mature activist, demanding more attention be paid to a dog's view of the world. Along the way, there are adventures aplenty, involving robotic vacuum cleaners, songs about cheese, trips to the country and stolen legs of ham - all told with a dog's deep wisdom when it comes to what's important in life. With delightful illustrations by cartoonist Cathy Wilcox. PRAISE FOR RICHARD GLOVER The Land Before Avocado 'This is vintage Glover - warm, wise and very, very funny. Brimming with excruciating insights into life in the late sixties and early seventies, The Land Before Avocado explains why this was the cultural revolution we had to have' Hugh Mackay 'Hilarious and horrifying, this is the ultimate intergenerational conversation starter' Annabel Crabb Richard Glover's just-published The Land Before Avocado is a wonderful and witty journey back in time to life in the early 1970s' Richard Wakelin, Australian Financial Review Flesh Wounds 'A funny, moving, very entertaining memoir' Bill Bryson, New York Times 'The best Australian memoir I've read is Richard Glover's Flesh Wounds' Greg Sheridan, The Australian   ...Show more

Natural Wonders of the World

$29.99 AUD

$44.99 (33% off)

Category: Animals

A continent by continent exploration of planet Earth's most amazing natural wonders and captivating landscapes. From Iceland's Skogafoss to Australia's Great Barrier Reef, discover which of the world wonders should definitely make it onto your bucket list with this unparalleled survey of the world'sincr edible natural treasures. Natural Wonders of the World combines breathtaking landscape photography with 3D terrain models and other explanatory artworks to reveal what lies beneaththe surface and show how geographical features are formed. ...Show more