A unique beginner`s guide to bird song with 3 CDs of crystal-clear digital recordings & a comprehensive guide to identifying more complex songs & calls. The new Collins Bird Songs & Calls

Includes:: re-recorded versions of the original habitat CDs
- ensuring that they are even clearer, but just as atmospheric
- introducing the user to the major bird habitats of Britain & the birds that live in them. This new edition also features a third CD containing a unique guide to identifying more complex songs & calls, with tips on what aspects of the song or call are the distinguishing characteristics. Beginning with simple, similar-sounding songs, it gradually moves through more difficult distinctions & on to a comprehensive section on passerine calls. Species that often occur in the same habitat are treated together. An accompanying full-colour guide explores the historical background to how recordings of bird songs & calls have developed & been appreciated over the years along with species accounts of the behaviour of all of our common birds. Collins Bird Songs & Calls will help you to quickly appreciate the wonderful range of bird voices & discover just what bird song is all about. A walk in the park will never be the same again.



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To aid specific identification, information on bird behaviour, song, nesting, food, habitat & prevalent features is included. 230 subspecies are illustrated in the habitat where they may have been seen, showing seasonal, sexual & juvenile plumage variations. ...

In a unique new collaboration, Collins have paired up with the respected British Trust for Ornithology, bringing together the most authoritative & up-to-date information in this new field guide to the common birds of Britain & Irel&. This unique new identification guide features all of the birds that have occurred five or more times in Britain & Irel&, including all species that breed regularly in the region, plus those that winter here, or occur as common passage migrants. The book has been written & illustrated as much with the beginner in mind as the experienced birdwatcher. Designed to be used in the field, the text & photographs describe & illustrate the key features needed to identify a species with complete confidence, & to separate it from similar, or `confusion`, species. As a general rule, the species accounts follow the taxonomic running order provided by the British Ornithologist`s Union (BOU). But for the benefit of the reader, in some instances the running order has been juggled subtly so that potentially confusing species are placed side by side. Throughout the book there are special pages that describe the key features needed for separating different families, & groups of birds that share the same habitat. More than 1, 200 photographs are featured & many are seen here for the first time. They have been chosen carefully to show not only important identification features but also to give clues to the usual habitat favoured by the bird, & its typical posture. Annotations highlight key identification features that are discussed in the text. Song & call are useful aids to identification, & reference is made to vocalisation for each species. The average size of each bird is included; in most species this is the length, measured from the tip of the bill to the tip of the tail, but in birds that are seen most frequently in flight (such as raptors), the given measurement is wingspan. Relative abundance maps are shown for every species. The darker shading shows where a species is most abundant, & the lighter shades where it is less so. These are based on the very latest information contained within the BTO`s Bird Atlas 2007-11. ...

In a unique new collaboration, Collins have paired up with the respected British Trust for Ornithology, bringing together the most authoritative & up-to-date information in this new field guide to the rare birds of Britain & Irel&. This book is the companion volume to the Collins BTO Guide to British Birds. It covers all the rare & scarce birds that have occurred in Britain & Ireland five times or more, as of February 2015. ` The Rarest of the Rare` section lists all the species that have occurred fewer than five times; taken in combination, this means that every species of wild bird that has ever occurred in Britain is mentioned. Species descriptions comprise the bulk of the book, & the text & photographs describe & illustrate the key features needed to identify these birds with complete confidence. Confusion species are included, as are vocalisation details for species whose identification it aids. The photographs have been chosen carefully to show key features that are described in the accompanying text; they also give clues to the usual habitat favoured by the bird & its typical posture. Many of the photographs are seen here for the first time.`ID Key Feature` pages provide a quick guide to a group of species or families; they describe the structural & behavioural features that an observer should concentrate on initially when they come across an unfamiliar bird. Where relevant, these feature pages also highlight identification pitfalls. Unlike its companion volume, distribution maps are not included, as they are of little relevance when dealing with rare & scarce birds in Britain & Ireland: by their very nature, vagrant birds can turn up almost anywhere. However, where a part of Britain or Ireland is noteworthy for the occurrence of a given species, then the region in question is mentioned in the text. ...

This classic guide to the butterflies of Britain & northern Europe enters its third edition as part of the authoritative Collins Guide series. This comprehensive guide to the butterflies of Britain & Europe features over 400 species, depicting both male & female insects. Species descriptions include details on taxonomic nomenclature, distribution, flight period, variation, habitat, behaviour & life cycle. Subspecies are included where there is significant variation, & distribution maps accompany each widespread species. Illustrated by Richard Lewington, the world`s leading butterfly illustrator, this is an ideal field guide for travelling naturalists & butterfly enthusiasts alike & is an essential addition to every nature lover`s bookshelves. ...

Children's Political World Wall Map from Collins, size 90 x 60 cm (3ft x 2ft approx), a bright a colourful introduction recognizing different continents & countries, with an additional sheet of 70 stickers of flags & pictures. Countries are in different colours, but grouped within the same colour range for easy recognition of the continents. Capital cities are marked in most countries. Brief notes about each continent are annotated with pictures. The map is laminated & can be written on with suitable marker pens. The map comes with an A4 sheet of 70 paper stickers providing a selection of flags & pictures associated with various locations. ...

Harper Collins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics. ` Welcome, O life! I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience & to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race.` Autobiographical in tone, Joyce`s tale of Stephen Dedalus` journey into adulthood explores the intellectual & moral development of an artist as he struggles to overcome the ingrained Catholic consciousness of his childhood
- a family life governed by Irish history, religion & politics. Realistic & innovative in its approach, the style of writing proved controversial upon publication in 1916 & the character of Stephen on a quest for his identity did not appeal to readers. However, Joyce expertly encapsulates the development of individual consciousness & the role of the artist in society in what is considered one of his greatest works.
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This photographic guide describes almost all the mammals, birds & butterflies likely to encountered by the keen amateur naturalist in Britain, as well as all the common flowers, trees & shrubs. It also

Includes:: a few unusual species of plants & animals.

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Collins Complete Edition World Atlas has a main body of over 140 pages of highly detailed reference atlas mapping, plus a wide range of topical world maps on subjects such as land cover, economy & wealth, climate & conflicts. The atlas comes with thousands of facts & statistics, as well as a specific World States & Territories section that features country data, flags & information. Glossy satellite imaging pictures & an illustrated geographical dictionary are also included. A notably large quantity of significant road & rail networks are shown, as are airports, airfields & even canals & officially recognised tracks. Rivers, lakes & other notable water features are shown, including those with seasonal variations. Cities & towns are indicated according to population size & national & administrative significance. National & administrative boundaries are marked
- including those disputed
- & even ceasefire lines are shown. National parks & reserves are demarcated & sites of specific interest are pinpointed. Relief shading is given according to a contour interval scale & spot heights are shown. Maps are presented with lines of latitude & longitude at varying degree intervals, depending on what is most suitable to each page's cartography, & a letter/number grid combination locates indexed places. Cartography type is specified for physical maps, i.e. whether maps are displayed in accordance with variations on mercator, conic or azimuthal systems.

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Collins Complete Guide to British Coastal Wildlife, a comprehensive & lavishly illustrated guide to the fauna & flora of Britain’s & Ireland’s coastal regions. High quality photos & additional close-ups revealing key identification features in more detail help to identify each species quickly & easily. Informative text

Includes:: observation tips & features on major habitats, advice on the best places to study the coastal wildlife, etc.

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