Birdsong is a novel about the tenderness & the limits of human flesh about men & women living at the edge. Set mostly in France spanning the years before & during the First World War it captures the drama & destruction of that era as it tells the story of Stephen a young Englishman who is impelled through a series of extreme experiences from a traumatic clandestine love affair which rips apart the bourgeois French family he lives with through grim insanity of the Great War. In the vast scenes of suffering & the tender depiction of human love Birdsong is at times almost unbearably too moving to read. Faulks has brought to it the same richness of writing & emotional intimacy that characterised The Girl at the Lion d Or but has widened the scope to produce a novel of moving grandeur. Since its first publication Birdsong has become a huge bestseller & one of the most popular literary novels of its generation. In 2012 it was adapted into an acclaimed two-part TV drama starring Eddie Redmayne. ...

A lone bird sits in a big tree merrily singing its tune to the world. But soon it will be joined by a friend & then another & another... As each colourful bird lands on the branch of the tree it joins the last in a cheerful song. But one flashy bird wants to rule the roost
- until something small changes his tune.
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The book begins in 1959 when the author was born setting the scene & defining what a birduder is in Rob Sawyers eyes A person who can identify some birds & study them in their natural habitats but is easily distracted by pubs restaurants music & crosswords. Birduders dont twitch. That actually sums up his book quite nicely. This is not the usual birdwatching book. Covering five decades Sawyer tells his tales about his passion for anything flying including insects birds & planes with lively stories that entertain & make you laugh. Always interested to update & add to his life list he starts with a big white bird (White Stork) & ends with no. 344 a big brown one a White-tailed Eagle. Rob Sawyer trained in engineering & now works as a consultant on medical devices. Travelling widely he came across many birds in many countries but has always remained loyal to the UK bird fauna his favourite. This is his first book. ...

This is the most compact & concise guide to the 430 species of birds that live in or regularly visit Britain & the rest of Europe. It is the only truly pocket-sized field guide. There are at least six illustrations of each species & Peter Hayman's unique painting style brings the birds to life. The well-researched text in the form of captions & annotation tells you all you need to know to be able to identify correctly different species. Symbols show at a glance in which habitats each bird can be found & at what time of year each is present
- both essential factors for correct identification. Differentiating between one species & another could never be made simpler. This guide is the essential companion for taking into the field wherever you go birdwatching in Britain & Europe.
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Learning birdsong is not just a way to become a better bird-spotter. It is tuning in: a way of hearing the soundtrack of the planet earth... Why do birds sing? What are they trying to say? Birdsong is not just about natural history. It is also about our history. We got melody from the birds as we got rhythm from the womb. Birds are our music: they teach us to express emotion & beauty in sound. The first instruments ever made were bird-flutes. This book takes the reader on a journey from winter into spring. Along the way you will learn something of the science of birdsong
- the difference between song & call the physiology of songbirds what birdsong tells us about evolution & indeed the very beginnings of life itself. The aim is to give you a flying start in birdsong so that after reading this book youll be listening to order not chaos to Bach not white noise. You will be more aware of the wild world & better able to understand it.
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Take a fascinating & nostalgic visual journey back to 1960s Birmingham to witness the much-loved Bull Ring the grand city-centre buildings that were demolished to make way for the modern city & the streets & courts that were swept away during the last fifty years of development. Mark Norton author of Birmingham Past & Present: In My Fathers Footsteps presents many previously unpublished pictures alongside his own colour photographs of the area in the twenty-first century. Thoughtful & detailed captions provide a new insight into the ever-changing city. ...

Birmingham was last visited by these authors for a Past & Present" volume right back at the beginning of the series when they produced " No 5 The West Midlands" more than 20 years ago in 1987! It also fell within the Warwickshire volume of 2001 but this is the first time that the city's railways have been treated to a " Past & Present" volume of their own neatly complementing Andrew Doherty's " Rail Around Birmingham" series. This volume looks in detail at: Birmingham's principal stations: New Street Snow Hill & Moor Street; The Cross City Line from Barnt Green to Blake Street; Former LMS main line from Birmingham International to Sandwell & Dudley; Former GWR lines through Snow Hill some now forming part of the Midland Metro light rail network; The Camp Hill line; Loco sheds at Tyseley Monument Lane Aston & Saltley; Goods yards & industrial installations including the Cadbury's system; & The Harborne branch." ...

OS Explorer Map is the Ordnance Survey's most detailed map & is recommended for anyone enjoying outdoor activities like walking horse riding & off-road cycling. Providing complete GB coverage the series details essential information such as youth hostels pubs & visitor information as well as rights of way permissive paths & bridleways. ...

OS Explorer Map is the Ordnance Survey's most detailed map & is recommended for anyone enjoying outdoor activities such as walking horse riding & off-road cycling. The series provides complete GB coverage & can now be used in all weathers thanks to OS Explorer Map
- Active a tough versatile version of the OS Explorer Map.
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Popular guide covering the canals & waterways around Birmingham & central Engl&. Colour Ordnance Survey (R) maps clearly show locks towpaths & boating facilities. There are also comprehensive navigational notes as well as descriptions of the towns & villages pubs & restaurants alongside the waterways. In print for over 30 years the Collins/ Nicholson guides to the waterways have always been a vital part of journeys along Britains canals & rivers. They are designed for anyone & everyone with an interest in Britains inland waterways -- from experienced boaters to those planning their first boat trip as well as walkers cyclists & visitors. The Ordnance Survey (R) Maps have added information showing: * Locks bridges tunnels aqueducts winding holes & towpaths. * Waterpoints sanitary stations pump out facilities & refuse disposal. * Boatyards pubs restaurants & local shops. * Mile markers & milestones (distance in miles & number of locks to strategic points along the waterways). Text
Includes:: * The history & background to each canal. * Local services & places of interest pubs & restaurants & NEW for this edition: postcodes added for each place. * Opportunities for walking & cycling. * NEW for this edition: notes on wildlife to be found along the waterways. Comprehensive navigational notes include: * Maximum

Dimensions & low bridges. * Mileages advice & potential hazards. * Navigation authorities & contact details. Waterways covered in this guide -- Ashby Canal Birming Canal Navigations (Main Line) Birmingham & Faxeley Canal Coventry Canal Erewash Canal Grand Union Canal (Main Line Leicester Section & the River Soar) Oxford Canal Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal Stratford-on-Avon Canal Worcester & Birmingham Canal Trent & Mersey Canal.


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