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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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. This vital book
- with a free podcast
- takes you from winter into deepest spring teaching you to how recognise song after song as the chorus swells. You start with robin & end up listening to nightingales. 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 you'll 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 Mark Norton author of Birmingham Past & Present: In My Fathers Footsteps presents many previously unpublished pictures alongside his own colour photographs of the area in the twenty-first century.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. ...

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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Perfect for day trips & short breaks the OS Landranger Map series covers Great Britain with 204 detailed maps. Each map provides all the information you need to get to know your local area &

Includes:: places of interest tourist information picnic areas & camp sites plus Rights of Way information for England & Wales.

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Its August 1939. Genie Watkins a Birmingham kid would love to have a proper happy family like her Italian friend Teresa. But Genie hasnt reckoned with the outbreak of war her already rocky family being split up & the strangely liberating effect it all has on her mother.. . Under Birmingham skies darkened by blackout Genie shares her fears & hopes with Teresa keeps her spirits up with her nan & glamorous auntie Lil & tries to hold her family together. & amid it all she discovers love... Collect the Birmingham set: Birmingham Rose" & " Birmingham Friends"." ...

Towards the end of 1924 Birmingham Corporation Tramways placed into service its first significant numbers of closed top double-deck buses. These were immediately successful & BCT decided that the motorbus was the way forward. It built up a fine network of bus services generally radiating from the city centre supported by three circulars at different distances from the centre. An earlier agreement with Midland Red dating back to 1914 generally meant that BCT vehicles were contained within the city's boundaries while Midland Red provided the links to the town beyond. Many books have been written about buses but very few are based around the service network despite the fact that routes are of prime interest to many enthusiasts. Birmingham's network was very logical & stable lending itself to this treatment. The creation of WMPTE in 1969 & the takeover of Midland Red local services four years later ended this stability as rationalisation exercises began from November 1976. The proposed end dates avoids the ensuing complexity but allows for some WMPTE content for those interested in that period. Malcolm Keeley provides readers with an in depth look at the city terminus arrangements & the infamous one-way system also included is a variety of mono & colour illustrations many of which have never been seen before! ...

Birmingham is famously reputed to have more miles of canals than Venice. These canals contributed much to the city's growth bringing coal & merchandise from the surrounding areas. As the city prospered economically it continued to grow & absorb neighbouring communities a process in many ways bound together by the waterways. Although part of the national network Birmingham's canals including the Worcester & Birmingham the Stratford-upon-Avon & the Birmingham Canal Navigation retain their original identity
- & most are still in water & used regularly albeit in different ways to their original industrial purpose. Fully updated & illustrated with stunning new photographs this book captures the heritage development & modern role of Birmingham's canals in a way that will appeal to canal users as well as those with a wider interest in Britain's second most populous city.
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