Australian Predators of the Sky

by Penny Olsen
Australian Predators of the Sky
Author: Penny Olsen
Publisher: National Library of Australia
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2015-09-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0642278563
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Australian predators of the sky are some of the most admired and the most despised of the bird world. Raptors are admired for their strength and independence, but despised for their depredations on livestock and favourite garden birds, while the owls are at once respected for their wisdom and watchfulness and feared for their mournful cries and association with darkness and ill-omen. The book begins with fascinating descriptions by award-winning natural history author Penny Olsen on the discovery and illustration of birds of prey in Australia, and their characteristics and ecology, followed by full-colour illustrations of each species by a variety of artists, accompanied by intriguing notes about the birds. Australian Predators of the Sky comprises over 200 striking paintings, lithographs and engravings of all 34 Australian species—25 diurnal birds of prey such as eagles, hawks and falcons, and nine owls such as hawk-owls and barn-owls.

Blossom Possum

by Gina M. Newton
Blossom Possum
Author: Gina M. Newton
Publisher:
Total Pages: 32
Release: 2006
Genre: Animals
ISBN: 9781865047959
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'Colour my beak blue, that's a risky business if you're not a cockatoo,' squawked Rocky Cocky. 'You'll need a bodyguard.' They trotted and strutted off down the track, round the back of beyong, up the hill and past the black stump, until they bumped into Joanna Goanna. Early one morning, Blossom Possum gets such a fright she thinks the sky is falling down! She has to tell someone, so she sets off with her news. On the way she meets her bush mates. But she also runs into trouble. This retelling of a favourite folktale has a delightful Aussie twist and a refreshingly positive ending. The author has used typically Australian animals to create a cast of quirky characters. Rocky Cocky is a cheeky cockatoo, Echo Gecko is an old hippie lizard, and Toey Joey is a lively young kangaroo.

Birds of Prey of Australia

by Stephen Debus
Birds of Prey of Australia
Author: Stephen Debus
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2019-07-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1486311121
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Raptors are popular and iconic birds, and are important ecologically, with some species listed as threatened. Yet they are among the most difficult birds to identify. This fully updated Third Edition of the popular and award-winning field guide Birds of Prey of Australia contains two sections: a field guide with distribution maps, detailed illustrations and information on identification; and a handbook which includes an overview of the current knowledge about raptors, including their biology, ecology and behaviour. An illustrated section on difficult-to-distinguish species pairs is also included, along with new photographs. Birds of Prey of Australia will appeal to a wide range of readers, including ornithologists, raptor biologists, birdwatchers, wildlife rescuers/carers, raptor rehabilitators, zookeepers, naturalists, bushwalkers, ecological consultants, fauna authorities, park rangers, state forestry personnel and students.

Australian Falcons

by Stephen Debus
Australian Falcons
Author: Stephen Debus
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
Total Pages: 232
Release: 2022-11-02
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1486315771
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Falcons are stunning and iconic birds. Australia has six falcon species, with two endemic to the continent and two others endemic to the Australasian region. They are important indicators of the health of our ecosystems, due to their position at the top of the food chain. But several species are declining, with two species threatened in some states. In Australian Falcons: Ecology, Behaviour and Conservation, Dr Stephen Debus provides a 30-year update of knowledge on these six species, as well as a falcon-like hawk, the Black-shouldered Kite. This book is based partly on the author’s field studies, as well as being a supplement to the Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds (HANZAB) and recent global treatises. It offers up-to-date information on the Australian species, including their behaviours, ecology and biology. It reviews their population status and threats, and suggests what needs to be done to ensure the future of these spectacular birds. Australian Falcons is an invaluable resource for raptor biologists, birdwatchers, wildlife rescuers and carers, raptor rehabilitators and zookeepers.

Wandi

by Favel Parrett
Wandi
Author: Favel Parrett
Publisher: Lothian Children's Books
Total Pages: 68
Release: 2021-09-29
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0734420641
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SHORTLISTED FOR THE CHILDREN'S AWARD, INDIE BOOK AWARDS 2022 LONGLISTED FOR BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN, ABIA AWARDS 2022 A young cub is snatched from his family and home by a giant eagle, then dropped, injured and alone, in a suburban garden. This is where he meets his first Human, and begins his long journey to becoming the most famous dingo in the world. He will never see his mountain home again, or his family. But it is his destiny to save alpine dingoes from extinction, and he dreams of a time when all cubs like him can live in the wild in safety, instead of facing poison and bullets and hatred. A children's literary classic in-the-making from one of Australia's most-loved authors.

Flight of the Budgerigar

by Penny Olsen
Flight of the Budgerigar
Author: Penny Olsen
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2021-10
Genre:
ISBN: 9780642279606
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The Budgerigar is arguably Australia's best-known bird. At the same time, it is so ubiquitous that not everyone knows that it is Australian. Nor do many realise that the multicoloured bird that comes to mind--not to mention today's super-sized, extravagantly coiffed show budgie--is as different from the free-living original as a chihuahua from a wolf. Far from the cosy domestic lives our pet budgies live today, the native budgerigar has lived millennia of boom-bust cycles in the arid inland of Australia. Life was often short; if they were not fodder for predators, they starved or had to struggle their way to districts closer to the coast. For the Warlpiri and their Arrernte neighbours around Alice Springs, the Budgerigar (in its ancestral form) was a totem animal, featuring in art, ceremonies, songlines and legends. Since 1840, when ornithologist John Gould took living specimens to London, this little parrot has been on a remarkable journey. The Budgerigar was Australia's first mass export; its story includes British queens and nobles, Japanese princes and Hollywood stars. It has won the hearts of British spies and world leaders, including Churchill, Stalin and Kennedy. Taking the reader from the Dreamtime to the colonial live bird trade, the competitive culture of the showroom and today's thriving wild flocks, Flight of the Budgerigar is the authoritative history of the Budgerigar, written by respected ornithologist Dr Penny Olsen, and lavishly illustrated in full colour.

Feather and Brush

by Penny Olsen
Feather and Brush
Author: Penny Olsen
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
Total Pages: 356
Release: 2022-05-02
Genre: Art
ISBN: 148631418X
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Feather and Brush traces the history of bird art in Australia – from the simple engravings illustrating accounts of the earliest European voyages of discovery to the diversity of artwork available today. It explores the early European approach, in which naval draughtsmen, officers, convicts, settlers, naturalists, artists and scientists alike contributed both to the art and the science of ornithology, through to a wealth of contemporary artists who feature birds in their works. This book contains more than 400 images, representing the work of 158 artists; some well-known, others published for the first time. The illustrations have been selected for their interest, whether ornithological, historical or artistic. They range from classical to quirky, decorative to functional, monumental to intimate. Together they demonstrate the rich history of Australian bird art, as it evolved in Europe and Australia, and continues today, along with the trends and technologies of the times. This second edition includes new and revised chapters, and features about 200 new artworks, including some by Indigenous artists. Cultural sensitivity Readers are warned that there may be words, descriptions and terms used or referenced in this book that are culturally sensitive. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this book contains images and names of deceased persons.

Australasian Eagles and Eagle-like Birds

by Stephen Debus
Australasian Eagles and Eagle-like Birds
Author: Stephen Debus
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2017-08
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1486306934
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Eagles are awe-inspiring birds that have influenced much human endeavour. Australia is home to three eagle species, and in Melanesia there are four additional endemic species. A further three large Australian hawks are eagle-like. Eagles, being at the top of the food chain, are sensitive ecological barometers of human impact on the Earth’s ecosystem services, and all of the six Australian species covered in this book are threatened in at least some states (one also nationally). Three of the four Melanesian tropical forest endemics are threatened or near-threatened. In Australasian Eagles and Eagle-like Birds, Dr Stephen Debus provides a 25-year update of knowledge on these 10 species as a supplement to the Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds (HANZAB) and recent global treatises, based partly on his own field studies. Included are the first nest or prey records for some Melanesian species. This book places the Australasian species in their regional and global context, reviews their population status and threats, provides new information on their ecology, and suggests what needs to be done in order to ensure the future of these magnificent birds. Australasian Eagles and Eagle-like Birds is an invaluable resource for raptor biologists, birdwatchers, wildlife rescuers and carers, raptor rehabilitators and zookeepers.

Animals Make Us Human

by Leah Kaminsky
Animals Make Us Human
Author: Leah Kaminsky
Publisher: Random House Australia
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2020-11
Genre: NATURE|Environmental Conservation & Protection|
ISBN: 176089981X
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A fundraiser for our wildlife, from land, sea and sky. Proceeds go to the Australian Marine Conservation Society and Australian Wildlife Conservancy. A response to the devastating 2019-20 bushfires, Animals Make Us Human both celebrates Australia's unique wildlife and highlights its vulnerability. Through words and images, writers, photographers and researchers reflect on their connection with animals and nature. They share moments of wonder and revelation from encounters in the natural world- seeing a wild platypus at play, an echidna dawdling across a bush track, or the inexplicable leap of a thresher shark; watching bats take flight at dusk, or birds making a home in the backyard; or following possums, gliders and owls into the dark. Hopeful, uplifting and deeply moving, this collection is also an urgent call to action, a powerful reminder that we only have one world in which to coexist and thrive with our fellow creatures. By highlighting the beauty and fragility of our unique fauna, Australia's favourite writers, renowned researchers and acclaimed photographers encourage readers to consider it in a new light. Featuring- Barbara Allen, Robbie Arnott, Tony Birch, James Bradley, Mark Brandi, Geraldine Brooks, Anne Buist, Melanie Cheng, Claire G. Coleman, Ceridwen Dovey, Chris Flynn, Nayuka Gorrie, Dan Harley, Ashley Hay, Toni Jordan, Leah Kaminsky, Paul Kelly, Meg Keneally, Tom Keneally, Cate Kennedy, David Lindenmayer, Ella Loeffler, Maia Loeffler, Jen Martin, Angela Meyer, Sonia Orchard, Favel Parrett, Marissa Parrott, Bruce Pascoe, Jack Pascoe, Sue Pillans, Nick Porch, Holly Ringland, Euan Ritchie, Antoinette Roe, Kirli Saunders, Graeme Simsion, Tracy Sorensen, Shaun Tan, Lucy Treloar, Karen Viggers, Emma Viskic, John Woinarski, Clare Wright. And photographers- Tim Bawden, Kristian Bell, Rohan Bilney, Justin Bruhn, Andrew Buckle, Matt Clancy, Amy Coetsee, Craig Coverdale, Angus Emmott, Jayne Jenkins, Vivien Jones, Sue Liu, Michael Livingston, Caleb McElrea, Nick Monaghan, Richard Pillans, Gillian Rayment, Linda Rogan, David Maurice Smith, Steve Smith, Colin Southwell, Georgina Steytler, Wayne Suffield, Heather Sutton, Peter Taylor, William Terry, Patrick Tomkins, Matt Wright.