Wildlife Watching Skills

Book excerpt: A miscellany of wildlife watching skills, tricks and facts. This book is written by Dr Duncan James, a scientist turned writer with almost 40 years wildlife watching experience. The focus is on unusual wildlife watching skills. There are no photographs, simply lots to read (with a few illustrative maps mixed in) about nature and nature watching. Learn advanced binocular techniques. Discover how to move stealthily without disturbing the wildlife around you. Find out how the orbit of the Earth can help you to plan an ecotourism vacation. Read short summaries of the wildlife of every continent. Learn how to see whales and dolphins. Discover why humans have two legs and not five. Find out how a telescope can give stunning close views of butterflies. Read about how to survive bear attacks and evade swarms of bees. Learn the rules for Duncan’s favourite nature games. Discover why trees are green. Learn activities to help guide children in learning about the environment. Discover how to see wild animals before they see you. Read about bird identification. Reflect on the philosophical question of whether you should even try to identify the animals you see or not. And much, much more. “I hope you enjoy this book and that you in turn pass on to others the wildlife watching skills you find most useful and the facts you find most fascinating; join me in helping everyone to enjoy this wonderful hobby.” Dr Duncan James