BBC Wildlife - UK 2020-07)

OUR WILD WORLD

July 2020 BBC Wildlife 89

BloomingWolf

TheBirdWay

Inthisnewpodcast,

HannahBuschertfromthe

HannahandErikGoBirding

podcastinterviews

a rangeofwomenbirders,tohighlight

theamazingthingstheyaredoing,

andtoinspireothers.Guestssofar

includefellowbirdingpodcastersand

ornithologists.Foreachepisode,Hannah

takesoneofthebirdsmentionedbyher

guestandadaptsa drinkrecipetosuitthe

species,suchasa limonanafora

lammergeieranda Texasprairiefireshot

fora black-cappedvireo.Talkingoverthe

internettoeachother,there’sa relaxed

andwelcomingatmosphere– idealfor

the‘happyhour’vibethatHannahis

aimingfor.MS

Jigsawshaveenjoyedsomethingofa
resurgencesincelockdown.If you’re
aftersomethinga bitdifferent,trythis
colourfulandabsorbing185-piecer.Like
allWentworthproducts,it’sUK-made
(fromsustainablesources)andincludes
theVictorian-inspired‘whimsy’pieces,
shapedaccordingtotheme– sohere,
wolves,flowersandornatespirals.
Thesearen’tyourstandardjigsaws.
Asidefromtheobviousqualityofthe
woodenpieces,theyarea lawunto
themselves– middlepiecescanhave
straightedgesandnotwoarethesame.
I beganmid-morningandemerged
mid-afternoon– justtherightlevel
oftaxing.SarahMcPherson

Fromcave-dwellingoilbirds

that use smell and sound to

find their food by night, to

the explosive vocal mimicry

of lyrebirds in the depths of

Australian forests, The Bird

Way takes us on an

enthralling journey through every aspect

of bird behaviour, revealing just how

complex and intelligent this fascinating

group of animals is. Ackerman shows

us what it is to see the world from a

bird’s-eye view, drawing on eloquent

scientific research and first-hand

experiences all across the world, to give

readers a new appreciation for birds and

the immense variety of ways they

communicate, socialise, mate, feed, play

and sense the world around them.

Ben Porter Ornithologist

PODCAST

JIGSAW

BOOK

WENTWORTH WOODEN PUZZLES, £25

BY JENNIFER ACKERMAN, LITTLE, BROWN BOOK GROUP, £14.99

AmazingIslands:

100+Placesthatwill

BoggleYourMind

Theeruptionin 2014 of

anunderwatervolcano

intheSouthPacificgave

birthtotheislandof

HungaTonga-Hunga

Ha’apai,oneofthe

world’snewestislands.Andwhile

scientistsexpectedit tobewashedaway

withinmonths,today,it is reportedtobe

hometofloweringplantsandeven

BY SABRINA WEISS, ILLUSTRATED BY KERRY HYNDMAN, WHAT

ON EARTH BOOKS, £14.99

YOUNGER READERS

burrowing owls. In 2018, Hurricane

Walaka washed away the whole of

Hawaii’s East Island, home to Hawaiian

monk seals and green sea turtles.

As a reminder of the impermanence

of everything we take as stable, Amazing

Islands is aptly named. Beautifully

illustrated, this isn’t a natural history so

much as a look at islands of every kind

• from the unique wildlife on
  Madagascar to the culture of island
  nations. Along the way, we explore the
  geological wonders and artificial islands.
  There’s no great depth to any one
  subject but, as an overview, Amazing
  Islands is more than enough to whet the
  appetite for discovery.
  Paul McGuinness

OUT IN THE GARDEN

BUG BUFFET

Keep an eye out for bats’ aerial

displays as night starts to

fall. These winged mammals

are likely to swoop down into

gardens to dine on insects.

MAKE COVER

Ensuring there’s plenty of low-

growing greenery around ponds

will allow emerging juvenile frogs

to take shelter as they make a

break for terrestrial habitats.

THINKING AHEAD

Now is the time to think about

which wildlife-friendly plants

you might want to add to your

garden for next year – download

our free wildlife gardening

digital magazine for plenty

of ideas. See p17. O NEW TO PODCASTS?

Read our guide: bit.ly/wildlifepodcasts

WomenBirders

GOBIRDINGPODCAST.COM/WOMEN-BIRDERS-HAPPY-HOUR

The shape

of the pieces

poses an extra

challenge.