Sally Elmer

More than 50 years in the making, Australian Falcons is a beautifully illustrated volume of personal observations, interesting encounters with raptors, and detailed descriptions of behaviour that will inform and delight the reader. The late great Peter Slater needs no introduction as one of Australia’s finest natural history artists, photographers and authors over a period of decades, with the renowned The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds among his many works. For this book Peter teamed up with the equally talented and award-winning artist Sally Elmer to produce the ultimate volume on this family of scythe-winged birds of prey, including the Peregrine Falcon, which has been recorded reaching speeds of more than 300 kilometres per hour. Other chapters cover Australia’s other five falcon species: Nankeen Kestrel, Brown Falcon, Australian Hobby, Grey Falcon and Black Falcon. Engaging text explains all about the lives of these enigmatic birds, while stunning photography and artworks provide a window into the hidden world of these raptors, which rarely venture close to people but capture our imaginations with their dashing flight and remarkable aerial feats.

This new title in New Holland's award-winning Green Guides series investigates the ever- popular subject of the birds in our back yards. Identification spreads cover all the key species and families likely to occur in gardens across Australia, including many species of pigeons, parrots, cuckoos, fantails, butcherbirds and honeyeaters. Iconic birds such as Tawny Frogmouth, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and Laughing Kookaburra sit alongside less familiar visitors such as the Australian Owlet-nightjar, Pacific Baza, Weebill and Apostlebird. There are also sections covering introduced species, whether or not to feed garden birds, and the types of plant which supply the best cover for nesting and sources of nectar and berries for attracting birds into the garden.