James Lowen – författare

This expanded and extensively updated second edition of Bradt's Pantanal Wildlife remains the most user-friendly guidebook for ecotourists visiting South America's great wetland - according to Time magazine, 'one of the world's greatest places'. Extending across Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, in some ways the Pantanal is the continent's equivalent of Africa's Serengeti: a vast territory brimming with abundant, exciting and photogenic wildlife. The planet's biggest wetland - 10 times larger than Florida's Everglades, 15 times that of Botswana's Okavango Delta - offers superlative wildlife-watching to enthrall novice and expert alike. In no other New World location can visitors see at point-blank range such a high number and variety of birds (670+ species), mammals (110+ species) and reptiles (50+ species). Alongside breathtaking gatherings of wildlife - with fur, feather and scale crammed into desiccating water bodies during the dry season - record-breakers of the natural world can be easy to spot here. Visitors have excellent opportunities to watch the New World'sAmericas' mightiest cat (nowhere is better to see jaguar), the world's largest parrot (hyacinth macaw), largest rodent (the pig-sized capybara), the planet's greatest gathering of crocodilians (yacaré caiman) and South America's heaviest land mammal (lowland tapir). Both a wildlife guide and a travel guidebook, Pantanal Wildlife is designed for visitors wishing to recognise the animals they see, to understand more about them and to learn where to look for them - but are too conscious of theirdo not have the baggage allowance to bring a shelf-full of reference material. It comprises authoritative yet accessible text by a South American wildlife expert, bringing remarkable animals to life through highly readable snippets on behaviour and biology, derived from the latest science. Bradt's Pantanal Wildlife remains the only portable, hard-copy guidebook to focus entirely on the South America's finest best wildlife-watching experience in South America, the only book to feature all major faunal groups - and the only guide to cover the entire Pantanal, combining up-to-date visitor advice on where to stay, tips on exactly where to look for the most exciting wildlife and insights into getting around in each of the three countries it encompasses. Bradt's Pantanal Wildlife is the indispensable travel companion - truly a visitor's guide - to this exhilarating region.

The perfect photographic guide to the avifauna of SpainSpain is recognised as one of Europe’s richest birdwatching destinations, one that offers a host of regional specialities. It includes famous birding hotspots such as the vast Coto Doñana wetlands, mountainous areas such as the Pyrenees and Picos de Europa, the Mediterranean oak forests of the south, the migration crossroads of the Strait of Gibraltar and the plains of Extremadura. Completely revised and updated, this new version of Birds of Spain provides photographic coverage of more than 320 species that regularly occur in the region, from the Hoopoe to the Golden Eagle. Concise text for each species includes information on identification, songs and calls, behaviour, distribution and habitat, with each photo having been carefully selected to aid identification. A guide to the best birdwatching sites in Spain is also included.Portable yet authoritative, this is the perfect companion for any wildlife-friendly visitor to this spectacular and bird-rich country.

The perfect photographic guide to the avifauna of France.France is known for its remarkable scenery, from the Camargue region and the dramatic peaks of the Alps – home to Greater Flamingos and Spotted Nutcrackers respectively – to the vast, tranquil woodland where Black Woodpeckers can be found nesting. Situated at the crossroads of bird migration, its varied natural landscape provides an exciting destination to observe both resident and migrant birds. This second edition has been expanded to showcase 301 regularly occurring species, each accompanied with stunning photography. Concise text for each species includes details on identification, songs and calls, behaviour, distribution and habitat, with each photo carefully selected to aid identification. A guide to the best birdwatching sites in France is also included.Portable yet authoritative, this is a great addition to the backpack or suitcase of any wildlife enthusiast visiting France.

The definitive photographic guide to the mammals of Spain, Portugal and the Balearic Islands.With rushing rivers, steep mountains, and a rich variety of forests, the Iberian Peninsula is home to a wealth of wildlife. Over recent years, areas of conservation and rewilding have seen mammals such as the Grey Wolf and the endemic Iberian Ibex and Iberian Lynx thrive, making it an increasingly popular destination for ecotourists. Written by celebrated wildlife photographer Carlos Bocos Gonzalez and naturalist James Lowen, this guide covers all 99 terrestrial mammal species resident in the region. Each species account includes concise details on the animal’s behaviour, habitat and activity periods, as well as full colour photographs and descriptions of key features to aid accurate identification. Practical guidance for finding wildlife is also provided, including an overview of some of the best locations, seven recommended mammalwatching itineraries and information on how to watch mammals safely, responsibly and effectively. Portable yet authoritative, this is the perfect guide for travellers and wildlife enthusiasts visiting this spectacular region.

RSPB Spotlight: Hedgehogs is packed with eye-catching, informative colour photos, and features succinct and detailed text written by a knowledgeable naturalist.Much loved - but about to be lost? The Hedgehog regularly tops polls of the UK’s favourite animal, yet numbers in our countryside have halved this century. Generations of children have been captivated by Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, though our complex and contradictory relationship with the Hedgehog is also characterised by persecution and death. This unmistakable, spiny mammal is a ‘gardener’s best friend’, but one that we rarely see alive and in our midst.In Spotlight: Hedgehogs, James Lowen reveals what a Hedgehog is and how it lives, unveiling the secrets of its lifestyle, such as foraging and hibernating, rolling into a ball and building a nest. He also investigates the relationship between Hedgehogs and people – from film and fun to conservation and crisps – and offers practical advice on how to find, watch and help these charming animals in the wild.

James Lowen narrates a year-long quest to see Britain's rarest and more remarkable moths.Although mostly unseen by us, moths are everywhere. And their capacity to delight astounds.Inspired by a revelatory encounter with a Poplar Hawk-moth – a huge, velvety-winged wonder wrapped in silver – James Lowen embarks on a year-long quest to celebrate the joy of Britain’s rarest and most remarkable moths. By hiking up mountains, wading through marshes and roaming by night amid ancient woodlands, James follows the trails of both Victorian collectors and present-day conservationists. Seeking to understand why they and many ordinary folk love what the general public purports to hate, his investigations reveal a heady world of criminality and controversy, derring-do and determination.From Cornwall to the Cairngorms, James explores British landscapes to coax these much-maligned creatures out from the cover of darkness and into the light. Moths are revealed to be attractive, astonishing and approachable; capable of migratory feats and camouflage mastery, moths have much to tell us on the state of the nation’s wild and not-so-wild habitats.As a counterweight to his travels, James and his young daughter track the seasons through a kaleidoscope of moth species living innocently yet covertly in their suburban garden. Without even leaving home, they bond over a shared joy in the uncommon beauty of common creatures, for perhaps the greatest virtue of moths, we learn, is their accessibility. Moths may be everywhere, but above all, they are here. Quite unexpectedly, no animals may be better placed to inspire the environmentalists of the future.

A complete beginner's guide to British moths.Moths are sometimes overlooked compared to the day-flying butterflies, however, many moths are even more colourful, accessible and fascinating. Britain and Ireland are home to an incredible array of moths, with more than 2,500 species known, and increasing numbers of people have discovered the joy in watching, catching and photographing this diverse group. But, where should you start in being able to identify them?British Moths: A Gateway Guide is a wonderful introduction to 350 species of the most common and eye-catching adult moths that you may encounter in the UK. Rather than being grouped in taxonomic order, species are organised by season, and similar-looking moths are placed alongside one another for ease of identification. Concise species accounts include information on key features, making it easy to distinguish between confusion species, seasonality, and when and where to see them; each account is also placed alongside photos that have been carefully chosen to aid identification with clearly-marked top tips.From the author of Much Ado About Mothing, this is the perfect companion for anyone wanting to learn more about these beautiful and remarkable creatures - from hawk-moths to tigers and ermines to emeralds.

This innovative new title from Bradt is the first of its type to focus specifically on the vast array of wildlife-watching opportunities found in Europe. Written by expert James Lowen, author of the best-selling 52 Wildlife Weekends: A Year of British Wildlife-Watching Breaks and award-winning A Summer of British Wildlife: 100 Great Days Out Watching Wildlife, this unique guide is packaged into 52 weekend-sized breaks highlighting the best of European wildlife including mammals, reptiles, amphibians, flora, butterflies, dragonflies and birds.We may think of snow-covered Antarctica, South American jungles or African savannahs as holding the world's most plenteous and special wildlife, yet Europe heaves with wildlife wonders year-round, many of which can be seen in a simple weekend break. This book suggests one wildlife-watching break, somewhere in Europe, for every weekend of the year. Want to see brown bears? Make for Finland or Slovenia. Fancy a crack at wolves? Hop on a flight to northern Spain or Italy's Abruzzo. If whales float your boat, a long weekend in Iceland, Ireland or the Bay of Biscay would suit. Orchid lovers can head to Corsica, Crete or the Costa del Sol in spring. Birdwatchers can flock to see migrating raptors in Gibraltar, great gatherings of cranes in central Spain, or vast flocks of seaduck in Arctic Norway. Then there's the wacky olm in Slovenia, cave salamanders in Sardinia and owl-flies in the Picos de Europa. Hungary's mayfly emergence is truly spectacular, as are Norway's musk oxen and Poland's bison.Stretching from the Arctic to its boundaries with Africa and Asia, Europe has enough exciting living creatures amid jaw-dropping landscapes to fill an entire lifetime of wildlife-watching. Ideal for both the experienced wildlife tourist and the novice and packed with stunning colour photos, Bradt's 52 European Wildlife Weekends shows when, where and how to see the most exciting wildlife, complete with inspiring itineraries, engaging descriptions, detailed directions and tips on how to find, identify and enjoy animals and plants. Each entry gives details on species of interest and the landscapes they inhabit, plus suggestions for extending your quick break into a longer visit.Winner of the British Guild of Travel Writers Adele Evans Award for Best Guidebook 2018.

Bradt's popular guidebook 52 Wildlife Weekends suggests inspiring itineraries for 52 unforgettable British wildlife-watching breaks, stretching from the Isles of Scilly to northern Scotland - each perfectly timed for every week of the year. Thoroughly updated to reflect Britain's ever-changing natural history, this second edition integrates the latest information on the country's most thrilling wildlife experiences, suggests new target species and showcases fabulous new locations.Written by award-winning author and experienced naturalist James Lowen, 52 Wildlife Weekends remains the only guide to package Britain's nature-watching highlights into deftly timed, user-friendly holiday suggestions. Say it's February and you want to watching otters. Or May: time for spring flowers and bewitching butterflies. Or July, and you fancy marvelling at dragonflies. Or October: the height of bird migration. Whenever in the year you get a chance to escape, this book suggests 48 hours' worth of brilliant wildlife-watching - perfect for staycations, whether as a weekend or part of a longer holiday.52 Wildlife Weekends suggests a year's worth of short breaks celebrating the full range of Britain's most exciting wildlife, from tiny silver-spotted skipper butterflies to gargantuan basking sharks, and from seabird skyscrapers to ostentatious orchids. Covering more than 40 counties or regions, this unique guide offers engaging descriptions, detailed directions (including grid references and postcodes), accommodation suggestions, and assessments of accessibility and (new for this edition) child-friendliness, plus 180 mouth-watering colour photographs. Find out how, where and when to track down such thrilling creatures as beavers and basking sharks, eagles and otters, dolphins and dragonflies, glow worms and grey seals. Why not open the New Year on a real-life wild goose chase in the Inner Hebrides? Or make a spring pilgrimage to Yorkshire to see truly wild daffodils? Or experience underwater life by peering into rivers for rare fish in Powys, snorkelling in Dorset, or rock-pooling in Devon? Or gawp at starling murmurations, shape-shifting through the autumnal sky, in Suffolk or Somerset.Combining the very best of travel and wildlife guides, and covering both well-known spectacles and less familiar species, Bradt's 52 Wildlife Weekends has something for everyone - wildlife experts and novice ecotourists alike.

With its big skies, wildlife-rich Broads, stunning coastline and sandy heaths, Norfolk is an ideal place to walk. This book, with its 20 circular walks ranging in length from 2 to 7 miles, takes you along the coast and through forests, fens and farmland to the area's finest spots. The book is split into seasons, with recommendations for the best walks for specific times of year. Highlights include: Spring: ramble through the bluebell-carpeted woods of Foxley Wood or hunt for swallowtail butterflies at Wheatfen; Summer: explore the sandy seaside of Holme Dunes or the unusual landscape and pingos at Thompson Common; Autumn: spot seals just off Horsey's coastal dunes or admire the sea view from the cliffs between Overstrand and Cromer; Winter: take a brisk winter wander on the Sandringham Estate or enjoy the wildness of The Wash estuary at Snettisham All walks include: Directions to the start; Parking info; Numbered route map and directions; Distance and terrain; Recommended local pubs and cafes; Points of interest along the way