Kirsten Hines - Böcker

Lush and warm, South Florida is a gardener’s dream and a birder’s delight. Yet despite the region’s hospitable climate and verdancy, specific plants and special care are required to attract the birds that breed, winter, or migrate through the region.Drawing on their many years of creating bird habitats in South Florida, James Kushlan and Kirsten Hines offer practical, ecologically sound advice for creating gardens that will provide fruit, flowers, insects, and shelter for birds throughout the year. Their invaluable tips on selecting bird-friendly plants and on identifying which birds to attract are suitable for small balcony gardens, suburban yards, or rural acreage. They also suggest ways to incorporate charming water features and other bird-attracting elements into the landscape, as well as how to simplify garden maintenance.Because references that cover the United States or Florida as a whole do not adequately address the needs of this distinctive region, Attracting Birds to South Florida Gardens fills a conspicuous void in the literature on the two most popular hobbies in America, gardening and birding. With brilliant photographs of plants and birds, this volume is essential for first-time or expert gardeners, homeowners or commercial landscapers, and novice or experienced birders seeking to create bird-friendly landscapes and restore ecological health to the area.

Brilliant wildlife photography and intimate storytelling showcase Florida’s animal species within their natural habitatsKirsten Hines provides a captivating visual and narrative journey into the ecology of Florida’s animals in Wild Florida. The intimate and artistic photographs in this book introduce readers to the wide variety of wildlife that thrives within the state. In essays that accompany her images, Hines offers stories and observations about each species and encourages conservation of the natural areas that support them.Hines takes readers along with her on excursions through swamps and into camping stakeouts, sharing experiences such as watching the movements of Florida black bears for months to capture the perfect shot of a mother with her cubs. She introduces an array of species that call the state home, from the iconic Florida panther and the endemic red widow spider to the loggerhead sea turtle and even invasive species like the Burmese python. These pages feature magnificent frigatebirds from the tropical environments of the south, beavers from the temperate north, and animals that live within the gradual blending of environmental borders between these climatic extremes across the peninsula.Wild Florida also highlights the unique ecosystems where these creatures can be found, including locations such as Ocala National Forest, Big Cypress National Preserve, Dry Tortugas National Park, and Everglades National Park. Hines’s patience in studying the secret lives of Florida’s animals results in surprising revelations about the hidden wonders that readers can even discover in their own backyards.This book not only champions the diversity of Florida’s natural features, but also inspires readers to take action to ensure the treasures of the state remain protected. These elegantly presented words and images make a strong case for preserving the beauty and wonder of the state’s animals and their environments for years to come.

The Caribbean is a global biodiversity hotspot; half its resident bird species are found nowhere else, yet, a quarter are threatened with extinction. Nearly all its native amphibians and reptiles and thousands of plants also are endemic. Yet, less than 1% of the landscape can be considered natural; and apart from reserves, most land is privately owned. Despite the challenges of such habitat fragmentation, the Caribbean’s distinctive fauna and flora can be preserved through planning and managing a connected network of sustainable naturalistic landscapes, reserves, parks, and private gardens. This book uniquely provides both a theoretical background and practical applications to restoring nature within the tropical Caribbean. Packed with beautiful color photographs, it offers unifying principles that can be applied across the tropics and synthesizes information on the Caribbean's environmental uniqueness and globally significant biodiversity. It also provides explicit guidance on establishing sustainable and more naturalistic landscapes from large public lands to private yards and gardens.The book is essential reading for academics and researchers studying the Caribbean environment, resource management professionals, and scientists and.educatos from nongovernmental organizations who provide programs and advocacy for conservation and regional sustainability. Moreover, it highlights the importance of private lands and gardens, where the greatest gains can be made, and so offers a handbook for knowledgeable private landowners and their professional advisors.

The perfect photographic guide to the fantastic birds of Florida.Stretching from temperate North America through the central highlands and vast Everglades wetlands of the peninsula and beyond to its Caribbean Keys, Florida is a great place to go birding at any time of the year. Roseate Spoonbills and Mangrove Cuckoo add a tropical flavour to its rich avifauna; woodland and scrub specialities include Red-cockaded Woodpecker and Florida Scrub-jay, while birds such as Snail Kites soaring over marshes and Snowy Plovers on the mudflats are high on any birder's wish-list. Vast numbers of migrants such as warblers, vireos, and flycatchers passing through each fall and spring add to the spectacle. This book by biologist and wildlife photographer Kirsten Hines will help you identify more than 300 of Florida's regularly occurring species, including breeding birds, those on passage, and those wintering. Concise text for each species includes information on identification, songs and calls, behavior, distribution, habitat, and seasonality. Each photo has been carefully selected to guide identification, and equal prominence is given to male and female birds. A guide to the best birdwatching sites in Florida is also included.Portable yet authoritative and comprehensive, Birds of Florida will help you make the most of the dazzling variety of species to be found in the Sunshine State.