Description
Keith Woodley | 240 pages | Softcover | 2009
By popular demand this product is now back in print. If you would like a signed copy please include a note on checkout.
This highly illustrated book tells the story of the godwits and their migrations – why and how they do it. It follows the birds on their intrepid journeys, examining the places they visit, be it an estuary in northern New Zealand, a mudflat on the Chinese-North Korean border, or a tundra nesting site in Alaska. Keith Woodley, godwit expert and manager of the Miranda Shorebird Centre in New Zealand, details the amazing changes these bird undergo before and during their voyages – from moulting into new plumage, to doubling their weight and shrinking non-essential body organs – as well as their array of innate skills in weather prediction and global navigation, weaving the latest scientific findings into history, literature and folklore.
In Godwits the author’s eye-witness accounts and meticulous research culminate in a tale of navigation and stunning fortitude that will delight both professional bird watchers and general readers curious to discover more about one of nature’s quiet achievers.
Some comments on Godwits:Long-haul champions
‘I was so impressed with the way [it is written] for a general audience, and absolutely loved the page layout and the inclusion of pics on each page. Apart form the sheer pleasure of reading [it]I also picked up many new scientific facts about godwits that I found invaluable. It is a rare skill to be able to communicate so effectively to a broad audience. …So congratulations on a superb book that captures the imagination and grandeur of the migrations of these wonderful birds.’ Allan Baker, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
‘Congratulations to all involved on a wonderful publication, well researched, written and illustrated. A most enjoyable read thanks to the good structure and writing style applied to a fascinating subject. I particularly liked the flow of the chapters and the uncomplicated writing style with an occasional turn of phrase giving an added touch.‘ Arthur Keates
‘I expected it to be well written and engaging, as it
certainly is, but I was not prepared for the rich historical and
geographical background or for the degree of scientific detail.
Synthesizing all this material into a coherent and accessible
narrative is extremely difficult and you have done a great job.‘ Stephen Davies, University of Auckland
‘[It is a] fabulously presented and beautifully written and illustrated book. I just love the peaceful, timeless quality to his writing… Everything gels, from research to writing, through design and printing – now its up to the reading public, well done Raupo Publishing, it deserves to be successful. I’m already wondering if this may not turn out to be the most significant bird book produced in NZ for many decades – I can’t remember the last time someone wrote a serious wildlife classic in this country, maybe this is it.’ Rod Morris, Writer and Wildlife Photographer
