Birds in Their Habitats

Reviews

"Birds in Their Habitats is written to reignite curiosity and rekindle our awe for natural history. It is designed to appeal to both the heart and intellect. Hover from cover to cover or peck into bite-sized portions as you go off to roost. Buy this genre-defying book as a present for your dearest friend, but borrow it back and cache it indefinitely. You will be rewarded by multiple readings."
Sue Forster, The Victorian Naturalist 135(6), December 2018

"Engagingly written, Birds in Their Habitats is dripping with intriguing facts, a treasure trove of information that's easy (and enjoyable) to digest.
"This book could be considered—as Stephen Fry once wrote—a literary guacamole into which the reader may from time to time wish to dip the tortilla chip of his or her curiosity. But I think it's more substantial than that — more of a smorgasbord, where the fare is varied and you can consume as much of it as you wish."
John Peter, Australian Birdlife 7(1), March 2018

"By the time you have finished reading, you will have been entertained, taken to never-heard-of-before places, realized your knowledge of world bird species is really quite scanty, heard of amazing facts to impress your family and friends at parties, learned how ecological systems work, and, above all, been taken along on some really amazing bird-watching expeditions.
Take a bite, sit back and chew slowly before taking another bite of the tasty Birds in Their Habitats."
Diana Koch, South Australian Ornithologist 43(1-2), November 2018

"Not every naturalist can write both descriptively and evocatively about their field experiences. Fraser obviously can... An engaging work."
M. Gochfeld, CHOICE 56(3), November 2018

"Fraser’s skill as an educator shows through the presentation of a lot of fascinating aspects with “technical” matters explained entertainingly. Readers will find a lot of information that is both interesting as well as some thought provoking comments to consider... Ian Fraser has taken care in sharing his experiences with us in this book. It is therefore a very personal approach and I believe will be valued by those taking up this book and who will appreciate the opportunity to share this volume."
Gil Porter, Warbler 7(2), June 2018

"The author's writing style is fresh and engaging. He is a storyteller and this book keeps a good pace. This is one of the few autobiographical birding books I have enjoyed cover to cover... Interwoven with his personal adventures and savoured lifer-moments, the author relates interesting scientific facts about birds and their habitats. Some of the best moments of the book are found in these facts."
Deborah Metters, Birds Queensland Newsletter 49(5), 2018

"As well as being a very readable and interesting introduction to the world of birding for non-birders, it would also be an engaging addition to any birder's library... The book is highly recommended, for its humour, for its travelogue, and for its wisdom. Ian writes, 'The older I get the more I am sure that the most important thing, in birding as in life, is looking for: looking at is just a bonus, never to be presumed.'"
Janette Lenz, Canberra Bird Notes 43(3), December 2018

"The lives of birds are absolutely fascinating, and Ian Fraser has a knack for choosing different facets of birds he describes and relating them to the places he visits and the people he encounters along the way, or later when researching the ecology of the species of interest. He is an accomplished writer and educator, and it shows"
Allan Burbidge, Western Australian Bird Notes 167, September 2018

"But Ian Fraser... brings the pages to life with his colourful descriptions of places and landscapes, history and geo-political contexts and, of course, the birds themselves. He combines humour with touching anecdotes, which makes it a delightful 'cover-to-cover' read."
Rhianna King, LANDSCOPE, Summer 2019-2020

"I think that the great selling point of this book is the colloquial style which the author has utilized to get his message across to a diverse readership. I am sure that both amateurs and professionals would be able to relate to the many funny, exasperating, exciting and thought-provoking experiences that the author has encountered – I certainly did."
John Farrell, Corella Vol 42, 2018

Praise for Ian Fraser:
"Ian Fraser's writing is not of the dry, scientific style; it is evocative in describing his acute observations and understanding in nature... I was immediately reminded of Crosbie Morrison."
Don Saunders, Bird Observers' Club of Australia, on A Bush Capital Year

"Ian Fraser is one of the country's most accomplished natural history writers."
Sean Dooley, Australian Birdlife, on Australian Bird Names

Features

• Engaging and entertaining text written by one of Australia’s best natural history writers.
• This ‘birding travelogue’ will take readers on a journey of discovery through the far-flung habitats and fascinating birds of the world.
• Contains an illustrated section with colour photographs showcasing the incredible diversity of bird species and their habitats.

Contents

Prelude
Introduction
Chapter 1: Deserts
Chapter 2: Rainforests
Chapter 3: Oceans and islands
Chapter 4: Mountains
Chapter 5: Wetlands and rivers
Chapter 6: Suburbia
Chapter 7: Woodlands and grasslands
Bird species index
General index

View the full table of contents.

Authors

Ian Fraser is a naturalist, conservationist, regular contributor and commentator on ABC Radio (local and national), natural history tour guide and adult educator who has lived and worked in Canberra since 1980. He was awarded the Australian Natural History Medallion in 2006, and the Order of Australia in 2018 for services to conservation and the environment. He is the author of A Bush Capital Year (2011), with artist Peter Marsack, and Australian Bird Names: A Complete Guide (2013), with Jeannie Gray. Both books were awarded Whitley Certificates.