Snow Petrel

This is a book about a voyage. Not just any trip across any ocean, but a battle against the Southern Ocean, the Antarctic pack ice and the fury of hurricane force blizzards. When Ben Tucker set off from Tasmania in his small home-built steel yacht, he set himself a tentative goal of reaching mainland East Antarctica. As crew he had his youngest brother and the last minute inclusion of his father as cabin-boy (on a promise of good behaviour). The destination was the remote Cape Denison – statistically the windiest place on the planet. More than a travel tale, this is the introspective journey of a father who has consciously surrendered responsibility to his children. Woven through the passage is an inter-generational theme, humour and a recognition of shared adulthood with a link between past, present and future.

Updated throughout, the 7th edition of Bradt's Antarctica: a Guide to Wildlife is the most practical guide to the flora and fauna available for those 'going south'. Celebrating the amazing and often unique species of this spectacular environment, the title features chapters on the region's famous whales and penguins, and also on lesser known species such as skuas and sheathbills, with full coverage of plumage and identification. Each chapter is accompanied by vibrant illustrations from Dafila Scott to help bring species to life. Tony Soper's immaculate and engaging text remains the indispensible choice for the intrepid wildlife enthusiast. Antarctica's wildlife is under threat. The Southern Ocean is warming and the most obvious effect is on the continental ice shelves. Spectacular retreats and monster carvings from the west coast of the peninsula have been seen in recent decades. Less ice means fewer krill, which depend on the ice-edge for the algae which nourish them. In turn, this will impact on seal and whale numbers. In the case of penguins, while kings and macaronis, for instance, are doing well, the magnificently adapted and truly Antarctic species, Adélies and emperors, are in decline. In the case of emperors, maybe by as much as 50%. Bradt's Antarctica not only helps you to identify and understand species and habitats, it also explains the issues faced by this extraordinary continent, regarded by many as one of the most precious places on the planet.

Famous for their size and elegance in flight, albatrosses are familiar to anyone who has travelled through the southern oceans, and are a flagship family of conservation concern. However, albatrosses are just one of several groups of 'pelagic' birds - those that visit land only to breed, and spend the rest of their lives far from the coast, soaring from ocean to ocean in a never-ending search for food. Mysterious and graceful, these birds can present a formidable identification challenge to even the most experienced birder. This book provides the answer - the first comprehensive guide to pelagic birds, the albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters, storm-petrels and diving petrels. A total of 46 spectacular colour plates highlight key ID criteria of the birds in flight, with close-ups of diagnostic regions of the plumage. The plates are accompanied by accurate distribution maps, while the sparkling text brings the world of these amazing birds to life. Several extremely rare species, such as Beck's Petrel, are illustrated for the first time, while the New Zealand Storm-petrel, rediscovered as recently as 2004, is also included. Sea-watchers all around the world will find this superb field guide indispensable.

First published in 2011 by WILDGuides, Ltd.

Publisher description

This book is the third in aseries of publications devoted to the biogeographieal and ecological research in the Southern Hemisphere, published in the "Monographiae Biologicae". After dealing with Australia (vol. VIII) and Southern Africa (Vol. XIV) it was thought essential to include Antarctiea in this series. Ever since the expedition of the "Belgiea" made the first suc cessful wintering within the antarctie circle in 1898 and brought back a very rieh harvest of scientific data, Belgium kept a vivid interest in Antarctiea and took an active part in the modern and international exploration of this vast continent. As part of their programs for the International Geophysieal Year (I. G. Y. ) twelve nations established permanent or semi-permanent bases on the Antarctie Continent or on subantarctie islands. Thus a new era of vast and free international scientific collaboration in the Antarctie was opened and it culminated in the formulation and the signing of the Antarctic Treaty (Washington 1959). It was recognized and accepted that "Antarctiea" shall be used for peaceful purposes only and "Freedom of scientific investigation in Antarctiea and coopera tion toward that end, as applied during the I. G. Y. , shall continue . . " In order to organize this collaboration e. g. by full exchange of programs and resuIts a "Special Committee on Antarctie Research" (S. C. A. R. ) was founded in 1957.