Explore the benefits of the biodiversity and the beauty of songbirds, bats, and owls with this handy guide. You'll learn about "win-win" ideas and methods for integrating nest boxes with vineyard management, biology and habitat requirements, details on construction and maintenance, literature sources, and online resources where you can get more information. While written with grape growers and vineyard managers in mind, anyone interested in learning about nest boxes will find this guide useful. Includes patterns for building your own boxes and advice on where to place your boxes for best results.
For years, Charles Fergus chronicled his outdoor activities in the Pennsylvania Game News' popular 'Thornapples' column and other magazines. Some of the best of his writings are now collected in this illustrated volume. Following a fox, gathering nuts, watching fireflies, tracking a bear, listening to peepers, hunting deer, searching for giant trees, camping alone -- a year of adventures and rambles in the natural world, all described in vivid detail and filled with the timeless spirit of the great outdoors.
This full-color guide provides information on practices and considerations for organic and conventional growers alike. Includes information on organic soil management, the roles of compost and cover crops, and a calendar of recommended practices for year-round soil fertility management. Illustrated with 18 tables and 89 figures and photos, including close-up color photographs of important natural enemies and disease symptoms.
The oak tree was a boon companion as humans expanded their presence across much of the globe. While oak woodlands (Quercus spp.) come today in stunningly diverse forms, the stately dehesas of Spain and the dramatic oak-dominated ranchlands of California are working landscapes where cultivation and manipulation for a couple of millennia have shaped Mediterranean-type ecosystems into a profoundly modified yet productive environment that is sought-after by every manner of species. The grazing of wildlife and livestock in oak woodlands yields a remarkable plant and animal biodiversity, creating a mosaic of habitats and visually pleasing savannas. Added products unique to Spain such as Iberian pigs and cork, and in California multiple landowner benefits, include valued ecosystem services that allow owners, visitors, and conservation supporters to experience the benefits of woodland life. With its 15 chapters a decade in the making, this handsomely illustrated book covers key topics in oak woodland policy, ecology, and management in Spain and California, presenting new research results and reviewing an existing expert literature.
Author and entomologist Clifford P. Ohmart brings reason and clarity to the politically loaded and amorphously defined popular world of sustainable viticulture with this unique and comprehensive examination of the subject. View from the Vineyard does much more than explain what "sustainable" means, its practical importance to the wine industry, and the costs of agribusiness as usual. It provides the farmer with a realistic and achievable path to a sustainable vineyard by describing the challenges of practicing sustainable winegrowing, where integrated pest management fits in, how organic and sustainable farming related, a holistic vision for the farm, how to identify and define your farm's resources, methods for developing sustainable goals, creating a plan to achieve your holistic vision, ecosystem management, and understanding the vineyard as habitat. The book concludes with a self-assessment guide in which growers can easily track their progress through these transitional periods.
Step-by-step instructions for 25+ unique birdhouses tailored for specific birds—pick the one that fits your neighborhood’s birds and get building! Join home improvement pro Chris Peterson as he shares a variety of creative designs for birdhouses and bird feeders, from the classic bluebird house to a mid-century modern home. While all the designs are handsome, most are also approachable for beginning woodworkers. Squares, triangles, and simple joining are used throughout the book. For woodworkers with some experience, Peterson shares a variety of customization techniques that can enhance the designs. Every project contains a showstopping photo of the finished house and step-by-step instructions (with additional photos) to take any guesswork out of the assembly. You’ll also find mounting instructions and tips, as well as information on the types of birds each birdhouse can accommodate. Designs include: Small birdhouses: Chickadee Shelter, Nuthatch Wedge, Songbird PVC Birdhouse, Flycatcher Cinderblock Motel, Purple Martin Boarding House, Tufted Titmouse Cabin, Finch’s Pub, a Bat Cave, and more! Large birdhouses: Mourning Dove Monster Ledge, American Kestrel Lodge, Barn Owl A-Frame, Barred Owl Nest Box, Wood Duck Slat House, and a Woodpecker's Log House. Creative bird feeders: Telephone Platform Feeder, Porch Swing Bin Feeder, Hanging Man Suet Feeder, Squirrel Proof Feeder, and Zen Feeder.
