Description
Authors: Megan Emmett and Sean Pattrick
ISBN: 978 1 920217 06 8
Format:240 mm x 210 mm
Extent: 352 pages Soft cover, flexibound
Full colour, More than 1200 photographs
About the book:
Game Ranger in your Backpack is not a conventional field guide in the sense that it will not provide reams of dreary detail on how to identify a particular plant or bird (although it does offer useful pointers of features to look out for). Rather, this book is intended to substitute the presence of a personal guide or ‘game ranger’ during visits to the Lowveld region of South Africa. It makes the practical, interpretative information on the most commonly encountered species in the Lowveld, accessible at a glance and eliminates the need to have several different books piled on the seat beside you.
Game Ranger in your Backpack is a compact companion that not only offers interesting information on wildlife topics including mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, invertebrates, trees, grasses, flowers and tracks but it is also visually interpretative, offering hundreds of images to assist with the deciphering of animal behaviour or the recognition of common species.
Unique features:
- This unique guide is packed with practical, interpretative information on the most commonly encountered animals and plants of the Lowveld, information that is usually only available if you have a game ranger or field guide by your side in the bush!
- It teaches people how to observe, identify and interpret what they see in the bush in a meaningful way, without having to wade through the reams of technical information found in most other field guides.
- The reader-friendly mind-map layout of the book, with pictures linked to brief but informative text boxes, makes pertinent information accessible at a glance.
- Other features include colour-coded chapters for ease of reference, while blocked information and icons in the mammals and trees sections provide technical details in a concise form.
- Hundreds of stunning interpretative images, highlighted keywords and a flowchart structure to each spread direct the eye to the different topics on each featured species, allowing the reader to pick out whatever is of interest to him or her.
- Game Ranger in your Backpack is an essential companion for amateur naturalists of all descriptions including first-time international visitors to South Afric’s bushveld, annual local holidaymakers or aspiring ‘game rangers’.
Also available in Afrikaans: View in shop
Home Magazine –
If you’re fascinated by the animals and plants of the Lowveld and enjoy spending time in nature, this comprehensive guide is an essential addition to your backpack. Crammed with colour photographs and facts presented in a fun, reader-friendly style, the publication is divided into seven separate sections devoted to mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects and invertebrates, as well as plants. Ever wondered how much a hippo weighs? Want to know the difference between a chameleon, gecko, skink and lizard? Curious about how tall a Mopani tree grows? This useful guide has all the answers!
The Letter Box website –
Game Ranger in your Backpack – All-in-one interpretative guide to the Lowveld by Megal Emmett and Sean Pattrick contains full colour photographs and is packed with practical, interpretative information on the most commonly encountered animals 1200 and plants of the Lowveld. It teaches readers to observe, identify and interpret what they see in the bush in a meaningful way, without having to wade through the reams of technical information found in most other field guides.
Wild Card Blog –
The last time I was in Kruger I saw a herd of kudu walking in a dry riverbed. A rustling sound in the bush sent them bounding away. As sightings go it wasn’t particularly special: it was a smallish herd and we basically saw them running off. But, viewed in context of this book, what I saw was a prime example of nature’s masterful adaptations. When kudu are put to flight, they lift their tails, flashing the fluffy white underparts and making it easier for the others to follow. Of course, whatever’s in pursuit also has a useful beacon to keep in sight. But this is where kudu get clever; the moment they drop their tail, the beacon disappears and the predator loses track of its quarry.
This snippet is just one fascinating fact on more than 300 pages packed with information about the most commonly encountered species, from lion to dung beetles. The book is organized into separate sections for mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, insects and other invertebrates, and tracking and field signs.
Game Ranger in Your Backpack uses a mind-map layout and pictures linked to information text boxes to help you make sense of what you see. I like the fact that the text has highlighted keywords so you can see important features at a glance.
As a field guide Pattrick has spent years in the bush and it shows in the photographs. There are intimate shots of cubs, pics of hippo hoofing it and close-ups of creatures that are normally quite shy. The rich selection of photographs means you’ll enjoy this book just as much from the comfort of your armchair as when game viewing in the bush.
What sets Game Ranger in Your Backpack apart is the wealth of fascinating insights and interesting titbits you wouldn’t find in standard field guides. It really is like having a game ranger on call.
Country Life –
Game Ranger in your Backpack is precisely that, an excellently compiled field guide to animals, insects and plants found in the Lowveld. Highly qualified in her field of nature conservation, Megan Emmett, together with photographer Sean Pattrick, has collated a book which is informative, practical and packed to the hilt with facts which will open the reader’s eyes to the true wonders of the bush. It will appeal to young and old alike, and its clever layout makes for easy recall of the many pieces of information contained in it.
50/50 webiste –
This guide is packed with practical, interpretative information on the most commonly encountered animals and plants of the Lowveld – information that is usually only available if you have a game ranger or field guide by your side in the bush! It teaches people how to observe, identify and interpret what they see in the bush in a meaningful way, without having to wade through the reams of technical information found in most other field guides.
The reader-friendly mind-map layout of the book, with pictures linked to brief but informative text boxes, makes pertinent information accessible at a glance. Other features include colour-coded chapters for ease of reference, while blocked information and icons in the mammals and trees section provide technical details in a concise form.
Hundreds of stunning interpretative images, highlighted keywords and flowchart structure to each spread direct the eye to the different topics on each featured species, allowing the reader to pick out whatever is of interest to him or her. Game Ranger in your Backpack is an essential companion for amateur naturalists of all descriptions including first-time international visitors to South Africa’s bushveld, annual local holidaymakers or aspiring ‘game rangers’.
Horizons (British Airways inflight magazine) –
Rangers are the waitrons of the private safari industry – young and personable but overworked, underpaid and reliant on tips. So while seeing Kruger guided by a beardless wonder who likes to impress the ladies with his rifle is one option, another is to buy this book and do it yourself. With all the information game rangers learn during their initial studies, including the intimate habits of everything from aardvarks to zebras, this fantastic colour-coded guide will allow wildlife enthusiasts to wow friends and family with their broad knowledge of the geology of the Lowveld, its animals, insects, plants and tracking. Emmett knows her stuff, having worked as a field guide in Kruger and as a researcher and writer for wildlife TV shows such as 50/50.
SA Tuin Paleis –
Hierdie pragtige, leersame boek is die enigste persoonlike gids wat jy met jou volgende besoek aan die Laeveld sal nodig hê. Dit bevat wonderlik interessante inligting oor die streek se geologie, soogdiere, voëls, reptiele en amfibieë, insekte en spinnekoppe, en flora en roetes.
Country Life –
Wonders of the Lowveld
Game Ranger in your Backpack is precisely that, an excellently compiled field guide to animals, insects and plants found in the Lowveld. Highly qualified in her field of nature conservation, Megan Emmett, together with photographer Sean Pattrick, has collated a book which is informative, practical and packed to the hilt with facts which will open the reader’s eyes to the true wonders of the bush. It will appeal to young and old alike, and its clever layout makes for easy recall of the many pieces of information contained in it.
Bookmark Regulars –
Game Ranger in your Backpack is a practical, interpretative guide to the common animals and plants of the lowveld. It teaches people how to observe, identify and interpret what they see in the bush – much like having a personal guide by one’s side!
This book is special because… The colourful flowcharts layout, hundreds of interpretative images linked to informative text boxes, highlighted keywords and colour-coded chapters make it easy to find information on the featured species and allow the reader to pick out whatever facts are of interest to him or her.