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James McCallum

This page list of books by James McCallum and books that include illustrations by James McCallum. The list is ordered publication date with the most recent at the top.

 

Birds in Norfolk: A National and International Perspective

Andy Brown, James McCallum

Wildlife Art Series: Volume 22

Langford Press

2016

"Birds in Norfolk is a celebration of Norfolk’s birdlife. It is written by Andy Brown and includes 115 watercolour paintings and numerous watercolour sketches by James McCallum, all done in the field. Norfolk is famed as the best county in Britain for year round birdwatching and has a long history of bird recording. Birds in Norfolk is more than a county avifauna – instead the importance of the area, past and present, is seen from both a national and international perspective. Some of the county’s most famous habitats, such as the North Norfolk Marshes, Breckland and Broadland are looked at in detail. There are chapters devoted to the county’s specialist species such as breeding waders, harriers, wintering waterfowl, waders and passerines. The list of bird species recorded in Norfolk is enviable and some of the rare visitors and spectacular ‘falls’ of common migrant birds also feature. James McCallum’s watercolours compliment the text and are not simply commissioned illustrations but outdoor paintings and sketches completed on location in Norfolk. Concise picture captions have been written by the artist detailing date, location, weather and relevant behaviour. These add further authenticity to the pages and give the book an extra personal dimension."

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Cuckoo: Cheating by Nature

Nick Davies

Illustrations: James McCallum

Bloomsbury

2015

"In this enormously engaging book, naturalist and scientist Nick Davies reveals how cuckoos trick their hosts. Using shrewd detective skills and field experiments, he uncovers an evolutionary arms race, in which hosts evolve better defences against cuckoos and cuckoos, in turn, evolve novel forms of trickery. This is a fascinating corner of Darwin's 'entangled bank', where creatures are continually evolving to keep up with changes in their rivals. Lively field drawings by James McCallum, and remarkable photographs, show cuckoos in action: from the female cuckoo laying her beautifully disguised egg, to the cuckoo chick ejecting the host's eggs and young from the nest to ensure it gets the full attention of its foster parents. Cuckoo offers a new insight not only into the secret lives of these extraordinary birds, but also into how cheating evolves and thrives in the natural world."

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The Long, Wild Shore: Bird and Seal Seasons on Blakeney Point

James McCallum

Silver Brant

2012

"The Long, Wild Shore explores the seasons on the North Norfolk coast. It uses the famous landmark of Blakeney Point as its focus - a place steeped in history and renowned for its colonies of seals and nesting birds. Individual chapters explore the lives of Common and Grey Seals and well-known breeding birds such as Little and Sandwich Terns, Oystercatchers and Ringed Plovers. The area is also famed as a location to experience bird migration and additional illustrated chapters focus on this exciting spectacle. Over one hundred paintings and numerous watercolour sketches have been reproduced in the book. The paintings and sketches were made almost exclusively in the field at the time of watching and the vast majority were completed on Blakeney Point during the years that the author worked there as a warden."

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Wild Skeins and Winter Skies: Paintings and Observations of Pink-footed Geese

James McCallum

Silver Brant

2009

"Wild Skeins and Winter Skies explores, in paint, the lives of pink-footed geese. Over ninety paintings, each painted outdoors, depict many aspects of the birds' behaviour and show them in an array of weather conditions. Short notes add additional detail to the images and help evoke a sense of 'being there'. In further chapters the artist describes his approach to painting from life, shares accounts of memorable days spent watching geese and explains much of the birds' behaviour. This knowledge has been gathered over the last fifteen winters and represents hundreds of hours of field observation. The combination of acute observation and artistic skill provides a deep insight in to the lives of these wonderful birds. There are chapters explaining the behaviour and habits of the geese and another describing the artist's approach to painting the wild geese outdoors from life. Short texts accompany each painting giving further insight into the situations portrayed."

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Arctic Flight: Adventures Amongst Northern Birds

James McCallum

Langford Press

2007

"Arctic Flight is a collection of sketches, paintings and observations made in Finland, Norway, Siberia and Alaska. The artwork and written accounts were all made outdoors from life. This book is a unique visual and written account of travels to experience the wildlife of northern and arctic regions in its many moods and atmospheres."

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Larks and Leverets: Wildlife on Norfolk Farmland

James McCallum

Foreword: John Busby

Silver Brant

2006

"Larks and Leverets deals with the wildlife commonly found on Norfolk's farmland. There are chapters on hares, long-tailed tits, skylarks, displaying pheasants and winter flocks of pink-footed geese. There are also features on other typical farmland species such as grey and red-legged partridges, turtle doves, rabbits, pigeons and doves, lapwings, butterflies and stoats. Larks and Leverets contains over a hundred paintings, numerous watercolour studies and written observations. The notes on behaviour have been made from direct field experience and the paintings have been completed, almost exclusively, outdoors at the time of watching. The foreword is by John Busby. Larks and Leverets is full colour throughout, 140 pages long with printed end papers and limited to 1500 copies. The first 50 copies are a special edition with an original hand-coloured and hand-printed etching on the cover and spine. The following 1450 are hardback with dust jacket."

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The Birds Of Blakeney Point

Andy Stoddart and Steve Joyner

Illustrations: James McCallum

Cover: Robert Gillmor

Wren Publishing

2005

"Few places in Britain, or indeed anywhere, have as long an ornithological history as Blakeney Point. It has always been famous for its colony of Common Terns but was ‘discovered' in the 1880s as a haunt of autumn Bluethroats and subsequently acquired a reputation as a rich hunting ground for bird collectors. The tern colonies and breeding waders benefited from some of the country's earliest and most enlightened conservation efforts, continued today through the work of the National Trust. For modern birdwatchers, the Point continues to cast its spell, with such exciting birds as Snowy Owl and Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler now added to its growing list.

This book brings together for the first time a complete account of Blakeney Point's long history of birds. It includes a description of its topography and wider natural history, a history of its ornithology, an account of migration and the influence of weather through the year, an overview of its breeding birds, tales of some great days and a full systematic list."

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North Norfolk Summer Sketch Book

James McCallum

Silver Brant

2003

"This book of paintings and sketches of birds and wildlife in Norfolk begins in the early spring, continues through the summer and concludes with the first signs of autumn. There are chapters on Barn Owls, Bitterns, Adders, breeding birds of the grazing marshes, Nightjars, Tawny Owls and the return passage of the waders. These are woven together with a further series of topical paintings. The foreword is by Ian Wallace. North Norfolk Summer Sketchbook is full colour throughout, 140 pages long with printed end papers and limited to 1500 copies. The first 50 copies are a special edition with hand-coloured etching on the cover and spine. The following 1450 are hardback with dust jacket."

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Boscos Vells / Mature Forests: Artists for Nature in the Catalan Pyrenees

Artists for Nature Foundation

Lynx Edicions

2003

Bilingual: Catalan/English

"A collection of artwork by internationally renowned nature artists whose source of inspiration is the enchanting beauty of the mature forests of the Catalan Pyrenees, where they gathered in the spring and summer of 2001 with the aim of carrying out this project."

The artists involved are: Robert Bateman, Iraida Cano, Jaap Deelder, Charles Donker, Vadim Gorbatov, Toni Llobet, James McCallum, Dag Peterson, Greg Poole, Dan Powell, Pascale Rentsch, Andrea Rich, Lluis F.Sanz, Colin See-Paynton, Juan Varela Sim, Wolfgang Weber, Darren Woodhead, and Jonathan Yule

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Wild Goose Winter: Observations of Geese in North Norfolk

James McCallum

Silver Brant

2001

"A collection of over seventy paintings and numerous colour sketches of wild geese in the North Norfolk landscape and against ever-changing skies. A full account of the three main species: Pinkfeet, Brent and White fronts, with shorter sections on the less regular and rare visitors. The opening chapter gives a full account of their fascinating lives and behaviour. With foreword by Robert Gillmor. Wild Goose Winter is in full colour throughout its 114 pages and is limited to 1,500 copies. The first 50 copies are a special edition with hand-coloured etchings on the front, back and spine."

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North Norfolk: Wildlife Through The Seasons

James McCallum

Foreword: John Busby

Arlequin Press

1999

"James McCallum spends most of his time out of doors, either wardening, monitoring wildlife or drawing & painting. This celebration of his artistic talent, is a month-by-month account of his observations. Full colour paintings & sketches throughout; foreword by John Busby."

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A Birdwatching Guide To The Pyrenees

Jacqui Crozier

Illustrations: James McCallum

Arlequin Press

1998

"A birdfinding site guide to the Pyrenees mountains. Describes 26 sites of interest on both sides of the range, in France & Spain & includes Andorra. It also gives guidance on flowers & mammals. Includes site maps, color plates and a checklist of all resident, migrant and occasional breeders, passage migrants, winter visitors and accidental visitors."

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Last updated August 2011