Penguins: Close Encounters

Everyone loves a penguin, and this most popular of groups has been covered in many books, often copiously illustrated with professional photographs. Any new tome has to stand out from the pack, and David Tipling's high-quality field shots are certainly up to that standard.

The book is divided into a description of the penguin's icy environment, followed by breathtaking images depicting migration, breeding behaviour, ecology and the family's interactions with humans. The text largely takes the form of informative captions, with the pictures doing most of the talking, but there are facts aplenty for those prepared to follow this personal pilgrimage to 'Penguinland'.

Tipling first went to Antarctica in 1998, where he was inspired by his first encounter with Emperor Penguin, a main target species for birder and tourist alike. The intimacy of this first contact with a breeding colony in an Antarctic storm, set against the beauty of the weather and scenery, has sent the author back to photograph spheniscids in many southern hemisphere locations, suffering privation and elation in equal measure, to secure these fine visual celebrations of a truly specialised bird group.

This book will brighten up many a coffee table as well as providing a good reference and perhaps inspiration for one's own visit to Antarctica – one day ...
 

Summer at an Emperor Penguin colony.