Nature Reads for the Holiday Season by Nat Hab’s Expedition Leaders

Celebrate the season with nature stories from around the world! We’re highlighting five books written by our very own Nat Hab Expedition Leaders.

The Monarch Migration: A Journey Through the Monarch Butterfly’s Winter Home

By Nat Hab Expedition Leader Court Whelan

Author, scientist, travel guide and conservation biologist Court Whelan, Ph.D., showcases over 17 years of photography in this 160-page coffee table book on the monarch butterfly and its spectacular migration. Featuring mesmerizing photos and the author’s expert natural history explanations about monarchs, it’s designed for the casual observer, inquisitive naturalist and professional Lepidopterist alike.

Beginner’s Guide to Bird and Wildlife Photography

By Nat Hab Expedition Leader Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven

Learn what it takes to consistently create compelling wildlife images. This book will teach you the basics of digital photography, including the relationship between shutter speed, aperture and ISO.

Discover what makes a good camera for wildlife photography, including why to use a DSLR versus a Mirrorless camera. Understand which lenses are best for wildlife shots, how to compose your image and how to improve your knowledge of animal behavior. Become confident to switch your camera from Auto to Manual mode and learn all about exposure compensation.

Bonus chapters include the story behind iconic images and a wildlife calendar that details where to go and when for your best chances of great wildlife photo opportunities! An ideal mix between the theory of photography and Jorn’s professional experience, this book will guide you into becoming a wildlife photographer in no time.

With You By Bike: One Couple’s Life-Changing Journey Around the World

By Nat Hab Expedition Leader Katrina Rosen

Katrina is an adventure athlete who craves the wild; her husband, Mike, watches sports with his buddies. Like many couples, after 11 years in a relationship they’ve grown apart and have become mere acquaintances, as opposed to husband and wife. When they hit rock bottom, they realize it’s time for a change, and they make the dramatic decision to travel the world by bike.

The couple ride through barren landscapes, scorching fires and humid jungles. From backcountry roads in New Zealand, sharing a picnic with a man and his multiple wives in Malaysia or camping at an orphanage in Cambodia, at every turn, they are touched by locals who feed them stories and laughter. Together, they repair 54 flat tires, navigate heat exhaustion in Vietnam, altitude sickness in Tibet and two robberies before they face the last hard climb to the world’s tallest mountain.

With You By Bike is honest and raw, describing Katrina’s search for forgiveness, acceptance and change. It’s about rediscovering choice from the seat of a bicycle, exploring the world and finding love by veering off the beaten path.

The Professional Guide’s Handbook: How to Lead Adventure Travel Trips and Expeditions 

By Nat Hab Expedition Leader Colby Brokvist

In The Professional Guide’s Handbook, veteran professional guide and educator Colby Brokvist explores a broad range of topics and offers insight, wisdom and real-life anecdotes from his worldwide adventures as an Expedition Leader. This book is written for aspiring and experienced guides alike—those who constantly strive to be the very best guide they can be, who care deeply for the guest experience, and who desire to travel and recreate in a responsible and sustainable manner.  

The Heart of the Fraser

By Nat Hab Expedition Leader Fernando Lessa

The Fraser River is the longest river in British Columbia, Canada. Composed of 9 essays and 48 pictures, The Heart of the Fraser portrays the threats to and beauty of the river and its intertidal habitats, home to all five species of Pacific salmon (chinook, coho, chum, pink and sockeye). Fernando’s other books include Urban Salmon: a Photographic Journey into the Metro Vancouver Watershed, The Soul of the Fraser and The Nechako River.