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The Peterson Field Guides series has added another weapon to its considerable arsenal of bird-identification guidebooks: a field guide devoted solely to the warblers of North America. Warblers, thosesmall, sprightly, colorful songbirds that move north through the continent for the breeding season, havealways delighted and simultaneously frustrated birders around the country. This field guide won't cure anycases of "warbler neck"--a condition brought on by extensive peering into the treetops--but itwill help you to better decide just which species has your craned-neck attention. With color plates(including the "Peterson System" of arrows indicating important field marks), photographs,distribution maps, and textual information on species description, habitat, behavior, song, plumagevariations, and migration patterns, this is an essential resource for birders. ... Read more

Book Description

Kenn Kaufman once again breaks new ground with the first-ever Spanish-language field guide to North American birds. ... Read more

Book Description

This book meets the demand for a comprehensive introduction to understanding the processes of population limitation. Recognized world-wide as a respected biologist and communicator, Dr. Ian Newton has now written a clear and detailed treatise on local scale population limiting factors in birds. It is based almost entirely on results from field studies, though it is set in a contemporary theoretical framework. The 16 chapters fall under three major section headings: Behavior and Density Regulation; Natural Limiting Factors; and Human Impacts. Population Limitation in Birds serves as a needed resource expanding on Dr. David Lacks research in this area of ornithology in the 1950s. It includes numerous line diagrams and beautiful illustrations by acclaimed wildlife artist Keith Brockie.

Key Features
* Provides a sorely needed introduction to a long-established core subject in ornithology
* Focuses on local scale factors
* Written by a well-known biologist and effective communicator
* Includes numerous line diagrams and beautiful illustrations by acclaimed wildlife artist Keith Brockie ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent overview
Ian Newton yet again is successful in giving a wonderful overview of a complex environmental issue ... Read more

Book Description

We humans have strong emotional responses to the voices of the birds. Their songs can soothe the spirit and bring joy to our lives. They can also, like Poe's raven, arouse darker feelings. Listening to their melodic notes, we wonder, are birds really making music? Are they singing only to one another, or do they sing to us too. Poets and musicians have borrowed from and celebrated the songs of birds in their work. Scientists have been inspired by bird song and analyzed it, solving some of its mysteries but leaving many others untouched. MUSIC OF THE BIRDS tells why birds sing and which are the finest singers. It celebrates the many varieties of bird song: flight songs, night songs, and dawn choruses. It explores the messages of poets and shows how to appreciate every bird song we hear, no matter how beautiful or mundane. Music of the Birds will be valuable to anyone interested in birds, from beginner to expert. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Superb on all counts!
Lang Elliott's MUSIC OF THE BIRDS combines an engaging and informative text with some of the finest bird photographs ever published, then ices the cake with a bird-song CD like no other. Bravo!

Most spectacular nature book in many a year
If you love nature and are not familiar with the work of Lang Elliott, then do yourself a favor and get acquainted with him pronto! Elliott is one of America's foremost natural sound recordists and nature photographers, and here, in "Music of the Birds," he uses both talents to great effect. The author of "Common Birds and Their Songs," "Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs: Eastern Region," and numerous CDs of nature's sounds here presents an examination of bird song and why it has fascinated humans for many centuries.

The book examines bird song from two main perspectives: scientific and aesthetic. Elliott dispenses solid, basic science on why birds sing, the functions of specialized bird vocalizations, and other topics that have been examined by ornithologists. He also discusses how bird songs have influenced poets, with many examples from the writings of some of the greatest of all time. Indeed, it is not difficult to see how the songs of such great singers as thrushes, larks, or others inspired writers as diverse as Shelley, Whitman, and Thoreau.

Aside from the text, the book is graced with spectacular photos, virtually all of them taken by Elliott and in magificent color, of singing birds. Any birder who knows the difficuly in spotting such songbirds as warblers will be astonished by Elliott's photos of these and many more, in the act of singing no less! As if this were not enough, tucked inside the back cover you will find a compact disc of bird songs also produced by Elliott and technically superb (as are all of his productions). Virtually every bird mentioned in the text is heard on the CD, and Elliott takes time to examine special cases of particularly striking bird songs. For example, he plays the songs of thrushes at normal and slowed-down speeds so you can hear how complicated they really are (the human ear is ill-constructed to grasp all of the sounds contained in the songs of many birds).

For its combination of both educational and entertainment value, this book is hard to beat. Lang Elliott is carrying the torch of a mostly-vanished generation of naturalists who believed in exposing the wonder in the simple worlds not so far from our own backyards (most of the birds presented here are common in at least some parts of North America). Look at these glorious pictures, listen to the splendid sounds of the birds on your CD player, and if you haven't cultivated a love of birds, you probably never will. ... Read more

Book Description

: How did cranes come to symbolize matrimonial happiness? Why were magpies the only creatures that would not go inside Noah's Ark? Birds and bird imagery are integral parts of our language and culture. With her remarkable ability to dig up curious and captivating facts, Diana Wells hatches a treat for active birders and armchair enthusiasts alike. Meet the intrepid adventurers and naturalists who risked their lives to describe and name new birds. Learn the mythical stories of the gods and goddess associated with bird names. Explore the avian emblems used by our greatest writers-from Coleridge's albatross in The Ancient Mariner to Poe's raven.

A sampling of the bird lore you'll find inside:

Benjamin Franklin didn't want the bald eagle on our National Seal because of its "bad moral character," (it steals from other birds); he lobbied for the turkey instead.

Chaffinches, whose Latin name means "unmarried," are called "bachelor birds" because they congregate in flocks of one gender.

Since mockingbirds mimic speech, some Native American tribes fed mockingbird hearts to their children, believing it helped them learn language.

A group of starlings is called a murmuration because they chatter so when they roost in the thousands.

Organized alphabetically, each of these bird tales is accompanied by a two-color line drawing. Dip into 100 BIRDS and you'll never look at a sparrow, an ostrich, or a wren in quite the same way. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

An interesting and informative history of bird names.
There is a wealth of knowledge in this small volume. However, one must be aware of just what this book represents. It is by no means a field guide. If your interests are identifying birds in the field, this book will be of no assistance to you. If however you are the sort of person entertained by word meanings and word origins and are interested in mythological, historical, and Biblical anecdotes this is the perfect book for you as it will offer up several amusing bits of bird trivia. I use the book as an icebreaker in my biology classroom. My students enjoy listening to interesting trivia about birds and are often intrigued by how certain birds actually got their names. Sometimes the taxonomical treatment of birds is cumbersome but overall this is a very readable and entertaining book easily understood by the lay person.

A look into the history of birds and words
Sometimes author Diana Wells gets a little too caught up in the etymology of various birds' Latin names, and then this book reads more like a dry encyclopedia than an affectionate survey of the relationship between some of the sweetest creatures on Earth and human language.

Usually, though, Ms. Wells succeeds in vividly tracing the evolution of the layperson's avian terminology. What does the word "titmouse" really mean? She'll tell you. And she takes the reader back into the farthest reaches of history and the roles that some of the most common birds have played in ancient society and even in biblical stories. For example, she explains with facility how nobility used falcons to hunt before guns were invented. She tells of how the starving Israelites, wandering in the wilderness after being freed from Egyptian slavery by Moses, came upon multitudes of quail. Thus, they feasted excessively on the birds until they became sick. The biblical interpretation of this mass indigestion was that the Israelites were punished for being so greedy, but Ms. Wells posits an intriguing secular explanation for what happened. You'll have to read the book to find out what that explanation is.

The author also helps the reader to view with tolerance what may be deemed some birds' shocking habits. The shrike impales small animals on walls and fences to eat later... not all that dissimilarly from what one might see in a butcher shop.

fun with bird words
Delightfully literate look at both the origin of bird names (etymology) as well as the common usage of the names. Wells first looks at Greek, Latin, or Egyptian sources for the names. For example, I did not know that Egyptian mummified Ibis, the source of the ibis name. She also calls up stories of early biologists as Linnaeus, Mark Catsby, and Audubon to look at some of the early naming. She relays Audubon's account of wood storks scratching his legs. She also includes both obvious literary references such as Coleridge's albatross in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner and more obscure ones as Hamlet not being able to tell a "hawk from a handsaw" (heron).

In a few cases her ornithological information is not precise, for example in discussing "American" prairie chicken she says they "exist further south" (than the Northeast), but further west would be a more accurate description. The illustrations are sometimes not completely accurate, as the depiction of the thick upturned bill of the avocet.

For anyone who has wondered at such names as "goatsucker" this is a good readable, source. ... Read more

Book Description

Covering 31 North American species, with more than 250 color photos and 33 maps, this is the most comprehensive field guide to hummingbirds. Introductory chapters cover the natural history of hummingbirds, ways to attract and feed them, and major hot spots in the United States and Canada for observing these fascinating birds. The 31 color plates illustrate 28 species, 7 hybrid combinations, 3 forms of albinism, and 4 species of sphinx moths often mistaken for hummingbirds. Species accounts provide in-depth information on plumage, molt, songs and calls, wing sounds, similar species, behavior, habitat, distribution, taxonomy, and conservation concerns. Detailed, up-to-date range maps show breeding, non-breeding, and year-round distribution, migration routes, and records outside expected areas of occurrence. For a few widespread migratory species, separate maps illustrate expected spring arrival dates. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Finally the book I've been looking for!!
This book is wonderful!! I just finished reading it. I'd been waiting so long for a hummingbird book with photos of the females and the immature birds. In the past, I've had so much trouble looking through art drawings of hummingbirds. Now we have photos of each bird to help with identification in the field.

This book is a must-have for hummingbird enthusiasts! Make sure to read the text too, because tons of fabulous facts and trivia are included. For instance, females of some species sing, and females outnumber the male hummers most of the time, but in one instance a female was killed and a male was seen feeding the babies she'd left behind! How interesting!

An unexpected treat
This book is the latest edition in a long line of Peterson Field Guides. As such it has a lot to live up to. It is written in a similar format to the series most recent work on the Warblers of North America (John Dunn and Kimball Garrett, 1997) and includes the same basic categories of description, behaviour, habitat, similar species, status and conservation, and subspecies and taxonomic relationships in the species accounts.

The book covers over 30 species of hummingbirds that regularly occur in the United States or have the potential for occurence as vagrants from Mexico. It is entirely a photographic guide which has both advantages and disadvantages from paintings or illustrations.

Its a good 1st start, but there are some issues that need to be addressed. First, the photographs for each species are somewhat small, especially those that depict live birds in the field. This and the low-quality of some photos often obscure important identification features. On the other hand the plates showing close-up photographs of spread tail patterns and the head and bill are especially benefical (even if the birds are unnaturally depicted held in the hand). These characters are extremely useful in species identification, and I know of other guide that shows them so well (I have yet to look at Steve Howell's book on Hummingbirds, so I can't comment on that book).

The book continues the Peterson tradition of using arrows to point out important field characters. However, there seems to be a disparity between the photographs and the accompanying text adjacent to the plates. The end result is often confusion and leaves the reader trying to figure out what is specifically important about a particular feature. For instance, an arrow may point to a bill of a hummingbird, but it is sometimes difficult to find in the text what is diagnostic about that particular species bill. The information is there, but it is simply buried in the text and you have to read to find it. Bulleted highlights might make this easier.

Additionally, the accompanying text/captions for each plate are not arranged in a logical fashion which compounds the problem. In many cases they are written as a block of text describing the field characters for an sex/age class with data on individual species given below as subcategories. In many cases there is one paragraph giving species characters, but there are several photographs, none of which are referenced in the text. It would be better to address each photograph individually and mention the important points that are specifically shown in that photo separately instead of trying to write a broad description that is not connected with the pictures. This would make the guide more user-friendly and visually appealing (i.e. 4 photos on one page would correspond with 4 separate blocks of text describing each picture in one-to-one context). It may be that there is just too much information to present in a organized fashion. I realize this is a problem with any book that tries to cover the large amount of detail that this book presents.

The range maps for each species are exceptionally well done and appear up to date. They include the most current records of vagrants that I know of.

I especially like the inclusion of the many Mexican species that although have yet to be conclusively documented in the United States range close enough to warrant mentioning. This alerts the observer to the possibility of those species which are not typically shown in the standard North American bird guides. There are several species however that are mentioned but have no photographs (Golden-Crowned Emerald and Canivet's Emerald). Photos of these birds would have be useful.

Also important are the many photographs showing hybrid combination of hummingbirds. Hummingbird species tend to hybridize more regularly than other bird groups so these photos are a plus.

Finally, the information on Plumage Variation and Molt in the species accounts is a huge benefit.

Overall, the information in the book is accurate, informative, and useful. However it is perhaps a better guide for banders who have the bird in the hand and want to visually see examples of tail pattern, etc. (however, the book lacks those important measurements that the banders rely on). As a field guide it contains a massive amount of information that could overwhelm the backyard birder who simply wants to enjoy these feathered jewels. The book is geared mainly towards those advanced birders who are mostly aware of the many characters used to separate hummingbird species. Its definitely worth having if you are bibliophile or just enthusastic about birds.

WONDERFUL
I buy this book for my wife, who is an specialist on hummingbirds, and she said me that this guide is perfect for humms lovers, maybe basic for specialist (she recommends the Howell book). Anyway, BUY IT...is beautiful ! ... Read more

Book Description

This book is the first to illustrate with color photographs all Puerto Rico's breeding birds and common migrants. Over 300 color photos of 181 species of Puerto Rican birds appear in this publication.The English-language text is designed for tourists, students, teachers, and anyone who wants to understand Puerto Rico's natural heritage by learning about its fascinating birds.The species' life histories are written in a non-technical style for the general reader, and include important lessons for conservation of our natural resources.Most common birds of the Virgin Islands and northern Lesser Antilles are also illustrated. The book comes with a CD-ROM with detailed Spanish and English life history accounts and bibliography for 350 species, plus audio clips and over 1,250 photos. The CD-ROM is written in HTML which is easy to read without special installation on a PC or Mac, and makes files accessible for student projects in biology, geography, music and art. Over 80 professional and amateur ornithologists from Puerto Rico and the mainland USA collaborated in this effort. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Perfect Guide when birding in Puerto Rico
This is the perfect guide book for birding in Puerto Rico. The photographs, 1340 in all, are brilliant, and the text is detailed and rich in information. The guide itself will easily fit into a pocket or day pack and so when out in the field you will have it at your fingertips.

What's unique about this guide is the excellent CD-Rom that comes with it -- this will help you before you go to know what the birds look like, their calls, their behavior and where you can find them once in Puerto Rico. I used the CD-Rom to check out three of my favorite PR birds and was amazed at the numerous and gorgeous pictures, the superb quality of the audio recordings and the information Oberle has reproduced in this book. For instance, regarding the Puerto Rican Tody (one of the 17 PR endemics covered in this guide as well as over 320 other birds), there were a dozen different pictures of the Tody including fabulous close-ups. The information Oberle gives includes identification, voice with audio, habitat, habits, range, status and conservation, taxonomy and related books and articles about the Tody. The Tody is a tiny forest bird with emerald green upperparts and a bright red bill and throat -- everytime I see one I think of a Christmas tree ornament, they are so cute! Oberle discusses in detail what they eat: katydids, grasshoppers, earwings and dragonflies, and discusses as well their foraging techniques. Because Oberle goes into such great detail about ID and habitat/habits, I think this is the best guide to enable one to actually find the birds once in PR.

I also checked out the PR Woodpecker and found those pictures, audio and habitat/habits information just as extensive as that about the Tody. I learned that the woodpecker's stiff tail feathers helps it to gain balance while chiseling at tree bark to find its favorite insects, including earwings, beetle larvae and ants. I discovered it occasionally eats scorpions and and lizards! Oberle informs the reader that a good place to find the woodpecker is around the parking lot of the El Portal visitor Center at the El Yungue national park.

A third bird that is well covered in both the CD and guide is the Pin-tailed Whydah, which has a most remarkable long tail and perches on wires and branches. I was surprised to learn that the female is like our parasitic cowbird and doesn't build her own nest but drops her eggs in other birds' nests.

Oberle has done a splendid job of bringing together in a compact book all the information and photgraphs of birds that you will need when out in the field. Because he cares so much about these birds and the environment, he also has special sections at the begining of the book on conservation efforts, migratory birds that winter in PR, and the extinction issues that face too many birds and other wildlife today in Puerto Rico and elsewhere.

To anyone going to Puerto Rico who plans to do some birding, I heartily recommend this book and CD-Rom to you.

Puerto Rico's Best Bird Guide
This guide is fantastic! It is well organized, easy to use, full of concise, carefully planned information, and absolutely the best bird book I've ever seen. The photos are extremely well done and very helpful. The descriptions are outstanding: accurate, thorough, and interesting. I have many bird-watchers and long time Audubon members staying here at Villas Margarita, not far from the Caribbean National Forest. They all rave about this book and the fine job Mark Oberle did on it. It is worth every penny! Buy it! ... Read more

Book Description

Those looking for a concise yet informative, visually breathtaking yet affordable East African safari need look no further than this spectacular field guide. Featuring full-color photos of 475 common species of bird, mammal, snake, lizard, insect, tree, and flower, Wildlife of East Africa takes us on an exquisite one-volume tour through the living splendor of the main national parks and game reserves of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Many of the species included--from pelicans to plovers, ostriches to elephants, from the daintiest of antelopes to cattlelike giants, from leopards to lions, baboons to gorillas, chameleons to crocodiles, acacias to aloes--also inhabit neighboring countries. The selection was based on the personal experiences of the authors, wildlife experts who have been leading safaris in the region for more than twenty years.

Each species is illustrated with a photo and a detailed entry on the facing page; the text is commendably rich for such a compact guide. This information enables the particular animal or plant to be identified by such traits as size, plumage or pelage, color, and shape. An opening section on wildlife photography provides helpful tips on the best type of camera, film, and lenses to use, techniques, and codes of conduct. A map shows the region's major natural parks. Wildlife of East Africa is a must for anyone considering a first-hand look at, or simply daydreaming of, the elegant, enormous, or exotic wildlife of East Africa.

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Covers the main parks and reserves of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, plus surrounding countries
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475 common species of bird, mammal, snake, lizard, insect, tree, and flower--from ostriches to elephants, leopards to lions, baboons to gorillas, chameleons to crocodiles, acacias to aloes
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Full-color photographs and detailed entries describing each species
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Written and illustrated by wildlife experts who have been leading safaris in East Africa for more than 20 years
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Tips on wildlife photography, techniques, and codes of conduct

Book Description

Birds of Europe is an extraordinary new field guide to the diverse bird life found throughout Europe. Ranging from the Urals to the Atlantic and from Scandinavia to the Middle East, the guide covers the 722 bird species found in the region as well as 23 introduced species or variants and 103 very rare visitors.

The text by Lars Svensson and Peter J. Grant provides all of the information needed to identify any species in Europe at any time of year, covering identification, voice, habitat, range, and size. In addition, the authors provide an introduction to each group of birds that addresses the major problems involved in identifying or observing the group: how to separate birds of prey in flight, how to organize a sea watching trip, which duck hybrids can be confused with which main species.

In over 3,500 illustrations, Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterström depict every species as well as all major plumage variations. The artists also introduce several design innovations. They illustrate typical habitats and characteristic behavior, including birds in flight, feeding, hunting, and perching; they add pointers and captions to the plates to show key field marks; and they arrange birds for easy comparison of confusing plumages. Distribution maps give up-to-date breeding, wintering, and migration ranges for every species.

The combination of definitive text, superb illustrations, and innovative design, all in a single, portable volume, makes this book the ultimate field guide to the birds of Europe. On the bookshelf or in the coat pocket, it will become an essential companion for every birder, ornithologist, and traveler to Europe. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Useful for Cruisers and Beginners
More experienced birders can tell you more about the technical wonders of this book -- they are many, and in short you should buy it! As a beginning birder but a more experienced traveller, however, I can tell you that this is a fabulous resource to have along, even if you are just generally curious about nature in the places you visit.

This guide covered EVERY region in a recent cruise from the most western to the most eastern points on the Mediterranean, inlcuding many islands. It was terrifically easy to figure out which birds were likely candidates for each sighting -- and each time of year.

Getting to know an area is more than having a favorite restaurant and knowing how to get from one point to the next. Recognizing the creatures around, and maybe even getting to know their songs, will bring you even further into a new place. This book is exhaustive yet accessible, and will really help you "get there."

Exceptional
Brought this book on a recent trip to the Camargue in southern France and it was the perfect field guide. The paintings are truly exceptional. The commentary, the maps, everything - as good as it gets.

The best guide ever!
If only there were so good guides for every other region of the world!!!! It is simply the best guide I've ever had. It ^has very good paintings and perfect descriptions. Impossible to miss one identification with that. And it's also not so heavy to transport, so you can easily bring it to the field. BUY IT!!!!

ý will buy
ý havent read it but my friend said to me it was perfect than ý will buy it as soon as possible..

Truly incredible!!!
This field guide has been awaited with excitement (already having existed in Swedish and Danish for a year or so) - now I know why. I have seen a huge variety of field guides, but this is simply the best yet. It covers Europe (east of Ural), Northern Africa (north of ca. 30 degrees north), and the Middle East (e.g. Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Armenia and so on). Also included is the islands of the Canaries and Madeira. All species naturally occurring (and several species not considered to be native) in this area are included. The only exception being a number of species only recorded a few times (usually meaning ones or twice) in the area. These rarities are included in a list. The species are dealt with taxonomically, and each group (e.g. Swans) starts with a short (or long in the "hard-to-id" groups) introduction. Each species has a text which I can only refer to as perfect. All relevant information is included (id, habitat, voice etc.). Also included is a map. However, the truly incredible thing is the drawings. Not only are they precise, they also include all kinds of plumage's and positions (often shown in a natural habitat as you would see it in the nature) that you could only wish for in most guides. Arrows (with a short and simple text) point at features of the birds especially important for identification. A thing most (if not all?) will find great is that the drawings are placed next to the text (and map) - no more endless going through pages. Incredibly it is still a handy guide. This is the field guide for the beginner as well as the pro. Sorry, I'm not able to find any bad things to say about this guide. ... Read more

Book Description

With 364 range maps and 96 color plates portraying 548 species, this is the classic field guide to European birds. Covering 698 species, the descriptive text includes information on geographical races, vagrants, and introduced species. Confusing species such as waders, raptors, and warblers have additional notes on how to distinguish them. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good book, not the best organization.
I found this book to be informative as a guide to what I would find in Europe, but it received a poor grade in the field due to the poor organization. I had to flip through three sections to find a picture, description, and range-map for each bird. The maps were really too small for a US native to be able to tell which country was which, and the illustrations were consistantly exagerated to the point that you could only identify the so-called important features (which often were the same as important features of other birds) were all you could be certain were accurate to some extent. Even though I don't speak German, I actually found a book in German which was more useful to me than Peterson's. The German book, entitled GU Naturfuhrer "Vogel" (Birds), had accurate photos of every bird I saw on my trip. The maps in Vogel, although lacking lines seperating the countries, were much more identifiable to an American due mainly to size. After identifying the birds by the photos, I compared the scientific names to Peterson's, and was able to identify the birds with their English names (although usually the pictures in Peterson's looked nothing like those in "Vogel"). So as a field guide, Peterson's gets no stars, but for the descriptions and scientific names, it deserves a little credit. ... Read more

Book Description

Even people with little interest in birds will stop in their tracks at the sight of a hawk soaring overhead or a falcon perched on a window ledge. Birds of prey have an aura that few other creatures have. In the acclaimed Hawks in Flight, Pete Dunne showed what birds of prey look like. In The Wind Masters, he shows what it is like to be a bird of prey. He takes us inside the lives and minds of all thirty-four species of diurnal raptors found in North America -- hawks, falcons, eagles, vultures, the osprey, and the harrier -- and shows us how each bird sees the world, hunts its prey, finds and courts its mate, rears its young, grows up, grows old, and dies. Vividly written, and beautifully illustrated by David Sibley, The Wind Masters is a brilliant work of narrative natural history in the tradition of Peter Matthiessen's The Wind Birds and Barry Lopez's Of Wolves and Men. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Modern Fable
Dunne's unusual book hovers in a crosswind. Parts natural history and literate essay; parts short fiction and pure fable, The Wind Masters imagines a new way into the minds of North American raptors. Through a series of brief narratives, one for each native species, Dunne introduces the birds of prey as individuals - moreover, as beings of thought, emotion and opinion. For a falconer prone to think of some birds as persons, it is a familiar yet still startling flight of fancy.

To Dunne's eye, the Northern Goshawk fairly gloats atop her recent kill, a snowshoe hare. She feels a satisfaction any hunter might in the successful execution of her skill and power, and in the anticipation of a good meal; as the author notes, "Who can say this isn't so?" A hunter himself, and a long-time student of raptors in the wild, Dunne's gripping portrait of a master assassin bears truth.

Were each of his subjects equally or solely lauded for their hunting prowess, Dunne's work might comprise a long cliché or worse, a sort of book-length perpetuation of negative raptor stereotypes. But it does neither. What Dunne finds worth noting of each species reflects a careful sifting of scientific fact and personal observation; he tries to find the essence of each bird and how each uniquely suits its niche. He attempts, through the form of the short story, to capture a similar holistic image of our predatory birds that was the focus of his earlier, more utilitarian Hawks in Flight. This might be a hopeless conceit for a writer of lesser skill, but Dunne manages it well and often beautifully.

"The Gray Hawk remained until just before dark and then departed - a hungry gray shadow flying swiftly and directly to roost. It wasn't lack of skill that had defeated his efforts to feed. It was the temperatures that had turned his reptilian prey to stone and sent the birds to early roosts. It was circumstance and bad luck - the luck of a raptor."

Every facet of a raptor's life, from the struggle to escape the egg to the peril of migration and the battle for breeding rights finds illustration through the individual stories. No single account hopes to convey every part of that bird's natural history; rather the commonalities between all raptors' lives are distributed throughout the balance of the book. Fittingly, the many ways our raptors die receive as much notice as do the ways they live. Sometimes a death provides the focus for the story.

"The eagle managed to stand until the raven completed his retreat. Then, surrendering to gravity, she slumped to her booted tarsi and fell forward until her emaciated keel touched the earth. Only the opened wings, spread like stabilizing outriggers, prevented the bird from falling to her side."

Rarely do Dunne's descriptions approach simple sentimentality or fall prey to the temptation of polemics. Each chapter can stand alone as a work of good craftsmanship and a careful exposition of story; in each a fair and informed picture appears of a raptor as an individual and a species unique. But the implication of man's effects, mostly negative, finds expression everywhere. In the oldest tradition of the fable, Dunne artfully imbues his narratives with cautionary, sometimes pointed details illustrating the harm our actions (and inaction) may bring. Whether or not the reader finds these details an intrusion or an obstruction, they are certainly part of every raptor's life and of the truth Dunne hopes to reveal. ... Read more

Book Description

Fast on the feathers of his highly successful Extraordinary Chickens,Stephen Green-Armytage is back with a fascinating look at the stunningly ornateplumage and surprisingly expressive personalities of more than 70 different types ofpheasants—peacocks included! Showcased in glorious full-color photographs are Long- tailed Mikados, Satyr Tragopans, Bornean Crested Firebacks—each looking more exoticthan the next. A brief text offers an ideal introduction to the pheasant family and anannotated index of species follows the photos.

Serious birders will treasure this unique volume, but anyone familiar with thepeacock's magnificent fan of iridescent tail feathers will be amazed and amused by thecomplex shapes, shadings, and patterns of its many exotic cousins—not to mention thepeacocks bred in bronze, purple, green, brown, emerald, and even pure white! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A vibrant avian celebration
Extraordinary Pheasants by professional photographer Stephen Green-Armytage is a splendid photographic study of pheasants from peacocks to game hens, as well as an incredible variety of other species. The superbly presented, closely detailed, impressive, full-color images of these majestic birds are the highlight of the book. All enhanced with an informative introduction, short, "reader friendly", descriptive comments concerning each pheasant species helping to round out this vibrant avian celebration. Extraordinary Pheasants is very highly recommended for bird fanciers and a welcome addition to personal, school, and community library "Pets & Wildlife" reference collections. ... Read more

Book Description

The Princeton Field Guide to the Birds of Australia is a handy, portable manual for identification of Australian birds all over the country. In paintings of extraordinary beauty and precision, Nicolas Day captures the details of all 770 bird species in Australia. More than 2000 color illustrations are accompanied by distribution maps, descriptive drawings, and essential field information edited by Ken Simpson. This book has been expanded to provide even more new illustrations and information than earlier editions. There are 20 new color plates. The identification section has been completely reordered to reflect the most up-to-date knowledge about the classification and evolutionary relationships of Australia's bird families. The distribution maps have been entirely redrawn and updated, and numerous black-and-white illustrations have been added. All readers--occasional or avid birdwatchers, ornithologists or students--will find The Princeton Field Guide to the Birds of Australia an invaluable companion, whether they require readily accessible information in the field or reliable reference material for the desk. Features include: ^IEvery bird species of Australia illustrated in over 2000 painted images Simple-to-use Key to Families Field information and distribution maps adjacent to each painting of a species Data on abundance and movement for each species Handbook section giving detailed information on bird behavior, feeding, breeding, evolution, and taxonomy A rare bird bulletin describing fifteen rare and vagrant species Information for bird-watchers on the five Australian island groups ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent drawings and ecological info, but a bit large
I used two field guides on my trip to Australia last year.I primarily used the Simpson guide and occasionally referred to the Pizzey guide.I found the Simpson guide to be quite helpful, with excellent drawings, range maps that were placed alongside each species, and interesting ecological information about each ornithological order at the end of the book.My main criticisms of the Simpson guide are that I thought the Pizzey guide did a better job at depicting the subtle features that separate the honeyeater species, and the Simpson guide was too large to fit into a jacket or pants pocket.Despite these criticisms, I thought the Simpson guide was a very good birding field guide.I have a friend who will be traveling to Australia soon, and I will be buying the Simpson guide as a gift to her.

Indispensible guide to Australian Birds
I used this guide on a recent trip to Australia and found it to be an excellent companion.The illustrations are accurate and the text draws attention to the most important ID features.The maps seem to be wellresearched and accurate.Unlike most Field Guides this guide includes ahandbook section which gives a potted biography, family by family ofbehaviour and ecology.This handbook section always provided someinteresting extra detail of birds seen.In conlusion, a great field guide,well illustrated and researched. ... Read more

Book Description

A Guide to the Identification and Natural History of the Sparrows of the United States and Canada provides comprehensive and up-to-date information on all the features that make possible identification of all 62 species of sparrows that occur in North America. The text gives detailed descriptions of the summer, winter, and juvenile plumages of each species, as well as comparisons with similar species. The species accounts are illustrated with range maps and superb line drawings showing behavioral postures and, where useful, fine features of tail feather patterns. The 27 color plates splendidly illustrate the various plumages of each species with the emphasis on the distinctive appearance of birds of different sex, age, and geographic regions. This beautiful and authoritative book will be a must for the library of all keen birders living in and visiting North America.

Species accounts include discussions of species':

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Identification
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Measurements
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Voice
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Habitat
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Ecology
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Nesting biology
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Distribution
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Taxonomy
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Geographic variations
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Historical and present status

Reviews (2)

Indispensible for the serious birder
This book is one of my favorite birding books. I am reticent to call it a field guide because it is so much more than that. Incredible amounts of information on all the sparrows. Great range maps AND descriptions of migration and vagrancy (can I hope to see this bird in my area?), and all the other natural history and behavior information you'd expect. Beautiful plates showing ALL the different plumages, primary and basic, male, female and juvenal. And it's not just a wealth of information, it's a beautiful book, well written and a delight to own.

A readable, useable, technical guide.
Sparrows. Yippee. But if you want to learn them, this is the book.

Lots of detail, as you'd expect, but very clearly presented. Terrific illustrations and range maps. And what I like, but some will hate, is the fairly detailed treatment of every field-identifiable subspecies. Some of these subspecies will become full species some day, if present trends continue, and you'll be way ahead of the game if you've already been working on telling them apart. Plus it's fun; just try to keep an open mind. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great for specificaly Florida birds
This is a great reference book for anyone who is interested just in birds that can be found in Florida. The drawings have enough detail that most birders from beginner to advanced intermediate should find them useful. I used this book for the first few years of birding and found it to be of great value. Many people may attempt to compare this to Sibley's Guides but I would have to say that each has its advantages. Sibley's often has too much detail and does not show just the birds that you may see in one specific area. This book show only Florida birds and groups them in a logic fashion that allows for fast reference. If you are in Florida bird watching (I strongly suggest it!) then you should find this book useful. This is not a replacement for the Sibley Guide but more of a quick reference book that can be used as the primary source. Go to Sibley's Guides for fine details when in doubt but unless you know exactly where to find each bird, this guide will be less frustrating.

My opinion
This field guide handy bird book to have around the house, but not so great in the field. The color illustrations offer limited variations for seasonal plumage and the color is very inaccurate. Most importantly the information and illustrations are in separate sections of the book making identification cumbersome. I recommend sticking to Sibley's or the National Geographic field guide.

Florida's Birds: A Handbook and Reference
Excellent color depictions, good cross referencing to information pages vs. habitat and picture pages. It is exactly as represented - a good reference guide.

The only bird book you need!
I've looked at many books on Floridas' birds; This is the only book you need to get a solid grip on the birds of Florida Period!

A Superb Spotting!
Living on the water in Florida has its ups and downs. Not just the waves, or the pesky 'lil noseeum bugs. But, glorious birds! This reference guide is handy and entertaining.

"Florida's Birds--A Handbook and Reference" is a product of many years of preperation. Covering over 325 species which are identified and discussed with information on distinguishing marks, habitat, seasons, and even distinctive calls.

The cross referencing and colorful pictures add to the wonder of spotting a Double Crested Cormorant to the deafening wail of the Black Crowned Night Heron.

A good edition for your reference collections.

Thank you for your interest & comments--CDS ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent beginner book for myself and my sister.
The Peterson field Guide to Eastern American Birds turned out to be the best birding book I've ever read. The book was well thought out and had the format that we needed in our suburban environment. The illustrations wereconcise and made identifying the birds extremely easy. We have a largepopulation of Red-Winged Blackbirds and Mourning Doves, and its great toactually know what in the world we were looking at. It was great!

Excellent guide to identification of birds.
This is the best of the field guides for the amature birder in my opinion. I purchased a guide that had actual photos of birds in their habitats, thinking it would be the best, but it definately was not as good or as easy to use as the Peterson field guide. If you are looking for a good all around field guide to keep near your binoculars, this one is my pick. ... Read more

Book Description

This new field guide uses all 147 color plates from Princeton's A Guide to the Birds of Western Africa, with concise, authoritative text on facing pages, to create a compact, lightweight field reference covering all 1,285 species found in the region--from Senegal and southern Mauritania east to Chad and the Central African Republic and south to Congo. It is the first field guide to cover this region exclusively and in such comprehensive depth, and will enable birders to identify any species found in any of the twenty-three countries and territories covered.

Birds of Western Africa also has an updated color distribution map for each species, conveniently placed on interleaved pages within the color plates. The plates, all original and painted by the same leading illustrator, comprise over 3,000 figures--including a number of new images painted for this field guide--and depict almost all the species described. The entries opposite the plates focus on key identification marks for all main plumages.

Both authors have gained extensive field experience over many years in western Africa. Their knowledge and expertise shines through in this unprecedented and outstanding field guide to one of the world's most exciting birding regions.

Book Description

A sighting in the field is just one way birders can identify bird species. Observant nature-lovers can discover what birds are where by examining tracks, trails, and a variety of bird sign: discarded feathers, feeding leftovers and caches, pellets, nests, droppings, and skulls and bones. This fully illustrated guide-the first of its kind for North American birds-presents thorough and straightforward instruction for identifying birdfamilies or individual species by careful examination of the unique sign they leave behind. It also offers keys to the birds' behavior in the wild.Includes songbirds, waterfowl, owls,shorebirds, warblers, woodpeckers, nightjars, and birds of prey. For trackers, birders, and nature-lovers. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great gift for that serious birder
This is a guide to identifying bird families or individual species by clues they leave behind of their presence. The title may appear, at first glance, to be a typo. It is not. As the authors explain on the first page: "Sign refers to all the possible signs of their passing: sign of feeding, gathering material for nesting, the nests or cavity holes themselves, pellets, droppings, feathers lost during molt, or kill sites."

This book appears to be packed with too much information for a beginner to digest. But its actually quite good for anyone who is interested in birds and would use such a book more than once or twice. The information is organized by types of sign - tracks, feathers, feeding signs, droppings, nests and roosts, etc., rather than by species. This allows you to read about whichever subject you're interested in and to take in the basics behind, say, interpreting signs of feeding, rather than getting bogged down by details specific to a certain species.

Due to the nature of the topic, the squeamish may not enjoy all the pictures. However, the pictures are certainly not as gruesome as they could have been.

In the introduction, one of the authors writes: "real tracking is bigger than one lifetime. Tracking, as our ancestors knew it, was a body of knowledge handed down from generation to generation. Each person added to this knowledge..." The authors clearly see themselves as a continuation if this process, referring to and giving credit to other excellent books, such a Rezendes' "Tracking and the Art of Seeing".

To my knowledge, this is the only book like this specific to birds. I feel this would be an excellent gift idea for that hard-to-buy-for bird watcher.

petervtamas@mail.com

At Last! Something that actually contributes to the Field!
Call me cynical but in the last twenty years I have seen field guide publishers recylce the same old info over and over again, just adding a new tabulature or color photos. The text is minimal and always leaves me wanting more.

Not so with this book! Mark and Eleanor have created something that goes well beyond any field guide currently on the market concerning birds! This stuff is new and never before seen except for experienced birders in the field. It is easy to use, fun to use and it will help anyone learn more about birds, their habits and sign. The photography is stunning as well.

I cannot over-recommend this book. Go get it, now!

Ricardo Sierra

A gorgeous birder's guide for all ages and skill levels.
Collaborative written by Mark Elbroch and Elanor Marks, Bird Tracks & Sign: A Guide To North American Species is a gorgeous birder's guide filled cover to cover with full-color photography on thick, glossy, sturdy paper. From bird trails and feathers to pellets and nest, bird signs of every shap, size and format are presented, described, and lavishly illustrated. Portable, authoritative, and "user friendly", Bird Tracks & Sings is very highly recommended for North American birdwatchers and aspiring ornithologists of all ages and skill levels.

For beginners too!
I'm a beginner birder and tracker - When I first saw this book, I thought, fat chance, I probably can't even identify the birds' feathers or tracks because I'm still so new to the birding and tracking worlds. Still, I kept it around just in case - and when I found a feather or a track, I'd look up it in the book. It would take me less than a few minutes to discover the owner of the feather and tracks! That's thanks to the handy quick reference chart on the inside cover of the book! I now know I can go out and have fun with this book!

Tremendously Useful, Beautiful, and Creative Field Guide
Mark Elbroch's and Elanor Marks "Bird Tracks and Sign" is a gem.

No self-accliamed naturalist, tracker, birder, or nature educator should be without a well-worn copy in years to come.

This book fills a niche long absent from teh worlds of animal tracking and birding. What a wondrous blend of dazzlig photographs, informative text, and practical information. ... Read more