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California natives and visitors alike will appreciate this compact, photo-filled overview of the Golden State's natural history. Along with a summary of geography, geology, weather, and wildlife, there is a field guide to the identification of 1,000 of the state's unique inhabitants, including the smallest butterfly in the world (the Western Pygmy Blue), the largest animal (the Blue Whale), and one of the largest living single organisms (the Giant Sequoia). What's more, some of the best places to see this diversity of flora and fauna--the many parks, preserves, beaches, forests, islands, and wildlife sanctuaries--are listed with detailed information. To flip through the guide's pages is to envision endless possibilities for scenic and educational field trips, from fog-shrouded Point Reyes National Seashore to the barren salt pan of Death Valley National Park. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great Companion on those long Journeys in the Wild
Whether you are an outdoor enthusiast or a weekend warrior, the Audobon's guide to California will instill an appreciation of the natural wonders of California. This easy to use guide allows even the most uninitiated to identify and learn about California's native and introduced species. The only small problem with this book is that it does not contain the small habitat maps that any of you who know Audobon Field Guides, have come to appreciate. This book along with "A Natural History of California" by Allan Schoenherr, provide a great introduction to California's diversity.

Park Ranger Approved
For all of you that are looking for an excellent field guide...this is the one for all of California. As a park ranger I carry this little book in my bag where ever I go. It offers very sharp and detailed photos, scientific names, family or class names, and a breif description of the subject. The best thing about this field guide is that it covers all kinds of animals, plants, trees, and sea life. It even has an overview of climates, seasons, sky charts, history, and areas of California. Even at the end of the book there is lots of information about some of the National and State parks within California. This is a great all-round basic field guide for anyone at any level. Enjoy!

All the flora and fauna in one book.
This is a tremendous resource for anyone who enjoys being outside in California. With pictures and descriptions of everything from plants, animals, and insects to fish and fungi, this book will help you identify what you are looking at, whatever it is. The format is excellent, with each section beginning with a primer on the language and common features used to describe the various species. There isn't room for much detail about any species, but this book is about breadth, not depth. Definitely a worthy companion for any walk anywhere in California.

Most popular book in the house
If this book is not shoved in a back pack on a trip, taken to school, carted along on the front seat of any day trip in the car, we generally try to just keep keep track of it, because if we can't locate it when we need it, it is a sure bet there will be an uproar until it is found. This is a resource book so commonly utilized in this house of kids and out doors lovers alike, it generally never seems to leave the counter in the kitchen. There it is, available to all for school projects, night star gazing verification and an instant attraction for anyone standing around waiting for dinner.

Truly, a book that has been consulted so frequently for so many reasons, that it has replaced more cumbersome references. The reference has beautiful illustrations and offers so much more than a typical field guide book. This is a book that will be relished by California outdoor lovers, and if you like the indoors more, this is the book that will definitely beckon you out of your lazy boy chair to go wandering around this incredible play ground we call California.

Audobon Society Field Guide to California
A must in the knapsack of all professional and amateur naturalists that work or volunteer in the urban or natural park facilities in CA. Should be available in all Nature Centers for visitors to use as a resource or purchase. ... Read more

Book Description

Oaks of California, the first book ever devoted to the state's native oaks, celebrates the unique place of these trees in California's natural and cultural heritage.

Winner of the 1992 Benjamin Franklin Award for best "Regional" book, this title continues to be the definitive popular guide to California's most emblematic tree species. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Beautiful and useful
If you are used to books with line drawing of leaves that make it impossible to use as a reference, then you will love this book. It is a great study as well as a beauty. If you only have one book on the Oaks of California, this should be it. If you have many books on Oaks, this is still going to be one of the most used. Useful and beautiful!

If you love California's oaks...
this is a magnificent book. I just cannot get over the glory of the native oaks and this book captures that glory well. It covers all native species with a nice amount of detail. The photographs are beautiful. What I actually found the most intriguing was the great history the authors provide on the oaks, and the incredible ecosystem that depends on their existence. The book even provides information on parks and drives statewide where mature native oaks can be visited. I have had this book for many months now and it is one I continually pick up again and again. It inspired me to plant several native oaks at home and take inpeccable care of the one large oak (treasure) that came as an added bonus to a beautiful old home.

A nice book
I bought this book, on sale no less, at the Hearst Castle gift shop. I find it to be well written and informative with many pleasing pictures of California's native oaks. For any Californian interested in the natural sciences, this book deserves a place on your bookshelf between Lanner's "Conifers of Califonia" and Dave Arora's "Mushrooms Demystified".

Absolutely Worth It!
This book is a marvelous compendium on the numerous variety of native Californian oaks. The authors amaze you with information about the oaks, and pictures that are stunning. The charts of flora and fauna species associated with oaks in the back are worth the price.--which by the way is ... cheaper than on other websites!This book makes a fabulous gift for any Californian in the oak region, living abroad and homesick, or any Californian traveling abroad and wishing to take with them a gift that uniquely expresses what is a quintessential icon of their native state.

Outstanding photography
Absolutly beautiful pictures and the information on the trees is written in a very easy to understand way. Great book about one of the few true California natives. ... Read more

Book Description

The more than 1,000 species descriptions in this guide include information on range and habitat such as depths, bottom types, water temperatures, and salinity. The almost 1,100 illustrations use the Peterson Identification System for quick, accurate field identification. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A must of a field guide
If there is one book that will link people interested in fishes along the Atlantic coast of the US or the Gulf of Mexico... this is it. If you SCUBA dive, fish, keep saltwater aquariums or are an amature or professional naturalist or marine biologist you should have this book.
The Field guide to Atlantic Coast Fishes is an excellent treatise on the diversity of fishes in this area. The multitude of species are discussed in a logical manner with valuable information presented for each. The artwork is superb, with the each fish shown next to similar fish and critical points to identification highlighted. You should own three copies, one for your home, one for your office and one for your boat.

The Best Field Guide for Atlantic Coast Fish
This book is a perfect resource for fishermen, scientists, environmentalists and anyone who would like to learn more about fish and how to identify them. The book has beautiful color and black & white illustrations of thousands of fish. The illustrations can be used to quickly identify fish species "in the field". In addition to field identification keys, the book also details the geographical range, habitat, standard sizes, and a variety of other information regarding every species of fish that can be found from the Florida to Maine, deep seas to coastal estuaries. This book is an excellent resource and provides very interesting information regarding both common and rare species of fish. Highly recommended reading! ... Read more

Book Description

This book, along with recordings of the distinctive voices of owls on a double CD that may be purchased with it, is an invaluable aid to identifying owl species throughout the world. The book details owl ecology and reproductive behavior, describes three new tropical owl species, and presents 64 beautiful color plates of these elusive birds. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An important, basic, comprehensive, indispensable reference.
If only one definitive, technical guide to owls of the world were to be purchased for a serious reference collection, this should be considered: its color drawings identifying owls of the world are detailed and well done, while the small maps and descriptions of natural history and habitat are specific and in-depth coverages. Owls is an important, basic, and comprehensive reference.

Owls of the world
A stunning and fresh look at the Owls of the world. Each of the 212 species recognised by the Authors is described in detail, including Habits, vocalisations, distribution and current status. 64 colour plates add visual credence to the descriptions. This is all preceded by a general overview of Owl anatomy, behaviour, vocalisations, and breeding and nesting habits. Evidence is also presented to support the Authors' views on taxonomy. If you only ever buy one book about Owls, make it this one! ... Read more

Book Description

Imagine beetles ejecting defensive sprays as hot as boiling water; female moths holding their mates for ransom; caterpillars disguising themselves as flowers by fastening petals to their bodies; termites emitting a viscous glue to rally fellow soldiers--and you will have entered an insect world once beyond imagining, a world observed and described down to its tiniest astonishing detail by Thomas Eisner. The story of a lifetime of such minute explorations, For Love of Insects celebrates the small creatures that have emerged triumphant on the planet, the beneficiaries of extraordinary evolutionary inventiveness and unparalleled reproductive capacity.

To understand the success of insects is to appreciate our own shortcomings, Eisner tells us, but never has a reckoning been such a pleasure. Recounting exploits and discoveries in his lab at Cornell and in the field in Uruguay, Australia, Panama, Europe, and North America, Eisner time and again demonstrates how inquiry into the survival strategies of an insect leads to clarifications beyond the expected; insects are revealed as masters of achievement, forms of life worthy of study and respect from even the most recalcitrant entomophobe. Filled with descriptions of his ingenious experiments and illustrated with photographs unmatched for their combination of scientific content and delicate beauty, Eisner's book makes readers participants in the grand adventure of discovery on a scale infinitesimally small, and infinitely surprising.

Reviews (8)

The Reviews
For Love of Insects

Thomas Eisner
Foreword by Edward O. Wilson

Although insects are not usually the stars of popular-science writing, this engaging look at how one scientist studies their lives may add them to the most-requested lists of science- and animal-loving readers.
--Nancy Bent, Booklist

For Love of Insects is especially valuable because it explains the steps missing from the research reports in Nature and Science: [Eisner] tells the story from first noticing a bug on a walk in the woods, through experiments and analytical chemistry, to a final understanding of each phenomenon...For Love of Insects is a fascinating introduction to a world we poor humans--barely able to detect most chemicals--seldom notice.
--Jonathan Beard, New Scientist [UK]

[Eisner's] new book is a personal memoir of a lifetime in science, engagingly written and stunningly illustrated with photographs of insects doing astonishing things...What makes Eisner a world-class entomologist is not access to million-dollar scientific instruments, but a mind that never stops asking 'Why?'
--Chet Raymo, Boston Globe

This is one of the best nature titles in the last several years.
--Kim Long, Bloomsbury Review

[P]repare to be amazed. Brimming with enthusiasm, Eisner reveals a world of unbelievable majesty and complexity in the simplest of insects. The photographs alone are worth the price of the book, but the text crackles with the electricity of a brilliant genius at work, as Eisner leads the reader from simple observation to major scientific breakthrough. In fact this book should be required reading for every biology student because it illuminates the basic principle that passion and curiosity are the twin pillars of all great science.
--David Lukas, Los Angeles Times

The world has eagerly awaited these enchanting tales of insect life, brimming with discovery, insight, and wry humor. They're a master entomologist's masterwork. The photographs are also extraordinary, both illuminating and exquisitely beautiful.
--Diane Ackerman, Cornell University

I don't know whether I like the text or the photographs of For Love of Insects better. The former is brilliant, the product of the dean of chemical ecology and a world-renowned expert on insects. The latter are spectacular, the work of an outstanding photographer -- once again Tom Eisner. No naturalist or natural scientist will want to be without this book. Indeed, if everyone would take the time to read it and look at the amazing pictures our society would benefit greatly from an enhanced appreciation of the insect world.
--Paul Ehrlich, President, Center for Conservation Biology, Stanford University

Love of insects? Hell, that's barely the half of it! Better Tom Eisner had called this book Love of Life and the Lively of progeny and all provenance! With boundless verve and grace and marvel and delight, Tom Eisner proves himself, across these dazzling pages, to be one of the all-time great biophiliacs. Ah, the blessing, for the rest of us, to be alive alongside him!
--Lawrence Weschler, Director of the New York Institute for the Humanities and author of Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder

There are few books which present the fullness of a life in science as powerfully, as modestly, and as enchantingly as this one. The excitement of Tom Eisner's fundamental investigations are mingled with vivid descriptions of his many other loves and enthusiasms--for music and literature no less than for the natural world--in seamless and beautiful prose. For Love of Insects is not only a delight to read, but, with its amazing photographs, a visual feast, too.
--Oliver Sachs, author of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

Publishers comments
Publisher Comments:
Imagine beetles ejecting defensive sprays as hot as boiling water; female moths holding their mates for ransom; caterpillars disguising themselves as flowers by fastening petals to their bodies; termites emitting a viscous glue to rally fellow soldiers--and you will have entered an insect world once beyond imagining, a world observed and described down to its tiniest astonishing detail by Thomas Eisner. The story of a lifetime of such minute explorations, For Love of Insects celebrates the small creatures that have emerged triumphant on the planet, the beneficiaries of extraordinary evolutionary inventiveness and unparalleled reproductive capacity. To understand the success of insects is to appreciate our own shortcomings, Eisner tells us, but never has a reckoning been such a pleasure. Recounting exploits and discoveries in his lab at Cornell and in the field in Uruguay, Australia, Panama, Europe, and North America, Eisner time and again demonstrates how inquiry into the survival strategies of an insect leads to clarifications beyond the expected; insects are revealed as masters of achievement, forms of life worthy of study and respect from even the most recalcitrant entomophobe. Filled with descriptions of his ingenious experiments and illustrated with photographs unmatched for their combination of scientific content and delicate beauty. Eisner's book makes readers participants in the grand adventure of discovery on a scale infinitesimally small, and infinitely surprising.

For Love of Eisner
For those people lucky enough to meet Dr. Eisner, they will know that he is a very intelligent, very humble man. Dr. Eisner has devoted his life to studying insects, and his passion comes across in his words and his photographs. It is difficult to get this man to speak about his accomplishments, and this book gives the reader a wonderful opportunity to get to know one of the greatest biologists of this century, and learn why he has earned that title.

The photographs are exquisite and they alone are worth buying the book. The stories are fascinating tales that seem like they should be science fiction, yet they are science fact. An enlightening book for those that fear "creepy crawlies" as to why these creatures deserve respect, even if they are still worth fearing.

You can be the fly on the wall watching the fly.
Imagine beetles ejecting defensive sprays as hot as boiling water; female moths holding their mates for ransom; caterpillars disguising themselves as flowers by fastening petals to their bodies; termites emitting a viscous glue to rally fellow soldiers--and you will have entered an insect world once beyond imagining, a world observed and described down to its tiniest astonishing detail by Thomas Eisner. The story of a lifetime of such minute explorations, For Love of Insects celebrates the small creatures that have emerged triumphant on the planet, the beneficiaries of extraordinary evolutionary inventiveness and unparalleled reproductive capacity.

To understand the success of insects is to appreciate our own shortcomings, Eisner tells us, but never has a reckoning been such a pleasure. Recounting exploits and discoveries in his lab at Cornell and in the field in Uruguay, Australia, Panama, Europe, and North America, Eisner time and again demonstrates how inquiry into the survival strategies of an insect leads to clarifications beyond the expected; insects are revealed as masters of achievement, forms of life worthy of study and respect from even the most recalcitrant entomophobe. Filled with descriptions of his ingenious experiments and illustrated with photographs unmatched for their combination of scientific content and delicate beauty, Eisner's book makes readers participants in the grand adventure of discovery on a scale infinitesimally small, and infinitely surprising.

NOT ALL WORDS. PICTURES TOO !!!!!!!

Not just about insects
The book has a superb and greatly readable text, as well as beautiful photos by the author. And, it's not just about insects. The tale told celebrates not only the wonderful mysteries of insects, but exemplifies a life of play and passion, and should be subtitled "Wonder is All." Or, perhaps, "Do what you love, the best will follow." The book is destined to be a classic, not only on insects but on life well- lived. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A Great Birding Guide
I had owned this book for years, and always had it close at hand so that I could look up a bird that I had just seen. Now, the book has come out with a new edition with companion CD's and it is even nicer. First off, the book has beautiful pictures of the birds, one on each page, and a nice description on the next page. The CD's, and there are two of them, give a nice introduction to each bird's songs and calls. Each entry is quite long so that you really get to hear what eachbird sounds like. The order of the bird songs on the CD's corresponds to the book. The author gives interesting comments about each bird's song and call. I own several birdsong CD's and I believe that this is the best. I highly recommend the book and CD's and I am sure that it would be valuable for those living in states other than Michigan too.

Great little book
I love this book! Large, accurate pictures and easy to use (the bird info is on the page opposite the pic, no more thumbing through to find it!). It deserves to be in every Michigan bird lover's library.

Very Good for Beginners
This is a very good book for Michigan birdwatchers who are just beginning to learn their birds. The birds are organized by color. This is very helpful to beginners, but bad for birders with a little experience. In the "brown" category the Mourning Dove is right next to the Pied-Billed Grebe. So the water fowl are spread all throughout the book, which is not helpful if you know enough about birds to at least know that what you are looking for is a water fowl. The same goes for all the other types of birds. Organization by color has its problems.

Still, the pictures are a rather good quality and the range maps are helpful, as are the author's comments about each bird.
In short, a very good book for beginners (and older children); not a book for birders witheven a little experience.

Stop shopping and just buy this book!Deserves SIX STARS!
I don't consider myself "well read", but I know a great book when I see one.The cover hints what's in store when your thumbs open the book for the first time-brilliant and sharp color photographs that show both sexes, birds are organized by color (very nice), Michigan maps of where different species can be found (including county outlines), in-depth characteristic descriptions, a "compare feature" for distinguishing similar looking birds...and as the title states, ALL featured species actually live in Michigan!

The overall size of the book is perfect for the back pocket or to carry a field without giving the arm a workout.Pages are of quality paper stock.The author has a very logical approach; he gives the reader accurate, easy to find information on birds without all the usual wordy fluff found in most titles.

College students or hard-core bird watchers would probably think the content lacks.In my opinion, this book wasn't designed for "that level"; it's a Field Guide and a damn good one.

If you want to ID birds, then you just found the perfect book, buy it.Enough said.

Great for New Bird Watchers
This book should be the guideline for all other bird watcher books. There are so many features that make it easy enough for kids just starting out. The small glossy pages,color tab pages, real life photographs, range map and "stans notes" make identifying a bird easy, you spend less time flipping through a bulky book and more time watching the birds! The book features over 200 birds IN MICHIGAN. My husband and I take this book with us whenever we go out. Its small and sturdy enough that it fits right into our binoculor case. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Reviews (2)

I love this little book
I love this little book. I've carried it on many hikes, dog walks, and through several years of walking to graduate school. It's easy to use, detailed enough to be helpful, and small enough (my aged copy, at any rate) to fit in your back pocket. Of all of the field guides that I own, I've used this one the most.

Great for beginners who want to learn the basic trees.
This book is great for people who want to learn the basics of different trees, their leaves, their twigs and bark of the trees around their area. If you don't know if the tree grows in your area, you can look at the maps in the book to see if it does. If you like trees and want to learn about them, you'll love this book. I loved this book because it built my foundation for knowledge in trees and their different families. ... Read more

Book Description

Rocks, minerals, and gemstones have fascinated people through the ages. They have been used as decoration, and have often been attributed special powers. This book, arranged in alphabetical format, describes 288 different rocks, minerals, and gems. Each entry includes beautiful color photographs, describes where the material is found, basic facts, how it is used, and some interesting information about its uses, myths, and legends. The separate pages are color-coded to indicate whether the substance is a rock, mineral, or gem. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Nice book for beginner rock hound
This book gives a description of numerous rock & gem types, along with characteristics, pictures, geography, etc. Good book for someone just starting out in the world of rocks. However, it is not helpful for someone with prior knowledge. It is a beginners level book and a really good one at that. ... Read more

Book Description

The National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World describes in fascinating detail all 120 species of the world's whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals and sea lions, manatees, Marine and Sea Otters, and the Polar Bear. Written by a team of experts and featuring more than 320 illustrations, 418 photographs, and 123 maps, this new guide offers more authoritative, up-to-date, and accessible information than any book previously published on the subject.

Organized by the four major groups of marine mammals--marine fissipeds, pinnipeds, cetaceans, and sirenians--the species descriptions include:

Full-color paintings, some depicting males and females, juveniles, subspecies, or special features. Color photographs showing appearance in the wild and illustrating typical behaviors. Life history data, including length and weight at various life stages, and life span. Range and habitat text and a full-color range map based on the most current information. Facts about social organization, surface behaviors, swimming, and diving. Information on mating behavior, breeding, and the rearing of young. Details about food items and foraging techniques.Estimates of population in the wild, plus current and historic threats.

A general introduction outlines the evolution and taxonomy of marine mammals, distribution, migration, watching guidelines, identification techniques, organizations and laws that protect marine mammals, and more.

Introductions to groups include comparative size illustrations, discussion of behaviors particular to the group, and other unique features.

A useful illustrated glossary of terms and an index of species names complete the guide.

Exquisitely detailed illustrations, stunning photographs, and clearly written text combine to make this an indispensible reference source for marine mammal watchers and anyone interested in the natural world. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Much more than expected!
Audubon has certainly delivered their best in this marine life field guide! When I bought this, I expected it to be the usual good Audubon repeat of their previous field guides. I was quite impressed by the number of species inserted, and the special illustrations used along with it. There are a surprising number of families and subspecies listed also.
The whales and dolphins section is the best part of the guide, listing rare and endangered species. I don't suspect anyone has heard of the "Tucuxi" dolphin, have they? Rather than just listing commonly seen or normal species, Audubon has done extensive research on others, and has inserted dozens or more in each family section, making identification completely unmistakable. The seals and sea lions covered are no different in variety and number of listings. However, many of the seals listed are subspecies of 6 previous listings.
The binding is usual quality by Audubon publishers, making an excellent reading book, whether on a boat trip, in a car, or simply in an easy chair at home. Forget other Marine Mammal Guides, and make an extensive search for this!

Very informative, but a few minor quibbles
I picked this book up at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago (inspired by the walrus exhibit). It is a very informative guide and beautifully illustrated.

I would hazard to guess that this book is intended for the "arm-chair naturalist." Very few of us can afford vacations to the distant locales where many of the marine mammals in this book live.

The book is laid out like the typical birding guide: species description, similar species, habitat and natural history.

With this in mind, I was disapointed to find the "species describtion" and the "similar species" sections of the species accounts were often longer than the behavior and natural history sections. I do want to know how a Swainson's Thrush is similar to a Grey-checked Thrush (two similar birds), but I really do not care how to tell apart two endimic Antarctic seals. I would much rather read more about how their lives are lived.

My only other quibble is with the "status and conversation" sections of the species accounts. While it is certainlly true that many marine mammals are threatened and endangerd, it is also true that many marine mammals (such as harbor seals and bottle nose dolphins) are doing just fine. The authors of the book seem reluctant to admit this.

Both of these are minor quibbles. If you are even remotely curious about the variety of marine mammals in the world, this book is certainly for you.

Guide to Marine Mammals of the World
Guide to Marine Mammals of the World illustrated by Pieter Folkens et al is a National Audubon Society book organized into four major groups of marine mammals; marine fissipeds, pinnipeds, cetaceans, and sirenians.

There is fascinating detail as the book goes on to describe the world's whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals and sea lions, manatees, marine and sea otters, and polar bears. Not only is there detailed descriptions, but there are maps to show where these animals live throughout the world. There is a general introduction that outlines the evolution and tanonomy of marine mammals, distribution, migration, watching guidelines, identification techniques, organizations and laws that protect marine mammals.

There are 120 species represented in this book. Also, there are facts about social organization, surface behaviors, swimming and diving, details about food items and foraging techniques, and estimates of population in the wild, plus current and historic threats.

If you are taking a trip to the coastlines or live near the oceans then don't be caught without this fine field guide. You will be amazed by the wildlife near the and in the ocean. This is a comprehensive and beautifully illustrated work.

Don't leave home without it, as your trip will be richer and more fulfilling as you spot the animals listed.

A lasting, important library reference
Pieter Folkens illustrates Guide To Marine Mammals Of The World, a comprehensive desk reference which blends color photos and maps with realistic drawings of marine mammals. Paintings illustrate juvenile and subspecies, photos show typical behavior and appearance in the wild, and color range maps reflect the latest information, while chapters cover all the natural history basics. Guide To Marine Mammals Of The World promises to be a lasting, important library reference.

The 'Sibley' of Marine Mammals
The National Audubon Society's Guide to Marine Mammals of the World contains a wealth of information about pinnipeds (seals and sea lions), cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), sirenians (manatees and dugongs), polar bears and otters that's timely and easy to digest. Descriptions, range, behavior, etc. of the various species are informative, with just enough detail for anyone short of a marine biology major.

Along with a number of excellent quality photographs, Pieter Folkens (from my hometown of Benicia, CA!) illustrations are superb. From Knopf, the same publishers of the Sibley Guide to Birds, the graphics and layout of this guide are similarly clean and very attractive. I think it's one of the best looking books of it's type, and an ideal introductory guide for anyone with an interest in marine mammals. ... Read more

Book Description

The gulls are a large family of seabirds, familiar and distinctive as a group, but one of the most challenging to separate at the species level, especially in their various stages of immature plumage. This guide offers the most comprehensive treatment ever published on the gulls of North America, Europe, and Asia. Klaus Malling Olsen and Hans Larsson treat a total of forty-three species--each depicted in considerable detail, with a full description of every plumage and racial variation. The text is complemented not only by superb color paintings by Larsson, but also by 800 color photographs.

Gulls explore a variety of habitats, consume a wide range of food, and are often extremely abundant. They are also great wanderers, with several American species often appearing in Western Europe and vice versa. As well as identification criteria, this book includes an up-to-date assessment of the range and status of every species, together with information on patterns on vagrancy.

This important guide is published at a critical time in the development of gull taxonomy. The large white-headed gulls found in North America, Europe, and Asia comprise a superspecies complex, with the precise relationships between various components still under considerable debate. A thorough illustrative and textual treatment of the group is needed, and this book provides the most recent and complete overview. This is the essential reference to a fascinating and endlessly challenging group of birds.

... Read more

Reviews (1)

Fatally flawed
Once the errors are resolved, this book will be the definitive one on the complex identification of Gulls. Unfortunately there were many printing errors in the first printing (which at the time of writing, is the one listed by Amazon) and the publisher is recalling the book. See:
http://pup.princeton.edu/titles/7362.html ... Read more

Book Description

Nearly all the chemical elements that make up living things are mineral elements, the ultimate source of which is rock weathered into soil. In the thoroughly revised Second Edition of Mineral Nutrition of Plants: Principles and Perspectives, Epstein and Bloom explain that plant roots "mine" these nutrient elements from their inorganic substrate and introduce them into the realm of living things. The authors trace the subsequent movement of these nutrients into other plant organs, tissues, cells, and organelles, their biochemical assimilation, and their functions in plant physiology and metabolism. Treatment of these processes extends from molecular biology through global biogeochemistry. The text, illustrated in full color, is accessible both to undergraduate students in plant physiology, agronomy, horticulture, and environmental studies and to researchers in these and other plant biological fields. ... Read more

Book Description

The Galápagos is a truly special place. Unlike the rest of the world's archipelagoes, it still has 95 percent of its prehuman quota of species. Wildlife of the Galápagos is the most superbly illustrated and comprehensive identification guide ever to the natural splendor of these incomparable islands--islands today threatened by alien species and diseases that have diminished but not destroyed what so enchanted Darwin on his arrival there in 1835. Covering over 200 commonly seen birds, mammals, reptiles, invertebrates, and plants, it reveals the archipelago's striking beauty through more than 400 color photographs, maps, and drawings and well-written, informative text.

While the Galápagos Giant Tortoise, the Galápagos Sea Lion, and the Flightless Cormorant are recognized the world over, these thirty-three islands--in the Pacific over 600 miles from mainland Ecuador--are home to many more unique but less famous species. Here, reptiles well outnumber mammals, for they were much better at drifting far from a continent the archipelago was never connected with; the largest native land mammals are rice rats. The islands' sixty resident bird species include the only penguin to breed entirely in the tropics and to inhabit the Northern Hemisphere.

There is a section offering tips on photography in the Equatorial sunlight, and maps of visitors' sites as well as information on the archipelago's history, climate, geology, and conservation. Wildlife of the Galápagos is the perfect companion for anyone who wants to know what so delighted Darwin.

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Covers over 200 commonly seen species including birds, mammals, reptiles, invertebrates, plants, and coastal and marine life
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Illustrated with over 400 color photographs, maps, and drawings; includes maps of visitors' sites
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Written by wildlife experts with extensive knowledge of the area
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Includes information on the history, climate, geology, and conservation of the islands
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The most complete identification guide to the wildlife of the Galápagos

Reviews (1)

Well worth purchasing
This book is well organised, well written and beautifully illustrated. Written by people who truly know the Galapagos Islands and all that exists there, including landings and information on what one can expect to see on arrival at any one island. I actually used three other guides whilst in the Galapago this month and only accessed this one at the end of my trip. I have continued to read this book since arriving home and highly recommend it. ... Read more

Book Description

In A Field Guide to Cows, John Pukite provides all the facts--so even the novice can identify and get to know America's fifty-two breeds of cattle. Every entry in this entertaining yet completely usable book features an illustration that highlights each breed's most easily identifiable traits, such as coloration pattern and body shape. The book includes a checklist of breeds so the die-hard cow watcher can keep track of sightings, a list of essential garb and gear for cow watching, a glossary of terms, a listing of breeder associations, and more. Fascinating cow trivia is interspersed throughout.Informative, amazing, and amusing, A Field Guide to Cows is the indispensable companion for would-be cow tippers, farmers, city folk, agriculturalists, interstate drivers, 4-H'ers, vacationing families, and everyone who likes to moo at cows.
Cow Facts
*There are approximately 350 squirts in a gallon of milk
* Old cows in India have their own nursing homes
* From 1866 to 1895 cowboys drove about 10,000,000 cattle out of Texas ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Ok...
I have cows and live on a farm that was once a dairy farm. I purchased this book because I thought it might have some good pictures and information. I was 50% right. The information is very good. Each specific breed has it's own two pages to strut it's stuff. On the bottom of the page there is extra "did you know..." information. That is all really helpful. But the pictures. The pictures are all black and white. Even though it tells you what color the cow is, there should really be at least a couple real photographs. Other than the pictures, this is a really good book! Go for it!!

When you can't go home to the range, you can read this book!
I love cows. Whenever life takes a turn for the worse, I soothe myself by driving out to the country to watch our bovine friends. I wish I could share my life with a cow, but my 5,000 square foot lot makes it impossible. So, when I can't visit Bossie, I reach over to my beside table, pick up A Field Guide to Cows and immerse myself in bovine dreams. Calmed, contented and amused, I can drift into peaceful sleep. Better than a drive to Vermont!

Big Disappointment
If you are looking for a cutesy book you won't be disappointed. If you are looking for information on identifying cattle of various breeds accurately - keep looking. This book has a cut out mask that you can hold in front of your face so you can moo at cows over the fence. There are no photographs of cows or anything else. Black and white sketches only. Buyer beware!!!

Light-hearted approach to bovine identification
Finding this book has rekindled my interest in the bovine species, and has allowed me to develop a better general understanding of bovine behaviour and the origins and development of the species common to North America. The light-hearted approach makes the book all the more fun and accessable. My only complaint is that the book consists of illustrations; although they are undeniably good, I would have much preferred color photos. Nevertheless a great book for a child with a budding interest in cattle, or the city slicker who wants to know what that cow that doesn't look like a Holstein is called.

Cute book for learning the basics
I bought this book because I've always had a "thing" for cows. My kitchen used to be decorated in cows. I'm one of those people that used to yell "MOOOOO" out of car windows, every time I would pass a field of cows.

This book isn't exactly what I thought it would be, but I still recommend it. I was hoping for pictures, but there are only hand drawn illustrations. The illustrations are good...but I really wished for color photographs.

There are fun facts on every page, which I enjoy being able to spout off. There are charts in the back of the book about milk production and beef production. My pre-teen daughter found enough information in this book to do a report on cows, even thought it's thin...she also found it to be a fast read.

I'd recommend this book to someone curious about cows. It's a good starting-off point. ... Read more

Book Description

This guide shows how to recognize hawks the way we recognize friends at a distance: by body shape, movements, and locale. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Useful book...
HAWKS IN FLIGHT by Peter Dunne is a useful book because it includes many photos and drawings of various species of Raptors in flight. When you see a Raptor, you generally have no way to identify it except by it's flight profile. Feather markings simply cannot be seen when a bird is sailing on a current of air or scuttling after prey. Once in a while I've surprised a hawk at rest, but generally it is well hidden in the leaves of a tree and takes off before I can get a good look. Even the Cooper's Hawk I see on my morning commute along the parkway is usually sitting back on a branch waiting for road kill (he is one fat lazy bird).

The photos in HAWKS IN FLIGHT show the birds as seen from the side flying close to the ground and as well as overhead. The book also includes drawings showing birds that resemble each other juxtaposed side by side as they would never appear in nature. Some of the photos are not very clear and the drawings are darker than I like, but no less a birder than Roger Tory Petersen recommended this book which nicely complements his own books.

Although the title includes the reference to hawks, the chapters cover Buteos, Accipiters, Falcons, Kites, Harriers, Eagles, Ospreys, and Vultures. The chapter on Accipiters covers the Cooper's Hawk, the hawk I see by the roadside in Washington DC. We also see Falcons chasing our song birds. A whole lot of back-stabbing goes on in this town.

Hawks in Flight, great source
This book is a must have for any raptor fanatic. I used to be so confused on how to tell all those buteos apart, except when it was an obvious red tail. It is definatly worth the money, it is not meant to be a "ooh look at the pretty pictures kind of bird book", it is a holistic approach to identification, you learn about flight traits of each raptor, overall impression, plumage, etc. Read the whole thing so you really get whats going on. I am much more confident and knowledgeable after having studied this book. Buy it, worth it.

excellent book
This is a really interesting book. It has some photographs (which have inspired me to get out to Cape May and other cool birding havens) but most of the pictures are black & white drawings. The detail I think is actually pretty good. The drawings do not give specific detail of color shading etc but instead provide the broader strokes of major markings or wing shape or how the bird might look looking down at you. There are head-on profiles (in different modes of flight), some top down drawings, but mostly looking up and side. The raptors are segmented into the different groups of Buteos, Accipters Falcons, Kites, Northern Harrier, Eagles & Vultures, and Osprey. Within each section each bird has a few pages with pictures and really neat info about their migration patterns as well as tips for id.

I'm still not very good at id of these birds but I love watching them and trying to id them. This book is a really good resource!

Hawks in Flight
Disappointing. Many pictures are dark and/or fuzzy. I find that hard to distinguish features of different hawks.

The best guide for serious hawk watchers
There is no other guide which even approaches Hawks in Flight for thoroughness, clarity, and utility. Anyone who seriously pursues the sport of hawk watching must have this book.

For those just starting out in hawk watching, and for general use by even the most serious hawk watchers, I strongly recommend another work by Dunne et al., Hawk Watch: A Guide for Beginners, which is a large-format condensed version of Hawks in Flight. this book does focus exclusively on eastern species, however. Having both books is ideal. ... Read more

Book Description

Descriptions of 380 species include size, weight, color, markings, number of teeth, habitat, habits, and comparisons with similar species.Superb color illustrations and line drawings show 230 animals.Range maps as well as photos of skulls and drawings of animal tracks, dens, nests, and burrows round out the wealth of information given in "the best general guide to all of North America" (Peter Warshall, Whole Earth Review). ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Out of date
Unfortunately this book has not been updated in over 25 years. Taxonomic changes in some groups of mammals have left this rather inadequate. The illustrations aren't bad except for sea mammals which have black and white sketches for illustrations. It may have been a decent guide when it came out, but I don't see the point in publishing a book which may not have the animal you're looking at in it! This book needs a revision.

Beware!
This book was issued in 1976 not in 1998 as I was led to believe...... I just received my copy and it is a 3rd edition, clearly copyrighted in 1976. Apparently it was reprinted recently, but not updated. Who knows how much has changed on our knowledge of mammals over the past 25 years? Also, the binding on this paperback has left little space for the inside margin which will make this a little difficult to use and probably shortern its lifespan. RK

Great Field guide
Peterson's field guide to mammals is one of my standard references as a mammology student. I constantly use the range maps,color identification plates, and animal descriptions. The book provides you with good identification characteristics indicated by arrows on the illustrations of each animal and a brief life history of every species north of the border. There are skull plates at the back of the book that are good for comparing different families but do not include every species and in some cases are poor positions to see defining attributes. The color plates for the most part have good illustrations but a few look hoaky like the Mountain Lion. Nevertheless, they all still provide good size comparisons and coloration of the animals. Consistant with other Peterson guides. ... Read more

Book Description

Learn how to train birds of prey correctly and safely. Jemima Parry-Jones, owner of the National Birds of Prey Centre, covers the five family groups in detail: eagles, hawks, falcons, buzzards and owls. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Training birds of prey - Jemima Parry-Jones
Much the same as her previous " Falconry Care, Captive breeding and Conservation" - but was well worth doing as is underlines serious points and issues. On the whole a very good book with excellent information and photography. The author does as with the last book seem to have a very high opinion of herself and holds herself up as THE FALCONER in Britain today.

I was concerned that the author also seems to put the notion across that her Falconry Centre is the only good one in the country and that everyone else is just either playing at it or only in it to make money - as if she isn't what with at least two books, courses, displays etc... I do believe that she holds the welfare of the birds as her highest priority, but this can only be maintained with adequate finance as is the situation with everyone else.

Note : Cover picture - Buzzard only held by one Jess 2nd page in - one of the jesses is not secured properly to the swivel, preventing the swivel from working properly.. Pages 78,79 and 81, these are surely unhelpful pictures to put on public view - a falcon shying away and hanging from the fist.The anti-hunting lobby would love this. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great Overview of Birds
This book has a wealth of information about a wide variety of bird topics. It has bird anatomy, songs, how to build a nest box, etc. The main chapter of this book, named 'The Habitat BirdFinder' is a field guide to about 100 of the most commonly seen birds in North America, and isn't in any specific order, but by which habitat it is most likely to be seen in. It is very useful, with a large photograph and colour drawings with text for each bird. The range maps are very clear and easy to use. In the back of the book there is a good selection of other books and resources, including local birding organizations.
If you are looking for a first birding book, to get you started and familiar with birds, then this is a great start.

You need to buy this!
This book has been an excellent addition to my library on birding. Splendid photography! Helpful tips!Interesting insights and all at a great price. The book is beautiful and is clearly of high quality. You won't be disappointed!

A beautifully illustrated and informative reference book
This is a wonderfully put together reference book for bird watchers. I also gave one to my father as a gift and he just can't put it down. The pictures are teriffic and there's a lot of information about each bird. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys birds.

Beautiful book with full-page descriptions and photos.
My grandparents bought me this beautiful hardcover book for Christmas. It has full-page narratives and photos of many North American birds, and it has come in very handy as a reference when I see a new bird in my neighborhood. ... Read more