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Bird Homes and HabitatsBird Homes and Habitats
by Bill Thompson III

From Houghton Mifflin Harcourt:

Two of the best-known names in birding—Peterson and Bird Watcher’s Digest—team up to provide reliable, expert advice on how to attract the birds you want into your yard.

Which birds use nest boxes? What’s required to maintain a birdhouse? What kind of habitat will attract which birds? What does it take to be a bluebird trail operator? What does it mean if baby birds or eggs disappear from their nest?

Bill Thompson III answers all of these questions and more, helping readers to create yards and gardens where birds will make their homes and raise their young.

It’s easy enough to hang a birdfeeder. But there are plenty of other things that can attract birds to a landscape—and, in fact, birds need four essentials: food, water, shelter, and a place to nest. The more of these elements a yard has, the more attractive it is to birds.

A lavishly illustrated chapter provides ideas and inspiration for creating bird havens by profiling “Birdy Backyard All-Stars,” fifteen homeowners from around the country who have actively worked to create bird-friendly habitats.

 

As expected, this book includes everything you need to know about bird houses. But it also includes natural bird homes and profiles of cavity nesting birds. Beyond that, you’ll find tips on how to make your yard more attractive to birds.

 

Bird Homes and Habitats
by Bill Thompson III
Paperback; 217 pages
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; September 10, 2013
ISBN: 9780618904464
$14.95

Several bird apps are on sale right now. But hurry, this is only for a limited time.

Peterson Birds of North America – $0.99 (regularly $9.99). iOS only

Audubon Birds — A Field Guide to North American Birds – $2.99 (regularly $9.99). iOS, Android, Kindle, and Nook. All the other Audubon Single Subjects and Ultimate Nature Guides are also on sale – http://natureshare.com/#apps

BirdLog – North America – $4.99 (regularly $9.99). iOS and Android

BirdsEye North America – $4.99 (regularly $19.99). iOS only

Looking for the GoshawkLooking for the Goshawk
by Conor Mark Jameson

From Bloomsbury Publishing:

The book traces Conor Jameson’s travels in search of the Goshawk, a magnificent yet rarely seen (in Britain at least) raptor. Each episode of the narrative arises from personal experience, investigation, and the unearthing of information from research, exploration and conversations.

The journey takes him from an encounter with a stuffed Goshawk in a glass case, through travels into supposed Goshawk territories in Britain, to Berlin – where he finds the bird at ease in the city. Why, he wants to know, is the bird so rarely seen in Britain? He explores the politics of birdwatching, the sport of falconry and the impact of persecution on the recent history of the bird in Britain and travels the length of Britain, through central Europe and the USA in search of answers to the goshawk mystery. Throughout his journey he is inspired by the writings of T H White who told of his attempts to tame a Goshawk in his much-loved book.

It’s a gripping tale on the trail of a most mysterious and charismatic bird.

 

Somehow I’ve neglected to mention this book yet. I’m reading it right now and enjoying it. It’s very similar in scope to Tim Gallagher’s Grail Bird and Imperial Dreams (except, of course, there’s no chance the goshawk is extinct!).

 

Looking for the Goshawk
by Conor Mark Jameson
Hardcover; 368 pages
A&C Black (Bloomsbury); June 6, 2013
ISBN: 978-1408164877
$28.95

A Bobwhite Killing: A Bob White Birder Murder Mystery For a limited time, the Kindle version of A Bobwhite Killing: A Bob White Birder Murder Mystery is free on Amazon.com. This is one of Jan Dunlap’s birding mysteries (here’s a review of another one). This offer is good through Sunday July 14, 2013.

The Warbler GuideThe Warbler Guide
by Tom Stephenson and Scott Whittle

From Princeton University Press:

Warblers are among the most challenging birds to identify. They exhibit an array of seasonal plumages and have distinctive yet oft-confused calls and songs. The Warbler Guide enables you to quickly identify any of the 56 species of warblers in the United States and Canada. This groundbreaking guide features more than 1,000 stunning color photos, extensive species accounts with multiple viewing angles, and an entirely new system of vocalization analysis that helps you effectively learn songs and calls.

  • Covers all 56 species of warblers in the United States and Canada
  • Visual quick finders help you identify warblers from any angle
  • Song and call finders make identification easy using a few simple questions
  • Uses sonograms to teach a new system of song identification that makes it easier to understand and hear differences between similar species
  • Detailed species accounts show multiple views with diagnostic points, direct comparisons of plumage and vocalizations with similar species, and complete aging and sexing descriptions
  • New aids to identification include song mnemonics and icons for undertail pattern, color impression, habitat, and behavior
  • Includes field exercises, flight shots, general identification strategies, and quizzes

 

Amazing book. It has a ton of information, photos, and, yes, even sonograms. I’ve only had it for a day, so I’m still a bit overwhelmed. If you want to check it out for yourself, here’s a sample species account (American Redstart) and a great series of videos from the authors going over all the guide’s features.

 

The Warbler Guide
by Tom Stephenson and Scott Whittle
Flexicover; 560 pages
Princeton University Press; July 7, 2013
ISBN: 978-0691154824
$29.95

Peterson Birds Pocket Edition iOS appPeterson Birds Pocket Edition – A Field Guide to Birds of North America
$0.99

From Peterson Guides:

Peterson Birds Pocket Edition is the latest nature app from Appweavers, developers of award-winning Peterson apps for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Pocket Edition includes Roger Tory Peterson’s ground-breaking illustrations and content from the best selling book, Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America.

Peterson Birds Pocket Edition includes identical core content to the award-winning Peterson Birds of North America app, with illustrations, range maps, bird songs, species details, and much more.

 

This new app takes a different approach to the “lite” app concept. Instead of including a limited number of species, this Pocket Edition includes all the birds from the full Peterson App but drops some of the features. You miss out on some cool features – like the content of additional Peterson guides and some list capabilities – but you still get all the illustrations, sounds, maps, and species account text. And perhaps best of all – it’s only $0.99!

Imperial Dreams: Tracking the Imperial Woodpecker Through the Wild Sierra MadreImperial Dreams: Tracking the Imperial Woodpecker Through the Wild Sierra Madre
by Tim Gallagher

From Atria Books:

Explorer and naturalist Tim Gallagher is obsessed with rare birds. A decade ago, Gallagher was one of the rediscoverers of the legendary ivory-billed woodpecker, which most scientists believed had been extinct for more than half a century—an event that caused an international stir. Now, in Imperial Dreams, Gallagher once again hits the trail, journeying deep into Mexico’s savagely beautiful Sierra Madre Occidental, home to rich wildlife, as well as to Mexican drug cartels, in a perilous quest to locate the most elusive bird in the world—the imperial woodpecker, a giant among its clan.

The imperial woodpecker’s trumpetlike calls and distinctive hammering on massive pines once echoed through the high forests. Two feet tall, with deep black plumage, a brilliant snow-white shield on its back, and a crimson crest, the imperial woodpecker had largely disappeared fifty years ago, though reports persist of the bird still flying through remote mountain stands. In an attempt to find and protect the imperial woodpecker in its last habitat, Gallagher is guided by a map of sightings of this natural treasure of the Sierra Madre, bestowed on him by a friend on his deathbed. Charged with continuing the quest of a line of distinguished naturalists, including the great Aldo Leopold, Gallagher treks through this mysterious, historically untamed and untamable territory. Here, where an ancient petroglyph of the imperial can still be found, Geronimo led Apaches in their last stand, William Randolph Hearst held a storied million-acre ranch, and Pancho Villa once roamed, today ruthless drug lords terrorize residents and steal and strip the land.

Gallagher’s passionate quest takes a harrowing turn as he encounters armed drug traffickers, burning houses, and fleeing villagers. His mission becomes a life-and-death drama that will keep armchair adventurers enthralled as he chases truth in the most dangerous of habitats.

 

After his search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (recounted in The Grail Bird), Tim Gallagher sets his sights on its cousin, the Imperial Woodpecker. I’m reading it now and have found it very interesting so far – part natural history, part investigation, and part adventure travel.

 

Imperial Dreams: Tracking the Imperial Woodpecker Through the Wild Sierra Madre
by Tim Gallagher
Hardcover; 302 pages
Atria Books; April 16, 2013
ISBN: 978-1439191521
$26.00

The World's Rarest BirdsThe World’s Rarest Birds
by Erik Hirschfeld, Andy Swash, and Robert Still

From Princeton University Press:

This beautifully illustrated book vividly depicts the most threatened birds on Earth. It provides up-to-date information from BirdLife International on the threats each species faces, and the measures being taken to save them. Today, 590 bird species are classified as Endangered or Critically Endangered, or now only exist in captivity. This landmark publication features stunning photographs of 515 species-including the results of a prestigious international photographic competition organized specifically for this book. This is the first time that images of many of these birds have been published. It also showcases meticulously accurate illustrations by acclaimed wildlife artist Tomasz Cofta for the 75 species of which no photographs are known to exist.

The World’s Rarest Birds has introductory chapters that explain the threats birds face in a rapidly changing world, how their threat status is assessed, and how this information is used to set conservation priorities. The book is divided into seven regional sections-Europe and the Middle East; Africa and Madagascar; Asia; Australasia; Oceanic Islands; North America, Central America, and the Caribbean; and South America. Each section highlights particular conservation challenges and threatened bird hotspots, and includes a comprehensive illustrated directory of the most endangered birds, giving a concise description of their distribution, status, population, key threats, and conservation needs. This one-of-a-kind book also covers the 60 Data Deficient species. QR codes are included for every species, linked directly to the relevant species factsheet on BirdLife International’s website, where detailed, up-to-date information is freely available.

 

Wow. I was, and continue to be, blown away by how good this book looks (check out some samples). The photographs and overall design are amazing. But it’s the content that really makes this book worthwhile. Do yourself a favor and just get it. I can’t recommend it enough.

 

The World’s Rarest Birds
by Erik Hirschfeld, Andy Swash, and Robert Still
Hardcover; 360 pages
Princeton University Press; April 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0691155968
$45.00

National Geographic Pocket Guide to the Birds of North AmericaNational Geographic Pocket Guide to the Birds of North America
by Laura Erickson and Jonathan Alderfer

From National Geographic:

This fun, affordable, beautifully illustrated introduction to birding is like taking a walk with National Geographic’s birding experts. Of this book’s 192 pages, 160 are devoted to North America’s top species, one per page, from the lowly House Wren to the majestic Bald Eagle. Carefully chosen illustrations and photographs capture the key details and typical behavior of each bird, paired with a short list of essential facts and a fun, fascinating, colloquially written “bird-ography” of each bird. (The latter feature is unique to this beginning field guide). Pictures plus facts plus story: a winning combination. With a small trim size and colorful illustrations, this pocket guide is easy on the eyes and easy to stash. A useful color index aids identification; tips throughout show how to observe, track, and identify birds in nature.

 

A great book for someone with a new or casual interest in birds, and even older children.

 

National Geographic Pocket Guide to the Birds of North America
by Laura Erickson and Jonathan Alderfer
Paperback; 192 pages
National Geographic; April 2, 2013
ISBN: 978-1426210440
$12.95

A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago: Third EditionA Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago: Third Edition
by Richard ffrench and John P. O’Neill

From Cornell University Press:

Members of nearly all the families of South American birds can be found on the two beautiful West Indian islands of Trinidad and Tobago, where the pleasant climate, varied habitat, and avian diversity create a “birder’s paradise.” This easy-to-use book is the third edition of a comprehensive yet compact field guide to all 477 species of the islands’ birds, including 35 new species accounts added to the country’s bird list since the last edition. Richard ffrench’s work has been a “bible” to birders since the appearance of the first edition in 1973. This new edition incorporates five decades of his notes and records of the island’s birds to present in a handy and readable form detailed and comprehensive information about the birds of Trinidad and Tobago.

Showcasing 40 all-new color plates by the very best bird artists working under the direction of John P. O’Neill, the third edition now includes illustrations of not only the islands’ endemic and resident species, but also the many migratory species that visit the islands from both the north and the south. The taxonomic arrangement and treatment of families and species has also been brought in line with the most recent determinations of the A.O.U. Committee on Nomenclature for a thoroughly up-to-date presentation. In his introduction, Richard ffrench offers a full treatment of the history of ornithology in Trinidad and Tobago and sets the scene by describing the islands’ physiography, climate, and vegetation. Individual species accounts, arranged by family, make up the core of this identification guide. The accounts cover habitat and status, range and subspecies, field description and basic measurements, voice, food, nesting, and behavior. Richard ffrench’s summary of the distribution of species and their breeding and migration, as well as local conservation and protection measures, makes this volume much more than a typical field-guide treatment, and invites visitors to this premier ecotourism destination.

 

This third edition is clearly an improvement over the previous one when it comes to the artwork and number of species illustrated. But the format, unfortunately, hasn’t changed – it’s still the dated format of isolated plates in the middle, segregated from the species accounts. While that impairs its effectiveness as a field guide, it should still prove useful. Sorry to say I don’t have the other field guide to these islands – Field Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago – so I can’t compare them.

 

A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago: Third Edition
by Richard ffrench and John P. O’Neill
Paperback; 435 pages
Comstock Publishing Associates; December 4, 2012
ISBN: 978-0801473647
$39.95