Book News

The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds
by John Muir Laws

From Heyday:

Renowned artist and naturalist John Muir Laws, author of the Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada and Sierra Birds: A Hiker’s Guide, brings us this full-color how-to guide to drawing birds. Laws’s book, with an illuminating foreword by David Sibley, is devoted not only to art but also to the lives, forms, and postures of the birds themselves. It intertwines artistic technique and the exquisite details of natural history, and drawing becomes the vehicle for seeing.

As Laws writes, “To draw feathers, you must understand how feathers grow, overlap, and insert into the body. To create the body, you must have an understanding of the bird’s skeletal structure. To pose this skeleton, you must be able to perceive the energy, intention, and life of the bird.”

This inspiring guide will enhance the skills of serious artists but also, perhaps more importantly, it will provide help for those who insist they can’t draw. Leading the mind and hand through a series of detailed exercises, Laws delivers what he promises: “drawing birds opens you to the beauty of the world.”

This book looks like it would be helpful for everyone from those like me who can’t draw (yet), to those artistically talented folks who want some pointers for drawing birds. For sure, it is well-produced and well-illustrated. And maybe just what you need if you want to learn how to draw birds.

The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds
by John Muir Laws
Paperback; 128 pages
Heyday; September 1, 2012
ISBN 13: 978-1597141956
$24.95

For each of the last three years, we’ve been treated to a Pete Dunne book exploring a particular season. I’ve really enjoyed the series and was greatly anticipating the finale this year. But then came the bad news: it’s not going to be published. (Queue the cheesy Darth Vader “Noooooooooo!”) As disappointing as that was, though, we will still get two new books from Dunne this year.

The Art of Bird Identification: A Straightforward Approach to Putting a Name to the Bird
by Pete Dunne

From Stackpole Books:

• How to get good, then better, then even better at identifying birds in the field-and have fun doing it
• A straightforward approach from Pete Dunne, one of the country’s top birders and birding instructors, written in his distinctive style
• Includes descriptive information for 75 bird groups to help get the ID process off on the right foot
• Practical, expert advice and entertaining in-the-field examples of birding successes and common mistakes

This book is targeted at beginning birders. I’m still reading it, but it’s shaping up to be a must-have resource for those just starting out.

Hawks in Flight: Second Edition
by Pete Dunne, David Sibley, and Clay Sutton

Also from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt:

Among the world’s most popular birds, hawks can be some of the most difficult birds to identify. They’re most often seen flying high above and at a distance.

In the first edition of Hawks in Flight, Pete Dunne, David Sibley, and Clay Sutton presented a holistic method of hawk identification, using general body shape, the way they move, and the places they are most likely to be seen.

The new edition of the book that Roger Tory Peterson called a “landmark” integrates an array of carefully selected photographs, David Sibley’s superb illustrations, and a clear, information-packed text and takes raptor identification to a higher level. This edition covers all of the raptors that breed in North America, including those with limited ranges in Florida, the Southwest, and Texas.

Picking up where its predecessor ended by including two decades of raptor identification refinement, Hawks in Flight summarizes and places in users’ hands an identification skill set that used to take years to master. The unique alchemy of Dunne, Sibley, and Sutton—including their collective experience of more than one hundred years watching hawks—make this book a singular achievement and a must-have for anyone interested in hawks.

11 new species (now covers all the birds of prey with established populations in the U.S. and Canada), drawings from David Sibley, and now-in-color photographs make this new edition a worthwhile upgrade.

The Art of Bird Identification: A Straightforward Approach to Putting a Name to the Bird
by Pete Dunne
Paperback; 144 pages
Stackpole Books; September 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0811731966
$16.95

Hawks in Flight: Second Edition
by Pete Dunne, David Sibley, and Clay Sutton
Hardcover; 345 pages
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; September 18, 2012
ISBN: 978-0395709597
$26.00

The Mating Lives of Birds
by James Parry

From The MIT Press:

Birdsong may seem to us to be the purest expression of joy, but in fact when a male bird bursts into melodious song, he is warning off other males and advertising his availability to females. He may also engage in spectacular displays of plumage, dance-like movements, or even acrobatics (tree-based or aerial)–all as part of courtship. The female, meanwhile, assesses his vocalization, plumage, and territory before accepting him as a mate. The Mating Lives of Birds offers an engaging and lavishly illustrated account of this most captivating phenomenon in the natural world: bird courtship and display. It explains how birds’ reproduction strategies have evolved, and describes bird monogamy, polygamy, polyandry, promiscuity, and communal living arrangements. It shows us dancing cranes, somersaulting hummingbirds, drumming ducks, and the outrageously extravagant plumage of birds of paradise. It describes group territorial displays, jousting males, and phalarope role reversal (with the female sporting brighter plumage)–not to mention elaborate nest decoration and the presentation of food offerings. The book’s fascinating account of the mating behavior of bird species from around the world is illustrated by 140 vividly detailed color images. Birdwatchers will find The Mating Lives of Birds to be an essential addition to their libraries.

From courtship to fledging, this book takes a look at arguably the most important period in birds’ lives.

The Mating Lives of Birds
by James Parry
Hardcover; 160 pages
The MIT Press; August 3, 2012
ISBN 13: 978-0262018319
$29.95

City of Ravens: The Extraordinary History of London, the Tower and its Famous Ravens
by Boria Sax

From Overlook Press:

The tales tell that Charles the Second feared ‘Britain will fall’ if the ravens ever left the Tower of London. Yet the truth is that they arrived in Victorian times as props in gory tales for tourists. The legend began in 1944 when a raven spotted bombers over London. But the ravens’ past has far more high drama. From the plains of the North American Indians to the Arctic tundra, all the way to the Tower of London, they have been symbols of cruelty, of survival through adversity, and a loveable icon. Boria Sax shows how our attitudes to the raven and to the natural world in general have changed enormously over the centuries. By describing the distinct place of this special bird in Anglo-Saxon culture, he shows how blurred the lines between myth and history can be. This is a unique and brilliantly readable story of the entwined lives of people and animals.

I doubt there’s a better choice of birds than the raven to explore myth and our relationship with animals.

City of Ravens: The Extraordinary History of London, the Tower and its Famous Ravens
by Boria Sax
Hardcover; 206 pages
Overlook Press; July 5, 2012
ISBN 13: 978-1-59020-777-2
$22.00

Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans
by John Marzluff and Tony Angell

From Free Press:

CROWS ARE MISCHIEVOUS, playful, social, and passionate. They have brains that are huge for their body size and exhibit an avian kind of eloquence. They mate for life and associate with relatives and neighbors for years. And because they often live near people—in our gardens, parks, and cities—they are also keenly aware of our peculiarities, staying away from and even scolding anyone who threatens or harms them and quickly learning to recognize and approach those who care for and feed them, even giving them numerous, oddly touching gifts in return.

With his extraordinary research on the intelligence and startling abilities of corvids—crows, ravens, and jays—scientist John Marzluff teams up with artist-naturalist Tony Angell to tell amazing stories of these brilliant birds in Gifts of the Crow. With narrative, diagrams, and gorgeous line drawings, they offer an in-depth look at these complex creatures and our shared behaviors. The ongoing connection between humans and crows—a cultural coevolution—has shaped both species for millions of years. And the characteristics of crows that allow this symbiotic relationship are language, delinquency, frolic, passion, wrath, risk-taking, and awareness—seven traits that humans find strangely familiar. Crows gather around their dead, warn of impending doom, recognize people, commit murder of other crows, lure fish and birds to their death, swill coffee, drink beer, turn on lights to stay warm, design and use tools, use cars as nutcrackers, windsurf and sled to play, and work in tandem to spray soft cheese out of a can. Their marvelous brains allow them to think, plan, and reconsider their actions.

With its abundance of funny, awe-inspiring, and poignant stories, Gifts of the Crow portrays creatures who are nothing short of amazing. A testament to years of painstaking research and careful observation, this fully illustrated, riveting work is a thrilling look at one of nature’s most wondrous creatures.

Watching crows is always interesting. So is reading about them.

Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans
by John Marzluff and Tony Angell
Hardcover; 303 pages
Free Press; June 5, 2012
ISBN: 9781439198735
$25.00

The Armchair Birder Goes Coastal: The Secret Lives of Birds of the Southeastern Shore
by John Yow

From The University of North Carolina Press:

With his distinctively witty, anecdotal, and disarming voice, John Yow now journeys to the shore and shares his encounters with some of the most familiar and beloved coastal birds. Out of his travels–from North Carolina’s Outer Banks, down the Atlantic coast, and westward along the Gulf of Mexico–come colorful accounts of twenty-eight species, from ubiquitous beach birds like sanderlings and laughing gulls to wonders of nature like roseate spoonbills and the American avocets. Along the way, Yow delves deeply into the birds’ habits and behaviors, experiencing and relating the fascination that leads many an amateur naturalist to become the most unusual of species–a birder.

Seasonally organized chapters explore the improbable, the wonderful, and the amusing aspects of these birds’ lives. Yow embellishes his observations with field notes, anecdotes, and stories from some of America’s finest naturalists–including John James Audubon, Arthur Cleveland Bent, Rachel Carson, and Peter Matthiessen. Combining the endless fascination of bird life with the pleasure of good reading, The Armchair Birder Goes Coastal is the perfect companion for any nature lover’s next trip to the beach.

The author of The Armchair Birder: Discovering the Secret Lives of Familiar Birds turns his attention to a new set of birds. I’ve enjoyed these accounts, a mixture of personal observations and information from preeminent birders and naturalists.

The Armchair Birder Goes Coastal: The Secret Lives of Birds of the Southeastern Shore
by John Yow
Hardcover; 256 pages
The University of North Carolina Press; May 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8078-3561-6
$26.00

Bird Sense: What It’s Like to Be a Bird
by Tim Birkhead

From Walker & Company, a division of Bloomsbury:

Most people would love to be able to fly like a bird, but few of us are aware of the other sensations that make being a bird a gloriously unique experience. What is going on inside the head of a nightingale as it sings, and how does its brain improvise? How do desert birds detect rain hundreds of kilometers away? How do birds navigate by using an innate magnetic compass?

Tracing the history of how our knowledge about birds has grown, particularly through advances in technology over the past fifty years, Bird Sense tells captivating stories about how birds interact with one another and their environment. More advanced testing methods have debunked previously held beliefs, such as female starlings selecting mates based on how symmetrical the male’s plumage markings are. (Whereas females can discern the difference between symmetrical and asymmetrical markings, they are not very good at detecting small differences among symmetrically marked males!)

Never before has there been a popular book about how intricately bird behavior is shaped by birds’ senses. A lifetime spent studying birds has provided Tim Birkhead with a wealth of fieldwork experiences, insights, and a unique understanding of birds, all firmly grounded in science. No one who reads Bird Sense can fail to be dazzled by it.

I loved the author’s previous book, The Wisdom of Birds. And really, how can a birder not wonder how a bird senses the world?

Bird Sense: What It’s Like to Be a Bird
by Tim Birkhead
Hardcover; 288 pages
Walker & Company; April 24, 2012
ISBN: 9780802779663
$25.00

Princeton University Press has announced an agreement with WILDGuides (based out of the UK) that gives PUP the rights to the entire WILDGuide catalog and any future books. This is great news for those of us in North America. Princeton has already co-published several wonderful books with WILDGuides, including Nightjars of the World and Antarctic Wildlife: A Visitor’s Guide. But now they will have many other titles that were hard to come by here, such as Chris Gooddie’s The Jewel Hunter (naturally, I broke down and bought this book from an overseas dealer less than a day before I found out about this deal).

Here’s the announcement and a list of titles available.

Some more books that will also be coming in 2012:

• The World’s Rarest Birds by Erik Hirschfeld, Andy Swash, and Rob Still
• Animals of the Masai Mara by Adam Scott Kennedy & Vicki Kennedy
• Birds of the Masai Mara by Adam Scott Kennedy
• A Field Guide to the Wildlife of South Georgia by Robert Burton & John Croxall
• A Visitor’s Guide to South Georgia, 2nd Ed. by Sally Poncet & Kim Crosbie
• Britain’s Hoverflies: An Introduction to the Hoverflies of Britain and Ireland by Stuart Ball & Roger Morris
• Britain’s Sea Mammals: Whales, Porpoises, Dolphins, and Seals and Where to Find Them by Jon Dunn, Rob Still & Hugh Harrop

The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds
by Julie Zickefoose

From Houghton Mifflin Harcourt:

Julie Zickefoose lives for the moment when a wild, free living bird that she has raised or rehabilitated comes back to visit her; their eyes meet and they share a spark of understanding. Her reward for the grueling work of rescuing birds—such as feeding baby hummingbirds every twenty minutes all day long—is her empathy with them and the satisfaction of knowing the world is a birdier and more beautiful place.

The Bluebird Effect is about the change that’s set in motion by one single act, such as saving an injured bluebird—or a hummingbird, swift, or phoebe. Each of the twenty-five chapters covers a different species, and many depict an individual bird, each with its own personality, habits, and quirks. And each chapter is illustrated with Zickefoose’s stunning watercolor paintings and drawings. Not just individual tales about the trials and triumphs of raising birds, The Bluebird Effect mixes humor, natural history, and memoir to give readers an intimate story of a life lived among wild birds.

I can’t wait to start reading this beautiful book. And congratulations to Julie and Houghton Mifflin – The Bluebird Effect is featured on Oprah’s blog!

The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds
by Julie Zickefoose
Hardcover; 378 pages
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; March 20, 2012
ISBN: 9780547003092
$28.00

The Kirtland’s Warbler: The Story of a Bird’s Fight Against Extinction and the People Who Saved It
by William Rapai

From University of Michigan Press:

At a time when the world is seeing its species rapidly go extinct, the Kirtland’s warbler is not just a survivor, it’s a rock star. The Kirtland’s warbler is the rarest warbler species in North America and will always be rare because of its persnickety nesting preferences. But when the total population fell below 400 birds in the 1970s and 1980s—driven largely by a loss of habitat and the introduction of a parasite—a small group of dedicated biologists, researchers, and volunteers vowed to save the Kirtland’s warbler despite long odds. This is the story of the warbler’s survival and gradual recovery, the people and policies that kept it from extinction, and the ongoing challenges that may again jeopardize the bird’s future.

In The Kirtland’s Warbler, William Rapai explores the bird’s fascinating natural history as well as the complex and evolving relationships between the warbler, its environment, its human protectors, and state and federal policies that today threaten to eradicate decades of work done on the species’ behalf. Beginning with an account of the warbler’s discovery in the mid-nineteenth century and ornithologists’ desperate hunt for information on the elusive new species, the book goes on to examine the dramatic events that quickly led to the warbler’s precarious status and its eventual emergence as a lightning rod for controversy.

The Kirtland’s warbler is often described as a “bird of fire” for its preference for nesting in areas cleared by wildfire. But it also warrants the name for the passion it ignites in humans. Both tragic and uplifting, the story of this intriguing bird is a stirring example of how strong leadership, vision, commitment, sustained effort, and cooperation can come together to protect our natural world.

The Double-Crested Cormorant: Symbol of Ecological Conflict
by Dennis Wild

Also from University of Michigan Press:

This is the story of the survival, recovery, astonishing success, and controversial status of the double-crested cormorant. After surviving near extinction driven by DDT and other contaminants from the 1940s through the early 1970s, the cormorant has made an unprecedented comeback from mere dozens to a population in the millions, bringing the bird again into direct conflict with humans. Hated for its colonial nesting behavior; the changes it brings to landscapes; and especially its competition with commercial and sports fishers, fisheries, and fish farmers throughout the Great Lakes and Mississippi Delta regions, the cormorant continues to be persecuted by various means, including the shotgun.

In The Double-Crested Cormorant, Dennis Wild brings together the biological, social, legal, and international aspects of the cormorant’s world to give a complete and balanced view of one of the Great Lakes’ and perhaps North America’s most misunderstood species. In addition to taking a detailed look at the complex natural history of the cormorant, the book explores the implications of congressional acts and international treaties, the workings and philosophies of state and federal wildlife agencies, the unrelenting efforts of aquaculture and fishing interests to “cull” cormorant numbers to “acceptable” levels, and the reactions and visions of conservation groups. Wild examines both popular preconceptions about cormorants (what kinds of fish they eat and how much) and the effectiveness of ongoing efforts to control the cormorant population. Finally, the book delves into the question of climate and terrain changes, their consequences for cormorants, the new territories to which the birds must adapt, and the conflicts this species is likely to face going forward.

Anyone interested in these species, or conservation in general, should check out these books.

The Kirtland’s Warbler: The Story of a Bird’s Fight Against Extinction and the People Who Saved It
by William Rapai
Hardcover; 216 pages
University of Michigan Press; February 8, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-472-11803-8
$24.95

The Double-Crested Cormorant: Symbol of Ecological Conflict
by Dennis Wild
Hardcover; 274 pages
University of Michigan Press; February 8, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-472-11763-5
$27.95