Book Review - BETTER BIRDING: Tips, Tools, & Concepts for the Field

BETTER BIRDING: Tips, Tools, & Concepts for the Field

It is a lot of fun to develop better birding skills through the years as it enhances your enjoyment. If you are able to study a bird and find field marks for comparison with a field guide, birding is fun. But if you cannot study a bird, and you get only a brief glimpse, birding can still be very fun. As they point out in this book, you have to get to know a bird, notice its behavior, listen for songs and even call notes, assess the habitat - all can lead you to identification. One of the multiple attractions of birding to me is being a "detective", observing and assessing the clues presented. You have to become good at observation - there is no substitute for that. This book states as its purpose:

"Our primary goal for this book is to help you develop a solid foundation for building your filed skills...By providing information about a bird's habits...a better chance of knowing a species..." And that is perhaps the crux of being a better birder - knowing the species.

Before I go any further let me mention the gorgeous photographs in this book (e.g. check out the breeding plumage Pacific Loon on page 28. Wow!). As a person who loves to look at beautiful birds, I enjoy this element of the book greatly.

If you do nothing else but read the Introduction to the book, you will learn things to help you identify more birds. I particularly like the caption for the Black-chinned Sparrow which points out that "many birds have a suite of other distinctive vocalizations that aid identification, including chip notes and flight calls". I have learned the value of these subtler vocalizations through the years - I tended to be dismissive of them as a younger birder. Now I know quite a few more birds just from recognizing the call notes - sometimes that is all you get!

After the Introduction, the book examines twenty four groups of birds in detail to give you a feel for getting to know a bird. I was particularly taken with the section on the Bristle-thighed Curlew. I spent the summers of 1979 and 1980 in remote NW Alaska (on the job) and I was incessantly searching for this bird among the many Whimbrels that occur there. After reading this section I realized I was not looking for the best field marks - you have to look at the streaked neck and breast contrasting with the plain belly and flanks - I did not know this! I saw a lot of great birds during those two summers so I can't complain, but I may have picked up a Bristle-thighed Curlew had I known what to look for.

All in all, I would say the book is a worthwhile addition to any birder's library. The photos alone are worth the price of the book!

I will conclude with a comment on an interesting section of the book (in the Introduction) - Why Birding is Cool. They pose the question: "What is it specifically that you like about birding?" They point out that birding is at least a pleasant activity and at times it is utterly thrilling. I agree wholeheartedly with that supposition. My thoughts are that what I love about birding is that birds are very, very beautiful to see, I enjoy the "detective" element of birding, and at times I love the "thrill of the chase" in finding an identifying Life Lister birds. It has been a life long passion that began at age 5 or 6 with the surprise discovery of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (See The Passion for Birds Begins in a Wondrous Way) and has continued on for more than 50 years and 500+ species! 

Add this book to your birding library right now!

Feel free to post a comment below on the question: "What is it specifically that you like about birding?" Express yourself!

Review of Birds of South America - Passerines

Birds of South America: Passerines (Princeton Illustrated Checklists)

For anyone with an interest in the birds of South America, this book looks to be a must have in your library. It is intended to be a companion to Birds of South America: Non-Passerines: Rheas to Woodpeckers by Francisco Erize. Now all of the known species of birds of South America are now illustrated in a compact two volume set with the accompanying text and range maps on the facing page. Most excellent for South American birders!

By way of description, this field guide covers all 1,952 passerine species to be found south of Panama, including offshore islands such as Trinidad, the Galapagos, the Falklands and the islands of the Scotia Arc leading to the Antarctic mainland. It features 197 color plates that will aid you in identification (not to mention being enjoyable to look at for a lover of beautiful birds). All plumages are illustrated, including males, females, and juveniles.

As a way of giving you a feel for the book I will open the book to a random page and take the topmost bird and reproduce the text for you:

(Range map is here) SWALLOW TANAGER Tersina veridis 14.5 cm Broad bill and barring across flanks are distinctive. Hurried very high, to ultra-high mixture of notes, including a slightly empasized tjuw. At borders of forest and woodland, scattered trees, riverine belts. Less than 1,500m, locally higher.

SWALLOW TANAGER illustration from facing page

In closing, I will say that for a South American birder, this the ideal guide to take on your travels. This book would be invaluable, if not essential, for a birder traversing more than one South American region. I personally enjoy having it in my library as a way perusing beautiful birds and perhaps learn about new birds - which is a lifelong pursuit of happiness for me!

A Seemingly Forgotten Book Every Serious Birder Will Be Absolutely Delighted To Own

On a cold night this past January here in Wisconsin, I was browsing the books at a local Goodwill store when I happened upon a book I did not recognize entitled BIRDS OF THE WORLD. I opened the cover and checked the copyright date: 1961...This format, 1983. I thought that seems a bit out of date but I began leafing through the book out of curiosity. I was immediately enamored of the book because of the all the really beautiful illustrations (by Arthur Singer)! I am one who is always in the market to learn, and birds are one of the great loves of my life, so a book about birds of the world held great appeal. I decided to purchase it and have never looked back. What a great decision! Already it has provided me with a lot of wonderful times reading and enjoying the beautiful drawings. It is reminiscent of my childhood when I used to peruse the SONG AND GARDEN BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA (National Geographic, 1964) in a state of rapture over the beautiful photographs of birds (e.g. Red-faced Warbler, which I was subsequently thrilled to finally see in 1988). I will not be able to come close to doing justice to these drawings with these smartphone photos, but let me attempt to give you a feel for this terrific bird book.

Cover

Title page

A potpourri of colorful interesting birds on facing pages!

Hummingbirds!

Hummingbird distribution map

Toucans

Trogons!

It is fun to just randomly browse through the text as you will learn things right and left. On occassion the bird names are out of date e.g. North American Brown Creeper is called Tree Creeper, but don't let this detract from an extraordinary book!

I want to insert several reviews that I found - they are helpful in conveying how cool this book really is:

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful.

Inspirational, invaluable, still great today
By goosefish
Twenty years ago, when I was a young boy, I refused to leave a bookstore until this book was bought for me. To this day, I still enjoy referring to it. In the intervening years, I've traveled the world watching birds. I've studied them at the highest levels. And yet I continue to find intriguing facts in this book which are new to me. I continue to be awed by the beauty of birds I've not yet seen, and may never see.

The illustrations by Singer can quickly transport the reader emotionally. In contrast with his illustrations for the Golden Field Guide to Birds of North America, these paintings are far more artistic. In most cases, the species chosen to represent families are just right: exemplary, yet extraordinary. There are only a few families missing the ideal illustration, e.g. the herons have no Goliath Heron, the cuckoos have no Chestnut Malkoha. One look at the toucans, the hummingbirds, the birds of paradise... and you wonder how anyone could dare harm a feather on these birds.

Austin's text is remarkably current, despite being 20+ years old. His ornithology is first rate. Sources cited are exhaustive, and include Mayr, Lorenz, and Charles Sibley, whose later works include the landmark "Phylogeny" and "Taxonomy" tomes. The chart of species diversity through time... who would have thought that there were once as many species of Gruiformes as there are now of Passeriformes? What drove the Diatryma group to extinction 30 million years ago? -or the section on hummingbirds... it's amazing to think that some species are known to science thanks only to the 19th century millenary trade, which preserved now-extinct hummingbirds as brooches. -Little morphological facts like the Touraco's water-soluble copper-based pigment, turacin... they can stimulate a thousand more questions. When most bird colors are due to refraction, why does this group rely on real pigments?

I glanced at the dust cover's list price. Back in 1984, $26.95 was a significant sum. In today's dollars, that would be about $53 according to Fed Reserve CPI stats. I'd say the book is worth even more. If only all children grew up with a book like this at home, the world would have no trouble conserving nature; everyone would be on the same page.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent book with lots of beautiful drawings.
By twopurringcats
This book is loaded with color pictures of numerous birds from around the world..I found pictures of birds in this book that I couldn't find in my other bird books (I have many). Though it's an older book,it's a useful addition to my bird reference library. Definitely worth buying if you like pictorial bird books.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
AUSTIN: BIRDS OF THE WOLD
By Dr. Larry W. REED
THIS VOLUME STILL STANDS AS ONE OF THE GREAT DEFINITIVE WORKS ON BIRDS. EVEN THOUGH OUT OF PRINT FOR MANY YEARS, I WAS HAPPY TO FIND THE BOOK ON AMAZON. I HAPPENED TO BE A FRIEND OF DR AUSTIN AND AM GLAD NOW TO ADD HIS WORK TO MY COLLECTION.

Citizen Science Books to Help You Make a Difference

Citizen science is an exciting topic in this day-and-age. People other than trained scientists can contribute to science and nature conservation and help to make a difference! Here are some excellent books that will guide you in your efforts along these lines. 

Citizen Science: Public Participation in Environmental Research
From Brand: Comstock Publishing Associates

Description

Citizen science enlists members of the public to make and record useful observations, such as counting birds in their backyards, watching for the first budding leaf in spring, or measuring local snowfall. The large numbers of volunteers who participate in projects such as Project FeederWatch or Project BudBurst collect valuable research data, which, when pooled together, create an enormous body of scientific data on a vast geographic scale. In return, such projects aim to increase participants' connections to science, place, and nature, while supporting science literacy and environmental stewardship. In Citizen Science, experts from a variety of disciplines—including scientists and education specialists working at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where many large citizen science programs use birds as proxies for biodiversity—share their experiences of creating and implementing successful citizen science projects, primarily those that use massive data sets gathered by citizen scientists to better understand the impact of environmental change.

Customer Review

5 stars

covers the basics very well 

By ephemeral

Citizen Science: Public Participation in Environmental Research is a collection of articles put together by the folks at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which is one of the hotbeds of citizen science activity in the US. As the title indicates, the book focuses on environmental (primarily biological) citizen science projects, but many of the key concepts are still relevant to people using citizen science in other fields. About half of the authors are from Cornell, so there is a definite species bias, but there are examples from plant and insect projects as well.

The book is divided into three parts:
-The Practice of Citizen Science describes the basics of what citizen science is and how it works, as well as providing some nice examples of how successful projects are run.
-Impacts of Citizen Science on Conservation Research discusses the role and potential roles for citizen science projects in legitimate conservation work.
-Educational, Social, and Behavioral Aspects of Citizen Science covers the benefits of citizen science outside of the traditional goal of collecting more data for large scale projects.

All told, this is a well written and extremely well edited book. The topic is very narrow, but I think anyone interested in citizen science (educators, scientists, volunteers) would benefit from reading it.

The Incidental Steward: Reflections on Citizen Science
By Akiko Busch

Description

A search for a radio-tagged Indiana bat roosting in the woods behind her house in New York's Hudson Valley led Akiko Busch to assorted other encounters with the natural world - local ecological monitoring projects, community-organized cleanup efforts, and data-driven citizen science research. Whether pulling up water chestnuts in the Hudson River, measuring beds of submerged aquatic vegetation, or searching out vernal pools, all illuminated the role of ordinary citizens as stewards of place. In this elegantly written book, Busch highlights factors that distinguish twenty-first-century citizen scientists from traditional amateur naturalists: a greater sense of urgency, helpful new technologies, and the expanded possibilities of crowdsourcing. The observations here look both to precisely recorded data sheets and to the impressionistic marginalia, scribbled asides, and byways that often attend such unpredictable outings. While not a primer on the prescribed protocols of citizen science, the book combines vivid natural history, a deep sense of place, and reflection about our changing world. Musing on the expanding potential of citizen science, the author celebrates today's renewed volunteerism and the opportunities it offers for regaining a deep sense of connection to place.

Editorial Review

"'Sensuously lush and thought-provoking chronicles... This is a beautiful and incisive affirmation of how "full engagement with the natural world enriches the human experience".' (Donna Seaman, Booklist, starred review)"

Customer Review

5 stars

A wonderful place to start

By Ann Klefstad

Akiko Busch has written a deeply researched and personally experienced account of what ordinary people can do to advance both scientific knowledge of the natural world and its preservation. In vivid, spare writing she accounts for the both the difficulties of perception in a realm that is new to one and the rewards of training that perception. Her appendix listing various citizen science initiatives is invaluable, and the bibliography is also of great use. A wonderful book.

Be the Change: Saving the World with Citizen Science
By Chandra Clarke

Description

Can You Save The World?

It’s so easy to be overwhelmed by everything that is wrong in the world. In 2010, there were 660,000 deaths from malaria. Dire predictions about climate change suggest that sea levels could rise enough to submerge both Los Angeles and London by 2100. Bees are dying, not by the thousands but by the millions. 

But what can you do? You’re just one person, right? The good news is that you *can* do something. 

It’s called citizen science, and it’s a way for ordinary people like you and me to do real, honest-to-goodness, help-answer-the-big-questions science. 

This book introduces you to a world in which it is possible to go on a wildlife survey in a national park, install software on your computer to search for a cure for cancer, have your smartphone log the sound pollution in your city, transcribe ancient Greek scrolls, or sift through the dirt from a site where a mastodon died 11,000 years ago—even if you never finished high school. 

Part I of Be the Change: Saving the World with Citizen Science will show you what citizen science is, how important it is, and why we need more of it. You will also find out how it can personally benefit you, how you can get involved, and what it might mean to you if you did. 

Part II provides a large list of projects that you can join right now, concisely explained, and organized by the level of involvement required. 

Citizen science is fun, it's easy, and you can get started today. Be the Change: Saving the World with Citizen Science will show you how.

Customer Review

5 stars

Ways that the average citizen can help advance scientific research and change the world

By Charles Ashbacher

There have been many dramatic changes in society as a consequence of the development and continued function of the internet and World Wide Web in combination with the widespread use of computers. One that could be the most significant is the ability for ordinary citizens to become involved in scientific projects. Over the years I have been heavily involved in two distributed computing projects, the SETI@Home and the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search. In both of these projects, the contributor downloads the software to their computer and then downloads specific work files. The computer will then examine the data on background and then report the results and acquire a new work file when the processing is complete.
There are many projects that the citizen can work on and not all of them require the heavy use of processing. A list of the current projects along with statements of philosophy is available on the Citizen Science Center website. This book briefly touches on these points and gives the ways in which a citizen can contribute, from donating to fund organizations and research, to having your computer process data files to using your eyes to examine images to gathering data in the field and serving as a test subject. A large number of projects are available for participation and it is a way for the average person to be a part of something that could have significant positive consequences for the world.

I strongly recommend this book and the Citizen Science Center website for people that want to help the advancement of science but don't feel that they have the skills to do so. As can be seen from these two resources, if you can connect to the web, you can contribute. With so many projects available, you will find something that you are interested in.

I certainly hope that this gets you on the road to contribution in this wonderful and rewarding arena. If you participate in a project, feel free to come back and leave a comment so others can hear about your rewarding experience!

Here is a citizen science article for birders:

Citizen Scientist - Reporting Leg Flags

Book Review - Rare Birds of North America

Rare Birds of North America by Steven N. G. Howell

Right about the time I received a review copy of this book from Princeton University Press, someone on the Wisconsin Bird Net listserv thought they might have seen a vagrant bird called a Jackdaw. I looked it up in the book, and sure enough it was there. Now in this case, the person had some idea of what the vagrant could be, so they could have used the Internet to find information. But what if you see a strange bird you think is a vagrant, and have no idea what it could be? That is where this book becomes a "must-have" for the library of serious birders. Here is a resource that you can turn to in that situation!

First of all, the book is beautifully illustrated with 275 color plates by Ian Lewington. Below you can see the illustrations for the Bahama Woodstar, that show the male, female, and juvenile birds along with a "duller" plumage and a closeup of the tail. All of course go towards helping you identify your mystery bird.

Bahama Woodstar illustrations - page 271 Rare Birds of North America

In addition to the illustrations, the book has a Field Identification section of text to aid in your identification. Each species also has sections discussing the occurrence(s) of the birds both in time and geographically along with text on Habitat and Behavior. 

The book covers 262 species from the Old World, the New World tropics, and the world's oceans. It has birds that have only been seen once, so it is a very thorough guide to the vagrants of North America.

In addition to the identification of vagrants, which forms the heart and soul of the book, there is an interesting educational component to the book. One aspect of this is a discussion as to the 'why' of vagrancy. In summary, these theories are:

1. Drift
2. Misorientation
3. Overshooting
4. Dispersal
5. Association (with other birds of a closely related species)
6. Disorientation
7. False Vagrancy (they occur more frequently than we know)

There are some excellent maps included that help explain some of the theories - very nice.

And to continue your education on the topic of vagrancy there is a seventeen page section, complete with data laden tables, entitled Where Do North American Vagrants come From?

I personally think this book fills a much needed niche. A lot of filed guides have 'Accidental' species and that is what we have relied on in the past for identification of these birds. But now there is a comprehensive treatise on vagrants in North America and I recommend it for your library.

Book Review - The Warbler Guide

The Warbler Guide by Tom Stephenson and Scott Whittle

When I was a young birdwatcher growing up in Wisconsin in the 1960s, I used to sit and look through this book from National Geographic called THE SONG AND GARDEN BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA. One bird that had a full page picture was the Red-faced Warbler. I was quite taken with this colorful bird, and longed to visit the western US so that I could see one (This finally came true for me in May, 1988 on a trip to SE Arizona). This picture also made me enamored of warblers in general. So when I first learned of the existence of this book, I thought "Wow, a 500+ page book on nothing but warblers! What do we have here." Warblers are a fun family, because they are beautiful, are often a challenge to identify. So I asked myself the following question: "How can this book help me better identify and enjoy warblers?" This blog post seeks to evaluate this book around that question.

A quick listing of what is in this book:

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

My overarching impression of this book is that it contains an impressive amount of data (hats off to the authors for a stellar job of organization and compilation - it had to have been a "labor of love") including a lot of terrific photographs! I especially like the full page bird photos associated with each species sections and the pictures of birds from below. The full page photos are striking and beautiful. The pictures from below are a great addition because sometimes that is all you get and now you can take a shot at identification. I have focused on these two sets of photos but as I say there is a remarkable number of very good photos that will help any birder, beginning or advanced, identify these birds.

Figure 1. - Species Account page 1

Figure 2. - Species Account page 2 - Note maps and migration time spans
during Spring and Fall shown in lower right

Figure 3. - Species Account page 3 - Sonograms

Figure 4. - Sonogram close-up

Figure 5. - Supporting Chapter "What to Notice on a Warbler"

Another interesting aspect of the book is its treatment of songs. There is a section entitled "How to Listen to Warbler Songs" that outlines a system for learning and recognizing the songs of warblers. The authors state: "With careful study, this system of analyzing songs and calls will lead to a more confident identification of songs in the field'. Certainly I am all for this, and plan to work on this over the winter (and beyond) in expectation of the coming spring migration. 

They use sonograms (visual representations of the song - see Figures 3 and 4 above) and define a number of terms to describe the structure and organization of songs: Elements (each separate sound you hear), Phrases (groups of Elements e.g. the three Element Phrases of the Common Yellowthroat that often repeated three times) and Sections (a collection of the same sounding Phrases). The explanations in the book are much better because you can see the songs on the page, I only mention this a preface to my discussion of a song that I have struggled with - the Canada Warbler. On page 73 they talk about this song:

"Among eastern warblers, a short song with so many unique Sections is a diagnostic ID point for Canada Warbler" 

Interesting and helpful point that I plan to remember and use in the field!

A detail that I also really like are the maps and migration time spans for the Spring and Fall in wiht the species accounts. I have found bar graphs of time spans in a little checklist book "Wisconsin Birds" but this is the first time I have seen it with a species account. This migration info is great to have!

There is a supporting chapter called "What to Notice on a Warbler" that I found interesting. Right away they talked about a concept I had not thought about - Contrast. They talk about tonal contrast and color contrast and how this concept can be used to ID birds. This is a unique idea that I have not encountered before. This looks a good chapter to read and study during the winter.

If you're like me, you are always looking to learn things about birds and get better as a birder. I think this book will definitely help me to get better at identifying warblers and will also serve as a source of pleasure in looking a the beautiful photos (which I am want to do). It is a fine addition to any birdwatcher's library.

*******************

Audubon: Warbler, 1827-38

John James Audubon 

Buy This at Allposters.com

Black & Yellow Magnolia Warbler (Dendroica Magnolia), Plate CXXIII, from 'The Birds of America'

John James Audubon

Buy This at Allposters.com

Audubon: Warbler

John James Audubon

Buy This at Allposters.com

Audubon: Warbler

John James Audubon

Buy This at Allposters.com

Bay Breasted Wood-Warbler

John James Audubon

Buy This at Allposters.com

Audubon: Warbler, 1827-38

John James Audubon

Buy This at Allposters.com

Book Review - Nature's Fortune by Mark Tercek

Nature's Fortune: How Business and Society Thrive by Investing in Nature

By Mark R. Tercek, Jonathan S. Adams

In the introduction to Nature's Fortune, author Mark Tercek cites the book which started him on his path to becoming first an environmentalist at Goldman Sachs, then in 2008, the CEO of The Nature Conservancy and ultimately led to the publishing of this book:

"I read The New Economy of Nature: The Quest to Make Conservation Profitable, the 2002 book by Stanford University's Gretchen Daily, a professor of environmental science. The book explained the workings of ecosystems and how they delivered goods and services to people. This scientific explanation of nature delivering value began to build my appreciation for nature and prompted me to reflect on opportunities and price tags"

A few pages on, he describes how the two perspectives - environmentalism and business - can mesh to protect nature:

"Environmentalists generally believe in nature's inherent value. That idea is the bedrock of the environmental movement. However, environmentalists cannot persuade everyone to think along the same lines. Focusing only on the innate wonders of nature risks alienating potential supporters and limits the environmental community's ability to reach a broader audience and to mine sources of new ideas. The "Isn't nature wonderful?" argument can leave the impression that nature offers solely aesthetic benefits, or worse, that nature is a luxury only rich people or rich countries can afford. We need to get business, government , and individuals to understand nature is not only wonderful, it is also economically valuable. Indeed, nature is the fundamental underpinning of human well-being...One way [to promote nature conservation ] is to connect nature to what concerns people most - how to make lives better, protect health, create jobs, and strengthen the economy...In many places around the world people believe they have more pressing concerns than conserving nature, and those concerns will take precedence unless they better understand what nature provides."

So the concept he originally discovered in Gretchen Daily's book - "ecosystem services" - and how an intact ecosystem and its services can benefit both people and businesses is the central thesis of this book. He goes on to discuss case studies where, lo and behold, environmentalists and businesses work together to conserve nature. 

Morro Bay, California

One illustrative case study is described in the Chapter 4: "The New Fishing". This chapter focuses on the community of Morro Bay, CA and begins as follows:

"Fish are an excellent example of nature's value. The fishing industry drives coastal economies worldwide and provides the main source of protein for 1 billion people. Yet more than 80 percent of fisheries operate at or beyond sustainable limits."

This introduction is followed by the mention of Elinor Ostrom, the first and only woman  to win the Nobel Prize for Economics. Ostrom won for her studies of how people who share resources such as fish, timber, or pastureland manage them for the good of all. She found that when communities band together, trust one another, and have clear property rights, they can innovate andovercome shortsighted self-interest, and instead manage forests and fisheries for future generations.

"The kind of collaboration Ostrom documented is also saving fisheries on California's Central Coast. In this region, the environmental community had been making little progress toward more sustainable fishing practices. Rather than giving up, some environmentalists joined with the fishing community to create innovative solutions that produce both profits and benefits for nature."

"Not long ago, the idea that diehard environmentalists and flinty, weathered fisherman would find common ground seemed unlikely, even absurd...But new thinking about the value of nature spawns new alliances, and in Morro Bay, California, and many other places, the tide has turned. When both sides are willing to drop old assumptions and experiment with new methods, results can be dramatic."

This chapter discusses the wrongheaded assumptions that led to overfishing around the globe, and also the specifics of the Morro Bay problems and the innovative solutions (e.g. "catch shares") . It is an interesting case study, and it amply illustrates the dropping of old assumptions and the experimenting with new methods and the dramatic results that ensued. A very, very important change in attitude is mentioned on the last page of the chapter - it mentions "a community of fisherman taking responsibility for their shared resources for the first time, rather than simply exploiting it to the fullest extent possible" What an incredibly important shift in attitude!!! And it works out in everybody's and nature's best interests!

I highly recommend this book to all people interested in both nature conservation and business not to mention people with an interest in how to make lives better, protect health, create jobs, and strengthen the economy. This book discusses what seems to me to be The Great Innovation in nature conservation and in business and represents a model for both 21st century environmentalism and business: "innovative solutions that produce both profits and benefits for nature." 

Book Review - The World's Rarest Birds

The World's Rarest Birds by Erik Hirschfeld, Andy Swash, and Robert Still (ISBN 9780691155968) Princeton University Press, 2013

Marvellous Spatuletail (From p 264-5 of The World's Rarest Birds) 

When I first got my review copy of this book, and started my customary "page through" to get a first impression, I was arrested by the jaw-dropping photo shown above of the appropriately named Marvellous Spatuletail. I looked up the bird in the index and found the species page with all of the pertinent data. It is endemic to Peru, and has a population of 250-999, but the good news is that "a protected area for this species was established in Amazonas in 2006." Great! I don't know if I'll ever be fortunate enough to see this bird, but I am definitely glad to know some protection has been afforded this magnificent creature.

Example of the Species Descriptions (p147)

So that experience comprises an important aspect of this book; beautiful bird photos (or drawings in some cases) coupled with concise and pertinent conservation related information for that species. There are also QR codes for each species which link to the BirdLife International species page for those desiring more information. But there is more...

In addition to the species related information, there are sections entitled "Conservation Challenges" and "Threatened Bird Hotspots".

There are five Conservation Challenge sections highlighting difficult problems to be creatively addressed. Shown below is an image of one of these conservation challenges that I was not even aware of, as it occurs on the other side of the planet - the threats to the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. This flyway is used by 50 million migratory waterbirds while simultaneously supporting one third of the world's human population in countries that extend from subarctic Russia through Asia all the way to Australia and New Zealand. Of course, this is the source of the conservation challenge. The book points out that the rate of species decline - up to 8-9% per year - are among the highest of any ecological system on Earth. It is good to publicize this situation in an effort to achieve a workable solution.

Conservation Challenge - The world's most threatened flyway (p 116-7)

There are twenty Threatened Bird Hotspot sections that detail issues in important bird areas around the globe. The pages shown below are from the Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica) in Brazil - "one of the world's most vulnerable forests." This section follows the pattern of the Species and Conservation Challenge subdivisions in that it contains bird photos, maps and text that concisely discuss the issues.

The Atlantic Forest - Threatened Bird Hotspot (p 276-7)

The book also has an important page at the beginning that describes the 'World's Rarest' initiative. It discusses the Rare Books Yearbooks that were essentially the forerunners of The World's Rarest Birds book. It talks about BirdLife International, the global partnership of conservation organizations that acts as a watchdog over bird species. It concludes with the following paragraph:

"New information about the species covered in this book is coming to light every day. For this reason, readers are encouraged to visit the BirdLife website - www.birdlife.org - for the latest information and to subscribe to their newsletters"

In a sense this paragraph turns the book into a "living document' with it's connection to the Internet. Very good...

I feel I would be remiss in my review if I did not point out the text (along with a photo of a Araripe Manakin) that in a way comprises the very essence of the book:

"Let the birds speak for themselves"

And that they do in this laudable effort in the field of bird conservation.

Filled with beautiful pictures and drawings, and a wealth of information on endangered bird species, this book is an absolute must-have for anyone interested in bird conservation, and a delight for people everywhere who love birds and enjoy learning about them. Be prepared to be enlightened about birds and bird conservation issues. If it motivates you to action - more power to you!

Interesting, Enlightening Books on Bird Migration

Here is a compendium of interesting, enlightening books on a wonderful, and fascinating topic in the natural world: bird migration.

Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere With Migratory Birds

5 stars If you enjoy birds or natural science, read this great book! 

By Richard E. Hegner

I have been a birdwatcher for 39 years, and rarely have I encountered a book that I enjoyed as much as this. Unlike another reviewer, I learned a great deal about migration from reading this book--though, truth to tell, the book is as much about population dynamics among Western Hemisphere birds as it is about migration. One of the particular insights I gained from the book is a better realization of the somewhat parochial viewpoint many of us birdwatchers in North America take, considering migrants who spend only a brief part of the year breeding here to be "our birds," when they spend most of their lives either in Latin America or migrating between the two continents. The author has an unusually captivating writing style and most of the book was hard for me to put down; he reminds me of some of the best nature writers I have encountered--Hal Borland, John Burroughs, Loren Eiseley, Pete Dunn, and Thoreau. One of the book's particular strengths is its focus on certain critical locales as well as individual species; the general observations have much more meaning because of these case examples.

Atlas of Bird Migration: Tracing the Great Journeys of the World's Birds

"The photos and illustrations in this large volume are so beautiful that one is tempted to skim the text. . . . That, however, would be a mistake: while brief, the text provides all the information readers need to understand the how, why and where of bird migration." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) 

Amazon Description

 Every year, billions of birds leave their North American breeding grounds for winter quarters thousands of miles south. That so many birds migrate so far through life-threatening conditions and to the same place each year is simply stunning. 

This lavishly illustrated book provides comprehensive information on migration and its great mystery: How do the birds know where to go? The latest scientific discoveries are explained, and a comprehensive directory presents accurate profiles and chronicles the migratory routes of more than 500 typical migrant species. Colorful maps, photographs, calendars and fact files feature easy-to-read symbols and abbreviations. 

Atlas of Bird Migration includes: 

• North American birds of prey 
• Hummingbirds, grosbeaks and starlings 
• Eurasian shorebirds, storks and cranes 
• Winter visitors from the Far North, such as swans, geese and finches 
• African, South American and Australasian migrants 
• Migratory sea birds, such as penguins, albatrosses and terns. 

 The use of satellite tracking methods, current environmental threats and conservation initiatives are explained, and a comprehensive catalog of migrating species from all continents closes the book.

The Migration of Birds: Seasons on the Wing

"Leaves the reader with a thorough explanatory answer to the main questions that a student, birder, or naturalist might want to ask about bird migration."--John D. Newman, National Institute of Health Science Books and Films

Amazon Description

Why do birds migrate -- and just how do they do it?

The Migration of Birds is a comprehensive illustrated presentation of the mysteries of bird migration.

Ornithologist Janice M. Hughes describes the findings of the most recent research and surveys as-yet-unanswered questions. She unravels the exciting contributions of cutting-edge technological innovations and scientific developments.

Over 70 stunning full-color photographs show some of the world's most dauntless voyagers. Maps show migration routes, and illustrations depict the mechanics of flying. The text is engaging and straightforward as well as authoritative and comprehensive, covering:

• Bird migration through human history, with profiles of Chinese cranes and phalaropes
• The five Ws of avian migration, with profiles of shrikes and Arctic terns
• The phenomenon of flight, with profiles of wheatears and dippers
• How birds find their way, with profiles of redwings, fieldfares and Bohemian waxwings
• Migratory birds in peril.

This book will fascinate birders, naturalists and conservationists as well as general readers.

The Migration Ecology of Birds

"The many charts, figures and graphic illustrations in the book give new views on the migratory phenomenon and on the incredible adaptive ability of birds to the variations and changing circumstances like the warming climate, to cite one example. The text is clear and is not solely interesting to researchers but also all those who are intrigued by the extraordinary migration of birds."--Aluada, The journal of the Societet d'Etudes Ornithologiques de France

Amazon Description

This book presents an up-to-date, detailed and thorough review of the most fascinating ecological findings of bird migration. It deals with all aspects of this absorbing subject, including the problems of navigation and vagrancy, the timing and physiological control of migration, the factors that limit their populations, and more. Author, Ian Newton, reveals the extraordinary adaptability of birds to the variable and changing conditions across the globe, including current climate change. This adventurous book places emphasis on ecological aspects, which have received only scant attention in previous publications. Overall, the book provides the most thorough and in-depth appraisal of current information available, with abundant tables, maps and diagrams, and many new insights. Written in a clear and readable style, this book appeals not only to migration researchers in the field and ornithologists, but to anyone with an interest in this fascinating subject. 

* Hot ecological aspects include: various types of bird movements, including dispersal and nomadism, and how they relate to food supplies and other external conditions 

* Contains numerous tables, maps and diagrams, a glossary, and a bibliography of more than 2,700 references

* Written by an active researcher with a distinguished career in avian ecology, including migration research

The Peregrine's Journey

 5 stars A great book for geography, ecology, biology education

By "cedar@webtv.net" 

 I found this book to be an excellent read-along book for 5-9 year olds. Behind the lovely writing style and beautiful pictures is a plot that invites lots of questions from kids about many different subjects. (And that's the way they learn!) The book follows the migration of peregrine falcons from the arctic, through the tropics and all the way to the sub-antarctic of Argentina. It was obviously well researched, yet it is not stuffy - it has heart! Highly recommended.

Amazon Description

The Peregrine’s Journey vividly describes one of the most remarkable feats in the animal kingdom. Beginning in Alaska and ending two months later in Argentina, the peregrine falcon’s annual migration is an 8,000-mile flight across the Americas. This beautifully illustrated book allows young readers to follow one bird on its journey. Based on the actual migration of a real bird that was tracked by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the book is filled with amazing facts about the bird’s diet, habits, and navigational abilities, as well as stunning views of the many habitats the peregrine visits along the way.

Bird Migration and Global Change

"A wonderful and insightful work, Bird Migration and Global Change provides the first accessible and comprehensive guide to the leading conservation concern of our time. Written by a world authority, this definitive work introduces the subject ecologically, physiologically, and geographically in ways that promote clarity and understanding."--Keith L. Bildstein Director, Acopian Center for Conservation Science, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

Amazon Description

Changes in seasonal movements and population dynamics of migratory birds in response to ongoing changes resulting from global climate changes are a topic of great interest to conservation scientists and birdwatchers around the world. Because of their dependence on specific habitats and resources in different geographic regions at different phases of their annual cycle, migratory species are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

In Bird Migration and Global Change, eminent ecologist George W. Cox brings his extensive experience as a scientist and bird enthusiast to bear in evaluating the capacity of migratory birds to adapt to the challenges of a changing climate.

Cox reviews, synthesizes, and interprets recent and emerging science on the subject, beginning with a discussion of climate change and its effect on habitat, and followed by eleven chapters that examine responses of bird types across all regions of the globe. The final four chapters address the evolutionary capacity of birds, and consider how best to shape conservation strategies to protect migratory species in coming decades.

The rate of climate change is faster now than at any other moment in recent geological history. How best to manage migratory birds to deal with this challenge is a major conservation issue, and Bird Migration and Global Change is a unique and timely contribution to the literature.