Features

• Abridged
• Audiobook

Reviews (14)

Listening to Nature's Songs
Absolutely amazing..I bought this for my daughter who has many birds viitng her outside feeders..My granddaughter also tries to identify the birds by their song..They have the CD rigged next to their patio door..Anytime they are looking for information..on comes the beautiful song birds. It is perfect for anyone who loves the world of birds and their families.

Good for the intermediate birder
I first received this as a gift when I was a beginning birder (basically from the backyard) and to be honest - at that point it was too much for me.I just got confused because actually listening to birds and all their different types of songs/calls and then trying to figure out which bird on the cd it might have been was tough (I'd forget what the bird sounded like and it'd leave before I found it on the cd).But that was me as a beginner.Now that I have a few bird songs under my belt and I can tell the difference between a woodpecker and a nuthatch without a second thought (yea, I was a real beginner) this cd is of better use.Now I can use it to hone in on birds that I think the song might be rather than having to go through so many because it was all so new.So, bottom line, I think its an excellent set of cds that you can really learn from but its better for someone who has thew basics down rather than someone who is the blank slate just starting to learn.

not for beginning birders
I bought this collection to replace a set of Aubudon tapes that I'd lost a few years ago, and have found that I much preferred my old tapes to this collection.While the Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs is very comprehensive and has great depth and variety, I am unable to use it to identify a couple of fairly common bird songs I hear in my back yard.With only the bird name and no other description provided on the cds, all of the songs and calls start to run together.What I particularly liked about my previous tapes was the additional song and habitat descriptions provided around the calls.The Stokes companion booklet provides some of this information, but my purpose in purchasing an audio guide was to listen, not to read.For an experienced birder or someone who knows what they are listening for in the field, this will probably be a helpful guide.For someone just starting out, a collection of fewer songs and more description would be a better bet. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Misc. Nonfiction    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (6)

Identify Yourself
I've been looking for a book like this for a while.I highly recommend it to anyone that needs a little bird identification help and is confused on similar looking species.It offers many useful tips and a lot of great advice.This is not the book, however, if you're looking to identify flycatchers or specific shorebirds.Besides that, though, this is a fantastic book.

Well worth it, and great value as well.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to get into the details of bird ID. Pitfalls and difficult problems are emphasized. For example, there is a whole chapter on how to distinguish the immature bald eagle from the golden eagle. Some of those tricky problems seem to be glossed over in the usual field manual, only to present unexpected difficulty later. This is not an introductory text, but it is an easy and entertaining read. Well worth it, and different than the vast majority of texts.

Excellent book for Beginner and Intermediate Birders
This is an excellent book for sorting out and identifying those tricky birds that are difficult to distinguish from one another.It is aimed at beginners and intermediates, but still provides helpful points for advanced birders.Julie Zickafoose does an beautiful job at the illustrations, and Bill Thompson clearly outlines the differences between similar species.This is a good book to own if you are having troubles with identifications. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bird Watching    2. Birds    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Identification    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Features

• Audiobook
• Compilation

Reviews (3)

Peterson Field GuidesBird Songs(Eastern Central)
Excellent sound quality.Very helpful.Entertaining too. I
Isn't that a house finch I heard?
The CD identifies the band containing the bird's call. I had gotten a tape from the library; to find the call you wanted you had to listen to the tape until it was identified. This CD give a number of identifying bird call for each species.

Detecting Birds
Most birds, like most wild animals, avoid humans; therefore their distinct songs & calls indicate their presence when sight can not.This collection of bird songs which is organized by habitat and family, is clear, enjoyable listening.It provides an introduction to 276 bird songs and a handy means of confirming bird species by song and call. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Nature    3. Nature/Ecology    4. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    5. Bird Calls    6. Instructional    7. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Editorial Review

A favorite of birdwatchers (especially those who prefer photographs to illustrations), this field guide, revised for 2000, accounts for the 544 bird species that live in the region west of the Great Plains. The clearly printed color photographs capture birds at rest and in flight; preceded by black-and-white silhouettes, the plates are organized by visually based, intuitive categories--"hawk-like birds," "pigeon-like birds," and "perching birds," for example--that make on-the-fly identification a fairly simple matter. The images are matched by clearly written text that describes a given bird, gives an approximation of its voice, and details its habitat, range, nests, and behavior. Sized to fit in a jacket or backpack pocket, this is a valuable companion for any birding outing in the region. Read more

Reviews (10)

species misidentified
I regret that I cannot recommend this book because it contains easily caught errors.
North American birds, West.
If your going to be stuffing your field guide into your pocket, glove box, daypack or backpack, the "turtleback" binding used by Audubon is perfect. Personally, I don't use it that way. When I encounter a species I cannot identify, I take notes (usually of the mental variety) -- size, color and markings, habitat, song, feeding habit and so forth -- and identify it when I return home. So far as I can recall, the Audubon guide has yet to fail me, although one has to admit that sometimes all the guidebooks in the world aren't going to resolve the identity of some distant LBJ (little brown job). I have another guidebook that supposedly focuses more narrowly on 'local' birds (San Diego area) but I strongly prefer the more thorough and useful Audubon volume. The photos, drawings and range maps are all generally excellent.
Do not leave home without it!
We purchased our first Field Guide almost twenty years ago when my eldest son was in the fifth grade and during spring break his class had a contest to see which student could identify the most species. It just happened that week we packed our family in the car and drove from the deserts of Idaho, through eastern Oregon and the Mahuer National Bird Sanctuary to the Oregon coast.If my memory serves me right, we identified nearly a hundred species of birds.This started a twenty-year love affair with our Field Guide to North American Birds.We were hooked.So much so, after losing my book, I immediately purchased another one.To his day, my Field Guide and binoculars are by our dinning room window.Each spring and summer we try to identify new species to our area.Hey, birding a great hobby and it does not cost a lot of money. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    3. Identification    4. Individual Species Of Birds    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature/Ecology    8. North America    9. Reference    10. West (U.S.)    11. Birds (ornithology)    12. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (4)

Best guide for identifying shorebirds
This book covers all of the shorebirds of the world with 1700 full-color paintings. There are lots of general tips on identifying shorebirds, and each bird is covered extensively. When I first picked up the book at an ABA Teen Birder convention in Colorado, a birder near me said "You have to buy that! Look at the Dunlin page!" Well, the Dunlin page is indeed a good example of this guide's excellence! There are 28 paintings on the page covering the different plumages of the bird and how it looks in flight and from different positions. The text on the adjacent page gives brief descriptions of the bird in each of those plumages and a world range map. It also redirects you to the all-text section of the book that has extensive information on identification, voice, habits, moments, description, age/sex, races, and measurements of the bird. I definitely recommend this book to any birder interested in the identification of shorebirds!

It's a truly wonderful book
I have purchased this book some five years back in a local book exhibition. Text is accurate especially for one who is interested in bird hunting. But the real feast is the breathtaking illustrations made by thesingle artist himself. His painstaking artwork for eachspecies,male&female, juvenile upperwings, lower wings are really fine.Only minus aspect is if the book would have been little bigger theillustrations would have also become bigger.

It's a truly wonderful book
I have purchased this book some five years back in a local book exhibition. Text is accurate especially for one who is interested in bird hunting. But the real feast is the breathtaking illustrstions made by thesingle artist himself. His painstaking artwork for each species,male&female, juvenile upperwings, lower wings are really fine. Onlyminus aspect is if the book would have been little bigger the illustrationswould have also become bigger. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching    3. Identification    4. Nature / Field Guide Books    5. Ornithology +    6. Shore birds   

Reviews (13)

Good houses, could use variety
Maybe I'm too sold on what's marketed as variety.
great tool for any bathouse builder
This is a very concise and thorough book on how to construct a successful bat house.

Ongoing Research
This Guide is frequently revised utilizilizing information obtained by bat lover volunteers throughBat Conservation International, Inc. A NON PROFIT organization dedicated to preserving the dwindling populations of many bat species. The volunteers are everyday people who have taken the time and made the effort to build bat houses to supplement the threatened natural habitats of bats. They check the houses and report their findings to BatCon. Population, species, type of colony - nursing, bachelor, etc.Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals / Pets    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Crafts / Hobbies    4. Mammals    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Woodwork - General    8. Handicrafts    9. Nature / Mammals    10. Wild animals   

Reviews (4)

A Terrific book!
I'll keep this brief. This is a terrific book! It is very readable (on layman's level), and chock full of interesting facts, tidbits and research results. I found myself reading parts of it aloud to my partner. I am involved in songbird rehab, and was amazed to learn that "Woods", a brown thrasher and our latest release, would ultimately develop a song list numbering close to 2,000! (We "talked" in "Robin", since Woods was raised alongside a baby robin).
The tone is easy for non-scientists to absorb, and any with a love of birds will find it most accessible
If you don't want to plough through the latest research on birds to gain insights into what's being discovered about their habits, then SONGBIRD JOURNEYS: FOUR SEASONS IN THE LIVES OF MIGRATORY BIRDS is for you. It comes for a Cornell Lab ornithologist and science writer who surveys songbird migratory habits and winter locations, using the four seasons as a foundation for exploration. While much research is reflected in SONGBIRD JOURNEYS, the tone is easy for non-scientists to absorb, and any with a love of birds will find it most accessible.
Fascinating account of migration!
Miyoko Chu's "Songbird Journeys" is one of the most fascinating accounts of how researchers and birders have been and are studying bird migration.She deftly blends story-telling and science to present snapshots of different species and what we are learning about them.She has the amazing ability of making you feel like you're there, standing shoulder to shoulder with these researchers, as they radio-track thrushes from an old beat up car or a small airplane in rough weather, or standing on an oil rig in the middle of the Gulf as thousands upon thousands of warblers drop, exhausted, on the deck of the rig, or fly by within feet of you only to be blown back out to sea.
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Subjects:  1. Bird Watching    2. Birds    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Migration    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Ornithology    8. Passeriformes    9. Songbirds    10. Western Hemisphere    11. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Identification    3. Life Sciences - Zoology - Ornithology    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Parrots    7. Biological Sciences    8. Birds & birdwatching    9. Birds (ornithology)    10. Birds and Natural History    11. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Subjects:  1. Bird Watching    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology   

Reviews (1)

Compact, Basic Overview
The good news about this book is that it provides the most extensive coverage of the region, with the birds of all of Mexico and Central America being illustrated in a single volume for the first time. It is also very small, compact and light-weight.
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Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Nature    3. Nature/Ecology    4. Biological Sciences    5. Birds & birdwatching    6. Birds (ornithology)    7. Birds and Natural History    8. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (4)

terrific guide to flying jeweks
This is a very useful guide to attracting and caring for these hummingbirds, with great photographs supplementing text that is well-written and filled with wonderful advice and tips about feeders, habitat, gardens, identification and further resources.Sections also detail behavior, photography, babies and feeder problems.Nicely done and very helpful.

a bird in the hand...
An outstanding reference. I especially enjoyed the "honey glazed ruby-throated dessert".

a guide book for the hummer lover
A great book for anyone who wants to attract and feed hummingbirds, it's packed with all the basic information you'll need, starting with choosing the right feeder for your area, the sugar solution to put in it, and the maintenance and cleaning of it, which the Stokes say: "We can't emphasize enough how important it is to take feeder maintenance seriously", as any mold or bacteria can be "risking the health, and possibly the lives", of these jeweled wonders of the bird family...and they show you the easy steps to be taken to keep the feeders clean.Read more

Subjects:  1. Bird attracting    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Hummingbirds    4. Individual Species Of Birds    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Birds & birdwatching    8. Identification    9. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Medical    4. Medical / Nursing    5. Ornithology    6. Veterinary Medicine (General)    7. Veterinary Medicine - General    8. Veterinary Medicine - Small Animal    9. Animal husbandry    10. Birds (ornithology)    11. Medical / Veterinary Medicine / General    12. Veterinary medicine: infectious diseases & therapeutics   

Reviews (20)

Good For Wilderness Getaways
Though I agree with others a revision is long overdue, and there have been a few new species discovered over the years; namely salamanders. I still find it quite helpful though, in identifying the lizard that just ran across the trail, or for that possible snake sighting. And as bad as my eyes are, (Keratoconus) yes the maps could be larger, but I don't find them particularly hard to read. Except for certain species that have very small and restricted ranges. Then finding the little dot can be near impossible. Beautiful photographs. Gives one a better appreciation of these animals, that along with years of watching the "Crocodile Hunter" God rest his soul.

good for casual use
I have a soft spot for these Audubon guides because the first field guide I ever owned was an Audubon, and it got a lot of use.However, I currently use the Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, and I have found that it is easier to use, and more descriptive than this one.There are two main reasons for this:
Edition needs refining.
The contemporary edition of the Audubon Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians is decades old. Though it covers many species of snakes, salamanders, newts, etc., it is underrated because of the lack of updating. Some species names are known to be out of date, or invalid. However, even this cannot override the true quality of all the Audubon guides, including this book. Even though a newly revised and updated edition is way overdue, it still presents spectacular photographs of various species. The system is the same, with the description in the back of the book. The Audubon Guide to Weather has been revised and updated over the years and hopefully, this one will be also. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amphibians    2. General    3. Identification    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. North America    7. Reptiles    8. Reptiles & Amphibians    9. Birds (ornithology)    10. Nature / Reptiles & Amphibians   

Reviews (2)

Steve Howell's photographic hummingbird guide
This is a very useful book for birders who want to be able to identify hummingbirds in the U.S.It includes photos and accompanying text for every hummingbird that you are likely (or lucky enough) to spot within U.S. borders.The text is particularly good, and the photos are shown large enough to be of use to the beginner/intermediate birdwatcher in addition to the experienced observer.

The Best Hummingbird Book Ever
At The Hummingbird Web Site and at the guest ranch we manage in the mountains in southeastern Arizona we are often asked what is the best hummingbird book.Here's the answer: Steve Howell's Hummingbirds of North America: A Photographic Guide. We refer to it almost daily.It sits in our office beside the three other bird books we would not be without -- the Sibley Guide, Jon Dunn's National Geographic Field Guide, and A Guide to the Birds of Mexico by - Guess who? - Steve Howell.Most of our guests are bird watchers on vacation. The book they were all talking about last year was the Sibley Guide. This year the book most often mentioned is the Howell hummingbird book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Hummingbirds    3. Identification    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. North America    7. Photoessays & Documentaries    8. Pictorial works    9. Biological Sciences    10. Birds & birdwatching    11. Birds and Natural History    12. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (2)

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

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

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    3. Nature    4. Nature / Field Guide Books    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Biological Sciences    7. Birds and Natural History    8. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    9. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (37)

Parrots in San Francisco??
When I saw the bright blue little book on display in the non-fiction section of my local library, my first thought was "This must be a joke - there can't be any wild parrots in San Francisco". The beautiful book cover intrigued me and I was hooked as soon as I read the jacket and realized it really was true. Thus began my week-long adventure in discovering how parrots came to live and thrive in San Francisco, and the story of the former homeless man who found his calling among the wild parrots.
A touching book
It's more than a nonfiction book about birds (though it is, in fact, a pretty good book about birds). In a lot of ways, it's the rather touching story of a rootless guy who finally finds some purpose in his life ... which happens to heavily involve the birds of the title. Much of the book is rather rambling, which is fitting given the author's own search for a focus to his life. If you've seen the movie, the book is well worth reading for the way it gives greater dimension to the story; if you haven't seen the movie, I'd highly recommend watching it, too; it really is a great little documentary and is readily available on DVD.

as a pet parrot guardian
I was worried about feeling guilty reading more about wild parrots leading a natural life, but couldn't resist reading this after falling in love with the movie.And actually, I learned a little about how to observe my own pet parrot and trying to meet his needs for companionship, exercise and variety in his surroundings after reading this.Simple, lovely prose, spiritual context.Definitely worth reading and owning. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Bird Behavior    4. Birds & Birdwatching - General    5. Bittner, Mark    6. California    7. Homeless persons    8. Human-animal relationships    9. Irving, Judy    10. Nature    11. Nature/Ecology    12. Parrots    13. Personal Memoirs    14. San Francisco    15. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (3)

A must-have
Any serious birder to the listed regions of this book would buy this book. Get it re-bound
This was the book that everyone who seemed to be serious used in Borneo, but if you are going to be out in the bush for more than a few days and make frequent use of field guides, consider having it re-bound before you leave -- many people I passed along the way were finding that the plate pages were starting to fall out.

A good and comprehensive guide to the region.
Many newer guides have been published about birds of this region, but this book still deserves its place on the bookshelf of anyone interested in birds of South-east Asia. Illustrations are good, and descriptions are detailed and mostly accurate. A bit bulky to carry in the field, but not a problem if you bring it in a backpack. The situation with forest fires in South-east Asia (especially Indonesia) is growing worse each year, so get out there and see some of these extraordinary birds while you still can! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Birds    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. English as a Second Language    5. Foreign Language Study    6. Greater Sunda Islands    7. Language    8. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    9. Nature    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Birds & birdwatching    12. Birds (ornithology)    13. English    14. Indonesia    15. Life Sciences | Vertebrate Zoology | Ornithology    16. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (2)

Painting with brush and pen
Seldom does one person serve as both writer and illustrator of a book.Julie Zickefoose proves that she is adept at both.She paints with brush and pen (or keyboard) pictures of what life can, and should, be like if we only take the time to appreciate it.Her 80 acres seem even larger, for all that occurs on them.
Letters from Eden
The stories in Letters from Eden are a shimmering blend of humor and heartbreak as the author shares the gifts, loss and lessons that come from an intimate relationship with nature. I find myself savoring each story and taking time to digest each one.The writing is exquisite, the field drawings are a treat, and the watercolors express the vibrancy of the life they portray.I love this book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bird Watching    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Essays    4. Natural History    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Ohio    8. Wildlife    9. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Gulf Coast    4. Houston Region    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Texas    8. Birds (ornithology)   

Reviews (5)

Beauty of the owls
If you have even the slightest interest in owls or birds in general this is the book for you. The pictures range from full shots of the individual species to minute details in plumage and even comparative pictures of feet and wing shape. This is truly the most well put together collection of owl photographs I've ever encountered. It even has a section in the back for artists who wish to use owls in carvings and paintings. All in all, this is a fantastic book.

Owls by Floyd Scholz
I thought I had seen the best of the best when I first saw Scholz's "Birds of Prey".I was wrong!"Owls" stands alone, without peers."Owls" is a rare combination of text, photography and advice.The pictures are amazing.The text is readable and informative.The advice and patterns alone are worth far more than the price of the book.The unbelievable amount of research that went into this book is evident from the dust cover clear through to the last page.The book is a must for everyone who enjoys owls be it artist, carver, naturalist, bird lover or simply people who enjoy fantastic books.Considering the size and quality of "Owls", it is a bargin!

Stunning!!!
Having used Floyd's previous reference 'Birds of Prey' since 1995, I've been eagerly anticipating the arrival of 'Owls'. The quality of the photography and variety of poses, including many extreme close-ups, makes this a first rate reference book for any artist as well as a stunning book for display on your coffee table. The saying that "A picture is worth a thousand words" has never been truer. Anyone who loves these beautiful creatures will be overwhelmed by the elegance of this book. I'll be purchasing a second copy for display, as the one in my studio will be occupied for a while. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Nature    3. Nature/Ecology    4. Owls    5. Owls in art    6. Birds & birdwatching    7. Carving & carvings    8. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles