Editorial Review

Ever wonder what that trill in the backyard is? Or how to distinguish between all those similarwarbler songs? If so, try Read more

Reviews (10)

Excellent intro to bird songs
I've birded for a number of years but I wanted to be able to distinguish birds by their calls, especially the shy ones. This CD volme was the perfect introduction. Dick Walton's informal, almost folksy, comments made for enjoyable listening and learning. Sure there are only 91 species but one great sampling. Now that he has taught me "hooks" and "handles" I have graduated to using the Stokes CDs, but at least I can now differentiate closely related songs thanks to Mr. Walton.
A great choice for the first step in learning birdsong
If you live in North America east of the Mississipi and want to identify birds by ear, read on... Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central, Peterson Field Guides
....This set of audio tapes was a disappointment to me. I had wanted a set of bird songs to accompany my new Peterson Eastern Birds field guide, 4th edition.( Previously, I had owned the 2nd edition and its excellent, page-coordinated, accompanying tapes and had used them for years.) I bought this new set of audio tapes blind, so to speak, because they were shrink-wrapped with no real description visible. No one in any of the retail stores I consulted knew anything about them nor was willing to break into the shrink-wrapping.Read more

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

Reviews (1)

Worth every penny
This is an excellent book, giving full details on all the pigeon and doves species of the world. Excellent color plates also make the reader very familiar with the different types. I'd recommend this read to the budding aviculturist, old bird breeders, orinthologists, and even the average bird watcher. ... Read more

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

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Color    4. Life Sciences - Evolution    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Reference    8. Birds (ornithology)    9. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (4)

What a story and I am not a nature book reader!
I should preface this by saying that I read voraciously but nearly all my books are international intrigue, mystery and sci fi.Occasionally I will branch out and read something different and usually it is non-fiction.I happened upon a copy of Return of the Condor and was struck by the cover. Having never seen one live and not even really knowing anything about condors, I flipped through the pages and looked at the magnificent color photos.Went back and read the first chapter and I was hooked. Although it is a true story it reads more like a novel with both intrigue and tenderness.I read it in one sitting and found myself wishing it had continued on past its ending.This is an excellent read even for someone who has little or no interest in birds or nature.It is fascinating, extremely well-written and engrossing.

Informative and Entertaining
Condors are North America's largest birds, with wingspans of nearly 10 feet.They are also highly intelligent-and extremely rare.John Moir's passionate writing shows how a team of dedicated scientists pulled this fascinating creature back from the brink of extinction (in 1982 there were only 22 CA condors left in the world).But it wasn't easy, and the process was fraught with bitter controversy between those who wanted to leave the birds alone and let them live "free" versus those who argued in favor of collecting data by radio tagging some birds and capturing others.
A great read
This book is not only a remarkable tribute to the condor and the scientists who have worked to save it, but a captivating story as well.
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Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Wild Animal And Bird Protection    6. Birds & birdwatching    7. Conservation of wildlife & habitats    8. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (10)

Pages are falling out!This is a Field Guide???!!!
Attention, publisher and smart shoppers: Can we all agree that even paperback reference books should be securely bound to support repeated, long-term use?A BIRD BOOK should be bound like a Sherman tank because it ought to withstand being tossed into a backpack and perused in the swampy jungle.My copy of Roger Tory Peterson's "Mexican Birds" is almost new and I've opened it just a couple dozen times inside our air-conditioned home in Ixtapa.Yet this morning, as I was trying to determine whether the yellow-bellied bird in the Parota tree outside our window was a Great Kiskadee or a Boat-billed Flycatcher, I set the open book down on my desk and eight of the color plates separated from the binding!What Lesser Yellow-Headed Vulture engineered the binding of this book? (made in U.S.)I own Penguin paperback detective novels that hold together better than this, even though I don't need them to do so.So to the publishers, I must quote the purported cry of the extinct Do-Do Bird, "DUH!"To my fellow birders, I say, come to Mexico!We have woodpeckers and Egrets galore, White-Throated Magpie Jays (who have twice hovered a few feet in front of our faces, yodelling softly while they watch us back!), Yellow-Winged Caciques (who gather together in trees by the hundreds at bedtime and whoosh out in a long, musical procession at dawn) and much more!(I list only birds we see DAILY in our Club de Golf, Ixtapa neighborhood!)But when you come, bring a field guide with a better binding than this one.Happy birding!

An unpleasant surprise
I assumed any Peterson guide would be good enough to provide a solid field reference.This was an unpleasant surprise -- it is well short of the mark.For starters, approximately a sixth of the book was bound upside down.(I did not have enough time before my trip to return it.)Next, the number of plates seems particularly limited and, finally, the number of birds covered seems far too limited.The first two entries I went to while in the field irritatingly simply referenced other Peterson guides with no further detail.Note to publisher: this diminishes the Peterson brand.

Book Fair- Binding Terrible
The color plates are well executed but they all fell out because the paperback binding is glued in, not sewn. Other owners of this guide have had the same problem. I was surprised because I love many of the Peterson Guides, but this book was not the least bit durable. Eventually, the book became a liabilty and I didn't bother carrying it. I was angry and Houghton Mifflin sent me a new copy when I complained. My friend had, "A Guide to Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America" by Howell and Webb. It was far superior. It was much more detailed and had range maps which were very helpful. It's only problem was its weight.I strongly recommend you look at the Howell and Webb if you are serious about identifying birds in Mexico.
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Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Central America    5. Identification    6. Mexico    7. Nature    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Birds & birdwatching    10. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (9)

Excellent Book
This book is a much needed guide to bird sign and tracks.It complements Elbroch's guide to Animal sign.It is well written and informative.

Expand Your Birder Skills With This
I really got excited when I saw this reviewed in National Wildlife magazine.I often see bird tracks or even a nest when out walking but didn't know how to translate that into useful information.This book clues me in on the bird that matches those signs.
Great gift for that serious birder
This is a guide to identifying bird families or individual species by clues they leave behind of their presence. The title may appear, at first glance, to be a typo. It is not. As the authors explain on the first page: "Sign refers to all the possible signs of their passing: sign of feeding, gathering material for nesting, the nests or cavity holes themselves, pellets, droppings, feathers lost during molt, or kill sites."Read more

Subjects:  1. Animal tracks    2. Birds    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Identification    5. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. North America    9. Birds & birdwatching    10. Birds (ornithology)   

Reviews (5)

Parrot book
Although a useful book on parrot illnesses, it was a great shame and disappointment that the book was all in black and white. there were no colour pictures or photographs. once again a real disappointment!

Great book
Everyone with a parrot should have this book. "A Valuable Guide to Avian Medicine"
There have been so many advances in avian medicine over the years that it's hard to keep up.This book is a valuable guide for all parrot lovers, and owners, who want to know the latest in avian medicine.In these eight chapters Doane covers in great detail everything you need to know to better take care of your companion parrot.There are chapters on picking an Avian Veterinarian, knowing the signs of a Well Bird and a Sick Bird, using proper first aid in the event of accidents, disease problems, avian surgery and there's even a chapter on dealing with the loss when a bird dies.Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Birds    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Diseases    5. Health    6. Parrots    7. Pets   

Editorial Review

The literature of bird watching is full of memoirs set in out-of-the-way, rural locales, but few are set in the heart of big cities such as New York, where Read more

Reviews (20)

Repeated Enjoyment
Every year goes by and this simple tale becomes more treasured and heartwarming.I have given dozens of copies of this book to friends, birders and non interested alike.Everyone is grateful for the inspiration that this unusual piece of nature brings.
Purchased this book in protest against Pale Male's eviction
As a New Yorker, I hadn't really paid much attention to Pale Male before this unfortunate state of affairs. There was somethingshockingly callous and arrogant in the way the board of 927 Fifth Avenue destroyed this magnificent bird's home. I hope the hawks will eventually get their nest back.
Enchanting
As I write this at the very end of 2004, a red-tailed hawk drama has hit the press: The nest of a minor celebrity, Pale Male, the hero of the non-fictional "Red Tails in Love," had his nest summarily and probably illegally removed from the tony 5th Avenue address where he has nested for many a year.
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Subjects:  1. Bird watching    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Essays    4. Individual Species Of Birds    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature/Ecology    8. New York    9. New York (State)    10. Red-tailed hawk    11. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (16)

Practical, easy and brilliant!
I waited a long time to get this book and it was worth every moment. The designs are well thought out and easy for even the mechanically challenged to understand. The author has devised an aviary/cage system that can be increased or decreased at will, by adding or subtracting carefully yet simply designed panels. Each panel fulfills a particular function of the whole to form the basic unit and you can add unlimited units to form your ideal facility. This information is timeless and I am very pleased.

Good plans for modular building
This book lays out a good set of plans for starting small and working your way up to as large a breeding operation as you like.I am adept at building small animal pens, and I've been doing so for several decades, on a hobby basis.I was still impressed with the simple brilliance of this book.

Not for the average suburban hobbyist
Potential purchasers of this booklet should be aware that the author is very serious about his birds. What he considers a "quite small" aviary, "for the aviculturist who has only restricted land area for his hobby", measures 11 by 16 feet. A "fairly large" one is 38 by 24 feet, complete with concrete foundation, plumbing, heating, electric lights, and 12 foot ceilings. Read more

Subjects:  1. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    2. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching    3. Aviaries    4. Bird feeders    5. Birdhouses    6. Birds & Birdwatching    7. Building    8. Design and construction    9. How-To   

Reviews (6)

Learning Japanese?This is the book to get
The author clearly has a passion for the language and culture -- and he's been at it for quite some time.When you sit down to read Jack Seward's Easy Japanese, you really feel like he's sitting across the table from you, talking to you.And you should listen.
A fun book
People with some background in Japanese will enjoy seeing how the language has changed since this was written- yes it is out-dated in many respects. However, I disagree with one of the other reveiwers who says that watakushi is ike "thee"."Watakushi" is still in common use- but in formal situations rather than in casual speech.
NOT "easy" but interesting comments on common phrases
I can't agree that this is "easy" - the grammar explanations are puzzling and non-existent in the case of uses of verb conjugations (except for the difference between plain and polite forms).The pattern exercises are fun and interesting, and there is a fairly good range of vocabulary presented.But the student will not find this an easy book to use if a beginner to Japanese.A casual traveler to Japan would, however, find the explanations of the most common polite phrases quite interesting. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. English    3. Foreign Language Study    4. General    5. Japanese    6. Japanese Language    7. Language    8. Study Guides    9. Textbooks for foreign speakers    10. Foreign Language Study / Japanese    11. Language & Linguistics    12. Language teaching & learning material & coursework   

Subjects:  1. Dinosaurs    2. Evolution    3. Extinction    4. Fossils    5. Life Sciences - Evolution    6. Nature    7. Paleoecology    8. Science    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Birds (ornithology)    11. Palaeontology   

Reviews (4)

Birds of Southern Africa
I own all the field guides for this area and the Sinclair book is the best. The illustrations are excellent and the text and range maps are opposite the illustrations making it easy to use in the field. I do question the inclusion of some species where there are only two or three records for the area covered as this makes someone visiting the area go through a lot of alternatives to make an identification. Also better explanation of the summer ranges of certain species would help.

Absolutely indespensible
This book is an absolute must for any birder, amateur or expert, who travels in southern Africa.I used it daily on a overland camping trip through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia.The descriptions of the various species are accurate.The color plates are extremely life-like.The maps and habitat information provided for each bird were very helpful in helping us identify the different subjects.If you have any interest in birding take this book with you on your journey to southern Africa.

Bird-watching lover
I had wanted to buy this book soon after I return from trip in Southern Africa. Gone on Safari trip for couple of days. Saw many birds in which I don't know the name. I am thankful for this book with name of birds I saw in Africa. Would love go back to Africa soon! This is recommed book for anyone who has or is going to Africa. There are many beautiful birds in nature you'd enjoy your visiting! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Ornithology    6. Biological Sciences    7. Biology, Life Sciences    8. Birds and Natural History    9. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (1)

spectacular guide to all herons, egrets, and bitterns!
Authors James Hanock and James Kushlan, along with illustrators Robert Gillmor and Peter Hayman have put together a simply gorgeous guide to all the world's species of herons, egrets, and bitterns. A guide to herons on every continent except Antarctica, all 60 species as recognized by the book, it is a thorough treatment of each one. Each species has a breathtaking color illustration, many times an additional black and white illustration, the common name, genus and species name, alternate common names, when and who first described it as species, maps illustrating range (including directions of migration and areas of casual occurrences), several paragraphs describing in detail their physical appearance, notes on their distribution and population, migration, habitat, behavior flying, feeding, and breeding, descriptions of nests, eggs, and young, and a note or two on taxonomy. Subspecies are noted as well; for instance a two page color range map depicts the 30 subspecies of the green-backed heron, found throught the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia, and several Pacific and Indian Ocean island groups. Read more

Subjects:  1. Nature/Ecology   

Reviews (26)

Perfect For Me
This is the best bird book I've ever used. I'm not a serious birder- just like to know what I'm looking at when I see a new bird. The photographs are clear and the information is organized in a way I find intuitive. I'm planning to get several more to use as gifts.

Superior Material, Exceptional Photos
Impressed with the expository and striking photography.My kids ages:9, 6, and 3 all pick-up the book and recognize brids from the quality photos in this book.It is clear in checking other materials that the Stokes Field Guides are above other bird books.

Much better than most
After using many inadequate field guides, this became my standard guide.Now I use it with the Sibley's field guide (the BEST field guide out there).Between the two of them, I have all the information I need.The photographs are a great complement to Sibley's drawings.But the photos often lack many of the important field marks.And the regional variation in some species may make the pictures useless or worse, misleading.Juvenile and female pictures are often missing.Many occasional visitors to New Mexico are missing from this book, although the common species are there.The maps are pretty good.The behavioral, feeding and breeding info is very helpful.It's a great resource for the backyard birdwatcher, and a good supplement for the serious birder.
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Subjects:  1. Bird Watching    2. Birds    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    5. East (U.S.)    6. Identification    7. Nature    8. Nature/Ecology    9. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (5)

A great book from one of the best!

An Excellent Book
A lot of you that may see this book and it's dimensions and may think, a coffee table book. Or a book to put on a shelfand collect dust with. I'm here to say that that is definitely NOT the case. I have this book myself, of course, and I have suprisingly find myself reading this book merely for entertainment. I have learned a LOT from this book. You should see the marks and stains I have on mine. The Author, a great man with a great history (check his autobiography Kingbird Highway) Excellent!!
Great book to have onhand.I also have Sibley's book, The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior and I love them both - they're very different and while they may overlap to some degree, they're definitely different.Lives of N. Amer. Birds has great photographs of the birds, each bird entry has an intro paragragh about the bird, then is followed by habitat they prefer/can be found in, Feeding to include diet as well as how the bird finds/hunts for food, Nesting to include typical nest sites, how they're built, number of eggs and what they look like, care oft he young.There is also a section on each bird that talks to conservation issues for the bird.Latin names are also provided.I think this is a great reference book.I like to augment my reading with the Sibley guide as well as some ofthe stokes books on bird behavior. ... Read more

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

Reviews (2)

this is not a field guide
I read the other review and was deceived. The other reviewer made it sound like a field guide comparing it to Peterson.NO!!!!There are a total of 45 color plates covering less than 500 of the about 1500 Brazilian birds and some of these plates are black and white.

Birds in Brazil
Birds in Brazil is a big book, beautifully produced on quality paper.It is exhaustive but never exhausting on the topic of Brazilian birds .The color illustrations are beautiful, but unfortunately they are separate from the text about the birds.That is the book's only fault.The text is in smooth and enticing English, and where the same birds are to be found migrating to the United States, the information is quite comparable in completion and interest to the American field guides of Roger T. Peterson.That leads me to believe that the information about birds that we don't experience will be equally accurate.This book is captivating and well worth the price.It is a coffee-table style book that we will be proud to use and to display. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Brazil    4. Conservation    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Ornithology    9. Biological Sciences    10. Birds & birdwatching    11. Birds (ornithology)    12. Birds and Natural History    13. Latin American Studies    14. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching    15. Reference works   

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Calendar    3. Calendars & Diaries    4. Non-Classifiable    5. NATURE / Birds & Birdwatching    6. Photography / Nature & Wildlife   

Reviews (2)

Very Well Designed and Informative
Lot of great pictures and very informative articles.This book will definitely be with my camara and computer during my trip to Antarctica.

Fine book beautifully produced!
Anyone who has read my other reviews will know that I don't give stars easily but I can find no reason even to deduct a single star from this book. Whether you have been, are going or just want to dream of going this is the book for you. As its title indicates, its prime purpose is to describe the wildlife, and it gives top billing to the birds - all in a level of detail which should satisfy the most demanding birder, but which the average interested amateur naturalist should also find interesting. The authors have sensibly provided a fine set of plates rather than relying on photos as the main identification aid. There are however many good photos as well - this use of both "media" is, as far as my experience goes, unusual in bird books which tend to opt for one or the otherwhen in fact each has its advantages and disadvantages. The section onmarine mammals is of a similar quality. Another section comprehensively describes each of the regions (including Sub-Antarctic islands all the way up to Tristan) with information which makes the book useful as a "travel guide" for planning and accompanying a trip (though it is really too fine a book to get damaged in use!). In addition there are good (if relatively short) sections on geology, climate, history, botany etc etc - in fact on just about any relevant subject you could think of. Indeed if you could only have 1 book on the Antarctic this is a very good candidate - and at a very good price! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antarctic Ocean    2. Antarctica    3. Birds    4. Marine mammals    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Reference    8. Wildlife    9. Biological Sciences    10. Birds & birdwatching    11. Birds (ornithology)    12. Birds and Natural History    13. Nature / Wildlife    14. Polar regions   

Reviews (6)

In depth look at hand feeding and care of baby birds
Matthew Vriends HAND-FEEDING AND RAISING BABY BIRDS is of some use to me although I prefer Gayle Souck's PARROT BREEDER'S ANSWER BOOK.Vriend's book is not nearly as comprehensive, he goes deep whereas Soucek goes broad.However, I appreciate the detailed sections on the selection, care and maintenance of incubators including photos of the various types of incubators as well as text describing air filtration systems (`still air' and ventilation), automatic egg turners versus doing it yourself, and temperature, light and humidity considerations. Interestingly, neither author cites the other even tho Barron's produced both books and they are somewhat complementary.
OK book
This book was OK.It talks about all pet birds, so it really only gives a little bit of information about each.If you are looking to know about handfeeding ONE certain kind of bird, then I would look for a different book.The pictures are very cute though.

Where was the editor on this book?
If you have patience, you can get a good "overview" of handfeeding pet baby birds here..Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Cage birds    3. Infancy    4. Ornithology    5. Pets    6. Birds & birdwatching    7. Birds, including cage birds    8. Pets / Birds   

Reviews (10)

Fantastic book for beginners!
I just bought a home in the winter and have since become VERY interested not only in the birds that inhabit the woods in my back yard, but in attracting more birds through the use of feeders, baths, and gardening techniques.I picked this book up on a whim in Cracker Barrel and I'm SO glad I did!This publication offers great pictures and diagrams, specific (both complicated and extremely easy) garden designs for attracting birds, tips for providing nutrition for your visiting birds on a seasonal basis, notes on habitats and flight patterns, even tips for keeping the little guys & gals from bashing into sliding doors and large windows!Ms. Roth also offers personal and very interesting anecdotes from people in all stages of gardening/birding.
YOU CAN TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS!
I have been birding for well over 40 years now, have literally hundreds of books on the subject and spend a great deal of time in pursuit of this wonderful hobby.I am also an avid gardener and maintain a very bird friendly acreage.I recently purchased this book and I have to admit, right from the start, I actually learned things I did not know, got great ideas and had a wonderful time reading to boot.What more could you want.Ms. Roth has given us some wonderful illustrations and a text which is enjoyable, humerous and easy to follow.I am absolutely delighted to have added this one to my collection.The book is useful for anyone interesting in birds, nature, gardening or the simple pleasure of reading a good, well researched book.Recommend this one highly.

Great for getting started, then for keeping you going!!
My parents got me this book a few years back when I expressed an interested in attracting birds and butterflies to my yard.Who knew that I was beginning on a whole new way of living?
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Subjects:  1. Bird watching    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Gardening    4. Gardening to attract birds    5. General    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology