Reviews (7)

The One and Only Field Guide for the West Indies.
Why is the One and Only?
Much better than Bond!
I just came back from St. Vincent where I used a copy of James Bond's "Birds of the Caribbean".It was acceptable, but it didn't have many colour plates or pictures of birds in flight.
Excellent Field Guide
This is an excellent field guide with great pictures of birds, making identification easier. The descriptions about the different bird species inhabiting the West Indies are also very good. The guide seems to give fuller coverage to birds in the northern Caribbean islands, such as Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico, and somewhat less coverage to birds in the central and southern regions of the West Indian island chain, but it was still very helpful to me with bird identification on a recent trip to the island of Montserrat (about 300 miles southeast of Puerto Rico). Recommended for birders vacationing in the West Indies. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Identification    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. West Indies    7. Biological Sciences    8. Birds (ornithology)    9. Birds and Natural History    10. Caribbean islands    11. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (1)

"THE" Field Guide
It�s an excellent field guide. The little maps with each bird showing the distribution area makes the identification fast and easy. Drawings are very good and so are id clues. I think that due to printing problems sometimes the colors are not so accurate (few cases). If you are coming to Argentina to watch birds, is a must (I�m not the author cousin). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Birds    3. Pets    4. Argentina    5. Birds & birdwatching    6. Uruguay   

Reviews (1)

Plain-capped Starthroat?
A fantastically beautiful book! Plain-capped Starthroat is readily attracted to flowers and sugarwater farther north in its range; I don't think of it as an elusive canopy species at all. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Life Sciences - Zoology - Ornithology    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Hummingbirds - Costa Rica - Identification    6. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (22)

Lord God, what a book!
At the risk of sounding blasphemous let me simply say "Lord God, what a book!" This book belongs on your MUST READ list!
Engrossing Non-fiction
I picked this book up based on recommendations from online reader groups who said it would read more like fiction than non-fiction.They were right!Hoose has meticulously researched the plight of the "Lord God Bird", the ivory-billed woodpecker, documenting the efforts to locate the dwindling population and the sad effects of man vs. nature.Well highlighted by photographs, we follow the loss of this magnificent creature as its habitat is swallowed up by man's greed in the first half of the twentieth century.Hoose's writing is vivid and engrossing and caused me to do that rarest of things---go online and research more for myself.Most interesting of all is that just after this book was published, there have been reports of the rediscovery of the ivory-bill!This is a wonderful book appropriate for people of all ages and especially those who are worried about the endangerment of species by mankind's shortsightedness.Recommended!

The Lord God Bird
I thought that this book was well written, reasearched, and thought through. But as a 12 year old I didn't enjoy it quite as much as i think an older person would. I think that the author wrote the stories well, and made them very drawing. This book was not one of my favorite books, partially because it was very hard to read. The other reason was beause to me it was a bit confusing. I could see him doing a kids version of the same book, but making it a bit simpler or shorter. I thought that the author did a great job in writing this book, but I think you should wait to read it until you are a bit older. Some people I know thought it was a great book, but they're older than me. So again I thought that this was an o.k. book, but not a great kid's read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Endangered species    6. Environmental Studies (Young Adult)    7. Ivory-billed woodpecker    8. Ivory-billed woodpeckers    9. Juvenile Nonfiction    10. Juvenile literature    11. Nature    12. Science & Nature - Environmental Conservation & Protection    13. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Ecology    14. Woodpeckers    15. Juvenile Nonfiction / Science & Technology / Environmental Science & Ecology   

Reviews (8)

The finest guide to birds in Colombia
"A Guide to the Birds of Colombia," by Steven L. Hilty and William L. Brown is mandatory reading for serious field observers.This book treats all of the 1,695 species of resident and migrant birds known to have been reliably recorded in Colombia and on its island posessions of Gorgona and Malpelo prior to 1984.
¡Qué belleza!
Es un libro que no debe faltar en la biblioteca de ning�n ornit�logo. Describe casi la totalidad de especies de aves del pa�s con m�s especies de aves en el mundo. Excelente.

An example for every Field Guide
This work is all a bird watcher could wish for. The splendid paintings by Tudor add to the very helpful in-depth descriptions. Completed by nearly 1500 distribution maps there's nothing left to wish, except go out there and see them. I used it when birding in Peru and I could still determine nearly all the birds I saw. Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Colombia    4. Identification    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Biological Sciences    8. Birds & birdwatching    9. Birds (ornithology)    10. Birds and Natural History    11. Latin American Studies    12. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching    13. Reference works   

Reviews (6)

Illustrations Supreme
Although there are quite a few miles between Saskatoon and New York, it seems clear to me that many of Candace Savage's Wise Guys and ours must be relatives! They've worked out a real-estate-sharing arrangement with cardinals, blue jays, and many smaller birds (plus squirrels, etc.) -- all in and around a huge oak tree in our back yard. If they're not out and around, I know it's not going to be such a good day.
Scientists around the world observe
Crows are toolmakers, tool users, and have complex family lives as well as their own language. Sounds too human to believe? Then you have to read up on them in CROWS: ENCOUNTERS WITH THE WISE GUYS. CROWS celebrates crow abilities, surveying their behavior, natural history, and more. Observations by scientists around the world are based on more than a decade of research and blend stories about crows with scientific observation to make for a most digestible, intriguing survey.
Fascinating Tricksters
If you, like me, love the image of Crows as "swaggering black-clad wise guys", then this book is for you!
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Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Crows    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Ravens    6. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (8)

An enjoyable read
A pleasant book with great insights into the lives of hummingbirds. Though not technical, there's plenty of information I've never read elsewhere. A great book for the casual observer, for someone who has a feeder, to get to know the birds better. Heidcamp certainly shows an unparalleled degree of devotion to these tiny creatures. This is just a book to sit back and enjoy. The photography, too, is spectacular.

Beautiful and informative
This is a marvelous little book: both captivating narrative and very informative. I've been a great fan of hummingbirds since visiting the aviary at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tuscon. The author has done a marvelous job of telling us what its like to have a hummingbird in the house on a daily basis. And how lucky Squeak was to find Ms. Heidcamp--some things just seem to happen for a reason. An adorable, heartwarming story
If you like birds in the least bit, you should enjoy this cute story about the tiny but spunky Squeak, the young, male hummingbird whom the author rescues from the frost and keeps in her sun room all winter long.Ms. Heidcamp should be extremely proud that she was able to make such a positive difference in the life of a creature whose species she was already following with a notebook and a passion.Her knowledge of flowers that attract hummingbirds is amazing.So, too, is her ability to stock her sun room with healthy, flowering specimens, ensure the availability of nutritional supplements and patiently regulate both the light and the temperature in the room, all so that Squeak would have what he needed to thrive.Her color photos are beautiful and perfectly illustrate the narrative.I just hope that Ms. Heidcamp someday writes a sequel so we can learnabout Squeak's fate upon leaving his winter home and doting host. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Essays    5. Heidcamp, Arnette    6. Hummingbirds as pets    7. Nature    8. Nature / Field Guide Books    9. New York (State)    10. Ruby-throated hummingbird    11. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    12. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (3)

a great teacher
This is a great overall look into the evolution and biology of birds. I'm using it as a prep for some ornithology and biology courses at university. The book goes through evolution, systematics, biology, physiology, etc. I highly reccomend it for anyone needing to do some brush up work, or as an introduction to many of the topics I've mentioned above. I think it should pretty much be a standard for anyone interested in birds...Hooray for this manual!

good source for avian physiology
This book is excellent for ornithology students and backyard birders alike.It has many detailed illustrations of the skeletal, muscular, and other internal systems of birds in general.The text gives generalinformation on each system and then more detail on specific parts.Iespecially like the sections at the end on binocular use and study skinpreparation

Excellent drawings, clear text.
If you have only one textbook about birds on your bookshelf, choose this one.The text is easy to understand, and the illustrations are remarkable.It is now available in a less expensive paperback version, also availableat Amazon.com. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Nature    3. Nature/Ecology    4. Science    5. Birds & birdwatching    6. Birds (ornithology)    7. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (7)

Excellent content, but poor packaging
Comprehensive and (relatively speaking) up to date. However, as with the other reviewers, I agree that not being able to remove the color plates added around 3 kg for every sojourn I took while living there. The book also demonstrated to me how little we know about the birds of Ecuador (distribution maps in particular are spotty). Talking to locals/guides resulted in conflicting opinions regarding species distributions (e.g., "no I saw one of these birds here last week" whereas the guide did not even indicate localized records of such species). Hefty weight is worth it. Also, do not repeat my accident of leaving your copy of the Birds of Ecuador (with color plates)(bought in US for $35) on a river in Mindo and then buy a new one in Quito (for $95).

Birdwatching in Ecuador
Ridgley's Birds of Ecuador was an indispensable birding guide used on a recent trip (2005) to experience the natural history of Ecuador -the highlands, coast and Galapagos Islands.I brought along the soft cover edition which contains an informative map showing the ecoregions of Ecuador and this should be consulted before visiting so as to help better understand the geography, climate and ecosystems and where a particular species might be observed.Helpful hints include comparisons to similar Neotropical migrants.Most of the color plates are beautifully rendered and I would recommend Ridgley's guide to anyone who wants to know the birds they are seeing while in Ecuador and surrounding regions.

A neotropical must-have
I finally ordered this magnificent guide, and now I wish I would have bought it sooner.This should be on every travelling birder's bookshelf.Just glancing through the plates makes me just want to hop aboard the next flight to Quito.Before buying this title, I heard plenty of contrasting opinions on the quality of Greenfield's plates.Being quite picky with artwork, and prefering that of the elite artists (Ian Lewington, Tim Worfolk, etc) I was a bit nervous.But overall I feel that the plates are very good.The colors, in particular, are very bright, and the plates are aesthetically pleasing.In comparison to Guy Tudor's plates (found in the Colombia and Venezuela Guides), I feel Greenfield measures up very well.I'll admit that some birds aren't drawn as well as Tudor's, but many of his plates are better than those in the Colombia guide.I would definitely take the Ecuador guide to Colombia or Peru, along with those countries' respective guides.As for the text, it is very detailed and distribution maps are placed right beside the text so you don't have to keep flipping around.The maps contain elevation information, and show the locations of two principal cities (Quito and Guayaquil-spelling?) for reference.I haven't yet seen volume 1, but I am assuming it is just as impressively done. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Ecuador    5. Identification    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. South America    9. Birds (ornithology)    10. Reference works   

Reviews (3)

Very informative information on the Birds in Hawaii
This was my first trip to Hawaii, and went to several islands, the birds are just beautiful and I took several pictures of the birds, and nowhere could I find what the birds were.This book had every single bird that we had seen there, as well as information on the birds.I recommend this book to everyone that goes to Hawaii, as a matter of fact, purchase it before they go.You'll enjoy it very much!
Excellent logistics guide
I found this book to be indespensible in identifying where to go and how to get there.A section on each of the major islands, and then regions on a per island basis makes it easy to use.Pratt identifies which birds youcan expect to see in each of the birding spots identified.Although colorplates of many of the species are included, this is not a speciesclassification guide per-se. You'll need a separate guide for that.Butyou can't see them if you don't know where to go or how to get there, andthat's where this book shines.I shutter to think of the time we wouldhave wasted without it.

Informative, accurate, attractive
Pratt takes the reader island by island, site by site, through all the best spots to find birds in the islands.Illustrated with excellent color photographs, the guide tells you what to expect in terms of species to see,directions on getting there, and possible hazards (mud, rough roads,irritable hunters, etc.).Following the site descriptions, Pratt adds asection on each species to be found in the islands, listing the places itis most likely to be found.The emphasis is on clear information, butPratt's lucid interesting writing style makes the book a pleasure to readas well.I have used it on Kaua'i and Hawai'i and would not think ofbirding the other islands without it.Indispensible! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    2. Nature    3. Birds    4. Birds, including cage birds    5. Hawaii   

Reviews (8)

The solace of song
David Rothenberg's lovely book, WHY BIRDS SING: A Journey Through
Uninspiring
With such an inspiring subject this should have been great book, but it's not.Reading this book was like watching a lava lamp - moving (turning pages) but going nowhere.I only read 40 pages before I couldn't bring myself to pick it up again.Good writing grabs you and compels you to continue - this doesn't. Singing birds are inspiring - this book isn't.The CD that came with it closed the lid on the coffin for me.The birds aren't allowed to star here but the author himself. He fails to communicate with the birds who provide great motifs for improvisation - only recall one time on the CD where the author generated a musical idea based on the bird songs.The book and CD are pretentious.

Tuneful, if not an aria.
In this slightly meandering but sincere book, musician and philosopher Rothenberg shows us that there are qualities to birdsong that transcend what science can tell us. Part of that transcendence is their emotional involvement with their songs, and Rothenberg can be counted among earlier authorities--including Len Howard, Charles Hartshorne, and Alexander Skutch--who believe that birds enjoy singing. His enthusiasm is most apparent when the discussion turns to music, and as an amateur musician I also enjoyed perusing the musical scores and sonograms of various feathered songsters.
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Subjects:  1. Bird Behavior    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. General    4. Life Sciences - Zoology - Ornithology    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Science    9. Birds & birdwatching   

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    2. Nature    3. Outdoor Skills    4. Reference    5. Sports    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Birds & birdwatching    8. Reference works    9. Sports & Recreation / General   

Reviews (2)

Handy convenient book
I bought this book as a gift for my elderly parents who like to use a guide for identifying birds at their backyard feeder.It has large, colorful pictures that are nice for that purpose.This book was recommended by a local newspaper writer who writes a "bird" column weekly.I am happy with my purchase and so are my parents.

Feeder birds without page turning
This is more or less a rehash of the peterson field guide. It has the same (enlarged) pictures that are in the original guide. In addition, it has the type of food that each bird is likely to eat as well as the range map next to the description. I suppose it's a little convenient to have all the feeder birds grouped together, but , other than that, I felt disappointed with the book. There was some (but not enough) information on actually attracting birds and setting up feeding stations. Personally, I found the Stoke's guide to attracting, identifying and understanding feeder birds to be more helpful. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bird feeders    2. Birds    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Food    5. Identification    6. Individual Species Of Birds    7. Nature    8. Nature/Ecology    9. North America    10. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    11. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Nature    3. Nature / Field Guide Books    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Biological Sciences    6. Birds & birdwatching    7. Birds (ornithology)    8. Birds and Natural History    9. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

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

Subjects:  1. Bald eagle    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Individual Species Of Birds    4. Nature    5. Nature / Field Guide Books    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Pictorial works    8. Subjects & Themes - Plants & Animals    9. Photography / Nature & Wildlife   

Reviews (13)

First class
Of the dozen or so raptor identification books I own, I have learned the most from this book. The standard Peterson's guides work pretty well if you can get within 50 feet of a sitting bird, or if you use a gun as an accessory. However for most of us, you need to be able to work from a lot further away than that. Dunne takes you beyond plumage clues to descriptions of flight cadence, behaviour, posture, and relative body proportions. He discards the trivial details not visible from less than a hundred feet. He emphasizes what is still obvious in a backlit, soaring bird even miles away. On top of that he offers visual analogies that are cool 'sound bites' to help you remember features of the species. For example think of the flying 'stovepipe', the Northern Goshawk, or the 'arthritic' wingbeats of the Cooper's hawk. These clues offer the kind of practical wisdom that a seasoned birder will use.
Great companion book to other raptor field guides
"Hawks in Flight" is a different kind of ID field guide.Most guides feature many colored plates and or photographs of the birds.That is very useful if you are within a reasonable distance from the bird and the light is decent.
Good, not perfect, but good
Buteo identification has always been a challenge for me, but over the Christmas Day Birdcount I was able to get an identification I would have never gotten without the volume.The subtle parsing of the various colors, sizes, behaviors, etc. of raptors makes this more useful then a field guide for understanding on what you should be focusing when catching that 5 or 6 seconds of "flying away raptor".
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Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    3. Birds of prey    4. Identification    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Birds & birdwatching    9. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

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

Reviews (25)

A great story of people, places, and a bird
I've got a small den with limited bookshelf space. I read 2-3 books a week and give most of them to the local library--the rest go to friends. This one is a keeper. It is up on the shelf with The Big Year, Into the Heart of the Sea, and Undaunted Courage.
Enough to make you want to buy a pair of chest waders
An exciting tale that is so well written, you can feel what it is like to be guiding your canoe through snags in the bottomland forest water. Gallager brings the characters and the search to life as he takes you down the trail that lead to the recent rediscovery of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker. Ever skeptical, I found myself reviewing the evidence in the book and on other sites online. I still feel amazed that the rediscovery might actually be true. And time will tell. This is a book every birder and every logger/developer should read.

Interesting story, but not overly convinced
Since it's last confirmed sighting in the 1940s, there have been several sightings of the Ivory-billed woodpecker, a bird throught to now be extinct.These sightings were, for one reason or another, either dismissed outright or the subject of much controversy.Suddenly, though, in the last couple years there have been a spate of possible sightings, leading the author, Tim Gallagher, to set out investigate further, in the process writing this book documenting his adventures and the fascinating story of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and its tragic disappearance.Sure enough, during the course of his investigation, he too happens to have a possible sighting, and things just begin to snowball from there, and its not long before other ornithologists are slopping and canoing through the swamps and bayous of the scattered remnants of once vast tracts of bottomland forests having their own possible sightings.All of this has raised the hopes of many who more than anything would like to see this species thrive once again.But that this species would after a number of decades of supposed extinction suddenly be observed with such relative frequency has led to much debate and controvery.All this makes for an interesting read, but when it comes down to the recent possible sightings, the book really doesn't offer much that is all that convincing.Fleeting glimpses, grainy video, and possible "double raps" (characteristic of the Ivory-billed) echoing faintly through the vast forest are not exactly overwhelming proof of anything, unfortunately.Hopefully, proof will emerge that somehow the Irovy-billed has managed to survive all this time; but I for one won't be holding my breath. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Individual Species Of Birds    3. Ivory-billed woodpecker    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Birds & birdwatching    7. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (6)

Shorebirds of North America by Dennis Paulson
Shorebirds of North America is a keeper! Absolutely stunning pictures showing virtually every bird in flight as well as on the ground in a multitude of plumages. The interesting, informative, well written descriptions make this a better arm-chair book, than field book.
Great Reference for Birders
The book covers 94 species of shorebirds for North America including familiar species and rarities.
No Herons, ducks or anything other than Sandpiper-like birds...
I was thinking this book would cover everything that you would typically find near salt water and marshes, like Herons, Ducks, Widgeons, Loons, Geese, Gulls, etc.It only covers a very narrow range of sandpiper, plover and stints.
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Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    3. Identification    4. Life Sciences - Zoology - Ornithology    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature/Ecology    8. North America    9. Pictorial works    10. Pictorical works    11. Shore birds    12. Antiques & Collectibles / General    13. Biological Sciences    14. Birds & birdwatching    15. Birds and Natural History