Subjects:  1. 1908-1996    2. Anecdotes    3. Bird watching    4. Birds & Birdwatching - General    5. Essays    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Peterson, Roger Tory,    9. Travel    10. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (7)

A Road to Eagle Hunting and Freedom
This book came in with others on Mongolia I had ordered a month ago and so I thought it was just another aspect of this fascinating country I am presently dedicating my attention to. Instead, as usual, generalization is not for human sprit. Opening the book I found out this naturalist grew up in New England as I did, he has italian chromosomes and is a novel Federick II. Immediate simpathy arised. So I dived into this unknown ornitological world (by the way I am scared of birds and I live with terror of an annoying pidgeon that once in a while comes into my kitchen).
A book for anyone with a dream
I don't hunt or fish or tramp around in the wilderness but, despite that, I was entranced by this book - couldn't put it down.To me, it's a story of how one person, in this case a brilliant and engaging writer, managed to achieve a dream he'd held since childhood.Bodio is such a fine (and funny!) storyteller that he makes one of the world's most exotic places accessible without making it a bit less exotic.Hunting with eagles in Mongolia doesn't have to be your dream for this book to be one you'll treasure, just like you didn't have to fish for trout to love "A River Runs Through It." I highly recommend this book.

A Tribute to Wild Freedom
I was a junior in college when my dad sent me a copy of a new magazine he had started receiving at home called Gray's Sporting Journal. An English student and avid sportsman, I turned immediately to the book review section. Typically, I did not expect much from a sporting magazine's book review; seldom did these reviews actually convey much critical information. Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays & Travelogues    2. Pictorials    3. Travel    4. Travel - General    5. Birds & birdwatching    6. Hunting or shooting animals & game    7. Mongolia    8. Travel / Pictorials    9. Travel writing   

Reviews (2)

What happened to South America?
How can a book about great birding spots not have a single mention of South America?

Guide for Bird Watchers who Travel
Birders (a.k.a. bird watchers) can approach their hobby several ways. There's the backyard birder who enjoys feeding and otherwise attracting birds to his/her backyard. Then there's the lister, who keeps a list of species seen (whether in a time period such as a year or in a lifetime) and is always trying to see the next new bird. I feel that among listers there are several types, some who chase the rare (pronounced "lost") birds that blunder to a "migrant trap" near the birders' home, and others who'd rather travel to where the birds should be. This book is for the later group.Read more

Subjects:  1. Bird watching    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. General    4. Reference - General    5. Reference - Guides (General)    6. Sports    7. Sports & Recreation    8. Travel    9. Travel - General    10. Sports & Recreation / General   

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    2. Nature    3. Travel    4. United States - West - Pacific (General)    5. Travel / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)   

Subjects:  1. Bird watching    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Guidebooks    4. Nature    5. Travel    6. West Indies    7. Birds & birdwatching    8. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching    9. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    2. Nature    3. Travel    4. United States - West - Pacific (General)    5. Travel / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)   

Reviews (1)

almost perfect
This book was very helpful when identifying birds of Hong Kong. The color photographs of each bird were clear and extremely helpful, and the descriptions helped me distinguish similar species if I was still in doubt after seeing the picture. The range maps seem accurate, and the book's small size makes it very portable and convenient to carry. The only drawback was that several species I saw, some fairly commonly, were not listed or pictured, so I was unable to identify them at the time. Overall, I would recommend this book for someone wanting to identify Hong Kong birds. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Photography    3. Subjects & Themes - Plants & Animals    4. Subjects & Themes - Travel - World/Asia    5. Travel   

Subjects:  1. Bird watching    2. Birding sites    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Guidebooks    5. Gulf Coast    6. Texas    7. Trails    8. Travel    9. Travel - United States    10. United States - South - Texas    11. United States - South - West South Central (General)    12. Travel / United States / South / West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX)   

Reviews (3)

A birder's view
An excellent guide for a visitor to such a large State as Texas. Detailed maps and directions, together with species lists, make this guidebook an essential tool for birders.

not what I wanted
I was looking for something with more pictures and a ID key. This book is a little heady.

Not for beginners, but excellent insights.
I bought this book thinking it was going to be a field identification guide, and at first I was disappointed....but as I read on I realized this book is intended to *supplement* a true field guide. And as a supplement,it is absolutely wonderful, particularly in its coverage of state andnational parks of Texas. The descriptions are fabulous, and the writingstyle fun to read, unlike your typical "dry" field guides. I amplanning a trip to Big Bend National Park in the fall, and I learned moreabout the park in two paragraphs than I had from combing 2 books and dozensof web sites. I also like how Kutac will give you the precise streets orstretches of field where certain species were found. My only complaint isthe lack of coverage in certain areas (I live in Denton county and it wouldhave been neat to find out what's been spotted here), but I can appreciatethat it's very difficult to cover all of Texas in one book. Most of thebirding "hot spots," parks, and cities do get treatment, and theinformation and insights should be very helpful to beginners andexperienced birders alike. Perhaps future editions will bring additionalcontributions to fill in some of the holes. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bird watching    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Guidebooks    4. Nature    5. Texas    6. Travel    7. United States - South - West South Central (General)    8. Wildlife    9. Birds & birdwatching    10. Nature / Wildlife   

Reviews (1)

Beginning Alabama birder thinks this is GREAT!
As new backyard birders in Alabama, we think this is terrific.Easy to keep always handy, laminated so mostly waterproof and very sturdy.For us the only downside was that one entire side involved water/near water birds.HOWEVER, since we are ordering one for the car and one for the truck and we visit my parents who have a pond in their front yard, this 'con' will soon be a 'pro'.Best bang for the buck I've seen in a long time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    2. Nature    3. Travel    4. United States - South - East South Central (General)    5. Travel / United States / South / East South Central (AL, MS, KY, TN)   

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    2. Nature    3. Travel    4. United States - West - Pacific (General)    5. Travel / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)   

Reviews (3)

Not for birders!
I bought this book in Hawaii because it was the only bird book I could find. It at least showed me some of the birds I would see, but the organization (if there is any--can't tell) is horrible. Next time I would go online ahead of time and buy an actual field guide to birds. It is a nightmare to find a bird in this book, and it doesn't give any information about them, such as their size, or male/female differences; also, it lists some birds more than once--weird. This book should be named differently...perhaps, "A glimpse into the history of birds in Hawaii." Overall, it did help me identify the birds I saw, so was better than nothing, but I would definitely not choose it again.

Excellent for the casual observer
This book is intended for the casual observer of birds, not the dedicated birder.(Serious bird-watchers should use Pratt's Field Guide to the Birds of Hawai'i and the Tropical Pacific together with his Enjoying Birds inHawai'i or Rick Soehren's Birdwatcher's Guide to Hawai'i.)But within itslimits, this is a fascinating and readable book.Pratt discusses thenative birds, especially the endemic passerines, and illustrates theevolutionary processes which produced their astonishing variety.Then hedescribes the introduced birds, including their effect on the nativeavifauna when that is significant.The result is a clear though briefanalysis of Hawai'i's avian world. Very good pictures,easy to read,informative,value for money!
I need the scientific names, that unfortunately were not listed in the book. The development in the bird changes is also so quick, ( I did not see Frigate Birds over Waikiki. Also the colony of Laysan Albatrosses onKaohikaipu Island deed not seem to be mentioned, even there was a pictureof the island in the book. Maybe the colony is new???) that some changesshould be maid, or foreseen in the possible next edition. I also saw a birdthat was not listed in the book. I wonder if that could have been anapanane female. But the book does not indicate whether male and female arealike or not. The bird I saw was very alike the apanane in shape an bill.Bill a little shorter grey top of head and green on side. What bird couldthat have been? Seen in Hosmer Grove. The bird list in the back should be aclean bird list, which ought to be complete. (Ex. Mallard is not in thelist. Geografic names should be kept in another list. Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    3. Hawaii    4. Identification    5. Nature    6. Pictorial works    7. Travel    8. United States - West - Pacific (General)    9. Birds (ornithology)   

Reviews (2)

Birds Book
Iloved the fine pictures in the book.The book was great for
Great little Missouri bird guide for the price!
This really is a great little guide to the most commonly seen birds in Missouri.It is a fold out laminated guide that can be tucked into your binocular case and taken out and about as you go looking for birds.My kids enjoy using it to identify birds as well.It even has a guide on the back of Birding Hotspots in Missouri. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    2. Nature    3. Travel    4. United States - Midwest - West North Central (General)    5. Travel / United States / South / East South Central (AL, MS, KY, TN)   

Reviews (1)

A Photgraphic Misguide.
Years of birds and birdwatching has proved that for the purpose of reference books or field guides, good illustrations win hands down over photographs. A photograph of a bird is O.K. till it stays in a personal collection or, at most, in a exhibition where wannabe birdwatchers can drool over it. For a serious birdwatcher in a field, a photograph is useless.And it's not that there is a lack of illustrators. They virtually abound : Carl D' Silva, John H. Dick, Martin Woodcock, Irani, just to name a few.Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Photography    3. Pictorials    4. Subjects & Themes - Plants & Animals    5. Subjects & Themes - Travel - World/Asia    6. Travel   

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    2. Central America    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel & holiday guides    6. Wild animals   

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    2. Nature    3. Travel    4. United States - South - West South Central (General)    5. Travel / United States / South / West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX)   

Editorial Review

When a bird stops to glance sideways at us, it is inviting us into its world, if only for a moment. A bird's song can transport us into distant realms of the imagination; the sight of birds in flight can reconnect us to childhood, and to what matters in life.Read more

Reviews (2)

Smuggling Pigeons by the Pimpernel.
A retired old man was bored but poor, so he got into a smugggling avocation of sorts.His favorite booke he told an interested person was THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL about a renegade who saved prisoners from the guillotine during the French Revolution.
Beyond Birds
I confess to being a bit ignorant when it comes to birds. It's not that I don't like them, you understand. It's just that I have never felt compelled to follow them into marshes, rainfrests or tidal plains, record their songs, carry bincoulars, notebooks and field guides to identify them or attend the meetings of our local birdwatchers' club.On the other hand, I am great friends with the cardinal couple that visits the tree outside my window each morning and the java sparrows that nest in the eaves of the house next door. I have also made the acquaintance of several parrots in the neighborhood, and we get along just fine. So when I wasgiven this collection of true stories to read, I thought, what the heck. Why not?Read more

Subjects:  1. Anecdotes    2. Australia & Oceania - General    3. Bird watching    4. Birds    5. Birds & Birdwatching - General    6. Essays    7. Nature    8. Travel    9. Australasia, Oceania & Other Land Areas    10. Birds & birdwatching    11. Geography    12. Other prose: from c 1900 -   

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Canada    3. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    4. Nature    5. Travel    6. 323    7. 340    8. BirdsPrince Edward Island birding birdwatching field guides    9. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. General    3. Individual Species Of Birds    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Travel / Pictorials    7. Travel / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)    8. Alaska    9. Description and travel    10. Eagles    11. Pictorial works    12. Pictorials    13. Travel    14. Travel - United States    15. United States - Pacific - Alaska   

Reviews (1)

Alaska Birds
I have several of these for my class. Great for bird identification for kids! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    2. Nature    3. Nature / Field Guide Books    4. Travel    5. United States - West - Pacific (General)    6. Travel / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)