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A FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF INDIA, SRI LANKA, PAKISTAN, NEPAL, BHUTAN, BANGLADESH AND THE MALDIVES
Reviewed by: Aasheesh Pittie
8-2-545 Road No 7, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad 500034
From: India
Reviewed On: March 2001
A FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF INDIA, SRI LANKA, PAKISTAN, NEPAL, BHUTAN, BANGLADESH AND THE MALDIVES (Hardcover: 21.5 cm x 15.5 cm x 2 cm) By Krys Kazmierczak with illustrations by Ber van Perlo (2000). Pps. 352. With 96 colour plates, 3 plates of line drawings and a map and, 1,302 colour distribution maps. Published by Om Book Service, New Delhi (ISBN 81-87107-04-9); Pica Press, U.K. (ISBN 1-873403-79-8) and Yale University Press, New Haven (ISBN 0300079214). Price Rs. 795/-, £25.00 & $32.50 respectively.
The mandate of a ‘field guide’ is to facilitate users in identifying birds in the field quickly and easily. The fact that it has to be physically carried around by a user, often for hours at a time, demands that it be of a suitable size and weight. To attempt a field guide to the birds of the Indian region is a mammoth task requiring a comprehensive knowledge of the subject that can be acquired only by putting in many hours in the pursuit of the living bird.
Salim Ali’s Book of Indian Birds (first published in 1941) was written at a time when the art of birdwatching was in such infancy in India that he had to device a method of highlighting aspects of the bird-behavioural, physical, vocal, etc-to enable users to identify the feathered creature before them. His book held the fort alone, for many years.
The birding scene changed for the better with the publication of Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp’s Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (1998: Hardcover). Subsequently, the “Grimmskipps” brought out a pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (1999: Soft cover) containing illustrations, distribution maps and short descriptive texts from their earlier, larger work.
Kazmierczak’s field guide is similar to the Pocket Guide and caters to a market that is able to place birds at least within families.
The book under review is divided into 12 chapters including one of acknowledgements.
The Introduction has brief sections on the political regions covered and, the number of species illustrated (over 1,330. with a mention of those that could not be graphically depicted due to late of unpublished records by the time the book went to press).
A short section on “Taxonomy, systematic order and nomenclature,” informs that the book broadly follows the taxonomy and scientific nomenclature of Inskipp, Lindsey & Duckworth’s pathbreaking 1996 publication, An annotated Checklist of the Birds of the Oriental Region. However, minor subsequent changes have been incorporated in the present work.
The Systematic Order followed in the book is similar to Ali & Ripley’s monumental Handbook and Ripley’s (1982) Synopsis, rather than Sibley & Monroe’s Order, followed by the Annotated Checklist. This is a relief for Indian birders who are used to the Systematic Order of the Synopsis.
Common English Names follow the Annotated Checklist, though alternate names are listed in the detailed “Index of English names,” towards the end of the book. This however does not settle the upheaval that Indian birdwatchers find themselves in due to recent changes in the vulgar English names of birds. The issue does not seem headed towards resolution for Bombay Natural History Society, India’s premier ornithological body, may very well continue using the older (more popular in India) names in its forthcoming publications and scientific journal.
The chapter on “How to use this book,” should be read a couple of times if you plan to use book regularly. This is essential, for the book depends heavily on abbreviations and a telegraphic text-dictated by the need to fit maximum information within the restrictive dimensions of a field guide. Among other things you will realize that the red symbol of a flying bird depicts a species that is globally threatened or near-threatened (206 in all). Giving the serial numbers from the Synopsis against the relevant species has provided cross-referencing with an earlier standard work. Other symbols and /or abbreviations used in the text, like identification notes, altitudinal range, habitat and behaviour, voice and status, are explained here in detail. A sub-section gives explanatory notes on the species distribution maps used in the body of the text.
The chapter on “Family introductions” that follows gives brief insights into the characteristics, jizz, status and identification of each of the 96 Families illustrated in the plates. Beginners would do well to read this section and veterans to refresh their memory by dipping in occasionally. Useful hints in differentiating similar looking families (e.g. larks and pipits) can be picked up from this chapter e.g. larks have the “habit of crouching down when approached before taking flight if the intruder comes too near.” (page 25).
The main section is followed by a useful glossary of ornithological terms and some native words used commonly on the subcontinent during birding e.g. “Deodhar, Duar, Ghat, Jheel, etc.”
The section on “Useful organizations” lists international (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) and national, organizations involved with birdwatching and/or working for bird conservation in the region. Brief information is given about each organization.
A section on “References and further reading” contains an eclectic bibliography on the ornithology of the region, including family monographs and a list of sound guides.
The final set of 3 sections contains a comprehensive “Index of English names,” containing both ‘old’ and ‘new’ names for easy use. An “Index of scientific names,” indexed according to the binomial names i.e., Corvus splendens and not splendens, Corvus. The last section is a “Quick index to plate numbers.” This last is a very useful tool for the field. To get to a Family you have to scan just 2 pages, indexed alphabetically by the commonest name for a species, e.g., “Coucal, Harrier, Heron,” etc.
The main section of the book comprises of “Colour plates and maps.” I would like to dwell on this section in some detail. As a rule, illustrations and text face one another throughout the book. The related distribution maps are a page-flip away, either behind the pertinent text or the plate. There are some exceptions where all three, pictures, text and maps are on the same two-page spread. The layouts of Plate#13, 14, 20 are bliss and future editions should view such a layout seriously for as many plates as possible even if it means a slightly thicker book. There are quite a few blank half-pages that could perhaps be put to good use. But one cannot wish for everything! PLATES: The use of a pictorial index to the plates, on the double-page spread of the front inside covers, using a common species from each Family to guide the user to the relevant plate is a great idea and is being used for the first time in a book on Indian birds. It helps users to zero in on the plates of closely related species when a quick reference is required.
It is surprising that the artist for the covers and spine is John Cox and not Ber van Perlo. The cover of a book is a showcase
for art that transcends the genre of field-guide illustration. In all fairness to van Perlo’s work, the publishers should have allowed him to do the covers.
Birds are generally not identified by the spoor they leave, the food they eat or the homes they make. They are identified by illustrations of their likeness or photographs in field guides. Therefore “the illustrations are the most important part of any field guide,” and are scrutinized critically by users. My comments however are of a general nature. I have not scrutinized each species in detail though I am sure inputs from users will help the author update future editions of the book for everybody’s benefit.
My greatest grouse about the plates is the overlap of birds. In trying to fit all species of a Family on a single plate, or as few plates as possible, the artist has in many instances, crowded the birds onto one page. In so doing he has painted birds overlapping each other as a result of which their colours inadvertently merge or are barely separable. This requires some getting used to, especially when a quick `ID’ is required. This could however very well be a limitation of my personal perspective! Some examples are: Pl 20#1, 2, 4; Pl 23#3; Pl 29#10 (clash between flying and standing birds!); Pl45#1,2; Pl 50 # 6, 15; Pl 60 # 2, 11, 14; Pl 64# 10, 13; Pl 81 most of the redstarts; Pl 89#4 (#5 is fine as the outline of the birds is quite distinct, unlike #4 where the faces of many are painted against a background of another bird’s body); Pl.,94#9; 95#14, 15, 16.
Besides the plumage I feel the head and its markings are a major identification feature of a bird. It is that portion of its body that is viewed by a birdwatcher first if one is given the chance by the bird! It therefore helps to have a clear profile of the head of the bird and not merge it into the body of another when illustrating a field guide.
Using a white background is fine as it contrasts well with the colours of the bird, but becomes problematic when parts of the bird are also white. The result of this is that the background and the plumage merge as is visible on plates 6 #2, 3, 4 (in flight); 10 # 11; 11 # 4 (in flight). Also in reality one seldom sees birds against a white background. The landscape they inhabit is multicoloured, thank goodness! The exception, of course, is birds in snow.
The illustrations, when compared with the Grimmskipp’s book, have a spontaneity that makes them seem like deft field paintings by a remarkably adept and accomplished craftsman, plying his art for the specific job of bird identification. The more I use this guide, the more I am astonished at how well this style works. It complements admirably the amount of detail my eye can absorb in the quick back-and-forth between binocs and bird guide that often takes place in a field-oriented crunch situation. This is the intrinsic strength of the pictures. Often the utility of intricate details is useful only during leisurely field conditions or desk-bound reference work.
MAPS & TEXT: The two great strengths of this field guide are the species distribution maps (“compiled from information available up to mid-1999”) and the telegraphic texts accompanying the plates. The inside back cover has a double-page “Key to distribution maps,” that is simple to digest and makes the maps easy to follow and decipher. The colour coding is clear and distinctive. The light brownish colour that appears in maps on page 33 (Pl. 1 #4, 5 & 6); p. 40 (Pl. 3#6) and p. 125 (pl. 36 #4) is actually a wash of red dots suffering from the vagaries of the printing world! Maps are located easily and quickly as they are subtitled by the English name of the species they represent.
The author has given great importance to birdcalls in the text, and rightly so. This most definitely pegs the book a notch higher in the field guide market for the region. I had a rather graphic example of the utility of this feature recently when I used the book to positively identify a Besra (Accipiter virgatus) by its call, as opposed to a Shikra (Accipiter badius) in Kodaikanal.
The Indian region is large enough to accommodate many books on birds, the recent spate of field guides notwithstanding! I think that this is just the prelude to books on regional and biogeographical avifaunas for our region.
In the final analysis the utility of a field-guide is its facility and and usefulness in the field. I’ve used this one extensively for more than a month and have found it a quick and reliable companion. I cannot recommend it enough. (Click on book cover for online ordering details)
Aasheesh Pittie
Kingfishers, Bee-Eaters, and Rollers.
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Kerrville, Texas, USA
Kingfishers, Bee-Eaters, and Rollers. C. Hilary Fry and Kathie Fry. 1999 Princeton University Press. 40 color plates and black and white illustrations by Alan Harris. Over 100 range maps, species accounts, bibliography, and index. 324 pages.
This guide is an early publication in the Christopher Helm bird family series. The series covers bird families of the world and have proved an invaluable reference to birders everywhere. Kingfishers, Bee-Eaters, and Rollers covers the 123 species of Kingfishers, Bee-Eaters, and Rollers throughout the world. The book starts off by giving an explanation of the plates, map, and text. The information is thorough and provides easier readability throughout this guide. Chapters on characters, relationships, and behaviors of the species are well done and provide the reader a better understanding of these bird families. The color plates by Alan Harris are excellent and tempt you to hop on a plane to a foreign destination to see some of these species. The species accounts are thorough and the maps are well done. I highly recommend this guide to anyone interested in birds and it would make an excellent addition to a birding library. (Click on book cover for online ordering details)
Oscar Carmona
Bird Guide contact @hookbilledkite@hotmail.com
Reviewed by: Peter Rueegg
From: Lucerne, Switzerland
Reviewed On: 7/23/2001
I used the Sibley guide on a trip to Texas last spring. It was the only book I took with me. Honestly, there is no need to take any other ID guide. This is the one to bring. The birds are drawn very accurately, both in jizz and coloration. The most useful ID features are especially outlined. Sibley is a great artist and a great birdwatcher. His book is close to perfect. The only drawback is its bulky size. Despite the size, many pictures are (too) small, as are the distribution maps. There is also very little information about habitat requirements of the species and/or the behaviour, which would give helpful clues in identification. Otherwise, this is a masterpiece. Highly recommandable! (Click on book cover for online ordering details)
Peter Rueegg
New World Blackbirds: The Icterids by Alvaro Jaramillo and Peter Burke Princeton University Press, 432 pages, 39 color plates, 25 line drawings, and 103 maps. Cloth $52.50.
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Kerrville, Texas, USA
Reviewed On: July 28, 2001
New World Blackbirds: The Icterids at first does not sound like a very interesting guide. Once you open the book, you immediately change your mind. This guide covers 103 members of the family Icteridae, which has such flashy members as the Oriole and Oropendola. This book covers all the Icterids found in the New World, from Alaska south to Cape Horn; from the widespread Brown-headed Cowbird to the endemic Montserrat Oriole found only on one island in the West Indies.
The plates by Peter Burke are amazing and depict many of the species in different plumages. There are even some extinct species illustrated, such as the Slender-billed Grackle of Mexico and others that have only recently been described, the Selva Cacique. The plates are opposite range maps and a brief description of each species illustrated.
The text is very in-depth and you can see the years of research that Alvaro Jaramillo has put into this book. Each species is given the full treatment for characteristics, natural history, behavior, nesting, geographic variations, distribution, plumage descriptions, and vocalizations. Jaramillo also asks that birders send him any suggestions or additional information for a future edition. I highly recommend this guide to anyone interested in birds. If you like Icterids, you will like them even more, if you are not, you will get hooked on this family after perusing this book. (Click on book cover for online ordering details)
Oscar Carmona
Bird Guide contact @hookbilledkite@hotmail.com
Birds of the Texas Panhandle: Their Status, Distribution, and History by Kenneth D. Seyffert, Texas A&M University Press, 520 pages, 11 line drawings, and 1 map. Cloth $49.95 and Paper $24.95
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Kerrville, Texas, USA
Reviewed On: August 3, 2001
Birds of the Texas Panhandle gave me mixed emotions the first time I saw the book. I normally consider the Texas Panhandle to be a vast and barren land void of any birdlife. I was also interested in seeing what types of species inhabit this 26 county area located in far North Texas. I was pleasantly surprised once I picked up the book and began reading. Kenneth Seyffert has put his many years of birding in this area to good use. This guideis full of information for anyone that has an interest in Texas birds.
Ken starts off by giving a brief description of some of the best localities for finding birds in the Panhandle region. The book then continues by giving fully detailed species accounts for each species that has been documented. Information is given for status, occurrence, nesting, and if specimens exist and where. The reader can see that a wide variety of species can be found in this region: from the Lesser Prairie Chicken to the Red-headed Woodpecker. Each species account is very thorough and you can immediately tell that Seyffert has been studying the birdlife of this region for a long period of time.
After reading this guide, I realize how rich the birdlife of this region is and how diverse the habitats are. Kudos to Kenn Seyffert for undertaking the task of documenting all the known occurrences of birds in the Texas Panhandle. I highly recommend it to all Texas birders and anybody planning a Texas trip in the future. (Click on book cover for online ordering details)
Oscar Carmona
Bird Guide contact @hookbilledkite@hotmail.com
Pigeons and Doves: A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World by David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes, and John Cox. Yale University Press, 615 pages, 76 color plates, 310 line drawings. Cloth $60.00.
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Kerrville, Texas, USA
Reviewed On: August 9, 2001
This is a recent release in the Helm series by Yale University Press and Pica Press. Pigeons and Doves is the first illustrated guide to fully cover the world’s 316 species of Pigeons and Doves. Much of the groundwork for this book was gathered from the 1983 printing of Pigeons and Doves of the World by Derek Goodwin, which was not fully illustrated.
The first thing that jumps out at you when you open the book are the superb plates by Eustace Barnes and John Cox. The shapes of the birds and their colors are very consistent. The tropical members of this family are colorfully plumaged and the artists did excellent jobs in capturing these colors. All the species are shown both perched and in flight, aiding in identification. Numerous line drawings throughout the book adorn the text and even include a drawing of the extinct Dodo. Some extinct species, such as the Reunion Solitaire and Rodrigues Solitaire are not illustrated, but are given treatment in the text.
David Gibbs should be commended for the amount of work put into this book. Over 440 pages of exhaustive text for each species is given including identification, similar species, voice, habits, habitat, status and distribution, description, measurements, and geographical variation. Maps are provided for each species, but there is some inconsistency with what the range is on the text and what is shown on the map. For example, the Band-tailed Pigeon is mentioned to have a “migratory population in south-west Texas”, but it is not shown to occur in Texas on the map. A resident population exists in the higher elevations in West Texas. Also, the book does not mention the rampant colonization of Eurasian Collared-Doves into the United States.
Pigeons and Doves is an excellent piece of work and will make a welcome addition to any birding library. (Click on book cover for online ordering details)
Oscar Carmona
Bird Guide contact @hookbilledkite@hotmail.com
Nightjars: A Guide to the Nightjars, Nighthawks, and Their Relatives by Nigel Cleere and Dave Nurney. Yale University Press, 317 pages, 36 color plates, numerous line drawings. Cloth $40.00.
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Kerrville, Texas, USA
Reviewed On: August 23rd, 2001
Score: ****1/2 (4.5 stars out of 5)
Many birders commonly see some species of nightjars, but many members of this family are endangered, secretive, and seldom seen. Nightjars is the first guide to fully detail the 119 species that comprises the caprimulgid family. Members of this family include the Oilbird, Potoos, Frogmouths, Nighthawks, and Nightjars. Nigel Cleere, the author, has studied this family for well over 25 years and is considered an authority on them.
The text is very thorough and includes sections on identification, voice, habitat, habits, food, breeding, description, measurements, molt, geographical variation, distribution and movements, status, and references. This is pretty much the best information you can get on this family of birds. There are still many species whose habits are not known, such as the Cayenne Nightjar of northern South America, known from only a specimen. There is also treatment given to many newly described species such as Bahian Nighthawk from South America and Nechisar Nightjar from Africa, which is not illustrated in the guide. Nigel gives the most thorough treatment to the European Nightjar, undoubtedly his main area of expertise.
The plates by Dave Nurney are well done. At first I was hoping for more illustrations, especially of the differing races of each species. I soon realized how little is known about these birds and I began to appreciate the work on them. Each species is illustrated perched on the ground and in flight. Opposite the plates, each species is given a brief treatment of status and distribution along with identification tips.
A companion CD is available separately entitled A Sound Guide to Nightjars and Related Birds. This CD contains the vocalizations of 108 species of caprimulgids.
All in all, this guide is well done. There is so much left to learn about the Nightjars and this book definitely increased my knowledge of this family. I highly recommend it as both a field guide and a reference book. (Click here for online ordering details)
Oscar Carmona
Bird Guide contact @hookbilledkite@hotmail.com
Bird Songs of Southeastern Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, compiled by Geoffrey A. Keller. Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 2 CD-set $24.95. Click here for online ordering details
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Kerrville, Texas, USA
Reviewed On: August 27th, 2001
Score: ***** (5 stars out of 5)
Southeastern Arizona has long been heralded as one of the top birding destinations in the United States. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has recently released a 2 CD set that covers the vocalizations of 202 species of birds that inhabit Southeastern Arizona and Sonora, Mexico. This recent release, along with Cornell’s other recent release, Bird Songs of the Lower Rio Grande Valley and southwestern Texas, are aimed at educating the birdwatching public about the importance of knowing bird vocalizations. By producing audio guides for some of the top birding locales in the country, the Library of Natural Sounds is off to a wonderful start. The 2 Discs are accompanied by a booklet that lists a track number followed by the species name with a brief description of the recorded songs and calls along with the locations of the recordings.
Disc 1 covers species from the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck to the Phainopepla and includes some of the following specialty birds: Buff-collared Nightjar, 10 species of Hummingbirds, Elegant Trogon, Strickland’s Woodpecker, and many others. Disc 2 ranges from the Olive Warbler to the Black-headed Siskin. Once again many specialty birds are included. The last 51 tracks on Disc 2 are of Sonoran species, many of which have been sighted in the United States on occasion. The length of the tracks for each species lasts anywhere from 20 seconds to well over a minute. This is sufficient time to cover both the song and calls.
The quality and clarity of the bird songs and calls are excellent. They will provide the traveling birder or researcher an effective tool to aid in the identification of species. Kudos are extended to the individuals that made this audio guide possible. I highly recommend this to any birder who is planning a trip to the southwestern United States or northwestern Mexico.
Oscar Carmona
Bird Guide contact @hookbilledkite@hotmail.com
A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines by Robert S. Kennedy, Pedro C. Gonzales, Edward C. Dickinson, Hector C. Miranda Jr., and Timothy H. Fisher. Oxford University Press, 369 pages, 72 color plates, 500 range maps. Paper $39.95.
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Kerrville, Texas, USA
Reviewed On: 8/30/01
Score: ***1/2 (3.5 stars out of 5)
A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines is the first comprehensive guide to the birds of the Philippines. The book covers all 572 species known to have occurred in the Philippines including many of the spectacular endemics, such as the Philippine Eagle, Olive-capped Flowerpecker, Philippine Cockatoo, and several others.
The 72 color plates are a collaborative effort between 12 different illustrators. Usually this many illustrators will give a field guide a messy look with several styles of illustrations. This guide is unlike that. The illustrations are well done by all the illustrators especially those by Renato C. Aquino. Opposite the plates, each bird is given a brief description including measurements, status, distribution, identification, and voice accompanied by a color range map.
The text includes a description, similar species, habits, voice, overall range, and range in the Philippines. The book is authored by several Phillipine bird experts and there is considerable information included in this guide to help both visiting birders and researchers alike.The inside front and back covers include detailed color maps of the Philippines and outlying areas.
I highly recommend this guide. It is the best refernce available to the birds of the Philippines. (Click on book cover for online ordering details)
Oscar Carmona
Bird Guide contact @hookbilledkite@hotmail.com
The Birds of Ecuador: Field Guide by Robert S. Ridgely and Paul J. Greenfield, Comstock Publishing Associates/Cornell University Press. 740 pages, 96 color plates, Paper $50.00. 2 volume set in slipcase $110.00
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Kerrville, Texas, USA
Reviewed On: 8/30/01
Score: ***** (5 stars out of 5)
The long awaited Birds of Ecuador by Robert S. Ridgely and Paul J. Greenfield is finally out and the results are well worth the wait. The 2-volume set is a massive piece of work and the authors intended the 2-volume set to be used by both traveling birders and ornithologists. Ecuador has well over 1,600 species of birds in all its varied habitats and new discoveries seem to get made every few years. Ecuador has become the destination in South America for birders and researchers from around the world.
Volume 1 is more of an authoritative treatment of each of the species. It is entitled “Status, Abundance, and Taxonomy”. The volume includes sections on ecosystems, conservation, migration, and a history of birdwatching in Ecuador. There is also information on key birding localities in Ecuador. The main bread and butter of this volume are the detailed species accounts, which include status and distribution, habits, habitat, and voice. This is the volume I would recommend leaving in the car or hotel room for reference once you get back from the field.
Volume 2 is the field guide. Although a little heavy, it is comparable in size to Birds of South America, Vols. 1 & 2 and Birds of Colombia. The 96 plates by Greenfield are well done and the color reproductions are sharp and exact. This is one of the advantages of having one illustrator rather than several. It gives the book a sense of cleanliness and uniformity. The plates include many resident species as well as some boreal migrants and winter residents such as the Dendroica Warblers and some species of shorebirds. The illustrations are not cluttered on the pages and are well laid out. The final plate is devoted to some newly described species or those that were somehow left out during the process of painting the plates.
Opposite the plates, each bird is given a brief treatment on habitat and identification techniques, very useful when trying to identify that elusive species.
The text by Ridgely on Volume 2 is basic but very useful, especially for use in the field. Each species account includes a map (black and white), measurements, habitat, identification, similar species, and voice. Ridgely is one of the most knowledgeable and celebrated of New World tropical ornithologists and his work on this book confirms just that.
Birds of Ecuador Vols. 1 & 2 is highly recommended. Both volumes complement each other perfectly and are well worth the price. These volumes add tremendously to the available information on South American avifauna. (Click on book cover for online ordering details)
Oscar Carmona
Bird Guide contact @hookbilledkite@hotmail.com
Nightjars and their Allies by David T. Holyoak and illustrated by Martin Woodcock. Oxford University Press. 23 color plates, 773 pages, line drawings, maps. Cloth $85.00
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Kerrville, Texas, USA
Reviewed On: 09/10/01
Score: ***** (5 stars out of 5)
Oxford University Press has added a new edition to their Bird Families of the World Series: Nightjars and their Allies. This was one guide that I was anxiously waiting for. As of late, I have developed a keen interest in Nightjars. This book really satisfies my appetite for information on Camprimulgiformes. This book is more of a complete reference rather than just a field guide. When I first opened the book I had a difficult time locating the plates amongst all the text. At this point I knew that this guide was destined to be the authoritative reference for Nightjars.
To start off, the plates by Martin Woodcock are very well done and are comparable to the Yale University Press release of Nightjars: A Guide to the Nightjars, Nighthawks and their Relatives. All 118 species are illustrated and are neatly layed out. They are not cluttered on the page at all. Opposite the color plates, each species is given a brief treatment including size, range, identification, and voice. In the color plates, each species is only shown perched on the ground or on a limb, with the exception of the Oilbird, White-winged Nightjar, Standard-winged Nightjar, and Pennant-winged Nightjar which are also shown in flight. All species are illustrated in black and white in flight in their respective species accounts in the text. It would have been nice to have all species shown in flight in the color plates. Nevertheless, this is very minor and would not sway me away from recommending this reference guide to others.
The text is the real attraction to me. David Holyoak has done his fair share of research and the species accounts are proof of that. For example, the species account of the Pauraque includes the following: A list of other names the bird has been called, breakdown of subspecies, very detailed plumage descriptions including primary, secondary and rectrices measurements, moults, bare parts, measurements, weights, range and status, habitat, food and feeding, behaviour, voice, breeding, field characters, conservation, names in other languages, and references. This account also includes a range map showing all subspecies, charts showing measurements of the differences between males and females of the differing subspecies, and a line drawing of the bird in flight. Each species account is very thorough.
The beginning of the book (Part I) gives very in depth information including an introduction to the Caprimulgiformes, evolution and classification, speciation and biogeography, habitats, migration, and hibernation, food and feeding ecology, nocturnal signalling, breeding biology, and moult.
I highly regard this book and recommend it to birders of all levels. It serves as a field guide, a reference, and an entertaining book to read for those with an interest in birds. Do yourself a favor and add it to your library. Click here for ordering details from Amazon.com
Oscar Carmona
Bird Guide contact @hookbilledkite@hotmail.com
Bird Songs of the Lower Rio Grande Valley and Southwestern Texas by Geoffrey A. Keller. Library of Natural Sounds, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Kerrville, Texas, USA
Reviewed On: 09/10/01
Score: ***** (5 stars out of 5)
One of my favorite, if not, the favorite birding hotspot for me in the United States is Texas' Lower Rio Grande Valley. The diversity of birds and habitats in this area is unreal and you never know what types of species to expect when you visit.
This recent Compact Disc audio guide from Cornell Lab of Ornithology contains recordings of 119 species that are considered "specialties" of the region, or should I say regions. This CD also includes vocalizations of birds that inhabit Big Bend National Park and the Davis Mountains of West Texas. It is like getting 2 different audio guides for the price of one.
The recordings are first class, as with all other Cornell releases. The recordings capture a wide range of species from the secretive Hook-billed Kite of Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park to the Colima Warbler of the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park. This guide also has recordings of the Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo, both endangered and found in the Texas Hill Country. The only species I can think of that was left off the CD was the Common Black-Hawk, a rare resident of West Texas. This species, although, can be found on Cornell's Bird Songs of Southeastern Arizona and Sonora, Mexico CD.
The booklet lists all the track numbers along with the species name and a written description of the song and calls and where the recording was made, an important cross reference.
This audio guide is top notch. It will be an invaluable reference to resident as well as visiting birders. I look forward to seeing and hearing other Cornell Library of Natural Sounds releases in the future. They are well worth the price.
Bird Guide contact @hookbilledkite@hotmail.com
Voices of Amazon Birds-Birds of the Rainforest of Southern Peru and Northern Bolivia. Volume 1: Tinamous through Barbets by Thomas S. Schulenberg, Curtis A. Marantz, and Peter H. English. Library of Natural Sounds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Kerrville, Texas, USA
Reviewed On: 09/10/01
Score: ***** (5 stars out of 5)
The New World Tropics. All those beautiful, but secretive birds that inhabit South American rainforests are on every birder's wishlist. Many first time visitors are overwhelmed by the enormous variety of species that are found here, many species go by unseen, only heard. That is where this Compact Disc audio guide comes in.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is the leader in producing audio guides for some of the most avian rich areas of the world. Voices of Amazonian Birds Volume 1 covers the Tinamous through the Barbets, 99 species that inhabit the lowland rainforests of the western Amazon basin. This region includes Southern Peru and Northern Bolivia.
The recordings, like other Cornell releases, are clear and concise. The recordings are top quality and include both song and calls. Many species are also recorded giving flight calls, emergency calls, and chorus. These recordings will prove invaluable to researchers and birders visiting these areas.
Unlike other Cornell releases, the beginning of each track does not give the bird's name. Thus, the birds' vocalizations begin
immediately when the track begins, making you look at the accompanying audio guide to locate what species you are listening to. Also the back page of the audio guide only lists the scientific name next to the track number. These 2 minor critiques may be cumbersome for first-timers to the area. It may help the average birder learn to call birds by their scientific names-just like ornithologits. The inside of the audio guide does list the common English names, along with scientic name, type of call recorded, location recorded, and recordist.
Another remarkable release by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. I highly recommend this to all either visiting these areas or or thinking about it. It is well worth the price.
Bird Guide contact @hookbilledkite@hotmail.com
Sylvia Warblers by Hadoram Shirihai, Gabriel Gargallo, and Andreas J. Helbig. Illustrated by Alan Harris. Princeton University Press. 20 color plates, 546 color photographs. Cloth.
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Huntsville, TX USA
Reviewed On:October 21, 2001
Score: ***** + (5 + stars out of 5)
Being from the United States and very inexperienced with birds from abroad, Sylvia Warblers was a somewhat perplexing guide for me. How am I supposed to review a book on a family of birds I have never heard of? After looking through this book, the review is simple. This is one of the most, if not the most, well-researched and written guides in the Helm Family Series.
The Sylvia Warblers are a large family of insectivorous passerines native to Israel and most other Mediterranean countries. The authors have put in more than a decade of work into this guide and the proof is inside the book's covers. 22 species of Sylvia Warblers are covered within the book's 576 pages. That is well over 20 pages of comprehensive information for each species.
After a well written introduction about the family and its characteristics, the species accounts begin. The guide is set up differently than other Helm guides, the species accounts, illustrations, and photographs are grouped together, making it easier for users of this book to go from account to illustration and vice versa easily. As for the species accounts, Each species is given a brief introduction, a section on field identification, voice, identification in the hand, subspecies taxonomy, moult, age, and sex, general biology and ecology, population size and trends, and an appendix giving measurements and a summary of published biometric data. The species accounts also include stunning color illustrations by Alan Harris and a slate of color photographs of each species in the field and hand. There are also detailed color maps.
No other guide gives such detailed information such as DNA information and voice sonograms. This reference is the ultimate piece of work and is essential for ornithologists and avid birdwatchers. I highly recommend this guide and I hope all other Helm Family Guides follow in the lead of this one.(Click here for online ordering details)
Bird Guide contact @hookbilledkite@hotmail.com
Birders: tales of a tribe, by Mark Cocker
Reviewed by: David Ferguson
From: Beaconsfield, UK
Reviewed On:October 21, 2001
Score: *** (3 stars out of 5)
To increase enjoyment of this book, the following statements should be taken as fact:
1. Cley is the centre of the birding universe.
2. Extreme twitching is heroic.
3. Notebooks are infinitely interesting.
Providing these statements are kept in the front of the mind, this book is a good read. It is about obsession, the obsession that drives young men - and it is almost always young men - to acts that, to an outside observer, border on the insane. Of the panoply of birding activities that can be obsessive, just two are described in detail: twitching and world birding. Seawatching rates less than a page while photography and ringing - which can be extremely obsessive - are not mentioned at all. This narrow range is made narrower still by the emphasis on North Norfolk. The Isles of Scilly and Fair Isle are barely touched upon.
The history of binoculars and telescopes has already been described by Bill Oddie, but the passage on notebooks reaches uncharted levels of detail. However it misses the notebook’s finest hour: when Britain’s first Laughing Gull was accepted from a study - posthumously - of the finder’s notes.
In spite of these deficiencies, the author is one of the best current writers on birds. He is more stylish than Bill Oddie, though not as funny; however, he is often prone to the attacks of purple prose that frequently afflict the likes of Pete Dunne and Ian Wallace. But this elegance of style attempts to seduce the reader into accepting arguments that are not quite tenable. For instance, his thesis that birding is based in North America and Europe because these areas contain 200-250 species within a 180 mile radius, is flawed. He argues that this range of species is ideal for birding because it is large enough not be boring yet small enough not to be intimidating. However the fundamental reason is the infrastructure of an advanced civilisation. Colonial East Africa, whose white population had the time and money, had its birders and there the number of species is practically off the scale. There are plenty of birders in New Zealand, a country with an impoverished land avifauna.
Another flawed argument suggests that there is a no moral difference between twitching and rarity finding because both activities are unimportant. This misses the point. The difference between the two is level of excitement and satisfaction not morality. I am sure he would rather find his dream bird - an Audouin’s Gull at Blakeney Point - than twitch it. His description of the joy that overcame the two finders of the Lundy Ancient Murrelet also undermines his argument.
The publication of this book marks another stage in the development of modern UK birding. Bill Oddie has written entertainingly on birders and birding, and in the process scored a good few bulls-eyes, but this is the first serious description of the obsession that, to some degree, drives us all. For what it is, though - small, cheaply made, and lacking pictures - this book is too expensive.
David Ferguson
Raptors of the World by James Ferguson-Lees and David A. Christie. Illustrated by Kim Franklin, David Mead, and Philip Burton. Houghton Mifflin. 992 pages, 112 color plates. Cloth $60.00
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Huntsville, TX USA
Reviewed On:October 26, 2001
Score: ***** (5 stars out of 5)
Raptors of the World is finally here. This is probably one of the most anticipated books in several years. Is it worth the wait? My answer is a resounding yes. This Helm Family Series Guide is the most comprehensive guide available to all the raptor species of the world. Falcons, Kites, Eagles, Hawks, Buzzards, Vultures, and Condors are all covered within the book’s whopping 992 pages, quite a big book indeed.
The book begins by providing information on how to use the book and general natural history and biology on raptors. It is laid out in an easy to read format.
The illustrations are excellently done by the three artists. As I have mentioned in the past, I tend to be weary of guides that have more than one illustrator. These books tend to look messy and seem to be compilations of several different books. The choice of these three illustrators was well done. Their work seems to compliment each other well. Adult and juvenile plumages are illustrated perched and in flight from above and below. When necessary, all the different forms of a particular species are also illustrated. For example, the cosmopolitan Peregrine Falcon’s 16 subspecies are illustrated. Opposite the illustrations, the authors provide basic information needed for identification. These are broken down to male, female, juvenile, in flight, etc… A range map is also provided.
The text is very thorough and provides comprehensive information on each species. Each species account includes the following sections: Other Names, Distribution, Movements, Habitat, Field Characters, Confusion Species, Voice, Food, Sociosexual Behavior, Breeding, Population, Geographical Variation, and Measurements. Larger range maps are also provided in the species accounts. After glancing through the accounts for many of the species I am familiar with, I realize that the authors did a commendable job gathering data and compiling it into a user friendly format.
Raptors of the World was well worth the wait. I applaud Houghton Mifflin and the authors for sticking to this project and insuring that it got published. As the press release from Houghton Mifflin states, “Raptors of the World is in every way a landmark volume which will be the standard reference for this popular group for many years to come.” This is a fact, go out and add it to your library today.
Bird Guide contact @hookbilledkite@hotmail.com
Shrikes and Bush-Shrikes by Tony Harriss. Illustrated by Kim Franklin. Princeton University Press. 41 color plates. 392 pages. Cloth $49.50.
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Huntsville, TX USA
Reviewed On:October 26, 2001
Score: **** 1/2 (4.5 stars out of 5)
Shrikes and Bush-Shrikes are an interesting group of predators that inhabit North America, Eurasia, and Africa. This guide is the first to fully cover all 114 species of shrikes and their relatives, including the true shrikes, bush-shrikes, boubous, gonoleks, puffbacks, tchagras, wood-shrikes, flycatcher-shrikes, philentomas, batises, wattle-eyes, and helmet-shrikes. I was amazed to find out how many species of Shrikes there are in the world and how diverse their relatives are.
The 41 color plates by Kim Franklin are well done and depict every species. Many of the species are also illustrated in flight, aiding in
identification on those species that are similar. The illustrations are clean looking and the colors are full and rich. Opposite the color plates, the author provides basic information and a range map. The information includes keys on identifying the two sexes, adults and juveniles, and different subspecies.
The text is very well done. It provides information on field identification, plumage descriptions, geographical variation, moult, distribution, movements, foraging behavior, foods, sounds, and breeding behavior. It is written in a manner to provide easy reading for the reader. The text at the beginning of the book provides natural history information and biology on this diverse family of birds.
After reading this guide, the next time I see a Loggerhead Shrike impaling its prey on a barbed wire fence in Texas, I will appreciate that scene even more. I recommend this volume in order to add to your knowledge of shrikes and their relatives. Click here for online ordering details
Bird Guide contact @hookbilledkite@hotmail.com
Owls: A Guide to the Owls of the World by Claus König, Friedhelm Weick, and Jan-Hendrik Becking. Illustrated by Friedhelm Weick. Yale University Press. 462 pages. 64 color plates. Cloth $50.00.
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Huntsville, TX USA
Reviewed On:October 28, 2001
Score: *** 1/2 (3.5 stars out of 5)
Owls are an intriguing family of birds. The majority of them are nocturnal and are seldom seen, even by the most experienced of birders. There are very few complete references to all the owl species of the world, making this Yale University Press release much anticipated by many in the birding community.
The book starts off with an overview of the owl (Strigiformes) family. This overview includes chapters on morphology and anatomy, topography, food, hunting, behavior, breeding, vocalizations, and systematics and taxonomy. These chapters are very thorough and include many line drawings
showing skull and skeletal form, owl topography, hunting styles, defense postures, copulation, differing nesting styles, and structure of the different types of owl feet from a few selected species. There is also a subchapter devoted to the molecular evolution and systematics of the owls. This includes a comprehensive chart showing genetic relationships between members of the Strigiformes and other orders of birds.
The illustrations (color plates) were well done. They are somewhat washed out in color and the shapes of the birds are somewhat disproportionate. This is difficult to avoid when most of the illustrations are based on museum specimens, rather than live birds. Nevertheless, the color plates are laid out well and are not cluttered. Opposite the color plates, brief information is given for each species including: habitat, range, and identification information for age, sex, and subspecies. I would have liked to see a map along with this information, but the maps provided in the species accounts are large and easy to read.
The species accounts are brief, but adequate. The accounts include information on the following: identification, vocalizations, distribution, movements, habitat, description, measurements and weight, geographical variation, habits, food, breeding, status and conservation, remarks, and references. As mentioned earlier, the maps are large and are easy to read.
Available separately is an audio guide made to accompany this guide. The 2 CD set retails for $37.50 and should prove to be an invaluable reference tool since most owls are heard before being seen.This guide is a great reference to have and I encourage birders to get the audio guide as well. This will arm you with the complete kit needed to identify and learn more about the owls of the world. Order this book online today!
Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa Terry Stevenson & John Fanshawe Illustrated by Brian Small, John Gale & Norman Arlott. T & A D Poyser. 602 pages, 287 colour plates and two colour maps. £29.95 (see larger photo of cover)
Reviewed by: Ken Arber
From: Southampton, UK
Reviewed On: November 3rd, 2001
Score: *****+ (5+ stars out of 5)
When I visited the region in 1995 there really were no comprehensive field guides available, Williams & Arlott's guide to East Africa was woefully inadequate, necessitating copious note taking, which although enjoyable and good discipline, is not really what you want to be doing when surrounded by a plethora of new and fantastic birds on your first morning at Kakamega.
Since then we have witnessed the publication of van Perlo's illustrated checklist: with all its well documented shortcomings - lacking detail in the text relating to identification and habitat, errors in the illustration of certain species and inadequate distribution maps. The following year birders were treated to the groundbreaking 'breeze-block' that is the Birds of Kenya & Northern Tanzania by Zimmerman, Turner & Pearson. No problems here, at least not with the text, the plates, however, often left one dissatisfied: many are overcrowded and depicting birds in bizarre postures.
We are saved! For birders with an interest in the region and those planning a trip, look no further. With the publication of this guide we have distilled into one book all the good elements of what has gone before but better - almost.
As your sweaty hands move from page to page in eager anticipation, you are first treated to a map of the region covered by the book, a brief introduction to landscape, sites, the species covered, seasonality, taxonomy and nomenclature follows on five pages. We then get an explanation of the species accounts and how to use the guide accompanied by the now seemingly mandatory topographical diagrams: a little bit about maps and a lovely plate of recent additions to the avifauna of the region covers a further six pages, followed by three more pages on conservation, further reading and the acknowledgements.
The reader is then taken into the meat of the book, that is the species accounts and plates. This is really cover-to-cover birds, it is lean and down to its fighting weight of 1.2 kg, this presents no problems to birders wanting to take a guide into the field with them. A paragraph introducing each group sets the scene nicely for the following text which sit opposite the plate for each species: a feature much loved by field birders the world over, making this a super-easy guide to utilise.
Both Terry and John have done an excellent job with the descriptions getting the balance just right. Important diagnostic point are italicised - each description creating a nice jizzy picture of the bird in my mind.
The plates are the books tour de force and are simply outstanding - almost. John Gale and Brian Small have a style that compliments each other nicely, each piece of work by these two artists are full of life and accurately represent each species . My own favourites being John's owls, tinkerbirds and barbets, honeyguides, geenbuls and brownbuls (look, you can identify them now), sunbirds that actually look like sunbirds (for this alone thanks John) and starlings that look like birds not reptiles; and Brian's pigeons and doves, parrots - lovely, coucals, bee-eaters (look at that Blue-headed!), wood-hoopoes and scimitarbills, like Johns greenbuls Brian's larks and pipits are just the dog's b*****k's and will facilitate the identification of these perceived difficult groups, shrikes and bush-shrikes are super and the weavers are simply stunning, I could go on and on.
Some thirty-odd plates are by Norman Arlott. Norman is very much of the 'old school' of bird illustration and sometimes the differing style is apparent when compared to Brian and John's plates. The most incongruous plate being 155 where Norman's cuckoo-shrikes share the same page as Jon's nicators, the clash of styles is striking. If I was to nitpick, Norman's plates also tend to depict females hiding behind males of the same species.
These minor points aside, this is by far the best and most exciting guide available for anywhere in Africa, eventually there will be an accompanying CD which will further enhance its diagnostic capabilities. Buy it now through surfbirds.com or be forever sad. It really is tremendous value for money. Order this book online today!
PS. I was finally able to lay to rest the last unidentified bird from my trip back in '95 with this book - Southern Hyliota of the race usambarae, cheers boys!
Ken Arber
Golden Field Guides Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification, Second Edition by Jonathan P. Latimer, Karen Stray Nolting, and James Coe. Illustrated by Arthur Singer. St. Martin’s Press. 360 pages..
Reviewed by: Lawrence S. Semo
From: Westminster, CO, USA
Reviewed On: November 2, 2001
Score: * (1 star out of 5)
When first published in 1966, the Golden Field Guides "Birds of North America" was a monumental achievement in North American avifauna identification. Certainly the Peterson field guide series had contributed enormously since its original publication in 1934. However, Chandler Robbins, Bertel Bruun, and Herbert Zim imagined an identification guide that encompassed all of North America's bird species in one book that was small enough to carry into the field, yet provided accurate identification information available at the time. The original scope of the guide also allowed for illustrations, range maps, and narratives for each species to be displayed on the same page, an option not available in the Peterson field guides. For many, the Golden Guide became the essential identification tool when going in the field through the late 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. But in 1983, the National Geographic Society's Field Guide to Birds of North America was published, changing our perceptions of North American birds and their traits forever. This new authoritative piece, with improved illustrations demarcating key identification criteria for sex and age cohorts of species, seemingly caused the demise of the Golden Guide. For newcomers to birding, however, the Golden Guide still provided an avenue for identification with its greater simplicity, availability, and lower cost than the National Geographic Guide. To most, it became inevitable that the Golden Guide could not stand up to time, especially since the National Geographic Guide was periodically revised in subsequent years adding more species and refining range maps. The recently produced Sibley and Kaufmann guides have widened the gap even further between contemporary field identification references and the Golden Guide. It was obvious that if the Golden Guide was to provide a useful tool to future generations of more skilled birders, a significant revision was necessary. In 2001, Jonathon Latimer, Karen Stray Nolting, James Coe, and Arthur Singer attempted to revive the Golden Guide. Was their attempt successful?
Click on a plate to see a larger view
The authors chose to virtually simulate the previous edition of the Golden Guide in format and size. The size (7.5" x 4.5" x 1") certainly is very usable in the field and the book easily fits into most pockets. The binding is good and paper quality seems excellent in this soft-cover edition. The vast majority of illustrations remain the same as used in the previous edition, though additional species were added. As with the 1966 version, the new Golden Guide provides habitat illustrations for certain species, which also was thought by many to be an advancement from previous field guides.
As a beginning birder in the mid-1970s, I appreciated the detailed illustrations provided by the Golden Guide. As stated previously, the newest edition utilizes the same illustrations Singer produced in the 1960s as well as newly created drawings of species not included in the past publication. Being somewhat biased in having lived when the Golden Guide was king relative to today when I virtually never look at the piece, I questioned my wife, a novice birder, to comment upon those benefits she felt the book offered. She maintained that pages of comparative illustrations between members of the same family were very important and helpful (i.e., gulls, warblers, shorebirds, warblers, and sparrows) in identification. This edition, as with the previous version, also provides comparative silhouettes between representatives of a given family and other, more closely similar groups. Apparently this too offers assistance in separating these types.
Regrettably, the vast majority of illustrations in the newly revised edition are of very poor quality, being somewhat blurry and washed out. This is probably a tribulation of the publisher and not the illustrator, but it seems unjustified to present detailed illustrations but reproduce them poorly. I applaud the new edition, however, in incorporating the addition of at least 104 species since the previous edition. Inclusion of these species, for the most part, is appropriate because of increased regularity in North America or because of lumping/splitting of species from before. Some species discussed in the previous edition were removed from this new version because of lumping or decreased status in North America. Of the 104 new additions, 74 are accompanied by illustrations. Unfortunately for the remainder, only brief references are made regarding their status and are provided brief identification notes, which may make it difficult for observers to actually try to identify such a rarity. Of significant note is the inclusion (either illustrations and narrative or simply a brief narrative alone) of an additional five seabirds, seven waterfowl, 21 shorebirds, 12 parrots, nine thrushes, five pipits, and five finches.
But I have inherent concerns over illustrations and formatting of illustrations as well, beyond the blurriness. Too many species lack illustrations and are only discussed with a very brief note about their presence in North America. For instance, even though Clark’s grebe has been designated its own species for many years, no illustration for that bird is provided. The anatomy and plumage of some species is incorrect. The yellow-billed loon picture looks more like a duck than a loon with the bill being too small and having an obviously wrong head shape. The original illustration (head only) of this species was much better. No zig-zag pattern is evident on the illustration of an immature yellow-billed loon which is a useful mark for separating them from immature common loons. The narrative discusses use of the "dark smudge on the face, behind the eye" as an identification trait, yet no dark smudge is present on the illustration. The authors provide illustrations for both Pacific and Arctic loons but for some reason, the rarer Arctic loon is the stand-out bird and the comparatively widespread Pacific loon is in the background and partially hidden, despite their opposed status. No white flanks, a trait used to separate Arctic from Pacific loons, are shown on the Arctic loon as well. The shape of the male garganey head is very strange. The red-throated pipit is far too robust. The fieldfare shape looks like a waterthrush. Why are ruby-throated and black-chinned hummingbird illustrations on different pages when they are very closely related and pose difficulties in identification between the two? Why do vireos still immediately precede warblers when their evolutionary order has been placed much earlier? Narratives do not always line up with their respective illustrations and the reader must search down the page of narratives to find the species for which they are looking.
As with the original 1966 publication, sonograms are also provided in this version. This reviewer has no qualms over the use of sonograms, especially if that use is targeted for the appropriate audience. If sonograms are to be used, they should be sharply illustrated and of a size that to be discerned. Unfortunately, sonograms portrayed in the new revised edition are extremely small and blurry and are of little use to those birders unfamiliar with the calls and songs of species.
To this reviewer, accuracy and succinctness of range maps is an integral (tool to aid proper identification?). Though clearly illustrated in the previous edition, I always criticized the original maps because of the lack of delineation of state/province boundaries. The knowledge of presence of a species in a given region can vastly assist the travelling birder in attempting to pursue a certain bird or knowing whether an observation of such warrants regional interest. Unfortunately, the range maps in the new version are even less distinct than the originals, being considerably blurry and difficult to interpret, such as the range map for Cory's shearwater. The pattern of light gray significant waterbodies and white landforms use in all maps creates a very hazy appearance. For the maps of some species, waterbodies are barely visible. For many maps, there is considerable shadowing of ranges from previous pages, which is quite distracting and sometimes difficult to interpret. Obviously this is in great part problems with the publisher, though the purchaser of the book cares not whether the difficulty to comprehend the information is the result of the author or the entity chosen to reproduce it. Strangely, some maps are extremely sharp. This seems especially evident for those maps that do not appear to have changed in range from the previous edition, suggesting that there was difficulty with either the illustrator or the publisher of the maps in providing consistent quality in all maps. Steering away from the poor reproductions and choice of color shading, however, the question begs, "Are the maps accurate?" I must state that for the most part, the maps are extremely precise in defining the currently known ranges. Species such as black swift, Cassin's kingbird, purple martin, and boreal chickadee are examples that were provided excellent mapping of ranges, though the list of acceptable species' mapping is much larger. But with the good, comes some bad as well. Why are common loons not shown to breed in northwestern Wyoming? Based on this book, trumpeter swans only breed in Alaska, western Canada, and the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, despite extensive successful reintroductions/introductions of this species in the Dakota's, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Ring-necked ducks breed in western North America south through the Rockies to southern Colorado, but according to their range map, do not breed south of northeastern Washington, northern Idaho, and Alberta. Based on this edition, bald eagles virtually do not nest in Wisconsin despite that state having one of the largest breeding populations in the Lower 48. Eastern screech-owls apparently breed (based on the book) north to the southern edge of Lake Superior; the habitat at this latitude is quite contrary to that utilized by the species, which is evident considering that screech-owls are only extremely rare wanderers to that area. Why is northern Minnesota not shown within the nesting range of great gray owl? The depicted range of boreal owl is even more bizarre, with no nesting delineated in the Lower 48, even in northern Minnesota or the Rockies. Northern saw-whet owls do spend their reproductive summers in the Rockies of Colorado and New Mexico, despite the range indicated on the Golden Guide map. Though not depicted, Say's phoebes do nest in western Alaska and black phoebes do nest in Colorado. The range map for Bewicks's wren in the eastern U.S. seems to be quite antiquated considering that the species has been absent from the Upper Mississippi Valley for nearly 40 years. Why aren't golden-crowned kinglets shown to breed in northern Wisconsin? I do not wish to belabor the few misgivings of range accuracies when the majority of maps are of good quality, however. But I shall comment upon other range map concerns other than accuracy. Why is there no range map for groove-billed ani, which is more widespread than smooth-billed ani (and a map for smooth-billed ani was provided) and more prone to extralimital wanderings. Some may wish to know where the creature is possibly arriving from when excited about a vagrant discovery. No designation between ranges of eastern and western screech-owls and Cordilleran and Pacific-slope flycatchers is provided. For a species that has certainly increased its North American range, why wasn't a map prepared for cave swallow, especially when that species has proven to become an almost regular vagrant to northeastern North America in late fall? The Florida scrub-jay's range is depicted in blue, which for ALL other mapped species, is defined as wintering range only. Does that suggest that scrub-jays in Florida are only winterers? Why is there not a range map for Cassin's vireo?
Certainly a reviewer should try to be as just as possible when critiquing a manuscript. Unfortunately, sometimes that manuscript simply provides extensive errors and inconsistencies to warrant negativism in a review. Such is the case with this most recent attempt at revitalizing the Golden Guide. Even in introductory pages, which are intended to affirm the readers selection in the book, the authors provide inaccuracies or incomplete essential information. For instance, on the upper left hand corner of each page of illustrations is a color-coded mark that is never explained anywhere in the book to my examination. To those familiar with systems of grouping birds based on affinity and evolutionary sequence, it becomes obvious that these color codes represent groupings of such. Beginner birders (which this book obviously targets, but may not have been its only intention) would probably be amiss at understanding or utilizing these codes without the benefit of a definition. Likewise, the introduction includes sections on "resources for bird watching and bird study". Regrettably, inaccuracies are found here as well. I always believed the ABA corporate office actually resided in Colorado Springs, Colorado, not in Austin, Texas as the authors maintain. In discussions of other birding books available, why was the National Geographic Guide omitted? For extreme rarities, their status is described in the species narrative as "accidental". However, no definition of accidental is found in the introduction, though all other classifications of status are defined.
Obviously this reviewer has serious concerns over this revised edition based on illustrations, setup, and information. It seems that more attention to detail and accuracy could have been achieved in the intervening years since its first publication. Certainly some (especially beginners) will continue to purchase and use this guide without knowledge that there are glaring errors throughout that may deter them on some identifications. However, the compactness and price compared to other guides in this field may continue to be the selling point of the Golden Guide’s Birds of North America.
Lawrence S. Semo
Scottish Birds: Culture and Tradition; by Robin Hull. Published by Mercat Press, Edinburgh. 300 pages. ISBN 1-841-83025-9
Reviewed by: Martin Birch
From: London, UK
Reviewed On: November 25th, 2001
Score: ** (2 star out of 5)
The first part of this book recounts the history of birds and man in Scotland since the Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago. The second part of the book lists some 200 species of birds that commonly occur in Scotland, each with an individual entry. Did you know that in the late Pleistocene it is possible that Waxwings nested in Britain, whilst the Crested Tit may have bred throughout southern England ?
It's probably fair to say that this book probably won't appeal to the general 'birder' but if you have a particular interest in Scottish birds, Scottish history or the relationships between birds and man then there are fascinating insights on almost every page of this book. Robin Hull is to be commended for the painstaking research behind this book. It is a unique book and a fascinating insight into the world of birding, Scottish style, over the last few millenia !
There are wonderful insights throughout the 300 text-heavy pages and the best way to enthuse you to read this book is to share with you some of Robin's research via a quick canter through 10,000 years of Scottish birding.
Whilst records understandably remain scarce up to the mediaeval period, geological and archaeological remains provide tantalising clues to the part birds played in everyday life. Robin describes how, in Orkney, the presence of White-tailed Eagle talons and bones in the tombs of neolithic inhabitants provides a fascinating insight into the relationship between pre-historic man and his environment.
In the fifteenth century Storks were apparently recorded breeding in Edinburgh. By the 16th century falconry was widely practiced, although experiments with Ospreys met with with little success. By the seventeenth century James VI had more luck, employing a 'Master of the Cormorants' trained in the art of Japanese fishing. Further afield, islanders on the remote island of St.Kilda jealously guarded their seabirds and their eggs. The daily allowance for each St.Kildan was eighteen guillemot eggs. In total the islanders would consume 16,000 eggs in just three weeks.
In 1685, a boatload of strangers attempted to steal some eggs from the cliffs of St.Kilda. The St.Kildans fought off the intruders and put the eggs back into the nests. For good measure the islanders confiscated the pirates trousers..."
Other bizarre birds were eaten in the past, even Divers. Leonardo da Vinci gave a recipe for the Red-throated Diver, which modern experimenters have pronounced quite inedible.
By the nineteenth century the collection of bird specimens had become a bloody business. Audobon is renowned for remarking that it was a poor day when he did not shoot a hundred birds. Whilst on the newly created estates, as this quote shows, the gun ruled.
"Between 1837 and 1840 vermin destroyed in Glengarry included 15 Golden Eagles, 27 White-tailed Eagles, 18 Ospreys, 98 Sparrowhawks, 7 Peregrine Falcons, 11 Hobbies, 275 Kites, 5 Marsh Harriers, 63 Goshawks, 285 Common Buzzards, 371 Rough-legged Buzzards, 3 Honey Buzzards, 462 Kestrels, 78 Merlins, 63 Hen Harriers, 6 Gyrfalcons, 9 Montagu's Harriers". What a marvellous range of birds there were before the gamekeepers got to work.
Scottish Birds: Culture and Tradition is, I suspect, not a book that will appear on many birders' wish-lists this Christmas but if you ever find yourself in a reference library do dig it out and browse the anecdotes - Robin has brought to birdwatching a rare talent that takes you beyond the identification challenge to a deeper understanding of why birds and man are intertwined across the millenia.
Martin Birch
Wildlife Photographer of the Year - Portfolio 11. Published by BBC Worldwide Limited. Price £25. 115 images. ISBN 0-563-53448-6
Reviewed by: Martin Birch
From: London, UK
Reviewed On: November 25th, 2001
Score: ***** (5 star out of 5)
"An agony of impatience, which eventually climbs to a state of realisation - then you know it is actually going to happen, and, when it does, a seizure of breath pre-empts a surge of raw excitement that explodes in your head. Despite this euphoria, your hands do not tremble and there is no faintness; the result of such concentration and focus is a predatory calm, as if life itself depended upon the proper outcome of the most critical action - and that action is no more than the squeezing of a button"
The above excerpt is taken from Chris Packham's foreword to Wildlife Photographer of the Year - Portfolio 11, published by BBC Worldwide Limited (25th October 2001). Featuring this year's most striking and memorable wildlife photographs from the world's largest and most prestigious wildlife photography contest, this extraordinary collection of 115 images provides a breathtaking panorama of our natural world.
The close up of three Harlequin Ducks in the surf by Richard Kuzminski is, alone, worth every penny of the £25 price tag. Add to this spell-binding shots of White-collared Swifts emerging from their sinkhole in Mexico by Patricio Robles Gil, Guillemots facing the full wrath of the North Sea by Kevin Schafer plus a host of other bird photos and you'll soon understand why judges have voted these amongst the best images in the world in 2001. But it's not just birds, my non-bird favourites include the sealion playing with a luminescent starfish and the Roe Deer in a field of English poppies. But don't be swayed by me. Choose your own, let your friends choose theirs and hey, why not buy this book for someone who's momentarily forgotten about the beauty and fragility of our natural world. Either way "Buy this book now !"
You can see a selection of the highly commended images at surfbirds (click here)
Click here to order this book with Amazon.co.uk
Martin Birch
Wrens, Dippers and Thrashers by David Brewer. Illustrated by Barry Kent MacKay. Yale University Press. 272 pages, 32 color plates. Cloth $50.00.
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Huntsville, TX USA
Reviewed On: November 29th, 2001
Score: **** 1/2 (4.5 stars out of 5)
Here, finally, a book dedicated to the wrens, dippers, and thrashers of the world. This guide is part of the continuing Helm/Yale University Press series of bird families. Wrens, Dippers and Thrashers is the first guide to comprehensively cover the world’s 83 wrens, 36 thrashers, and 5 dipper species. Under this category, wrens, wood wrens, dippers, catbirds, mockingbirds, thrashers, tremblers, and the donacobius are covered. As with other books in this series, the book begins by giving the reader an overview of the families that will be covered along with an explanation of the species accounts and conservation issues. The information is concise and thoroughly enjoyable to read.
The color plates by MacKay are very well done. The plates depict adult male, female, and juvenile plumages for most species as well as geographic variation. They are spaced out evenly on the page and the colors are rich and very lifelike. I especially thought Plates 1, 17, and 21 were outstanding. All the similar species of birds are grouped (illustrated) on the same page making for easy comparison when trying to identify those difficult species. For example, the entire House Wren group is placed and illustrated on the same page. Opposite the plates, the birds are listed and each race is given a brief treatment including range, habitat, and plumage.
The text is very thorough and well researched. The range maps are very accurate and I was not able to note any discrepancies. The species accounts include the following information: Alternative names, Identification, Description, Geographical Variation, Voice, Habitat, Habits, Status and Distribution, Food, Breeding, Movements, and Measurements.
In the end, if you have an interest in wrens, dippers, and thrashers, buy this book. This book is a quality piece of work. The information packaged within the species accounts teamed with the color plates make this an invaluable and accurate reference and identification guide. Click here for Ordering Info
Prairie Birds: Fragile Splendor in the Great Plains by Paul A. Johnsgard. University Press of Kansas. 352 pages, 59 illustrations, 12 tables, 3 charts. Cloth, $29.95 
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Huntsville, TX USA
Reviewed On: November 28th, 2001
Score: ***** (5 stars out of 5)
Paul Johnsgard is considered one of the premiere natural history writers in North America and his tradition continues with Prairie Birds. Prairie Birds is a superb book that is full of species accounts for birds that are found in the prairies of the United States’ heartland. These species accounts are very thorough, but highly enjoyable and readable for natural history buffs of all levels.
At the beginning of the book, Johnsgard provides a history and biota of the land from the Mesozoic period to today. He also covers the biotic communities of the Greta Plains complete with illustrations and charts representing some of the common bird species and prairie grasses that can be found.
Johnsgard provides an overview of the history, current status, and uncertain future for thirty three species of birds that are near and dear to many birders’ hearts. Many of these birds are dwindling in numbers due to loss of habitat and other factors. For example, in Part Four, Broad Wings over Short Grass, Johnsgard gives historical information and personal accounts of Swainson’s and Ferruginous Hawks, both which are breeders in the Great Plains. Life history information is covered in detail for these two species including: migration, courtship, feeding, and other pertinent information. At the end of each part, suggested references are offered to the reader interested in more information.
The book is graced throughout with illustrations by the author. The book ends with a chapter on the threats facing the prairie and its birdlife followed by a list of the major grassland preserves found in North America. I highly recommend this book. It gave me a totally new insight to many bird species that I have become familiar with. It is a highly informative, readable, and enjoyable book.
Early Southwest Ornithologists, 1528-1900 by Dan L. Fischer. The University of Arizona Press. 280 pages, 20 illustrations. Cloth $45.00
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Huntsville, TX USA
Reviewed On: December 24, 2001
Score: ***** (5 stars out of 5)
The Southwestern United States has always been an attraction to naturalists of all levels. Early Southwest Ornithologists chronicles the explorations done in this area as early as the Spanish explorers Cabeza de Vaca and Coronado to those ornithologists that set the precedent for modern day ornithology. Have you ever wondered how such birds as Lucy’s Warbler, Craveri’s Murrelet, and McCown’s Longspur got their names? Did you wonder who the last ornithologist to see an Imperial Woodpecker was? This book covers all those subjects and is a very interesting read from cover to cover.
The book begins with the earliest explorations on record. Some of these early accounts were from 1528 when Cabeza de Vaca set off to explore parts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico. The earliest bird records included those of “quail” and of Indians trading “plumes and parrot’s feathers”. The book continues on with accounts from many distinguished naturalists that added to the avifauna of the United States and Mexico, including William Gambel, Elliot Coues, Charles Bendire, and John Xantus. Many of these naturalists ventured on their own while others were staff naturalists for the United States Army.
The book ends with an Appendix which includes a nexus of first observers, collectors, describers, and eponyms of birds relevant to the Southwest. I highly recommend this book. It gives the birder an insight on the excitement and dangers involved when these pioneering male and female naturalists explored these wild lands. It would sum it up best by reading the following quote from Elliot Coues, "My enthusiasm runs so high that sometimes as I stand alone in the wilderness, thousands of miles from home and friends, hot, tired, breathless with pursuit, but holding in my hand and gloating over some new or rare bird, I feel a sort of charitable pity for the rest of the poor world, who are not ornithologists, and have not the chance of pursuing the science in Arizona." I had a hard time putting this book down and I am sure you will to. I highly recommend this book for naturalists of all levels. Click here to buy this book online at Amazon.com
P
eterson Field Guide to Hawks of North America – 2nd Edition by William S. Clark and Brian K. Wheeler. Houghton Mifflin, 316 pages, 40 color plates, 140 color photographs. $22.00 paper, $30.00 cloth.
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Huntsville, TX USA
Reviewed On: December 30, 2001
Score: ***** (5 stars out of 5)
Hawks are a very interesting family of birds that pose identification problems for many birders. The popular Peterson Field Guide to the Hawks of North America has been totally revised and updated to help birders better understand and identify raptors. This guide covers 35 species of raptors that normally occur in the United States as well as 12 vagrant raptors.
The most noticeable change in this guide is the conversion from black and white photographs and illustrations to color. These are a big improvement and will aid greatly while trying to separate that Red-tailed Hawk from a Rough-legged Hawk. Range maps are in color and show the ranges of each species seasonally. The text has been revised to include new research and identification techniques. One thing that is also pointed out is the familiar points of each species that will help a person identify the species by behavior and flight. Of course, the famous Peterson system of pointing out the identification features of the species is still the benchmark for this guide.
The plates are very comprehensive. The species are illustrated by morph, sex, silhouettes, as well as crucial parts of the bird’s plumage such as the tail. The species accounts are very thorough. They include the following categories: Description, Similar Species, Flight, Molt Behavior, Status and Distribution, Fine Points, Subspecies, Etymology, and Measurements. Quite a wealth of information packed into a handy guide.
The revision of this book was long overdue and I applaud the authors and publisher for doing this. It is a well revised guide that should be found on the bookshelves and field packs of all those interested in birds, regardless of experience. I highly recommend it. Click here to buy this book online at Amazon.com
Birds of the Texas Hill Country Mark W. Lockwood 2001, 238 pp., 12 b & w drawings, 32 color photos, 4 b & w photos, 4 maps, 2 tables University of Texas Press $24.95 paperback, $60.00 hardcover
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Huntsville, TX USA
Reviewed On: January 15, 2002
Score: ***** (5 stars out of 5)
The Texas Hill Country has long been famous for its wooded hills, clear rivers, antique shops, and of course, its birds. The most famous of these birds are the Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo, both of which are federally endangered. These 2 species are just part of the varied avifauna that can be found in this transition zone where east meets west and north meets south. Where else can you find nesting Zone-tailed Hawks and Broad-winged Hawks in the same region? Did you know that South Texas specialties such as Olive Sparrow and Long-billed Thrashers are regular breeders in the southwestern Hill Country? These are just a few of the nearly 420 species that have been seen in this diverse region of the Lone Star State.
This book is not a bird finding guide, but a book giving relative abundance, distribution, habitat, and occurrence for all the birds that have been documented in this region. The accounts do give the reader a good idea where would be the most ideal locale to view these species. The book contains a plethora of information at the beginning including topography, river systems and reservoirs, climate, vegetation, conservation, and a brief overview of well known and lesser known Hill Country birding sites. A real treat in this book is the chapter on the early ornithological investigations of the Hill Country. The book also contains a section on species of uncertain occurrence and those of special interest.
Birds of the Texas Hill Country is adorned with color photographs of habitats of the region as well as those of bird species of special interest. In addition, Clemente Guzman III has graced this book’s pages with his drawings.
Birds of the Texas Hill Country is an important key to understanding the status and distribution to the birds of this region. The text is very thorough, well researched, and readable. Lockwood has shown that the Texas Hill Country is home to more than just Golden-cheeked Warblers and Black-capped Vireos, but to a variety of species. Click here to buy this book online at Amazon.com
Trogons and Quetzals of the World by Paul A. Johnsgard. Smithsonian Institution Press. 223 pages, 40 color plates. Cloth $49.95.
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Huntsville, TX USA
Reviewed On: January 24, 2002
Score: ***** (5 stars out of 5)
Trogons and Quetzals are easily one of the most colorful and elegant bird families. 39 species can be found in the world, with most being found in the New World Tropics. The Resplendent Quetzal of Middle America is often voted on as one of the most beautiful and sought after birds in the world. They are also one of the most vulnerable families due to habitat alteration and deforestation. It is the intent of this new book by Paul Johnsgard to let the reader know and understand more about the Trogons and Quetzals of the World.
This book is laid out much in the same format as Johnsgard’s other titles: The Pheasants of the World and The Quails, Partridges, and Francolins of the World. The book is written and laid out in an easy to read format. After a thorough introduction which includes sections on Evolutionary Relationships, Anatomy and Morphology, General Behavior and Ecology, and Breeding Biology and Populations, Johnsgard begins with the individual species accounts.
The species accounts are broken down into 2 categories; African Trogons and Non-African Trogons. The African Trogons include 3 species that are found primarily in south-central Africa. The Non-African Trogons include 36 species of which 25 are found in Latin America and 11 which are found in Asia. The accounts are very thorough and include information on Other Vernacular Names, Range, Subspecies, Morphometrics (measurements and weights), Description, Identification, Geographic Variation, Ecology, Behavior, Breeding Biology, and Conservation and Evolutionary Relationships. The species accounts also include a line drawing by the author or a photograph and a range map. Johnsgard has done wonders compiling this information and presenting it in a thorough and readable format.
A very enjoyable aspect of this book are the lavish color plates. These plates are not field guide material, but coffee book material. Most of the color plates are exquisite hand colored lithographs by the 19th century artist John Gould. The remaining color plates are wonderfully done by John O’Neill, Dan Lane, Dana Gardner, and James D. McClelland. The artwork alone is almost worth the price of the book.
Trogons and Quetzals of the World makes an excellent addition any personal or collegiate library. It combines the benefits of a coffee table book, a field guide, and a life history series into one easy to read book. I highly recommend this book as the most up to date and comprehensive information available on Trogons and Quetzals.
US Birders can order Trogons and Quetzels with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com UK Birders can order with Amazon.co.uk or WH Smith.co.uk
Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman. Houghton Mifflin. 675 pages. $25.00.
Reviewed by: Oscar Carmona
From: Huntsville, TX USA
Reviewed On: February 19th, 2002
Score: ***** (5 stars out of 5)
Kenn Kaufman has provided a much needed source of information for novices and experts alike with Lives of North American Birds. This book started off as a project to complete the CD-ROM Peterson Multimedia Guides: North American Birds. The end product is a book that provides information for over 900 species including stunning color photographs.
Each species account begins with a paragraph on the behavior of the species along with other bits of information. Categories within the accounts include Habitat, Feeding, Nesting, Migration, and Conservation Status. The accounts are very well written and as in Kaufman’s other books, very readable and thoroughly enjoyable. For example, the Ivory Gull’s introductory paragraph reads, “A gleaming white bird of the frozen north…..Its pristine appearance is belied by its feeding habits…a scavenger, eating carrion and even the droppings of other animals.” This book caters to the average birder as well as those with advanced knowledge. The species accounts are complemented with excellent color photographs from some of the top photographers in the world. Color range maps are included delineating Summer, Winter, and Year Round ranges.
I highly recommend this book. It provides a wealth of information for birders of all levels. It is well written and provides a layperson’s view to the “scientific lives” of North American Birds.
USA Birders click here for more details on this book from Amazon.com