10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2014

Birding being a visual and an auditory pursuit, it’s not surprising that publishers have taken advantage of the media of its day to produce bird books accompanied by CDs or DVDs. QR stands for Quick Response (the things I learn when I write a book review!). The process itself was easier to use than playing a DVD while reading a book.

2006 250

2006 2014 Connecticut North America 250

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2014

It took me a while to wrap my mind around the concept of Birds and People , Mark Cocker and David Tipling’s book that, in 592 pages, explores the intersection of just that—birds and us. Still, I found it a little disjointing that a book has been written about our relationship with birds. So, I just sit here, amazed at this book.

Egypt 244

Egypt Birds Albania Eagles 244

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2023

An impressive combination of research and artwork, combined with a pragmatic organization aimed towards quick identification, and education, Baby Bird Identification extends the frontiers of bird identification guides and is an important contribution to wildlife rehabilitation literature.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 290

Wildlife Rehabilitation Birds Family Collecting 290

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

This is the book you will want to give to everyone in your life who has said ‘I’d like to bird too, but ….(fill Not only is Nate a birding and blogging colleague, but Mike Bergin, 10,000 Birds co-publisher, has written the Foreword and I have been threatened with all sorts of birder-type punishment if I give this book a bad review.

North Carolina 263

North Carolina Birds North America Owls 263

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2015

Here are some things I’ve learned from the Peterson Reference Guide to Owls of North America and the Caribbean by Scott Weidensaul: The Burrowing Owl is the only North American owl species where the male is larger than the female, albeit, only slightly larger. And the term is ‘non-reversed size dimorphism.’).

North America 255

North America Owls America Dominican Republic 255

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

This added layer elevates Birding Under the Influence: Cycling Across America in Search of Birds and Recovery from a book of fun birding and travel adventures to a more complex memoir about the ways in which birding spurs self-reflection, motivates life change, feeds a need for wonder, and creates community.

Los Angeles 246

Los Angeles Massachusetts Birds New York City 246

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2020

The simple answer is monetary gain, there is a global black market for these items, regardless of the species’ vulnerability for extinction. 2019), and now this book. The book is structured cinematically. And, how they betrayed that trust, stealing eggs for years and, possibly even worse, falsifying research data.

Falcons 264

Falcons United Kingdom Zimbabwe Eggs 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2021

His second book on migration is a tale of many birds and many research studies all connected by the theme of migration and by his thoughtful narrative voice. The book is organized into ten chapters, framed by a Prologue and Epilogue focused on Weidensaul’s banding experience in Denali National Park.

Cyprus 264

Cyprus Slaughtered Slaughter Research 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2012

Life Along the Delaware Bay: Cape May, Gateway to a Million Shorebirds , by Lawrence Niles, Joanna Burger, and Amanda Dey, is a book with a mission. The numbers, as detailed in this book, are alarming: the horseshoe crab harvest grew from less than 100,000 in 1992 to over 2.5 million in the late 1990’s.

Delaware 224

Delaware New Jersey Eggs Research 224

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2015

Navarro’s exceptional drawings illustrate the species accounts. Forty-eight species. Compare, for example, the species account illustration of the Cuban Trogon with the photo that opens up the introductory chapter. The luxury of space means that each species can be shown from various angles and in distinctive poses.

Cuba 244

Cuba Birds 2000 United States 244

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2020

” The book in question is Birds of Bolivia: Field Guide , edited and written by Sebastian K. That’s pretty amazing–Bolivia has more bird species than India! The source of this ranking, BirdLife International, lists Bolivia as currently having 1,439 bird species, including 18 breeding endemics. ″ x 9.5″x

Bolivia 241

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 241

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2015

Producing a book about birds and nesting is a dangerous business. Some people love books like that. I’m happy to say that Laura Erickson and Marie Read have written a book, Into the Nest: Intimate Views of the Courting, Parenting, and Family Lives of Familiar Birds , that is not too cute and that does not anthropomorphize.

Eggs 263

Eggs Family 2006 New York 263

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

The book is chiefly about how people have conceptualized and studied birds, but there is an underlying theme, the changing ways in which our Western culture has viewed animals, nature and God. It’s a huge scope for a 338-page book. Common Guillemot research at Skomer Island, Wales.

Dissection 264

Dissection Birds Europe Eggs 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2015

Birding by Impression is a conscious, deliberate method of identifying and recognizing birds based on the study and evaluation of “distinctive structural features and behavioral movements” and comparison with nearby and similar species. The result is a different kind of book. So say Kevin T.

New Jersey 203

New Jersey Birds Science New York City 203

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2012

Or, one of the 145 species of Glass frogs living in the Cental and South American rainforests, I could look through the transparent skin on their undersides and see their internal organs. This is what happens when you read a book like Frogs and Toads of the World , by Chris Mattison.

Reptiles 232

Reptiles Madagascar Family New York City 232

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2017

The guide presents 69 species and 1 subspecies, from “NEW WORLD VULTURES: Cathartiformes” to “OSPREY: Pandioninae” to “FAMILY: Accipitridae” (Kites, Hawks, Eagles, Hawk-Eagles), to “FALONIDS: Falconidae” (Falcons, Forest-Falcons, Caracaras, Kestrels, Merlin). The order is roughly taxonomic, with the priority showing similar species together.

Mexico 189

Mexico America North America Falcons 189

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2016

And so, I turn to Better Birding: Tips, Tools & Concepts for the Field , the new book by George L. This is a very different book from what I expected, less of a handbook and more of a comprehensive identification text on 24 groups of birds, presented in words and photographs. It is an intriguing choice of species.

Birds 190

Birds Groups 2015 North America 190

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 7, 2014

The second edition of the National Geographic Complete Birds of North America, 2nd Edition has one of the longest book names in bird bookdom: National Geographic Complete Birds of North America, 2nd Edition: Now Covering More Than 1,000 Species With the Most-Detailed Information Found in a Single Volume. This volume is no exception.

North America 194

North America America Family Falcons 194

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

The section South Georgia Wildlife describes 65 species of birds, 20 species of sea mammals, nearly 60 species of insects, and more than 40 species of flowering and nonflowering plants. The book is entitled South Georgia, but it also covers nearby areas including the South Sandwich Islands, Shag and Clerke Rocks.)

Georgia 190

Georgia Penguins Wildlife Whaling 190

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2016

It’s time for some short book reviews. Two books are part of series I’ve reviewed previously (and you may want to reread those posts for more detailed info), one is a handbook that I’ve been wanting to review for a long time, but thought that a shorter piece would work better than the long ones I always seem to end up doing here.

Pennsylvania 189

Pennsylvania Texas Whales Whaling 189

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2013

Now, on to the books. The Eastern guide covers 545 species and the Western guide covers 636 species. The cover designs, like the parent book, are cheerily colorful; the Eastern guide is green, featuring a photo of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, the Western guide is blue, featuring a White Pelican just landing onto the water.

North America 210

North America Birds Falcons Los Angeles 210

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2018

Two reactions on receiving my review copy from publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: (1) Small book, colorful design, (2) There really are 12 steps and they are not in the order I expected. Especially 10, because, this being a book co-authored by Steve Howell, plumage quickly becomes a tutorial on molt. Species are useful handles (p.

North America 188

North America Birds 2012 America 188

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2021

When was the last time you chose a book by its covers? And apart from local people, primate researchers sometimes spot it, but it is a species seen by fewer than ten living birders. And apart from local people, primate researchers sometimes spot it, but it is a species seen by fewer than ten living birders.

Congo 264

Congo Africa Madagascar Kenya 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 26, 2023

That is why I am so pleased to see the new “Gulls of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East: An Identification Guide” being illustrated with nearly 1400 colour photographs of the 45 species of gulls found in the Western Palearctic. My first impression is that the book is somewhat large and heavy (2.05 pounds, and 6.7 Philippe J.

Europe 264

Europe Africa Greece Groups 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2020

Guiding aside, Howell is a research associate at the California Academy of Sciences and the author of many books, including Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America (Princeton). We have tended to a liberal (= realistic) direction when recognising species.” and I am glad to see this bold move in this book.

Chile 270

Chile Birds South America Albatross 270

10,000 Birds

JUNE 14, 2013

Besides birding, I have another hobby that I like to indulge when I travel: seeking out books from small regional presses. Nearly every town with a souvenir shop has a book or two about the local ghost stories, true crimes, battlefields, and the like. The Birds of Eigg is such a book. Reviews books Scotland'

Breeders 247

Breeders Birds Wildlife Research 247

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2018

Fun fact: only three species in the lower 48 states are not protected by that statute – the House Sparrow, Rock Pigeon, and Common Starling.). The book, handsome and hefty, is meant to “commemorate and amplify” the Year of the Bird initiative –but it’s a self-celebration of sorts, too. As happy as, well, larks.

Minnesota 158

Minnesota Protesting Protesters Protest 158

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 13, 2012

The New Jersey Bird Records Committee (NJBRC) documents 465 species of natural origin. Used in conjunction with the species distribution maps, this is a helpful feature in evaluating field observations. There are, sadly, entries for extinct species. This is a well-designed, attractive book.

New Jersey 245

New Jersey 2009 Bald Eagle Birds 245

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2017

Leventis is a businessman from London involved in wildlife conservation in Africa, including the establishment of an avian research institute in Nigeria and an amateur photographer. The Birder’s Guide is a somewhat large and heavy book, not the kind you would want to carry in your bag (and too big even for a larger pocket).

Africa 222

Africa Botswana Nigeria Namibia 222

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

Written in the tradition of the classic Hawks in Flight , but very much a product of the experiences of its birder authors, this is a groundbreaking book that offers a new way of identifying migratory birds at sea to all of us who observe the waters of eastern North America with expectation and excitement. The book is fairly large (10.4

Ducks 247

Ducks Groups North America North Dakota 247

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2020

That piece of information, along with many others, comes from Kroodsma’a new book, Birdsong for the Curious Naturalist : Your Guide to Listening — and you have to love the “nearly.” And that’s part of the point of the book, and its charm – how much there is still to be discovered in the realm of birdsong. Except he doesn’t!

Virginia 264

Virginia Boston North America 2020 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2023

The official Ontario bird checklist, produced by Ontario Field Ornithologists , June 2022 listed 506 bird species**, putting it in the top tier of U.S. Small Species Accounts: Each species is allotted one page (with certain exceptions) offering basics–bird names and size, one or two photographs, and a one-paragraph description.

North America 246

North America Birds Owls Canada 246

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Two books, two authors, two countries bursting with neotropical avian diversity. Since the books share authors and a creation process, I thought I would review them together. An associated issue is that the Belize and Costa Rica guides share many of the same descriptions of species, written by Howell. Why are these issues?

Costa Rica 246

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 246

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2018

It’s not often that we have the opportunity to glimpse the home life of albatrosses, nor of any seabird species. This is essentially a survey of ornithological marine research told in the voice of one of its most passionate and experienced participants. What about incubation shifts?

Albatross 118

Albatross Penguins Research Breeding 118

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2013

A breeding bird atlas is a special kind of book. For birders, it’s the extremely large book, shelved in a place where it can’t crush the field guides, used to research the history of a bird in their area. The resulting book, 616 pages in length, 6.4

Pennsylvania 258

Pennsylvania Breeding Sparrows Birds 258

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2021

I have a bachelor’s degree in Ecology and after I graduated from university, I became a researcher in nature and cultural affairs, working with renowned experts and contributing to their projects. Now the project has grown and we have been operating for more than 10 years.

Colombia 264

Colombia Industry 2000 Birds 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2021

Rheindt is a big book. Or should I say a great book? Just last year, 5 new bird species and 5 new subspecies were discovered in a few short weeks of fieldwork on the islands of Taliabu, Peleng and Batudaka. “Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea” by James A. Eaton, Bas van Balen, Nick W.

Indonesia 264

Indonesia Timor Brunei Guinea 264