All Posts

American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Pennsylvania
by George L. Armistead and Brian E. Small

From Scott & Nix, Inc.:

Pennsylvania is one of the best places to go birding in North America. From the shores of Lake Erie in the northwest and the great river basins of the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela to the central Allegheny Mountains and east along the Pocono Mountains and the rich farmlands and rolling hills of the south, the Keystone State has a great diversity of birds. The American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Pennsylvania includes more than 275 species birders are most likely to see in the commonwealth. Illustrated with hundreds of crisp, color photographs, it includes descriptions of each birds along with tips of when and where to see them, written by an expert Pennsylvanian birder. It’s the perfect companion for anyone interested in the amazing diversity and beauty of Pennsylvania’s birds.

I’m a fan of this series of field guides from the ABA (here are my thoughts on the first couple entries in the series). So while I’ve never birded Pennsylvania, I’m confident in recommending this guide to those who do, especially newer birders.

American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Pennsylvania
by George L. Armistead and Brian E. Small
Flexicover with dust jacket; 352 pages
Scott & Nix, Inc.; January 18, 2016
ISBN: 9781935622529
$24.95

Buy from Buteo Books
(based in the U.S.)

Buy from NHBS
(based in the U.K.)

Flight Paths: A Field Journal of Hope, Heartbreak, and Miracles With New York’s Bird People
by Darryl Mcgrath

From State University of New York Press:

How a small group of New York biologists brought the peregrine falcon and bald eagle back from the brink of extinction.

In the late 1970s, the bald eagle and the peregrine falcon were heading toward extinction, victims of the combined threats of DDT, habitat loss, and lax regulation. Flight Paths tells the story of how a small group of New York biologists raced against nature’s clock to bring these two beloved birds back from the brink in record-setting numbers.

In a narrative that reads like a suspense tale, Darryl McGrath documents both rescue projects in never-before-published detail. At Cornell University, a team of scientists worked to crack the problem of how to breed peregrine falcons in captivity and then restore them to the wild. Meanwhile, two young, untested biologists tackled the overwhelming assignment of rebuilding the bald eagle population from the state’s last nesting pair, one of whom (the female) was sterile.

McGrath interweaves this dramatic retelling with contemporary accounts of four at-risk species: the short-eared owl, the common loon, the Bicknell’s thrush, and the piping plover. She worked alongside biologists as they studied these elusive subjects in the Northeast’s most remote regions, and the result is a story that combines vivid narrative with accessible science and is as much a tribute to these experts as it is a call to action for threatened birds.

Readers are taken to a snow-covered meadow as an owl hunts her prey, a loon family’s secluded pond, an eagle nest above the Hudson River, and a mountaintop at dusk in search of the Bicknell’s thrush, one of the planet’s rarest birds. Combining a little-known chapter of New York’s natural history with a deeply personal account of a lifelong devotion to birds, Flight Paths is not only a story of our rapidly changing environment and a tribute to some of New York’s most heroic biologists, but also a captivating read for anyone who has ever thrilled to the sight of a rare bird.

It’s widely known that the Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, and other species were saved from the ravages of DDT. This book provides a behind-the-scenes look into how they were saved.

Flight Paths: A Field Journal of Hope, Heartbreak, and Miracles With New York’s Bird People
by Darryl Mcgrath
Paperback; 378 pages
State University of New York Press; February, 2016
ISBN: 9781438459264
$24.99

Relatively few reviews this month, but of some good books.

Bird Families of the World: An Invitation to the Spectacular Diversity of Birds
by David W. Winkler, Shawn M. Billerman, and Irby J. Lovette

From Lynx Edicions and Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Here in one volume is a synopsis of the diversity of all birds. Published between the two volumes of the HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World, Bird Families of the World distills the voluminous detail of the 17-volume Handbook of Birds of the World into a single book. Based on the latest systematic research and summarizing what is known about the life history and biology of each group, this volume will be the best single-volume entry to avian diversity available. Whether you are a birder with an interest in global bird diversity, or a professional ornithologist wishing to update and fill-in your comprehensive knowledge of avian diversity, this volume will be a valuable addition to your library.

An interest in birds is a life-enriching pursuit; the sheer diversity of birds means there are always stunning new species to see and novel facets of their lives to explore. Yet the grand diversity of birds is also a challenge, as it is easy to become disoriented amidst a group that contains more than 10,000 species that vary in nearly all of their most conspicuous attributes. Learning avian diversity requires a mental map to help us organize our experiences and observations. The scientific classification of birds provides exactly this framework, grouping together into Orders and Families birds that are most closely related to one another, and thereby linking species that share distinguishing traits. For those interested in learning about the tremendous diversity of birds world-wide, the best way to start is to learn the families, and Bird Families of the World is a guide and invitation to do so.

This book has been designed to serve both as a text for ornithology courses and as a resource for serious bird enthusiasts of all levels. Technical terminology is much reduced, and all scientific terms used are defined in a glossary. Introductory material describes the scope and concepts behind the classification used and gives suggestions about how best to use the book. The bulk of Bird Families of the World is a family-by-family account of the birds of the world. Each family is represented by at least a two-page spread, including a distributional map with the breeding, non-breeding and year-round ranges of each family, a short text “teaser” to invite the reader to learn more, standardized descriptions of the appearance, relationships and similar species to each family’s members, their life history and conservation status. Each account includes a review of recent ideas about the relationships of the family to other families and relationships within it. The work is liberally illustrated by photographs from bird enthusiasts around the globe as well as paintings of one species from each of the genera in each family. It will be a beautiful and serviceable guide.

This (large) book’s subtitle reveals its purpose: to introduce the reader to the amazing diversity found within birds. It treats the family as the basic unit of this diversity. The authors present a brief account of each family, focusing on relationships. While this book is lavishly illustrated and useful to anyone interested in birds, if you’re looking for a general purpose overview of birds you’d be better off with something like The World of Birds. But if you have any interest at all in taxonomy (basically, how birds are related to each other), then this is the book for you. I, for one, have found it full of fascinating revelations.

Bird Families of the World: An Invitation to the Spectacular Diversity of Birds
by David W. Winkler, Shawn M. Billerman, and Irby J. Lovette
Hardcover; 600 pages
Lynx Edicions and Cornell Lab of Ornithology; December, 2015
ISBN: 9788494189203
$99.95

Buy from Buteo Books
(based in the U.S.)

Buy from NHBS
(based in the U.K.)

Actually, this is more a list of my favorite bird books of the year. I saw many books in 2015, but not nearly all of them. Certainly not enough to claim this list as comprehensive.

• Water Babies: The Hidden Lives of Baby Wetland Birds
  by William Burt

  Wonderful photos of baby ducks, grebes, shorebirds, herons, and other water birds. The cuteness factor is undeniable, but it’s also a treat to get a glimpse into a part of these birds’ life cycle that we rarely, if ever, get to see. Burt’s short accounts are a fun read, providing information about the birds and insight into what it takes to get such fantastic photographs.

• The Living Bird: 100 Years of Listening to Nature
  by Gerrit Vyn and The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

  Like Water Babies, this book is a photographic showcase that is also worth reading. Vyn’s photographs are amazing, reason enough to include The Living Bird in this list. The three essays explore the diversity of birds, how they inspire us, and how they serve as indicators of issues that affect us all. All of this serves to get readers invested in birds, in preparation for the book’s ultimate message: birds are in trouble, but there are things that we can do to help. For more on this book, see my full review.

• Cuckoo: Cheating by Nature
  by Nick Davies

  Cuckoo is a wonderful bit of natural history writing. Brood parasitism is an interesting subject to begin with, and Davies tackles it in a clear, logical, easy-to-understand way. Even if the only cuckoo you’ve seen is on a clock, you should still enjoy this book.

• The Warbler Guide app
  by Tom Stephenson, Scott Whittle, and Princeton University Press

  Ok, so this isn’t a book, nor was it released in 2015 (it was late December, 2014). I don’t care; I love this app and want to call attention to it. To start with, it does its job – helping users identify warblers – incredibly well. The sound files and filters alone are worth it. But more importantly, this app, more than any other currently on the market, demonstrates what is possible with digital field guides. For instance, you don’t just get one or two static pictures of the bird, you get a full-on 3d model that you can rotate or move about any way you wish. The Warbler Guide is one of the best bird family ID guides, and now the app based on it is one of the best bird apps you can have on your device.

• Bird Families of the World: A Guide to the Spectacular Diversity of Birds
  by David W. Winkler, Shawn M. Billerman, and Irby J. Lovette

  This is a family-by-family account of the order Aves. It broadly summarizes a range of natural history information, but focuses on relationships. In other words, taxonomy: to some a fascinating subject, to others a dirty word. But if you have any interest in the subject at all, this volume should prove enlightening and valuable.

• Birds, Art & Design
  by Larry Barth

  One of my favorite things about running this website is discovering books that I never would have otherwise. A few of these have been absolute treasures. This is one such book. It presents a sampling of Barth’s bird sculptures, which are simply amazing. Even better, the artist takes us behind the scenes, as it were, providing insight into the inspiration behind the piece and how it was made. For more on this book, which is my favorite from last year, see my full review.

The new novel Fee, by Kelly John, seeks “to introduce the substantial body of non-birders to the exhilarating, crazy mixed-up world of birding”. Well, it’s not quite that simple. See, the novel isn’t published yet. And that’s not the author’s actual name. I could try to explain more fully, but it’s better that you just visit the book’s website. As an added incentive, the majority of the book will be posted on the site for free. Three chapters will be put up every week. I’ve read the first three, and I’m eager for more. I’m also very curious who the author is. But whoever it is, they need help from the birding community to make publishing the novel a reality. And based on what I’ve seen so far, they deserve it.

Parrots of the Wild: A Natural History of the World’s Most Captivating Birds
by Catherine A. Toft and Timothy F. Wright

From University of California Press:

Parrots of the Wild explores recent scientific discoveries and what they reveal about the lives of wild parrots, which are among the most intelligent and rarest of birds. Catherine A. Toft and Tim Wright discuss the evolutionary history of parrots and how this history affects perceptual and cognitive abilities, diet and foraging patterns, and mating and social behavior. The authors also discuss conservation status and the various ways different populations are adapting to a world that is rapidly changing. The book focuses on general patterns across the 350-odd species of parrots, as well as what can be learned from interesting exceptions to these generalities.

A synthetic account of the diversity and ecology of wild parrots, this book distills knowledge from the authors’ own research and from their review of more than 2,400 published scientific studies. The book is enhanced by an array of illustrations, including nearly ninety color photos of wild parrots represented in their natural habitats. Parrots of the Wild melds scientific exploration with features directed at the parrot enthusiast to inform and delight a broad audience.

Parrots are beautiful, intelligent, fascinating, and, in just about every way, awesome. And this book is pretty good, too! It’s the place you should go if you want to learn all about these birds.

Parrots of the Wild: A Natural History of the World’s Most Captivating Birds
by Catherine A. Toft and Timothy F. Wright
Hardcover; 346 pages
University of California Press; November 16, 2015
ISBN: 9780520239258
$39.95