Book News

Pocket Guide to Birds of Australia
by Jeff Davies, Peter Menkhorst, Danny Rogers, Rohan Clarke, Peter Marsack, and Kim Franklin

From Princeton University Press:

This book is an easy-to-use and beautifully illustrated quick identification guide to all regularly occurring bird species in Australia. Carefully designed to provide key information at your fingertips to enable rapid identification, it covers more than 700 bird species that are resident or regular visitors to the Australian mainland, Tasmania, and surrounding waters accessible in a day trip by boat. Based on the award-winning Australian Bird Guide, this convenient pocket guide features stunning images, up-to-date species descriptions, distribution maps, and quick guide comparison pages for all major groups.

• Covers more than 700 species, including regular visitors
• Features a wealth of breathtaking color images by leading Australian artists
• Provides incisive species descriptions that make identification easy
• Includes quick guide comparison pages and the most up-to-date distribution maps
• Its compact size makes it the perfect travel companion

The Australian Bird Guide is, arguably, the best identification guide for that continent. But it’s a bit…unwieldy. This new pocket guide is a concise version of that larger guide, now allowing you to take it with you in the field. I would not recommend this pocket edition be the only field guide you use in Australia, unless you are already very familiar with the birds or are just doing some incidental birding. But if you’d like to have a good field guide with you, one that will actually fit in your pocket, this is a great choice.

Pocket Guide to Birds of Australia
by Jeff Davies, Peter Menkhorst, Danny Rogers, Rohan Clarke, Peter Marsack, and Kim Franklin
Flexibound; 256 pages
Princeton University Press; February 7, 2023
ISBN: 9780691245492
$27.95

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Birds of Southern Africa (Fifth Revised Edition)
by Ian Sinclair, Phil Hockey, Warwick Tarboton, Niall Perrins, Dominic Rollinson, and Peter Ryan

From Princeton University Press:

A substantially revised and expanded new edition of the bestselling standard field guide for southern Africa, now with a dedicated app providing access to vocalizations

Now in its fifth edition, Birds of Southern Africa has been brought fully up to date by its expert authors and greatly enhanced with a wide range of new information and features. Providing comprehensive coverage of the bird life of South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and southern Mozambique, this comprehensive book is sure to maintain its place as one of Africa’s most trusted field guides.

This fifth edition offers:

• New “bird-call” feature―access calls by scanning QR codes in the guide with a free downloadable app
• More than 800 new illustrations, including all-new plates for raptors and seabirds
• Comprehensive coverage of southern Africa’s birds, including the latest species records
• Redesigned plates noting identification features
• Calendar bars depicting species’ occurrence and breeding periods
• Fully updated species accounts and distribution maps
• Fresh contributions from new authors and illustrators
• Alphabetical and illustrated quick references to bird groups

This is the latest edition of my favorite field guide to the region. It is newly published in the U.S. as part of the Princeton field guide series, though it was first published in Africa in 2020 (as SASOL Birds of Southern Africa). It seems to have mostly incremental improvements (such as the new plates for raptors and seabirds, which are definitely improved), with the biggest change being the addition of an app to play bird sounds. This revision will be my go-to guide when I return to southern Africa.

Birds of Southern Africa (Fifth Revised Edition)
by Ian Sinclair, Phil Hockey, Warwick Tarboton, Niall Perrins, Dominic Rollinson, and Peter Ryan
Paperback; 488 pages
Princeton University Press; February 14, 2023
ISBN: 9780691248493
$39.95

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Birds: Poetry in the Sky
by Christian Spencer

From ACC Art Books:

The fascination birds evoke in us continues unabated. Australian artist and photographer Christian Spencer, living in the vicinity of the Brazilian rainforest since 2001, has surrendered to it as well.

“The camera is my brush,” is how he describes his style. His photographs truly capture the poetry of nature, letting its beauty speak for itself — which is why he forgoes any image editing. He was the first to capture the breathtakingly fast beating of hummingbirds’ wings in the sunlight, which forms a rainbow in the air.

The world of birds unfolds before his lens in all its colourful glory and elegance: in reflections on the water, between blossoms and trees, and high above the treetops.

• Nature as a work of art: birds in their habitat, spectacularly presented in their natural surroundings
• The award-winning Winged Prism photo series in a coffee table book for the first time
• For bird lovers and all those looking for an illustrated book that ventures beyond photojournalism and stylised studio shots

Text in English and German.

Wow. It’s not often you see something new in bird photography books, but Spencer has given us just that. There are some more standard, though beautiful and well-executed, subjects such as birds in flight and portraits. But the standouts here are a series of backlit hummingbird photos, such as the one that graces the cover. I dare say this book would be worth getting just for those. Highly recommended to anyone who appreciates bird photography.

Birds: Poetry in the Sky
by Christian Spencer
Hardcover; 224 pages
ACC Art Books; September, 2022
ISBN: 9783961713882
£39.95

In the Footsteps of Audubon
by Denis Clavreul

From Princeton University Press:

In the nineteenth century, ornithologist and painter John James Audubon set out to create a complete pictorial record of North American birdlife, traveling from Louisiana and the Florida Keys to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the cliffs of the Yellowstone River. The resulting work, The Birds of America, stands as a monumental achievement in American art. Over a period of sixteen years, recording his own journey in journals and hundreds of original paintings, renowned French watercolorist Denis Clavreul followed in the naturalist’s footsteps.

In the Footsteps of Audubon brings together some 250 of Clavreul’s stunning watercolors along with illuminating selections from Audubon’s journals and several of his paintings. With pencil and brush in hand, Clavreul turns his naturalist’s eye and painterly skill to the landscapes that Audubon encountered on his travels, and to the animals and plants that Audubon depicted in his art. A passionate ornithologist, Clavreul sketches birds in the wild with rare dexterity, bringing them vividly to life on the page. He documents his encounters along the way with people who live with nature, many of whom are passionately engaged in preserving it, drawing on his insights as both a biologist and an artist to connect the past, present, and future.

A spellbinding, richly evocative journey, In the Footsteps of Audubon is an invitation to see the natural world as Audubon saw it―and to see with new eyes what it has become today.

Clavreul’s sketches and watercolors are gorgeous and evocative. This book is worth it for them alone. And, from what I’ve been through so far, it’s also a good read.

In the Footsteps of Audubon
by Denis Clavreul
Hardcover; 256 pages
Princeton University Press; November 1, 2022
ISBN: 9780691237688
$39.95

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Baby Bird Identification: A North American Guide
by Linda Tuttle-Adams

From Cornell University Press:

Baby Bird Identification is a comprehensive illustrated guide for distinguishing hundreds of North American bird species in their early stages of life. From the just hatched to the fledgling, Linda Tuttle-Adams walks readers through the process of identifying baby birds that they may encounter in the wild―a first step to ensuring proper care and rehabilitation.

Successful rehabilitation of birds found in the wild requires species-specific attention. But the identification of a baby bird, whether altricial or precocial, may seem overwhelming at first, even to a trained ornithologist. Tuttle-Adams lays out an approachable and systematic method for discerning a baby bird’s identity, offering descriptions of telling anatomical and environmental features as well as details of a bird’s day-to-day growth.

With over four hundred original watercolor paintings and an illustrated glossary, Baby Bird Identification is an invaluable resource for wildlife rehabilitators, those who find baby birds in their yards or recreational places, and anyone who enjoys watching or studying birds in the wild.

The primary audience for this book is wildlife rehabbers, and for them it should be an invaluable reference, not only for identification but also for their care. But for fellow birders, as little as we encounter birds this young, I don’t think it would get enough use to be worthwhile. Instead, if you are interested in learning more about baby birds, including what they look like at various ages, I would highly recommend Julie Zickefoose’s Baby Birds: An Artist Looks into the Nest.

Baby Bird Identification: A North American Guide
by Linda Tuttle-Adams
Paperback; 432 pages
Cornell University Press; October 15, 2022
ISBN: 9781501762857
$39.95

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The Naturalist’s Companion: A Field Guide to Observing and Understanding Wildlife
by Dave Hall

From Mountaineers Books:

The Naturalist’s Companion fills an important void in outdoor education by teaching readers how to become more learned and patient observers and, ultimately, more proficient naturalists.

Through exhaustive time in the field, author Dave Hall has developed a comprehensive understanding of nature awareness and refined his skills to enhance any time spent outdoors and to foster closer, more respectful encounters with wildlife. Through personal anecdotes and detailed explanations, Hall teaches the principles and ethics of stealth walking, calling, tracking, interpreting basic animal behavior, and much more. Each chapter concludes with a list of exercises, prompting readers to study and put these skills into use, while introductory sections discuss gear, safety, ethics, and thoughtful engagement.

The Naturalist’s Companion will deepen readers’ connection with the outdoors and help them to establish and maintain consistent, intimate, and informed wildlife observations.

“With this book, I hope to both enrich and strengthen your bond with the outdoors by providing practical and ethical tools that will improve the quality and depth of your outdoor experiences,” the author writes. While not specifically about birds, the tips and advice presented here are certainly applicable to birding. Put into practice, I have no doubts they will improve your time in the field.

The Naturalist’s Companion: A Field Guide to Observing and Understanding Wildlife
by Dave Hall
Hardcover; 208 pages
Mountaineers Books; August 17, 2022
ISBN: 9781680515763
$19.95

Audubon at Sea: The Coastal and Transatlantic Adventures of John James Audubon
edited by Christoph Irmscher and Richard J. King

From University of Chicago Press:

The American naturalist John James Audubon (1785–1851) is widely remembered for his iconic paintings of American birdlife. But as this anthology makes clear, Audubon was also a brilliant writer—and his keen gaze took in far more than creatures of the sky. Culled from his published and unpublished writings, Audubon at Sea explores Audubon’s diverse observations of the ocean, the coast, and their human and animal inhabitants. With Audubon expert Christoph Irmscher and scholar of the sea Richard J. King as our guides, we set sail from the humid expanses of the American South to the shores of England and the chilly landscapes of the Canadian North. We learn not only about the diversity of sea life Audubon documented—birds, sharks, fish, and whales—but also about life aboard ship, travel in early America, Audubon’s work habits, and the origins of beloved paintings. As we face an unfathomable loss of seabirds today, Audubon’s warnings about the fragility of birdlife in his time are prescient and newly relevant.

Charting the course of Audubon’s life and work, from his birth in Haiti to his death in New York City, Irmscher and King’s sweeping introduction and carefully drawn commentary confront the challenges Audubon’s legacy poses for us today, including his participation in American slavery and the thousands of birds he killed for his art. Rounded out by hundreds of historical and ornithological notes and beautiful illustrations, and with a foreword by distinguished photographer and conservationist Subhankar Banerjee, Audubon at Sea is the most comprehensively annotated collection of Audubon’s work ever published.

This book is a compilation of ocean-related writings by Audubon. Selections from his Ornithological Biography are the centerpiece, accompanied by excerpts from two of his journals. The editors add extensive introductions and annotations, making this worthwhile for interested readers, even if Audubon’s writings themselves may be available elsewhere.

Audubon at Sea: The Coastal and Transatlantic Adventures of John James Audubon
edited by Christoph Irmscher and Richard J. King
Hardcover; 352 pages
University of Chicago Press; August 19, 2022
ISBN: 9780226756677
$30.00

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Little Kids First Board Book: Birds
by Ruth Musgrave

From National Geographic Kids:

Bursting with vivid photos, each spread in this sturdy book features a fascinating bird, along with super-simple facts and lively, age-appropriate language to keep babies and toddlers―and their grown-ups―engaged.

Designed to be the stepping stone to the best-selling National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book series, the Little Kids First Board Book series takes similar big subjects and distills them down to the simplest nonfiction concepts for the youngest audience. Not only will readers learn about a variety of birds, they can also find recurring shapes and patterns in the art, while adults can keep their eyes open for occasional funny commentary from the animals. Sidebar text offers additional learning for older siblings or those ready for more complex information.

With their square shape, bright and playful design, awesome photography, clear text, and cues to encourage interactive learning, the Little Kids First Board Books take a fresh new approach to excite a baby’s sense of wonder and make learning about nature and science fun.

This is a cute little book, with large, colorful, dynamic pictures and appropriate text for children up to around three.

Little Kids First Board Book: Birds
by Ruth Musgrave
Board book; 26 pages
National Geographic Kids; March 1, 2022
ISBN: 9781426371448
$7.99

How Birds Live Together: Colonies and Communities in the Avian World
by Marianne Taylor

From Princeton University Press:

Featuring dramatic and delightful wild bird colonies and communities, How Birds Live Together offers a broad overview of social living in the avian world. From long-established seabird colonies that use the same cliffs for generations to the fast-shifting dynamics of flock formation, leading wildlife writer Marianne Taylor explores the different ways birds choose to dwell together.

Through fascinating text, color photos, maps, and other graphics, Taylor examines the advantages of avian sociality and social breeding. Chapters provide detailed information on diverse types of bird colonies, including those species that construct single-family nests close together in trees; those that share large, communal nests housing multiple families; those that nest in tunnels dug into the earth; those that form exposed colonies on open ground and defend them collectively, relying on ferocious aggression; those that live communally on human-made structures in towns and cities; and more. Taylor discusses the challenges, benefits, hazards, and social dynamics of each style of living, and features a wealth of species as examples.

Showcasing colonies from the edge of Scotland and the tropical delta of the Everglades to the Namib Desert in Africa, How Birds Live Together gives bird enthusiasts a vivid understanding of avian social communities.

The latest in a line of books from Princeton on specific aspects of bird behavior and ecology, this well-illustrated book explores “bird colonies and gatherings in all their forms”. This topic doesn’t seem to get the same level of attention as other aspects of birds’ lives – hopefully this book will correct that!

How Birds Live Together: Colonies and Communities in the Avian World
by Marianne Taylor
Hardcover; 224 pages
Princeton University Press; May 10, 2022
ISBN: 9780691231907
$29.95

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Vagrancy in Birds
by Alexander Lees and James Gilroy

From Princeton University Press:

Avian vagrancy—the appearance of birds outside of their expected habitat—is a phenomenon that has fascinated natural historians for centuries, from Victorian collectors willing to spend fortunes on a rare specimen to today’s bird-chasing “twitchers.” Yet despite the obsessions of countless ornithologists, what do we actually know about the enigma of vagrancy? In Vagrancy in Birds, Alexander Lees and James Gilroy explore the causes, patterns, and processes behind the occurrences of these unique birds.

Lees and Gilroy draw on recent research to answer fundamental questions: What causes avian vagrancy? Why do some places attract so many vagrant birds? Why are some species more predisposed to long-range vagrancy than others? The authors present readers with everything known about the subject, and bring together different lines of evidence to make the case for vagrancy as a biological phenomenon with important implications for avian ecology and evolution.

Filled with a wealth of photographs, Vagrancy in Birds will fascinate avian enthusiasts everywhere.

Sorry, this book won’t really help you in finding vagrants. Rather, it will help you understand the why and how of vagrancy. As such, it fills a hole in bird literature and answers some questions that I’ve long wondered about.

Vagrancy in Birds
by Alexander Lees and James Gilroy
Hardcover; 400 pages
Princeton University Press; February 15, 2022
ISBN: 9780691224886
$35.00

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