The Warbler Guide app is now available on iTunes for Apple devices. Check out the recent blog tour for the app for a closer look at it.
Princeton University Press is also hosting a huge giveaway that includes a copy of the app, the book, the companion sound package for the book, and even binoculars! Enter here.
The Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guide (Second Edition)
by Richard Garrigues and Robert Dean
From Cornell University Press:
This is the one compact, portable, and user-friendly field guide the novice or experienced birder needs to identify birds in the field in the diverse habitats found in Costa Rica. It features descriptions and illustrations of all 903 species definitely known from Costa Rica, including pelagics and species regular to Cocos Island. Fifty-six of these species are placed in a “Rarities” section that includes accidentals, rarer pelagics, and species that have not been reported in more than twenty years.
The detailed full-color illustrations show identifying features—including plumage differences among males, females, and juveniles—and views of birds in flight wherever pertinent. Robert Dean has supplied more than 360 new illustrations, including sixty-four species that are illustrated for the first time in this edition. These include recent additions to the country list, pelagic species, Cocos Island species, and all accidentals recorded from the Costa Rican mainland. Range maps and nomenclature have been updated for this edition, which also has a new user-friendly organizational scheme and an alphabetical quick-find index of groups on the inside back cover.
This is the best field guide available for this wonderfully birdy country.
The Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guide (Second Edition)
by Richard Garrigues and Robert Dean
Paperback; 440 pages
Comstock Publishing Associates (imprint of Cornell University Press); December 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-0801479885
$29.95
Buy from Buteo Books
(based in the U.S.)
Buy from NHBS
(based in the U.K.)
I reviewed this book earlier this year – it’s a great story and even more important message about conservation. The author is offering free shipping to the US and Canada until the end of the year. Even better, a portion of sales are donated to support conservation in Papua New Guinea. Order here
Both expire on 12/14.
American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Florida
by Bill Pranty; Photographs by Brian E. Small
From Scott & Nix, Inc.:
From the dunes and great river swamps of the Panhandle, the flat woods, scrubs, dry prairies, and wetlands of the Peninsula to the coral reefs of the Keys, the Sunshine State provides habitats for an amazing variety of birds. Florida is rich in protected and preserved habitats, including 11 National Parks, 171 State Parks and Trails, and 100 important Bird Areas. Conservation organizations maintain many sanctuaries for wildlife throughout Florida, attracting birds and providing access for visitors to enjoy the outdoors. Written by expert birder Bill Pranty and filled with crisp, gorgeous color photography by Brian E. Small, American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Florida is the perfect companion for anyone learning more about the natural history and diversity of the state’s birds and when and where to see them.
Another excellent entry in the ABA’s state field guide series. Here’s a review of the series.
American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Florida
by Bill Pranty; Photographs by Brian E. Small
Paperback; 368 pages
Scott & Nix, Inc.; December 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1935622482
$24.95
Buy from Buteo Books
(based in the U.S.)
Buy from NHBS
(based in the U.K.)
I’m happy to report that I’ll now be contributing book reviews to the Nature Travel Network, in addition to this site. My first is now up, a look at the first three entries in the American Birding Association State Field Guide series (Colorado, New Jersey, and Florida)
The BirdsEye Bird Finding app is already one of the most useful mobile apps for birders, allowing you to access eBird data on-the-go and find birds and hotspots near you. But the BirdsEye team has been steadily improving the app and adding new features. They’ve recently announced the availability of additional sound packages for many regions of the world.
BirdEye has partnered with birdsounds.nl, a company that has produced many highly acclaimed bird sound collections. The collections available in the BirdsEye app are:
These things are extensive! Costa Rica, for example, includes 2,061 recordings of 764 species (over 15 hours’ worth), while Colombia has 5,500+ recordings of over 1,600 species (46 hours!). Altogether, they average 2-3 sounds per species, but some birds have many more than that if warranted. I’ve barely scratched the surface of all the sounds available, but the ones I’ve listened to sound great.
You play the sounds from each bird’s species page. The easiest way to access those is to use the Nearby Birds or Browse All Species functions from the home screen. You can also get to them from the bird lists for each hotspot.
Even with these options, I felt that something was missing. I wanted a way to view and play all of the sounds from a given package, but just the ones from that package. I finally discovered a way to do so. Go back to the Bird Guide Store, tap on a package you’ve purchased, then go to the Bird List. Tapping on the names here will take you to the Species Account page where you can play the sound.
Playing the sounds is very simple – just tap on the speaker icon at the bottom of the species page. That brings up a list of all the sounds for that species across all the packages that you own. Then just tap on the sound that you want to play. Note that if you’ve downloaded the sounds for offline use that the topmost one starts playing automatically when you tap the speaker icon. That could be problematic depending on where you are and what you’re doing (it could potentially scare away a bird), but that’s easy to deal with if you’re prepared for it.
Tapping the speaker icon on the bottom-left of a bird's page...
...gives you the sound playback screen in BirdsEye.
This interface is a little too simple for my taste. From the screen you can only switch sounds, pause, or close the list. You cannot skip ahead or backwards within the track or set it to repeat. Also, a progress bar appears when playing, but it would be nice to have the total time and time elapsed displayed as well. Finally, the sounds are labelled as “song” or “call”. Rarely, further information is displayed, like “Pacific” or “Caribbean”, but it would be nice if this was done on a more consistent basis.
You can purchase the sound packages either from the BirdsEye website or directly in the main BirdsEye app or the BirdsEye North America app (they are not available in the other regional apps) by going to the Bird Guide Store from the app home screen. From there, you can find extensive details on each package, including the list of birds included. Once you purchase the package, the sounds are instantly available within the app over the cloud (provided you’re connected to the internet, of course). Alternatively, you can download the whole package, which I would recommend if you’ll be traveling as you may not always have a reliable network connection. If you later need the space back, you can easily clear the data within the app without worry, because you can download the packages as many times as you want and from any device that you own.
However, there’s one catch. You have the sounds, but you need to be able to access those species in BirdsEye. To do that, you need to have either a membership subscription ($4.99 or $9.99/month) or the appropriate regional app. For instance, if you purchase the Bird Sounds of Peru collection, you need to make sure that you also have access to Peruvian birds either through a membership or purchase of BirdsEye South America. Update: This is not the case. I’ve been informed that when you purchase a sound package, you also get full access and content for those birds in the app.
That’s not very straightforward, but this process is going to be made more user-friendly soon. Shortly, the main BirdsEye app will become free and will give you access to the 50 most common species anywhere you are on the planet. (The newly released Android version of BirdsEye already does this.) Then there will be several options to see more species:
These sound packages are a great addition to an already useful app. If you’re going to be birding any of these regions, they’re a great way to have the bird sounds always at your fingertips. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how important that is. These packages aren’t cheap ($24.99-$49.49 each), but they’re a good deal considering how many recordings you get. And purchasing them through BirdsEye is actually cheaper than getting them on discs, and much more convenient.
Disclosure: These sound packages were provided by the publisher for review purposes. But the opinion expressed here is my own, it has not been influenced in any way.
Birds of Australia: A Photographic Guide
by Iain Campbell, Sam Woods, and Nick Leseberg
From Princeton University Press:
Australia is home to a spectacular diversity of birdlife, from parrots and penguins to emus and vibrant passerines. Birds of Australia covers all 714 species of resident birds and regularly occurring migrants and features more than 1,100 stunning color photographs, including many photos of subspecies and plumage variations never before seen in a field guide. Detailed facing-page species accounts describe key identification features such as size, plumage, distribution, behavior, and voice. This one-of-a-kind guide also provides extensive habitat descriptions with a large number of accompanying photos. The text relies on the very latest IOC taxonomy and the distribution maps incorporate the most current mapping data, making this the most up-to-date guide to Australian birds.
- Covers all 714 species of resident birds and regularly occurring migrants
- Features more than 1,100 stunning color photos
- Includes facing-page species accounts, habitat descriptions, and distribution maps
- The ideal photographic guide for beginners and seasoned birders alike
A little big to carry into the field, but lots of nice photos make this an excellent photographic reference/secondary field guide for Australia.
Birds of Australia: A Photographic Guide
by Iain Campbell, Sam Woods, and Nick Leseberg
Paperback; 392 pages
Princeton University Press; November 9, 2014
ISBN: 978-0691157276
$35.00
Buy from Buteo Books
(based in the U.S.)
Buy from NHBS
(based in the U.K.)
When Eagles Roar: The Amazing Journey of an African Wildlife Adventurer
by James Alexander Currie, with Bonnie J. Fladung
From Ukhozi Press:
Follow the daring safari of James Currie as his love of birds, fascination with wildlife and craving for adventure lead him into humorous and life threatening situations. James captures the essence of what it means to be African today, facing everything from the Big Five to the vestiges of apartheid to the AIDS epidemic. He provides authoritative information on African wildlife and illustrates hair-raising encounters with lions, buffalo, leopards, elephants, rhinoceros and snakes through exciting and humorous stories. The book follows James’s journey from city boy to conservationist and shows what it takes to become an African game ranger. From his first graphic encounter with the brutality of nature on Table Mountain in South Africa to his disappearance as a boy on safari in Malawi to the rigorous training he underwent to become a game ranger at Phinda Private Game Reserve, this book will delight and educate anyone fascinated with nature, wildlife, travel and adventure. James provides wonderful insights into African conservation and a fascinating glimpse into the importance of cross-cultural relationships in Africa’s wildlife tourism environment. He details his own inner journey overcoming physical challenges and finding the balance between following passions and what’s important in life.
This memoir, from the host of Birding Adventures TV, is one of the best books I’ve read this year.
When Eagles Roar: The Amazing Journey of an African Wildlife Adventurer
by James Alexander Currie, with Bonnie J. Fladung
Paperback; 312 pages
Ukhozi Press; September 27, 2014
ISBN: 978-0990766001
$15.95
Birds of New Guinea: Second Edition
by Thane K. Pratt and Bruce M. Beehler
From Princeton University Press:
This is the completely revised edition of the essential field guide to the birds of New Guinea. The world’s largest tropical island, New Guinea boasts a spectacular avifauna characterized by cassowaries, megapodes, pigeons, parrots, cuckoos, kingfishers, and owlet-nightjars, as well as an exceptionally diverse assemblage of songbirds such as the iconic birds of paradise and bowerbirds. Birds of New Guinea is the only guide to cover all 780 bird species reported in the area, including 366 endemics. Expanding its coverage with 111 vibrant color plates–twice as many as the first edition–and the addition of 635 range maps, the book also contains updated species accounts with new information about identification, voice, habits, and range. A must-have for everyone from ecotourists to field researchers, Birds of New Guinea remains an indispensable guide to the diverse birds of this remarkable region.
- 780 bird species, including 366 found nowhere else
- 111 stunning color plates, twice the number of the first edition
- Expanded and updated species accounts provide details on identification, voice, habits, and range
- 635 range maps
- Revised classification of birds reflects the latest research
The first edition of this guide was published almost 30 years ago and, long out-of-print, was commanding big bucks. Needless to say, this new edition has been much anticipated. If you’re lucky enough to go birding in New Guinea, you’ll want this field guide.
Birds of New Guinea: Second Edition
by Thane K. Pratt and Bruce M. Beehler
Paperback; 528 pages
Princeton University Press; October 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0691095639
$49.50
Buy from Buteo Books
(based in the U.S.)
Buy from NHBS
(based in the U.K.)
Birds of Western Africa: Second Edition
by Nik Borrow and Ron Demey
From Princeton University Press:
This revised and expanded edition of Birds of Western Africa is now the most up-to-date field guide available to the 1,285 species of birds found in the region–from Senegal and southern Mauritania east to Chad and the Central African Republic and south to Congo. It now features all maps and text opposite the plates for quick and easy reference. The comprehensive species accounts have been fully updated and expanded, and the color distribution maps have been completely revised. This premier guide also includes more than 3,000 illustrations on 266 stunning color plates.
Compact and lightweight, this new edition of Birds of Western Africa is the must-have field guide to one of the most exciting birding regions in the world.
- The premier field guide to West African birds–now completely revised and expanded
- Covers all 1,285 species found in the region
- Features fully updated maps and text opposite the plates for easy reference
The timing of this new edition could be better – I doubt many birders are going to this region right now. Hopefully, this horrible Ebola outbreak will be over soon. And when it is, this looks like a good field guide to have for the region.
Birds of Western Africa: Second Edition
by Nik Borrow and Ron Demey
Paperback; 592 pages
Princeton University Press; October 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0691159201
$45.00
Buy from Buteo Books
(based in the U.S.)
Buy from NHBS
(based in the U.K.)
