News

The Sibley Guide to Trees

by David Allen Sibley
September 15, 2009; $39.95

Nine years ago, The Sibley Guide to Birds was published and quickly became generally regarded as the best North American field guide. And now Sibley turns his tremendous talent to a very different group of organisms.

The Birder’s World magazine blog has an excellent multi-part interview with Sibley. In it, he discusses why trees, the process of creating the guide, why birders will enjoy it, and much more. It’s a fascinating interview, and made me really look forward to the guide. Amazon also has a video interview.

I’m very excited about this, since I’ve been telling myself for some time that I need to learn trees better.

Trogons: A Natural History of the Trogonidae

by Joseph M. Forshaw

I love trogons, and the description of this new book left me drooling:

This is the definitive natural history of the spectacularly beautiful tropical birds known as the trogons, a family that includes the legendary Resplendent Quetzal, the sacred bird of the ancient Mayans and Aztecs. A collaboration between renowned ornithologist Joseph Forshaw and eminent bird artist Albert Gilbert, Trogons combines science and art to create an unprecedented picture of a threatened bird family. Forshaw’s text provides the most authoritative and comprehensive account of the trogons ever written, and Gilbert’s stunning paintings are the first to accurately depict all species of trogons in their natural habitats and true colors. The book’s detailed synthesis of current knowledge about the trogons is enriched by Forshaw’s personal field observations in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Americas, while Gilbert’s meticulous artwork is based on fieldwork in the same areas. With its large format, more than 40 full-color plates, and state-of-the-art five-color printing, this limited-edition book promises to become a classic and a collector’s item.

However, there are some over at BirdForum that were leery of the artwork. After seeing a couple of sample plates, I can see why.

But I went ahead and ordered it anyway. The trogons are one of my favorite families, and I couldn’t resist. Additionally, this is a limited edition, with only 700 copies available in the U.S. and another 700 for the rest of the world. I hope publishers don’t read this, but I’m a sucker for limited editions.

As soon as I get this, I’ll post my initial thoughts as soon as I can. But in the meantime, if you think you will eventually want a copy, I would suggest ordering it sooner rather than later. Amazon currently shows only one left in stock. I have no idea if they will be receiving any more. But given how much it costs, I wouldn’t blame anyone from holding off until they can see it first!

I’ve been pretty busy lately and haven’t had enough time to write reviews. I’m hoping that will change soon. But in the meantime, here are some thoughts on some recently published bird books.

• Life List: A Woman’s Quest for the World’s Most Amazing Birds
  Olivia Gentile

  This is an excellent biography of uber-birder and lister Phoebe Snetsinger. I have already written a review of Birding on Borrowed Time, Phoebe’s memoir, and I was curious to see how this biography would compare. Briefly, in just about every regard, I consider this bio as superior. I would recommend starting with it.

• Birdscapes: Birds in Our Imagination and Experience
  Jeremy Mynott

  My favorite bird book from last year was The Life of the Skies. I’m less than 50 pages into Birdscapes, but so far it reminds me very much of Life of the Skies. It may touch upon some of the same subjects, but it’s really the way that it makes you question things, and really think. I’m going to make a bold prediction and say that this may be my frontrunner for favorite book of 2009 – I’m enjoying it that much so far.

• Birdsong by the Seasons: A Year of Listening to Birds
  Donald Kroodsma

  Kroodsma’s The Singing Life of Birds is fantastic, and should be required reading for anyone interested in bird song. This book, which is a celebration of birdsong from January to December, looks like it could be just as good.

• Flyaway: How A Wild Bird Rehabber Sought Adventure and Found Her Wings
  Suzie Gilbert

  A verteran bird rehabber chronicles her experiences with injured birds. This looks like an interesting story, all the more so because it’s a subject that is underrepresented in birding literature.

• National Geographic Complete Birds of the World

  This guide presents an account for each of the world’s bird families, similar to The Princeton Encyclopedia of Birds. I’ve only had a chance to skim through this one, but my initial impression is that if, given the choice, I’d take the one from Princeton.

• The Travails of Two Woodpeckers: Ivory-Bills and Imperials
  Noel F. R. Snyder, David E. Brown, Kevin B. Clark

  I believe the title says it all. Snyder has written books on several other extinct and endangered species, and I’m interested in his take on these two.

The blog 10,000 Birds is giving a way a copy of Corvus: A Life with Birds. The contest ends April 26.

Giveaway at 10,000 Birds

Update, Dec 13, 2009: Apparently, the Sibley Online Guide has been taken down. I have no idea why.

Update, Feb 28, 2010: The site’s disappearing act may have something to do with the new Sibley iPhone app.

The Sibley Guide to Birds is now available online. And this isn’t just some abbreviated version, it’s just about the entire “big” Sibley! The species accounts include everything from the printed version, including all of the illustrations (with the invaluable annotations), range map, and text. As a bonus, it also includes an audio sample.

You can search for birds both by family and by typing in any part of the name in a search box. The interface isn’t as nifty as Cornell’s All About Birds, but it is simple and intuitive.

There’s also a reference section that includes some material from The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior

I wouldn’t give up my printed Sibley guide for anything. But I can see this online version being very useful at times when your hardcopy isn’t available. And if you don’t already have this guide? Then check out this online version and see what you’ve been missing.

A big thanks to John from A DC Birding Blog for bringing this to my attention.

This book, by Andrew Nikiforuk, is available for free as a pdf download. You need to hurry, though, it’s only available through March 20 (that’s tomorrow, as I write this).

This is a very important, and controversial, issue that directly impacts birds and other wildlife, and indirectly affects every living thing on this planet. Here is some more information on the book:

Canada has one third of the world’s oil source; it comes from the bitumen in the oil sands of Alberta. Advancements in technology and frenzied development have created the world’s largest energy project in Fort McMurray where, rather than shooting up like a fountain in the deserts of Saudi Arabia, the sticky bitumen is extracted from the earth. Providing almost 20 percent of America’s fuel, much of this dirty oil is being processed in refineries in the Midwest. This out-of-control megaproject is polluting the air, poisoning the water, and destroying boreal forest at a rate almost too rapid to be imagined. In this hard-hitting book, journalist Andrew Nikiforuk exposes the disastrous environmental, social, and political costs of the tar sands and argues forcefully for change.

The Boreal Songbird Initiative has further information about the book and the giveaway.

This may be of interest to anyone in the Atlanta area at the end of this month. John Yow, the author of The Armchair Birder, will be discussing his book. I’ve been curious about the book since it was listed on Amazon, so I’m hoping to be able to make it to the presentation.

Here’s the press release:

A Saturday for the Birds: Author Presentation & Nature Walk
Saturday, March 28, 2009, 10:00 am—1:00 pm
Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center
2020 Clean Water Drive
Buford, Ga. 30519
For directions visit www.gwinnettEHC.org or call 770.904.3500

Bird lovers, take heart! Come hear author John Yow discuss his new book, The Armchair Birder, and participate in a bird walk on the GEHC campus lead by Jim Wilson, author of Common Birds of Atlanta. The morning will also feature the Center’s presentation of “Birds in the Backyard.”

Books available for purchase from Eagle Eye Book Shop. This is a free event. Center admission is extra. Presented by the Gwinnett County Public Library and the Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center.

About the Authors:

John Yow is a freelance writer based in Acworth, Georgia, and former senior editor at Longstreet Press in Atlanta. Jim Wilson has been a researcher and teacher at Emory University. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Audubon Society for eight years, including a stint of service as President. He later became the first staff person for this society as the Important Bird Areas Program Coordinator.

Princeton has just published a wonderful Encyclopedia of Birds. I just wanted everyone to be aware that it appears to be a softcover version of the 2003 Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds.

I do not know if it has been updated in any way, but from a quick glance it looks the same. I think it’s safe to say that if you already have the Firefly edition, then you can skip the new one. But if you don’t, then go for the Princeton, unless you have a strong preference for hardcover binding or you can find the Firefly for significantly less.

Either way you go, this encyclopedia is fantastic!

The only thing better than bird books is cheap bird books! Here are some bargains I’ve found on Amazon. FYI: some of these are remaindered, so there may be a sticker on the cover, or a black mark on the bottom. I’ve bought remaindered books from Amazon before, though, and these have yet to be a problem.

• Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America – $10.49
  This is a great deal on the new, combined Peterson guide.
• Pete Dunne on Bird Watching: The How-to, Where-to, and When-to of Birding – $4.80
  Still one of, if not the, best book on birding.
• The Sibley Guide to Birds – $17.99
  Half-off the best North American field guide.
• To See Every Bird on Earth: A Father, a Son, and a Lifelong Obsession – $4.99
• Songbird Journeys: Four Seasons In the Lives of Migratory Birds – $5.58
• The Backyard Bird Lover’s Field Guide: Secrets to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Birds of Your Region – $8.00
• Fifty Places to Go Birding Before You Die – $4.99

It started over a month ago. A friend at work prototypes and designs some internal websites, so I thought I’d get his opinion on this site’s design. Well, let’s just say the reaction wasn’t favorable. Thus began a long discussion on the design and many hours spent trying to make it work.

And finally, the results are in front of you (unless you’re reading this on a RSS reader, in which case click on through and check it out).

I’d love to know what you think about the new design. Is there anything that could look or work better? Is there anything missing that you’d like to see? And I’d definitely like to know if you encounter any problems. I’ve tested it out using several browsers, but there could still be bugs.

Well, now that this is done it’s time to get to the ever-growing pile of books that need reviewing…