Best of
Ornithology

2013

The Warbler Guide


Tom Stephenson - 2013
    They exhibit an array of seasonal plumages and have distinctive yet oft-confused calls and songs. "The Warbler Guide" enables you to quickly identify any of the 56 species of warblers in the United States and Canada. This groundbreaking guide features more than 1,000 stunning color photos, extensive species accounts with multiple viewing angles, and an entirely new system of vocalization analysis that helps you effectively learn songs and calls."The Warbler Guide" revolutionizes birdwatching, making warbler identification easier than ever before. Also look for the interactive companion apps for iPhone and iPad.Covers all 56 species of warblers in the United States and Canada Visual quick finders help you identify warblers from any angle Song and call finders make identification easy using a few simple questions Uses sonograms to teach a new system of song identification that makes it easier to understand and hear differences between similar species Detailed species accounts show multiple views with diagnostic points, direct comparisons of plumage and vocalizations with similar species, and complete aging and sexing descriptions New aids to identification include song mnemonics and icons for undertail pattern, color impression, habitat, and behavior Includes field exercises, flight shots, general identification strategies, and quizzes

Our Songbirds: A songbird for every week of the year


Matt Sewell - 2013
    Distinctive and enchanting, with a songbird for each week of the year, this delightful gift book will appeal to birders, children and adults, and art and design fans alike.

Birds and People


Mark Cocker - 2013
    We also trap and consume birds of every kind.Yet birds have not just been good to eat. Their feathers, which keep us warm or adorn our costumes, give birds unique mastery over the heavens. Throughout history their flight has inspired the human imagination so that birds are embedded in our religions, folklore, music and arts.Vast in both scope and scale, Birds and People explores and celebrates this relationship and draws upon Mark Cocker’s 40 years of observing and thinking about birds. Part natural history and part cultural study, it describes and maps the entire spectrum of our engagements with birds, drawing in themes of history, literature, art, cuisine, language, lore, politics and the environment. In the end, this is a book as much about us as it is about birds.Birds and People has been stunningly illustrated by one of Europe’s best wildlife photographers, David Tipling, who has travelled in 39 countries on seven continents to produce a breathtaking and unique collection of photographs. The book is as important for its visual riches as it is for its groundbreaking content.Birds and People is also exceptional in that the author has solicited contributions from people worldwide. Personal anecdotes and stories have come from more than 650 individuals in 81 different countries. They range from university academics to Mongolian eagle hunters, and from Amerindian shamans to some of the most celebrated writers of our age. The sheer multitude of voices in this global chorus means that Birds and People is both a source book on why we cherish birds and a powerful testament to their importance for all humanity.

The Complete Book of North American Owls


James R. Duncan - 2013
    From the silent, lethal swoop of a great horned owl as it swerves between northern pines to make a kill, to the pert bobbing of a pygmy owl as it focuses on an intruder, the habits of each species are vividly described.Each species has its own extensive introduction that explains its hunting techniques, courtship rituals, nesting habits, territorial calls, and specialized traits.Six pages of stunning full-color images devoted to each owl capture the elusive bird in its various forms from juvenile to adult, male/female, and also in flight.The Complete Book of North American Owls celebrates these dramatic and stealthy nocturnal hunters and showcases twenty owl species in extensive detail.

National Geographic Pocket Guide to the Birds of North America


Laura Erickson - 2013
    Of this book's 192 pages, 160 are devoted to North America's top species, one per page, from the lowly House Wren to the majestic Bald Eagle. Carefully chosen illustrations and photographs capture the key details and typical behavior of each bird, paired with a short list of essential facts and a fun, fascinating, colloquially written "bird-ography" of each bird. (The latter feature is unique to this beginning field guide). Pictures plus facts plus story: a winning combination. With a small trim size and colorful illustrations, this pocket guide is easy on the eyes and easy to stash. A useful color index aids identification; tips throughout show how to observe, track, and identify birds in nature.

Gardening for the Birds: How to Create a Bird-Friendly Garden


George Adams - 2013
    Gardening for the Birds shows you how.With the right native plants, arranged to mimic natural ecosystems, you will provide birds with food, water, shelter, and nesting places. Instead of just visiting your garden to snack, birds will call it home.With hundreds of native plants, extensive seasonal bloom and fruiting charts, and the techniques for creating a balanced ecosystem, this book helps you turn any space—from a small, urban terrace to a large suburban yard—into a home for a fascinating variety of birds. Close-up profiles of birds from across all regions of North America teach you their nesting, breeding, and feeding habits.Birding and gardening are natural companions: let this rich compendium help you make your garden a sanctuary for the local bird population and yourself!