New Titles

 

 

1) Beehler, Bruce M.. Flight of the Godwit: Tracking Epic Shorebird Migrations. 2025. Smithsonian Books. Hardbound: 264 pages. Price: $27.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY:  Flying more than 8,000 miles from Alaska to eastern Australia without stopping to eat or rest, the Bar-tailed Godwit holds the record for the longest nonstop migration of any land bird in the world. Flight of the Godwit invites readers on ornithologist Bruce M. Beehler's awe-inspiring journey in search of North America's largest and farthest-flying shorebirds. Driving 35,000 miles between 2019 to 2023, Beehler sought birds he dubs the "Magnificent Seven":

• Hudsonian Godwit
• Bar-tailed Godwit
• Marbled Godwit
• Whimbrel
• Long-billed Curlew
• Bristle-thighed Curlew
• Upland Sandpiper

     Beehler interweaves colorful fieldwork stories and rich details on local culture with the natural history and biology of shorebirds—including evolution, the physics of migration, orientation, homing, foraging, diet, nesting, parental care, wintering, staging, elusive "super-migrators," and the importance of conservation efforts.

     With authoritative prose and 30 beautiful black-and-white illustrations from artist Alan T. Messer, the book journeys through 37 states and 9 Canadian provinces from Texas to Alaska to Canada's High Arctic. Flight of the Godwit is a captivating adventure and a tribute to remarkable birds and birding itself.

RECOMMENDATION: If you enjoyed Hall's A Gathering of Shore Birds and/or Matthiessen's The Wind Birds, you should like this book! 

 

2) Rivel, Deborah and Kellye Rosenheim. Birdwatching in New York City and on Long Island: Second Edition. 2025. Brandeis University Press. Paperback: 325 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Over five hundred species of birds can be seen in New York City’s five boroughs and on Long Island, one of the most densely populated and urbanized regions in North America, which also happens to be situated directly on the Atlantic Flyway. In this fragmented environment where resources are scarce, birds congregate in small spaces—Central Park alone attracts over 225 species of birds (not to mention birders from around the world who flock to the park during spring and fall migration). Beyond Central Park, the five boroughs and Long Island boast numerous wildlife refuges of extraordinary scenic beauty where resident and migratory birds inhabit forests, wetlands, grasslands, and beaches. These places present a unique opportunity to see a wide array of songbirds, endangered nesting shorebirds, raptors, and an unprecedented number and variety of waterfowl.
 
      The fully updated edition of this easy-to-use guide provides year-round information for both popular birding sites as well as those off the beaten path. Precise directions to the best viewing locations within the region’s diverse habitats enable birdwatchers to explore urban and wild birding hot spots. Including the latest information on the seasonal status and distribution of more than four hundred species, and featuring thirty-nine maps and over fifty photographs, this full-color guide offers information essential to locals and visitors alike. This is the go-to book for both longtime birders and those exploring the area for the first time.

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-have for anyone birding New York City and/or Long Island! 

 

3) Menzies, Graeme. Bones: The Life and Adventures of Dr Archibald Menzies (1754–1842). 2024. Whittles Publishing. Paperback: 142 pages. Price: $23.95 U.S.

 

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Archibald Menzies (1754–1842) is recognized as an accomplished botanist but that is only a part of his story. In this compelling new biography, the author reveals that Archibald Menzies was a remarkable product of the Scottish Enlightenment: a boy raised in the shadows of ancient Neolithic standing stones who was sponsored by his clan chief to study in Edinburgh and through talent, curiosity, perseverance, and circumstance became one of the top medical doctors and social raconteurs of Victorian London.

     Readers learn of Archibald's experience as a Royal Navy surgeon in the epic Caribbean Battle of The Saintes, his encounters with the Indigenous people of Pacific Northwest Coast and the islands of Hawaii, his near court-martial by Captain Vancouver, his life-threatening and little-known experiments in the nascent field of virology, and his post-navy life in London. The result of this work is not just a full accounting of Archibald's career but which also provides insights into his character and personality. His attitude toward issues such as slavery, human rights, religion, and the opportunities and dangers of European contact with Indigenous peoples are explored and show a man of intelligence, compassion, and wisdom. 

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in Archibald Menzies.  

 

4) Graham, Edward. Clouds: How to Identify Nature’s Most Fleeting Forms. 2025. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 224 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: A one-of-a-kind illustrated guide to clouds, cloud formations, and the artists who painted them. 

     The mystery of clouds has captivated scientists and artists alike. This unique book shows you how to use the meteorological techniques of nephology to identify these elusive and transmutable shapes. It curates, classifies, and measures every species—including those recently discovered—considering the height, size, texture, arrangement, modifications, and movement of their many shifting forms. Clouds blends a lively and engaging narrative by one of today’s leading meteorologists with an essay on historic cloud art, and includes a wealth of breathtaking cloud studies by some of the greatest artists ever to look skyward.

• Presents a “taxonomic” approach to identification, applying the basic laws of geometry to quantify and measure clouds and cloud formations
• Showcases artists who painted clouds from a scientific viewpoint, such as John Constable, Frederic Edwin Church, J.M.W. Turner, and Caspar David Friedrich
• Tells the stories of the physicists and painters who have attempted to record the many different incarnations of clouds
• Explains the physics of clouds, from the basic constituents of Earth’s atmosphere to cloud formation and dissipation, the colors and shades of clouds, the development of precipitation, and the timescale evolution of clouds
• Discusses the classification and naming of clouds
• Serves as a user-friendly reference guide to low, midlevel, and high cloud species
• Includes charts, infographics, and a glossary of terms

RECOMMENDATION: This book is one part art book and one part meteorological textbook. It's a must-have for anyone with a serious interest in clouds!

New Titles

 

 

1) Scherzinger, Wolfgang and Theodor Mebs. Owls of Europe: Biology, Identification and Conservation. 2025. Helm. Hardbound: 416 pages. Price: $80.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: An essential compendium on the biology, identification, distribution and conservation of Europe's 13 species of owls.

     Owls are fascinating birds, with remarkable adaptations for their lives as nocturnal hunters. Covering the 13 species of owls that occur across the continent, Owls of Europe features detailed drawings of typical positions, behaviours and facial expressions, alongside more than 300 photos selected to demonstrate age and subspecific variation, colour phases and the birds in flight.

     This book includes up-to-date distribution maps and the latest European population estimates, along with detailed text on behaviour, voice, brood biology and juvenile development, life strategies, hunting techniques, choice of prey and habitat requirements for each species. It also explores human interactions with owls, from the threats posed to determined conservation efforts.

     Owls of Europe is an essential book for birdwatchers, professional ornithologists and those who simply love owls.

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a MUST-HAVE for anyone with an interest in European Owls!

 

 

2) Ridley, Matt. Birds, Sex and Beauty: The Extraordinary Implications of Charles Darwin's Strangest Idea. 2025. Harper. Hardbound: 352 pages. Price: $30.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: The New York Times bestselling author of Genome and The Evolution of Everything revisits Darwin’s revelatory theory of mate choice through the close study of the peculiar rituals of birds, and considers how this mating process complicates our own view of human evolution.

     In all animals, mating is a deal. But few creatures behave as if sex is a simple, even mutually beneficial, transaction. Many more treat it with reverence, suspicion, angst, and violence. In the case of the Black Grouse, the bird at the center of Matt Ridley’s investigation, the males dance and sing for hours a day, for several exhausting months, in an arduous and even deadly ritual called a “lek.” To prepare for the ordeal, they grow, preen and display fancy, twisted, bold-colored feathers. When achieved, consummation with a female takes seconds. So why the months of practice and preparation that is elaborate, extravagant, exhausting and elegant?

     The full answer remains a mystery. Evolutionary biologists can explain why males are generally the eager sellers, females the discriminating buyers. But they struggle to explain why, in some species, this extravagance goes beyond the mere gaudy, taking on bizarre shapes, postures, and behavior. And further, why these bird displays seem beautiful to us humans, a species with seemingly no skin in the game.

     Using an early morning “lek" as his starting point, Ridley explores the scientific research into the evolution of bright colors, exotic ornaments, and elaborate displays in birds around the world. Charles Darwin thought the purpose of such displays was to "charm" females. Though Darwin’s theory was initially dismissed and buried for decades, recent scientific research has proven him newly right—there is a powerful evolutionary force quite distinct from natural selection: mate choice. In Birds, Sex and Beauty, Ridley reopens the history of Darwin’s vexed theory, laying bare a century of disagreement about an idea so powerful, so weird, and so wonderful, we may have yet to fully understand its implications. 

RECOMMENDATION: If you enjoyed Richard Prum's The Evolution of Beauty, you should like this book too!

 

3) Rüppell, Georg and Dagmar Hilfert-Rüppell. Dragonfly Behavior: Discovering the Dynamic Life of an Ancient Order of Insects. 2024. ‎ Springer. Hardbound: 229 pages. Price: $39.99 U.S.

 

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: This book is the first to allow you to experience the details of the ultra-fast lives of dragonflies, these large, beautiful flying insects, through an abundance of unique snapshots and image sequences. Dragonflies are world champions of flight, bionic wonders; they reveal much about the mysteries of evolution. We witness their social interaction, and appreciate their success over three hundred million years. Dragonflies - what an evocative name! - are easy to observe, even for beginners. About 80 species live in Germany, and every body of water is home to a few. They are not shy, do not sting and often come very close. Perhaps you will fall in love with dragonflies - just like the two authors who have been studying them for over 30 years. With the knowledge in this book, you will look at dragonflies in a completely novel way. 

 

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a well illustrated overview of dragonfly behavior.

4) Williams, David B.. Wild in Seattle: Stories at the Crossroads of People and Nature. 2025.  Mountaineers Books. Paperback: 222 pages. Price: $22.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: For award-winning natural history writer David B. Williams, to be connected to a place you need to pause and look deeply at it. Wild in Seattle is Williams’ delightful journey of discovery in this city where not only is nature all around, it’s also written in the stones of the urban landscape. Explore the geologic history of glaciers, tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanoes as well as the ways humans shape the Seattle topography. From backyards to downtown, watch for coyotes, crows, seals, otters, owls, and so much more wildlife who also call the region home. Look up at the buildings to find terra cotta eagles, stone that traveled over millions of years from Asia to the San Juan Islands, and clues to the horses who used to power the city’s transportation network. Wrap your arms around a giant Douglas-fir, appreciate the unsung yet remarkable skunk cabbage, stop and listen to the spring chorus of frogs.

      This book features:

• More than 40 essays dive into the geology, animals, plants, and architecture that shape Seattle
• Fully illustrated by celebrated local artist Elizabeth Person
• Fun and fascinating sidebars explore regional vocabulary, scientific terms, and Indigenous language phrases

RECOMMENDATION: If you like the author's The Street-Smart Naturalist (2005), you should like this book. 

New Titles

 

 

1-2) Floyd, Ted. National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of the United States and Canada―East, and West (2nd Editions). 2025. National Geographic. Flexibound: 447 and 495 pages respectively. Price: $24.99 U.S. each.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARIES: An entirely updated edition of the classic bestselling regional bird field guide from National Geographic, covering the U.S. and Canada east of the Rockies.

     Provides ID information, data-driven maps, and annotated illustrations of more than 800 bird species.

     Backyard beginners and dedicated life-listers alike will love the expanded new edition of this trusted guide to the birds of eastern United States and Canada. With new text, revised art, and data-derived range maps, this valuable resource complements the apps and online resources used by birders today.

     Groundbreaking new features join tried-and-true traditions. This field guide offers:

• More pages, more species than the first edition
• More than 800 species, including 586 likely to be observed and 240 that occur more rarely
• Organized according to current taxonomy
• Informative notes explaining evolution, etymology, and more
• User-friendly format with explanatory text on the left and matching annotated art on the right
• Easy-to-carry paperback with thumb tabs and a visual index
• All-new maps based on crowd-sourced data from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's eBird, the world's top database of bird observations

     All told, this second edition of the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of the United States and Canada—East is a must-have guide for birders young and old, avid and beginner.

     An entirely updated edition of the classic bestselling regional bird field guide from National Geographic, covering the western U.S. and Canada, including Hawaii.

     Birdwatchers from the Rockies west will find nearly 1,000 species in this user-friendly guide, with all new text, updated art, and data-driven maps

     Backyard beginners and dedicated life-listers alike will love the expanded new edition of this trusted guide to the birds of western United States and Canada, including Hawaii. With new text, revised art, and data–derived range maps, this valuable resource complements the apps and online resources used by birders today.

     With groundbreaking new features plus tried-and-true traditions, this field guide offers:

• More pages, more species, than the earlier edition
• Nearly 1,000 species, 717 likely to be observed and 253 that appear more rarely
• Organized according to current taxonomy
• User-friendly format with explanatory text on the left and matching annotated illustrations on the right
• Easy-to-carry paperback with thumb tabs and a visual index for easy navigation
• All-new maps based on crowd-sourced data from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's eBird, the world’s top database of bird observations

All told, this second edition of the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of the United States and Canada—West is a must-have guide for birders young and old, avid and beginner.

RECOMMENDATION: The page counts have increased from 431 to 447 (East) and 447 to 495 (West). Physically the books are about the same size as the first edition ones. Hawaiian birds have been added to the West guide. Most of the artwork has been recycled from the first edition. With the new range maps, the colors are dull especially the yellow and the political boundaries are faint and hard to see, but this should be corrected in later printings. The gray text font can also be hard to see. These books are probably best for more experienced beginning/intermediate birders.

 

 

3-4) Campbell, Iain et al.. Habitats of North America, and Africa: A Field Guide for Birders, Naturalists, and Ecologists (Habitats of the World). 2025. Princeton University Press. Flexibound: 376 and 448 pages respectively. Price: $35.00 U.S. each.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARIES: A richly illustrated field guide to all of North America’s major habitats—packed with invaluable information to help you get the most out of your outdoor adventures

     Whether you’re a birder, naturalist, outdoor enthusiast, or ecologist, knowing the surrounding habitat is essential to getting the most out of your experiences in the field. This compact, easy-to-use guide provides an unparalleled treatment of the wonderfully diverse habitats of North America. Incisive and up-to-date descriptions cover the unique features of each habitat, from geology and climate to soil and hydrology. Requiring no scientific background, Habitats of North America offers quick and reliable information for anyone who wants a deeper understanding and appreciation of the habitats around them.

• Covers 81 major North American habitats, including wetlands and oceanic habitats
• Features hundreds of color photos of habitats and their wildlife, a wealth of helpful diagrams and illustrations, and a detailed distribution map for each land habitat
• Concise text provides all the information you need to identify and understand habitats anywhere in North America quickly and accurately
• Discusses iconic and indicator species of birds, mammals, and plants
• Includes an in-depth section on habitat classification—invaluable for ecologists
• Representative habitat accounts describe what you can expect to see and experience there
• Formatted like a field guide for easy reference

 

     A richly illustrated field guide to all of Africa’s major habitats—packed with invaluable information to help you understand these habitats and their wildlife

     With breathtaking wildlife and stunningly beautiful locales, Africa is a premier destination for birders, conservationists, ecotourists, and ecologists. This compact, easy-to-use guide provides an unparalleled treatment of the continent’s wonderfully diverse habitats. Incisive and up-to-date descriptions cover the unique features of each habitat, from geology and climate to soil and hydrology, and require no scientific background. Knowing the surrounding environment is essential to getting the most out of your travel experiences. Habitats of Africa offers quick and reliable information for anyone who wants a deeper understanding and appreciation of the habitats around them.

• Covers 73 major African habitats, including oceanic habitats
• Features hundreds of color photos of habitats and their wildlife, a wealth of helpful diagrams and illustrations, and a detailed distribution map for each land habitat
• Concise text provides all the information you need to identify and understand habitats anywhere in Africa quickly and accurately
• Discusses iconic and indicator species of birds, mammals, and plants
• Includes an in-depth section on habitat classification—invaluable for ecologists
• Representative habitat accounts include a feature describing what you can expect to see and experience there
• Formatted like a field guide for easy reference

RECOMMENDATION: These books are a MUST-HAVE for anyone with an interest in the natural history of North America and/or Africa!  

 

 

5) Pasquier, Roger F.. Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep. 2025. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 338 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Birds at Rest is the first book to give a full picture of how birds rest, roost, and sleep, a vital part of their lives. It features new science that can measure what is happening in a bird’s brain over the course of a night or when it has flown to another hemisphere, as well as still-valuable observations by legendary naturalists such as John James Audubon, Alfred Russel Wallace, and Theodore Roosevelt. Much of what they saw and what ornithologists are studying today can be observed and enjoyed by any birder.

     From the poles to the tropics, how, when, and where birds sleep reflect the ecology and behavior of each species, as well as their evolution from dinosaur ancestors. Some sleep briefly, their brain half awake, others spend long cold nights in torpor, and a few can sleep while flying. Their roosting habits are also varied. Most birds sleep alone, some in pairs or families, while others in flocks of millions. Birds at Rest explains how each strategy works over the course of a season, a year, or a lifetime by providing protection, mating opportunities, information about food, and other survival benefits.

     With evocative drawings by artist and illustrator Margaret La Farge, Birds at Rest discusses how environmental challenges such as artificial lights and noise, invasive species, and climate change are disrupting avian sleep and proposes solutions to ensure that birds get the rest they need.

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in this aspect of bird behavior.

 

6) Eipper, Tie and Scott. Snakes of Australia. 2025. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 368 pages. Price: $45.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: A comprehensive and user-friendly photographic field guide

     With more than 1,000 photographs, Snakes of Australia illustrates and describes in detail all 240 of the continent’s species and subspecies—from file snakes, pythons, colubrids, and natricids to elapids, marine elapids, homalopsids, and blind snakes.

• Features introductions to each family, species descriptions, type locations, distribution maps, and quick-identification keys to each family and genera
• Covers English and scientific names, appearance, range, ecology, disposition, danger level, and IUCN Red List Category
• Illustrates every species and has multiple images for some species to show variation
• Presents information on habitat types, snakes in the environment, and snake-bite prevention and first aid
• Includes a checklist of all the snakes, a glossary, and a table of venom toxicity

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a MUST-HAVE for anyone with an interest in the snakes of Australia.

 

 

 

 

7) Nentwig, Wolfgang et al.. House Spiders - Worldwide. 2024. ‎ Springer. Paperback: ‎ 223 pages. Price: $32.99 U.S.

 

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: To avoid any misunderstandings: this book is not about spiders as pets, but about those spiders that live in our houses and apartments as lodgers. Mostly ignored and sometimes (wrongly) feared, there is hardly a building in the world that does not harbour some species of spider. What is fascinating is that we always find the same species. These spiders must have special adaptations, because the humidity in our homes is far too low, they are too clean, and the food supply is usually scarce. However, those spiders that have made the leap into our four walls are rewarded with a worldwide right to stay. This, in turn, is due to people's eagerness to trade and migrate worldwide: Humans tirelessly transport their belongings and an endless stream of goods around the world in sacks, parcels and containers. And our domestic spiders, as stowaways, travel just as tirelessly and unrecognized. It is therefore possible to present domestic spiders found throughout the world in a single book, as they are essentially the same everywhere. The 50 or so most important species and species groups are presented here in a generally understandable way, with a detailed profile, photos and distribution maps.

     The authors of this book are experts who work at museums, universities and in administration in Europe and North America. They are not only recognized scientists, but have also been avowed spider fans for decades.

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-have for anyone with an interest in domestic spiders!