Wednesday, December 28, 2011

New Title

                                                                              
1) Wheelwright, Jeff. The Wandering Gene and the Indian Princess: Race, Religion, and DNA. 2012. W.W. Norton. Hardbound: 260 pages. Price: $26.95 U.S.

SUMMARY: A brilliant and emotionally resonant exploration of science and family history.
     A vibrant young Hispano woman, Shonnie Medina, inherits a breast-cancer mutation known as BRCA1.185delAG. It is a genetic variant characteristic of Jews. The Medinas knew they were descended from Native Americans and Spanish Catholics, but they did not know that they had Jewish ancestry as well. The mutation most likely sprang from Sephardic Jews hounded by the Spanish Inquisition. The discovery of the gene leads to a fascinating investigation of cultural history and modern genetics by Dr. Harry Ostrer and other experts on the DNA of Jewish populations.
     Set in the isolated San Luis Valley of Colorado, this beautiful and harrowing book tells of the Medina family's five-hundred-year passage from medieval Spain to the American Southwest and of their surprising conversion from Catholicism to the Jehovah's Witnesses in the 1980s. Rejecting conventional therapies in her struggle against cancer, Shonnie Medina died in 1999. Her life embodies a story that could change the way we think about race and faith.
RECOMMENDATION: Fans of Rebecca Skloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, should enjoy this book.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

New Title

                                                                              
1) Peters, Andrew. Ravenwood. 2011. Chicken House/Scholastic. Hardbound: 354 pages. Price: $16.99 U.S.

SUMMARY: Who holds the seeds to save a sky-high world?
     Arborium is at risk, the sharpened blades of rival Maw poised to saw off its bark and branches. What can a poor plumber's apprentice armed with little more than a monkey wrench do to stop the chopping?
     Carved into a massive, mile-high canopy, the forest kingdom of Arborium stands upon the tallest of trees. Within them, 14-year-old Ark holds the lowest of jobs: unclogging toilets. He's already up to his elbows in gunk when he REALLY steps in it. He overhears a plot echoing through the pipes: Maw, a ruthless glass-and-steel superpower, is scheming to wield its axes of evil to strip Arborium of its wood - a natural resource now more precious than gold.
     The fate of a kingdom in the filthy hands of a plumber boy?
     Plunged into danger, Ark must make the treacherous climb down to the darkest roots of RAVENWOOD if there's any hope of rescuing his threatened tree home!
RECOMMENDATION: An entertaining tale in the "eco-punk" genre. Although the listed ages are 9-14, the battle scene at the end of the book may scare younger kids.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

The Weekly Birdbooker Report

                                     Photo copyright: Joe Fuhrman
                                                                              
My WEEKLY Birdbooker Report can be found here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/grrlscientist/2011/dec/25/1

Friday, December 23, 2011

New Title

                                                                              
1) Peat, Neville. Seabird Genius: The Story of L.E. Richdale, the Royal Albatross, and the Yellow-eyed Penguin. 2011. Otago University Press. Paperback: 288 pages. Price: $45.00 U.S.

SUMMARY: The first biography of Lance Richdale (1900-1983), who achieved international fame as the father of Otago's albatross colony from 1936 and for his research on the behaviour of the Yellow-eyed Penguin – Time magazine dubbed him 'The Dr Kinsey of the penguin world' – and the sooty shearwater, or muttonbird. Richdale grew up in Wanganui, took a tertiary course in agriculture in New South Wales, and returned to New Zealand to teach mainly in rural schools in the North Island for several years, eventually taking up a position with the Otago Education Board in 1928 as an inspiring itinerant agricultural instructor and nature study teacher.
     Richdale never gave up his day job and incredibly in the weekends, holidays and evenings undertook major, meticulous and time-consuming research on penguins, albatrosses and several petrel species. His study of the muttonbird was achieved during prolonged solo camps on tiny Whero Island in stormy Foveaux Strait, where the wind blew straight from Antarctica.
     Neville Peat's biography searches the traces left by this shy and obsessed man for some answers to two questions: why? and what drove him? Richdale's legacy is a nature tourism industry in Dunedin worth $100 million a year, and the longest-running seabird population study in the world.
RECOMMENDATION: For anyone with an interest in seabirds and/or New Zealand birds.



                                                  Buteo Books Link                                            

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

New Titles

                                                                              
1) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya (editor). Forerunners of Mammals: Radiation, Histology, Biology. 2011. Indiana University Press. Hardbound: 330 pages. Price: $60.00 U.S.

SUMMARY: About 320 million years ago a group of reptiles known as the synapsids emerged and forever changed Earth’s ecological landscapes. This book discusses the origin and radiation of the synapsids from their sail-backed pelycosaur ancestor to their diverse descendants, the therapsids or mammal-like reptiles, that eventually gave rise to mammals. It further showcases the remarkable evolutionary history of the synapsids in the Karoo Basin of South Africa and the environments that existed at the time. By highlighting studies of synapsid bone microstructure, it offers a unique perspective of how such studies are utilized to reconstruct various aspects of biology, such as growth dynamics, biomechanical function, and the attainment of sexual and skeletal maturity.
     A series of chapters outline the radiation and phylogenetic relationships of major synapsid lineages and provide direct insight into how bone histological analyses have led to an appreciation of these enigmatic animals as once-living creatures. The penultimate chapter examines the early radiation of mammals from their nonmammalian cynodont ancestors, and the book concludes by engaging the intriguing question of when and where endothermy evolved among the therapsids.
RECOMMENDATION: For those with a technical interest in vertebrate paleontology, especially histology.


                                                                              
2) Feduccia, Alan. Riddle of the Feathered Dragons: Hidden Birds of China. 2011. Yale University Press. Hardbound: 358 pages. Price: $55.00 U.S.
SUMMARY: Examining and interpreting recent spectacular fossil discoveries in China, paleontologists have arrived at a prevailing view: there is now incontrovertible evidence that birds represent the last living dinosaur. But is this conclusion beyond dispute? In this book, evolutionary biologist Alan Feduccia provides the most comprehensive discussion yet of the avian and associated evidence found in China, then exposes the massive, unfounded speculation that has accompanied these discoveries and been published in the pages of prestigious scientific journals.
     Advocates of the current orthodoxy on bird origins have ignored contrary data, misinterpreted fossils, and used faulty reasoning, the author argues. He considers why and how the debate has become so polemical and makes a plea to refocus the discussion by “breaking away from methodological straitjackets and viewing the world of origins anew.” Drawing on a lifetime of study, he offers his own current understanding of the origin of birds and avian flight.
RECOMMENDATION: There are two schools of thought on the origin of birds. Birds Are Dinosaurs (BAD) and Birds Are Not Dinosaurs (BAND). Feduccia is in the BAND school, which has lost favor among most paleontologists. If you're interested in the BAND arguments, I suggest you read this book.


3) Proctor Noble S. and Patrick J. Lynch. A Field Guide to the Southeast Coast & Gulf of Mexico. 2011. Yale University Press. Flexibound: 386 pages. Price: $24.00 U.S.
SUMMARY: This superb book, with its unique focus on the entire marine coastal environment, is the most comprehensive and up-to-date field guide available on the southeastern Atlantic Coast and the Gulf Coast. Not just for beachgoers, the book is essential for birders, whale watchers, fishers, boaters, scuba divers and snorkelers, and shoreline visitors.
     Features of the guide:
*Entries on 619 coastal and ocean species
*More than 1,100 color illustrations
*450 up-to-date range maps
*Overviews of key ecological communities, including mangroves, salt marshes, beaches, sand dunes, and coral reefs
*Special attention to threatened and endangered species
*Discussions of environmental issues, including such catastrophic events as Hurricane Katrina and the *Deepwater Horizon blowout
*Glossary
*Excellent organizational aids for locating information quickly

RECOMMENDATION: A good introduction to the natural history of the region.



                                                   Buteo Books Link

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

FEATURED TITLE

                                                                              
1) James, David G. and David Nunnallee. Life Histories of Cascadia Butterflies. 2011. Oregon State University Press. Paperback: 447 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.

SUMMARY: David G. James and David Nunnallee present the life histories of the entire butterfly fauna of a North American geographic region in exceptional and riveting detail for the first time in Life Histories of Cascadia Butterflies.
     Virtually all of the 158 butterfly species occurring in southern British Columbia, Washington, northern Idaho, and northern Oregon are included in the book. Color photographs of each stage of life—egg, every larval instar, pupa, adult—accompany information on the biology, ecology, and rearing of each species.
     Life Histories of Cascadia Butterflies will appeal to naturalists, hikers, amateur entomologists, butterfly gardeners, conservationists, students, and general readers of natural history. For scientists and dedicated lepidopterists, the book provides an unparalleled resource on the natural history of immature stages of butterflies in the Pacific Northwest—and beyond, as many of Cascadia’s butterflies occur in other parts of North America as well as Europe and Asia.
RECOMMENDATION: A MUST have for those with an interest in Pacific Northwest Butterflies!

Monday, December 19, 2011

New Title

                                                                              
1) Thomas, Peggy. For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson. 2011. Calkins Creek. Hardbound: 40 pages. Price: $16.95 U.S.

SUMMARY: Roger Tory Peterson revolutionized the way we look at and appreciate birds, animals, and plants. Some kids called him “Professor Nuts Peterson” because of his dedication to his craft; yet he went on to create the immensely popular Peterson Guides, which have sold more than seven million copies, and which birders everywhere appreciate for their simple text and exquisite illustrations. Working closely with the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, New York, author Peggy Thomas and artist Laura Jacques have created a fascinating portrait of a global environmentalist with this very first children’s biography of Peterson.
RECOMMENDATION: For ages 8 and up. Adults interested in the life of Roger Tory Peterson will enjoy this book too!


                                                  Buteo Books Link

Sunday, December 18, 2011

The Weekly Birdbooker Report

                                       Photo copyright: Joe Fuhrman

My WEEKLY Birdbooker Report can be found here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/grrlscientist/2011/dec/18/1

Saturday, December 17, 2011

New Title

                                                                              
1) Salomon, David. Penguin-Pedia: Photographs and Facts from One Man's Search for the Penguins of the World. 2011. Brown Books Publishing. Hardbound: 303 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S.

SUMMARY: An exhaustive resource for penguin-o-philes, amateur and academic alike, Penguin-Pedia unites careful analysis of the behavior, habitat, reproduction, feeding habits, and population levels of all seventeen penguin species with the author s personal observations and reflections. Each chapter draws on a wealth of scientific data and reports, as well as providing detailed measurements and weights of penguins from various colonies and nests. An extensive bibliography will direct students of the penguin to scholarly books and journals, while dozens of full-color photographs of penguins in their natural habitat and personal accounts provide entertainment for the layman. A full directory of penguin exhibiting zoos from around the world completes this source of all things penguin.
     Penguins have become a standard fixture in both zoos and imaginations for centuries. But beyond the classic tuxedo markings of the Emperor penguin and what we see in childrens cartoons, how much do we really know about these fascinating creatures? How aware are we of the perpetual danger in which these animals find themselves after so many years of environmental abuse on the part of humans? David Salomon has traveled the world photographing and studying the various species and subspecies of penguin. From the sleek Galapagos penguin to the bushy-eyebrowed Rockhopper penguin, Salomon combines personal accounts of his trips to remote penguin habitats at the far edges of the world with a comprehensive survey of all available scientific data for the various penguin species.
     Penguin-Pedia is a wealth of information on penguin behavior, habits, population, and endangerment. Full of David's own up-close photography, Penguin-Pedia will bring you into the fascinating world of the penguin.
RECOMMENDATION: The author's photography highlights this book! This title is a must have for penguin fans!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

New Title

                                                                              
1) Borrow, Nik and Ron Demey. Birds of Senegal and The Gambia. 2011. Helm Field Guides. Paperback: 352 pages. Price: GBP 29.99 (about $46.58 U.S.).
SUMMARY: This new field guide covers The Gambia, a country which is very popular with a large number of birders and tourists, and the whole of neighbouring Senegal. This fascinating region shelters many Western Palearctic migrants from September to April, as well as a significant list of resident West African birds.
     The stunning colour plates depict more than 680 species, covering almost every distinct plumage and race. The authoritative text highlights the key features needed to identify each species in the field, and accurate up-to-date maps are provided for every species. This comprehensive guide is an essential companion for anyone visiting The Gambia and Senegal.
RECOMMENDATION: The artwork is mostly from the author's Birds of Western Africa. This book is a must have for those birding these countries!

Buteo Books Link

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Shop Indie

                                                                              
SHOP INDIE: I just joined Buteo Books's affiliate program, so if you want to Shop Indie AND help support The Birdbooker Report, use the BUTEO BOOKS LINK I have placed at the bottom of the Amazon.com widget!

Monday, December 12, 2011

New Title

                                                                              
1) Cooper, Murray. Birds in Colombia. 2011. Villegas Editores. Hardbound with slipcase: 552 pages. Price: $70.95 U.S.
SUMMARY: Exploring a wealth of incredible winged fauna, this fascinating compendium travels to the tropical setting of Colombia, where many different climates blend to encourage the development of habitats. The country's diverse landscapes are explored along with the rare beauty of its singular birds, showcasing their distinct plumage, colors, various sizes, songs, beaks, and wings. Illustrating how these creatures are currently threatened, this study also highlights the inadequate colonization and urbanization, deforestation, and many other factors that could potentially destroy the habitats of many species, increasing their rates of extinction. Suggestions for defensive and protective actions are included.
RECOMMENDATION: The photography highlights this coffee-table book! A must have for those with an interest in the birds of Neotropics!


Buteo Books Link

Sunday, December 11, 2011

The Weekly Birdbooker Report

                                        Photo copyright: Joe Fuhrman   

My WEEKLY Birdbooker Report can be found here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/grrlscientist/2011/dec/11/1

Saturday, December 10, 2011

New Title

                                                                              
1) Wieland, Monika. A Guide to Birds of San Juan Island. 2011. Orca Watcher. Paperback: 215 pages. Price: $19.95 U.S.

SUMMARY: San Juan Island is a diverse place made up of a wide variety of habitats: shorelines, farmlands, forests, and prairies. As a result, over 300 bird species have been documented here. Whether a budding nature enthusiast, an advanced birder, or somewhere in between, A Guide to Birds of San Juan Island will give you details about all of the birds that can be seen here and where to find them. Part species guide and part site guide, Monika Wieland's book will help residents and visitors alike discover more about the bird life of San Juan Island.
RECOMMENDATION: A must have for those birding San Juan Island, Washington State, U.S.A.!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

New Titles

    
Butler, Georgia Anne. Of the Wing: A Trilogy (Book 1: The Legend Awakes; Book 2: The Ivory-billed Obsession). 2010 and 2011. Pinchey House. Paperback: 208 and 241 pages. Price: $7.99 U.S.

SUMMARY: Of the Wing is a trilogy that follows Claire and her friend Victor through birding adventures in the woodlands of Pennsylvania (book 1) to the bayous of Arkansas (book 2) and finally to the hills and lakes of Ireland (book 3).
Description of Book 1:
     Claire Belle hears like an owl, sees like a hawk, and draws birds to her in some inexplicable way. Is it magic? Or some special power? Claire keeps her ability secret, afraid that sharing it will somehow break the spell. But can that spell be broken violently? A ruthless man seeks to kill a local, legendary Red-tailed Hawk—a raptor to which Claire is devoted and bound, and who holds the answers to her questions.
Description of Book 2:
     Birds repeatedly call an urgent message to twelve-year-old Claire Belle: Hurry! But she isn’t listening. The avid birder is preoccupied with a famous ornithologist, back from another failed effort to find the fabled Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Claire meets Robert Crawley at his Pennsylvania retreat, revealing to him her mysterious appeal to birds. Promising to attract the Ivory-bill, she earns a canoe expedition for herself and friends to the muddy bayous of Arkansas. But the bottomland forest conceals something more than the reclusive woodpecker, something dangerous. And though Claire leaves Pennsylvania, the message of the birds follows her.
RECOMMENDATION: For ages 9 and up. You can order the books from this website:
http://www.ofthewing.com/purchase.htm

Sunday, December 4, 2011

The Weekly Birdbooker Report

                                        Photo copyright: Joe Fuhrman                                    

My WEEKLY Birdbooker Report can be found here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/dec/04/1

Friday, December 2, 2011

New Title

                                                                              
1) Doughty, Robin W. and Virginia Carmichael. The Albatross and the Fish: Linked Lives in the Open Seas. 2011. University of Texas Press. Hardbound: 302 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S.

SUMMARY: Breeding on remote ocean islands and spending much of its life foraging for food across vast stretches of seemingly empty seas, the albatross remains a legend for most people. And yet, humans are threatening the albatross family to such an extent that it is currently the most threatened bird group in the world. In this extensively researched, highly readable book, Robin W. Doughty and Virginia Carmichael tell the story of a potentially catastrophic extinction that has been interrupted by an unlikely alliance of governments, conservation groups, and fishermen.
     Doughty and Carmichael authoritatively establish that the albatross's fate is linked to the fate of two of the highest-value table fish, Bluefin Tuna and Patagonian Toothfish, which are threatened by unregulated commercial harvesting. The authors tell us that commercial fishing techniques are annually killing tens of thousands of albatrosses. And the authors explain how the breeding biology of albatrosses makes them unable to replenish their numbers at the rate they are being depleted. Doughty and Carmichael set the albatross's fate in the larger context of threats facing the ocean commons, ranging from industrial overfishing to our habit of dumping chemicals, solid waste, and plastic trash into the open seas. They also highlight the efforts of dedicated individuals, environmental groups, fishery management bodies, and governments who are working for seabird and fish conservation and demonstrate that these efforts can lead to sustainable solutions for the iconic seabirds and the entire ocean ecosystem.
RECOMMENDATION: If you're interested in these birds, or ocean life in general, you'll want to read this book!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Best Bird Book(s) of the Year(s)

I realized that in the nearly four years that I've been doing the Birdbooker Report, I've never done a "Best Bird Book of the Year" posting. So I decided to do one this year. I'll start by catching up and awarding a "Best Bird Book" for the previous years that I've been doing the Birdbooker Report:

2008: Tennyson, Alan and Paul Martinson. Extinct Birds of New Zealand. 2006. Te Papa Press. Hardbound: 180 pages. Price: $54.95 U.S.
SUMMARY: Although technically it's from 2006, I didn't learn about it until 2008. Covers 58 species of "recently" extinct birds of New Zealand. The full page award winning artwork by Paul Martinson almost brings these extinct birds back to life!


Buteo Books Link

2009: Forshaw, Joseph M. Trogons: A Natural History of the Trogonidae. 2009. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 292 pages. Price: $150.00 U.S. [Amazon: $119.34].
SUMMARY: This large folio covers the 39 species of trogons and quetzals of the world's tropical regions. The book is divided into two sections: the introductory material and the species accounts. Each species account includes information on the following: the species name,a range map, distribution, description, subspecies, habitat and status, movements, habits, calls, feeding, breeding and eggs. The artwork by Albert Earl Gilbert highlights this book!
RECOMMENDATION: For those interested in tropical birds, that collect species monographs or fine bird art. Only 1400 copies of this book were printed of which several hundred were damaged during shipping and not sold. That will cause this book to become a collectors item!


Buteo Books Link

2010: Kennerley, Peter and David Pearson. Reed and Bush Warblers. 2010. Helm Identification Guides. Hardbound: 712 pages. Price: 65 GBP (about $105.00 U.S.).
SUMMARY: This detailed and comprehensive identification guide follows in the mo(u)ld of Sylvia Warblers and Pipits and Wagtails. It primarily covers the genera Acrocephalus, Locustella, Cettia and Bradypterus, together with a few smaller related genera. To the uninitiated, these are the archetypal ‘little brown jobs’ and as if they weren’t hard enough to identify anyway, many of them are hard to see as well! This authoritative handbook covers their identification in breathtaking detail, illustrated with line drawings, sonograms, wonderful colour plates and photographs. It is destined to become the ultimate reference for these challenging birds.
RECOMMENDATION: Brian Small's artwork highlight this book! A must have for all World birders!

Buteo Books Link
And finally 2011: Kirwan, Guy and Graeme Green. Cotingas and Manakins. 2011. Helm Identification Guides. Hardbound: 624 pages. Price: GBP 60.00.
SUMMARY: This book looks in detail at two families of South American birds, the cotingas and manakins, perhaps the most colourful of all neotropical bird groups, and widely regarded as the South American equivalent of New Guinea's Birds of Paradise. The book is a synthesis of the very latest research into the identification, taxonomy and behaviour of each of the 160 species, along with detailed colour maps, several hundred previously unpublished colour photographs, and Eustace Barnes's stunning 34 colour plates.
RECOMMENDATION: A MUST have for those with an interest in Neotropical birds or collectors of family monographs! Princeton University Press will be co-publishing this title in February 2012 for $55.00 U.S.


Buteo Books Link





Sunday, November 27, 2011

The Weekly Birdbooker Report

                                         Photo copyright: Joe Fuhrman
                                                                              
My WEEKLY Birdbooker Report can be found here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/nov/27/2

Saturday, November 26, 2011

New Title

                                                                              
1) Groves, Colin and Peter Grubb. Ungulate Taxonomy. 2011. Johns Hopkins University Press. Hardbound: 317 pages. Price: $100.00 U.S.

SUMMARY: A group of special interest to mammalogists, taxonomists, and systemicists, ungulates have proven difficult to classify. This comprehensive review of the taxonomic relationships of artiodactyls and perissodactyls brings forth new evidence in order to propose a theory of ungulate taxonomy.
     With this straightforward volume, Colin Groves and the late Peter Grubb cut through previous assumptions to define ungulate genera, species, and subspecies. The species-by-species accounts incorporate new molecular, cytogenetic, and morphological data, as well as the authors' own observations and measurements. The authors include references and supporting arguments for new classifications.
     A starting point for further research, this book is sure to be discussed and hotly debated in the mammalogical community. A well-reasoned synthesis, Ungulate Taxonomy will be a defining volume for years to come.
RECOMMENDATION: A must have for those with a technical interest in ungulate taxonomy.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

New Titles


                                                                                                                                                          
1) Seebohm, Henry. The Birds of Siberia: A Record of a Naturalist's Visits to the Valleys of the Petchora and Yenesei. 1901 (2011). Cambridge University Press. Paperback: 512 pages. Price: $39.99 U.S.

SUMMARY: Henry Seebohm (1832–95) was a Yorkshire steel manufacturer and passionate amateur ornithologist. He travelled widely in Greece, Scandinavia, Turkey and South Africa studying birds in their native habitats. He served as secretary of the Royal Geological Society, was a fellow of the Linnean Society, and member of the British Ornithologists' Union and of the Zoological Society. This volume, published in 1901, contains two books recounting his travels in Siberia. Siberia in Europe (1880) was the result of an expedition to the lower Pechora River valley in 1875 with zoologist J. A. Harvie-Brown, and also his study of bird migrations in Heligoland with ornithologist Heinrich Gätke. He located the breeding grounds of several visitors to Britain, including the grey plover and Bewick's swan. Siberia in Asia (1882) was published after his 1877 journey with Arctic explorer Joseph Wiggins along the Yenisey River. There are numerous woodcuts illustrating birds and Siberian landscapes.
RECOMMENDATION: For those that have an interest in early ornithological studies or Siberian exploration.


                                                                               
2) Wormworth, Janice and Cagan H. Sekercioglu. Winged Sentinels: Birds and Climate Change. 2011. Cambridge University Press. Paperback: 262 pages. Price: $40.00 U.S.
SUMMARY: 'The ability of the birds to show us the consequences of our own actions is among their most important and least appreciated attributes. Despite the free advice of the birds, we do not pay attention', said Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 1947. From ice-dependent penguins of Antarctica to songbirds that migrate across the Sahara, birds' responses provide early warning signs of the impact of climate change. Winged Sentinels: Birds and Climate Change uses colourful examples to show how particular groups of birds face heightened threats from climate change and to explore how we can help birds adapt in a warming world. Generously illustrated with colour photographs, the book is a fascinating insight into what climate change means for birds, and the potential consequences of ignoring these warning signs.
RECOMMENDATION: A good introduction on the subject.

Monday, November 21, 2011

New Titles

                                                                              
1) Fallon, Katie. Cerulean Blues: A Personal Search for a Vanishing Songbird. 2011. Ruka Press. Paperback: 210 pages. Price: $17.95 U.S.
SUMMARY: Cerulean Blues describes the plight of the cerulean warbler, a tiny migratory songbird, and its struggle to survive in ever-shrinking bands of suitable habitat. This elusive creature, a favorite among bird watchers and the fastest-declining warbler species in the United States, has lost 3% of its total population each year since 1966. This precipitous decline means that today there are 80% fewer ceruleans than 40 years ago, and their numbers continue to drop due to threats including deforestation, global warming, and an ecologically devastating practice—mountaintop removal coal mining—that affects not only the cerulean warbler but all residents of the Appalachian mountains, including humans.
     With both scientific rigor and a sense of wonder, Fallon leads readers on a journey of more than two thousand miles—from the top of the forest canopy in the ancient mountains of Appalachia to a coffee plantation near troubled Bogotá, Colombia—and shows how the fate of a creature weighing less than an ounce is vitally linked to our own.
     Cerulean Blues will appeal to nature lovers, bird watchers, actual and armchair adventurers, and anyone interested in the health and future of our planet.
RECOMMENDATION: A thorough and entertaining account (especially the "warbler parade" scene in chapter 16) on the plight of the Cerulean Warbler.




                                                                                          
2) Hunter, Luke and Priscilla Barrett. Carnivores of the World. 2011. Princeton University Press. Paperback: 240 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S.
SUMMARY: Carnivores are among the most spectacular creatures in the natural world, and also the most feared. Carnivores of the World is the first comprehensive field guide to all 245 terrestrial species of true carnivores, from the majestic polar bear and predatory wild cats to the tiny least weasel. This user-friendly illustrated guide features 86 color plates by acclaimed wildlife artist Priscilla Barrett that depict every species and numerous subspecies, as well as about 400 line drawings of skulls and footprints. Detailed species accounts describe key identification features, distribution and habitat, feeding ecology, behavior, social patterns, reproduction and demography, status, threats, lifespan, and mortality. Carnivores of the World includes an introduction that provides a concise overview of taxonomy, conservation, and the distinct families within the order Carnivora.
     This book features:

*Covers all 245 terrestrial species of true carnivores
*Includes 86 color plates by acclaimed wildlife artist Priscilla Barrett
*Features detailed species accounts and hundreds of line drawings
*The first field guide of its kind

RECOMMENDATION: The only drawback to this useful guide is the lack of range maps in the book, but they can be found on-line here: http://www.panthera.org/carnivoreguide-maps

Buteo Books Link

Sunday, November 20, 2011

The Weekly Birdbooker Report

                                        Photo copyright: Joe Fuhrman
              
My WEEKLY Birdbooker Report can be found here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/nov/20/1

Saturday, November 19, 2011

New Title

                                                                              
1) Meldahl, Keith Heyer. Rough-Hewn Land: A Geologic Journey from California to the Rocky Mountains. 2011. University of California Press. Hardbound: 296 pages. Price: $34.95 U.S.
SUMMARY: “Unfold a map of North America,” Keith Heyer Meldahl writes, “and the first thing to grab your eye is the bold shift between the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains.” In this absorbing book, Meldahl takes readers on a 1000-mile-long field trip back through more than 100 million years of deep time to explore America’s most spectacular and scientifically intriguing landscapes. He places us on the outcrops, rock hammer in hand, to examine the evidence for how these rough-hewn lands came to be. We see California and its gold assembled from pieces of old ocean floor and the relentless movements of the Earth’s tectonic plates. We witness the birth of the Rockies. And we investigate the violent earthquakes that continue to shape the region today. Into the West’s geologic story, Meldahl also weaves its human history. As we follow the adventures of John C. Frémont, Mark Twain, the Donner party, and other historic characters, we learn how geologic forces have shaped human experience in the past and how they direct the fate of the West today.

RECOMMENDATION: A good introduction to the geology of the region.

Monday, November 14, 2011

4 New Titles

                                              
1) Aspinall, Simon and Richard Porter. Birds of the United Arab Emirates. 2011. Helm Field Guides. Paperback: 240 pages. Price: GBP 24.99 (about $39.73 U.S.).
SUMMARY: The UAE is an increasingly popular tourist destination, with a good infrastructure for visitors. This new field guide is based on the bestselling Birds of the Middle East (2nd edition) and covers all the birds of these Gulf states. The new text written by Simon Aspinall and Richard Porter is specific to the Gulf, and new maps are provided for all breeding birds and regular visitors. The plates are recomposed from Birds of the Middle East, with three extra plates of introduced species.
RECOMMENDATION: Birders interested in the UAE will like this book.

Buteo Books Link

                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                            
2) Dunlap, Thomas R.. In the Field, Among the Feathered: A History of Birders and Their Guides. 2011. Oxford University Press. Hardbound: 241 pages. Price: $34.95 U.S.
SUMMARY: America is a nation of ardent, knowledgeable birdwatchers. But how did it become so? And what role did the field guide play in our passion for spotting, watching, and describing birds?
     In the Field, Among the Feathered tells the history of field guides to birds in America from the Victorian era to the present, relating changes in the guides to shifts in science, the craft of field identification, and new technologies for the mass reproduction of images. Drawing on his experience as a passionate birder and on a wealth of archival research, Thomas Dunlap shows how the twin pursuits of recreation and conservation have inspired birders and how field guides have served as the preferred method of informal education about nature for well over a century.
     The book begins with the first generation of late 19th-century birdwatchers who built the hobby when opera glasses were often the best available optics and bird identification was sketchy at best. As America became increasingly urban, birding became more attractive, and with Roger Tory Peterson's first field guide in 1934, birding grew in both popularity and accuracy. By the 1960s recreational birders were attaining new levels of expertise, even as the environmental movement made birding's other pole, conservation, a matter of human health and planetary survival. Dunlap concludes by showing how recreation and conservation have reached a new balance in the last 40 years, as scientists have increasingly turned to amateurs, whose expertise had been honed by the new guides, to gather the data they need to support habitat preservation.
     Putting nature lovers and citizen-activists at the heart of his work, Thomas Dunlap offers an entertaining history of America's long-standing love affair with birds, and with the books that have guided and informed their enthusiasm. This book features:

*First book to examine the development of this book genre, relating changes in the guides to shifts in science, the craft knowledge of field identification, and the developing technologies of birding photography.
*As a birder himself, author brings passion for the subject, inner knowledge of how birders think, and familiarity with guides.
*Examines the intersection of recreation, social class, and birding.

RECOMMENDATION: This book covers the time period between 1889 to 2008. A very good treatment on the subject and a must have for those interested in the history of the field guide!

Buteo Books Link

                                                                              
3) Harris, Mike P. and Sarah Wanless. The Puffin (2nd edition). 2011. T&AD Poyser. Hardbound: 256 pages. Price: GBP 50.00 (about $79.49 U.S.).
SUMMARY: With its colourful beak and fast, whirring flight, the Atlantic Puffin is the most recognisable and popular of all North Atlantic seabirds. Puffins spend most of the year at sea, but for a few months of the year the come to shore, nesting in burrows on steep cliffs or on inaccessible islands. Awe-inspiring numbers of these birds can sometimes be seen bobbing on the sea or flying in vast wheels over the colony, bringing fish in their beaks back to the chicks. However, the species has declined sharply over the last decade; this is due to a collapse in fish stocks caused by overfishing and global warming, combined with an exponential increase in Pipefish (which can kill the chicks).
     The Puffin is a revised and expanded second edition of Poyser's 1984 title on these endearing birds, widely considered to be a Poyser classic. It includes sections on their affinities, nesting and incubation, movements, foraging ecology, survivorship, predation, and research methodology; particular attention is paid to conservation, with the species considered an important ‘indicator’ of the health of our coasts.
RECOMMENDATION: A MUST have for those with an interest in the species!

                                                                              
4) Redman, Nigel et al.. Birds of the Horn of Africa: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and Socotra (2nd edition). 2011. Helm Field Guides. Paperback: 512 pages. Price: GBP 35.00 (about $55.64 U.S.).
SUMMARY: The Horn of Africa has the highest endemism of any region in Africa, and around 70 species are found nowhere else in the world. Many of these are confined to the isolated highlands of Ethiopia and Eritrea, but a large number of larks specialise in the arid parts of Somalia and adjoining eastern Ethiopia, whilst the island of Socotra has its own suite of endemic species. The region is also an important migration route and wintering site for many Palearctic birds.
     This is the first field guide to the birds of this fascinating region, and a companion to Birds of East Africa by two of the same authors. Over 200 magnificent plates by John Gale and Brian Small illustrate every species that has ever occurred in the five countries covered by the guide, and the succinct text covers the key identification criteria. Special attention is paid to the voices of the species, and over 1000 up-to-date colour distribution maps are included.
     This long-awaited guide is a much-needed addition to the literature on African birds and an essential companion for birders visiting the region.
RECOMMENDATION: The page count has increased from 496 pages (1st edition) to 512 pages. If you didn't get the first edition, here's you chance to own this guide!