FEATURED TITLES

                                                                                    
1) Liguori, Jerry. Hawks At A Distance: Identification of Migrant Raptors. 2011. Princeton University Press. Paperback: 193 pages. Price: $19.95 U.S.
SUMMARY: The ultimate must-have guide for identifying migrant raptors, Hawks at a Distance is the first volume to focus on distant raptors as they are truly seen in the field. Jerry Liguori, a leading expert on North American raptors, factors in new information and approaches for identifying twenty-nine species of raptor in various lighting situations and settings. The field guide's nineteen full-color portraits, 558 color photos, and 896 black-and-white images portray shapes and plumages for each species from all angles. Useful flight identification criteria are provided and the accompanying text discusses all aspects of in-flight hawk identification, including flight style and behavior. Concentrating on features that are genuinely observable at a distance, this concise and practical field guide is ideal for any aspiring or experienced hawk enthusiast.

*The first guide to focus on distant raptors as they are viewed in the field
*New information and approaches for identifying distant raptors
*Illustrates twenty-nine species in various lighting situations and settings
*558 color photos and 896 black-and-white images depicting plumage and shape characteristics
*All aspects of in-flight hawk identification, including flight style and behavior

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for raptor people!

                                                                               
2) Menkhorst, Peter and Frank Knight. A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia (3rd edition). 2011. Oxford University Press. Flexicover: 274 pages. Price: $39.95 U.S.
SUMMARY: This fully revised and updated edition of A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia is the only comprehensive guide to identifying all 382 species of mammals known in Australia. This book provides concise and accurate details of the appearance, diagnostic features, distribution, habitat, and key behavioral characteristics of all mammals known to have occurred in Australia or its waters since the time of European settlement. Each double-page spread provides all the information needed to identify an animal, a full-color illustration of the entire animal, a smaller diagram of diagnostic features, a distribution map, and species description and measurements, including details of how to differentiate between similar species.
     Identification keys are provided for groups that are difficult to identify to species level, including keys to the genera of small marsupials, rodents, and bats, and all marine mammals likely to be washed on to an Australian beach: whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and the Dugong.

FEATURES:

*Fully updated and revised edition of a well-established and highly-regarded work
*Full-color illustrations of every species, including indigenous and introduced mammals, known to have occurred in Australia or its waters since the time of European settlement
*378 distribution maps
*Fully illustrated identification keys for difficult groups, such as rodents, bats and whales
*Detailed text summarizing the appearance, dimensions, distribution, habitat, and behavior of every species.

RECOMMENDATION: Frank Knight's artwork highlights this book! A must have for anyone interested in the mammals of Australia.