1) Beehler, Bruce. Birds of Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia. 2019. Johns Hopkins University Press. Hardbound: 461 pages. Price: $49.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: A Great Blue Heron wades in the shallows of the Potomac River, scanning for unsuspecting prey. Sunlight turns the water translucent as a small school of fish rises to the water's surface. The heron strikes and moments later is swallowing its quarry―predation in action! This handsome Great Blue Heron is but one of the more than 400 bird species found in Delaware, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. It shares the mid-Atlantic with kingfishers, eagles, mergansers, wood warblers, and many more.
Exploring
backyard birds, birds of prey, and birds of the open ocean, Smithsonian
ornithologist Bruce Beehler and premier nature photographer Middleton
Evans have crafted a comprehensive volume unparalleled in its beauty and
captivating storytelling. Birds of Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia
invites readers to experience the birds' lives as they live them: where
they nest, how they forage, their various behaviors, and the natural
environments they need to survive.
Beehler offers practical advice on bird-watching, including how to find, attract, and even garden for birds, as well as the best places to see them in season. He also discusses the best birding apps, websites, and gear; provides advice on planning a birding field trip; and recommends ornithological institutions that will help you cultivate a lifelong birding hobby. Finally, Beehler challenges the reader to think about conservation efforts to preserve local bird populations.
With striking color photographs of more than 400 species, this book is a bonanza for nature lovers. A wealth of images immerse the reader in the world of these wonderful creatures. Marvel at the majesty of Ospreys, navigate the ocean with storm-petrels, and nest with Mourning Doves, all while learning about the richness of the birds' lives, the complexities of their habits, and how we can help keep their populations vibrant and aloft for generations to come.
RECOMMENDATION: A must have for those birding the region.
2) Grimmett, Richard et al.. Birds of Bhutan and the Eastern Himalayas. 2019. Helm. Paperback: 416 pages. Price: $40.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: The first birding guide to the beautiful, endemic-packed Himalayan nation of Bhutan was published in 1999. This is a new and completely revised edition of that book, featuring concise text and detailed maps opposite superb plates, covering every species that regularly occurs in Bhutan plus most vagrants.
Beehler offers practical advice on bird-watching, including how to find, attract, and even garden for birds, as well as the best places to see them in season. He also discusses the best birding apps, websites, and gear; provides advice on planning a birding field trip; and recommends ornithological institutions that will help you cultivate a lifelong birding hobby. Finally, Beehler challenges the reader to think about conservation efforts to preserve local bird populations.
With striking color photographs of more than 400 species, this book is a bonanza for nature lovers. A wealth of images immerse the reader in the world of these wonderful creatures. Marvel at the majesty of Ospreys, navigate the ocean with storm-petrels, and nest with Mourning Doves, all while learning about the richness of the birds' lives, the complexities of their habits, and how we can help keep their populations vibrant and aloft for generations to come.
RECOMMENDATION: A must have for those birding the region.
2) Grimmett, Richard et al.. Birds of Bhutan and the Eastern Himalayas. 2019. Helm. Paperback: 416 pages. Price: $40.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: The first birding guide to the beautiful, endemic-packed Himalayan nation of Bhutan was published in 1999. This is a new and completely revised edition of that book, featuring concise text and detailed maps opposite superb plates, covering every species that regularly occurs in Bhutan plus most vagrants.
For this edition coverage is expanded to include two
Indian states that together with Bhutan make up the eastern arm of the
Himalayas--Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, making this the one guide
you'll need on a visit to this incredible corner of Asia.
RECOMMENDATION: A must have for those birding the area.
3) Paulson, Dennis. Dragonflies and Damselflies: A Natural History. 2019. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 224 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: Dragonflies and damselflies are often called birdwatchers's insects. Large, brightly colored, active in the daytime, and displaying complex and interesting behaviors, they have existed since the days of the dinosaurs, and they continue to flourish. Their ancestors were the biggest insects ever, and they still impress us with their size, the largest bigger than a small hummingbird. There are more than 6,000 odonate species known at present, and you need only visit any wetland on a warm summer day to be enthralled by their stunning colors and fascinating behavior. In this lavishly illustrated natural history, leading dragonfly expert Dennis Paulson offers a comprehensive, accessible, and appealing introduction to the world's dragonflies and damselflies.
The book highlights the impressive skills and abilities of dragonflies and damselflies's superb fliers that can glide, hover, cruise, and capture prey on the wing. It also describes their arsenal of tactics to avoid predators, and their amazing sex life, including dazzling courtship displays, aerial mating, sperm displacement, mate guarding, and male mimicry.
Dragonflies and Damselflies includes profiles of more than fifty of the most interesting and beautiful species from around the world. Learn about the Great Cascade Damsel, which breeds only at waterfalls, the mesmerizing flight of Blue-winged Helicopters, and how the larva of the Common Sanddragon can burrow into sand as efficiently as a mole.
Combining expert text and excellent color photographs, this is a must-have guide to these remarkable insects.
RECOMMENDATION: A must have for those birding the area.
3) Paulson, Dennis. Dragonflies and Damselflies: A Natural History. 2019. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 224 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: Dragonflies and damselflies are often called birdwatchers's insects. Large, brightly colored, active in the daytime, and displaying complex and interesting behaviors, they have existed since the days of the dinosaurs, and they continue to flourish. Their ancestors were the biggest insects ever, and they still impress us with their size, the largest bigger than a small hummingbird. There are more than 6,000 odonate species known at present, and you need only visit any wetland on a warm summer day to be enthralled by their stunning colors and fascinating behavior. In this lavishly illustrated natural history, leading dragonfly expert Dennis Paulson offers a comprehensive, accessible, and appealing introduction to the world's dragonflies and damselflies.
The book highlights the impressive skills and abilities of dragonflies and damselflies's superb fliers that can glide, hover, cruise, and capture prey on the wing. It also describes their arsenal of tactics to avoid predators, and their amazing sex life, including dazzling courtship displays, aerial mating, sperm displacement, mate guarding, and male mimicry.
Dragonflies and Damselflies includes profiles of more than fifty of the most interesting and beautiful species from around the world. Learn about the Great Cascade Damsel, which breeds only at waterfalls, the mesmerizing flight of Blue-winged Helicopters, and how the larva of the Common Sanddragon can burrow into sand as efficiently as a mole.
Combining expert text and excellent color photographs, this is a must-have guide to these remarkable insects.
- A lavishly illustrated, comprehensive, and accessible natural history that reveals the beauty and diversity of one of the world's oldest and most popular insect groups
- Offers a complete guide to the evolution, life cycles, biology, anatomy, behavior, and habitats of dragonflies and damselflies
- Introduces the 39 families of dragonflies and damselflies through exemplary species accounts
- Features tips on field observation and lab research, and information on threats and conservation
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