New Titles

 

1) Cofta, Tomasz. Flight Identification of European Passerines and Select Landbirds: An Illustrated and Photographic Guide. 2021. Princeton University Press/WILDGuides. Flexibound: 496 pages. Price: $45.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Opening up new frontiers in birdwatching, this is the first field guide to focus specifically on the identification of European passerines and related landbirds in flight. Showcasing 850 stunning and remarkably lifelike colour illustrations from acclaimed bird artist Tomasz Cofta, produced using the latest digital technology, backed up with more than 2,400 photographs carefully selected to show typical flight profiles, it provides detailed and unsurpassed coverage of 205 European passerines and 32 near-passerines. This cutting-edge book brings a new dimension to birdwatching, the concise and authoritative species accounts presenting novel yet essential information on the flight manner of individual birds and the structure and behaviour of flocks―features that are key to identification. It also includes precise transliterations of flight calls, supported by sonograms, and links to a unique collection of hundreds of online audio recordings. Beautifully designed and written in an accessible style, this book will appeal to birdwatchers of all abilities. It presents the latest knowledge on flight identification of a group of birds that is poorly covered in the literature and is therefore a must-have for all professional ornithologists and scientists involved in migration studies.

• The first field guide to flight identification of European passerines and related landbirds
• Covers 205 European passerines and 32 near-passerines
• Features 850 stunning colour illustrations
• Includes more than 2,400 photos showing typical profiles of each species in flight
• Provides detailed information on flight calls, with links to online recordings

RECOMMENDATION: A MUST have for anyone birding Europe! I wish there was something like this for North America! 

 

2) Paulson, Dennis R. and William A. Haber. Dragonflies and Damselflies of Costa Rica: A Field Guide. 2021. Cornell University Press. Paperback: 401 pages. Price: $34.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Among the largest of all insects, dragonflies and damselflies are conspicuous. Active during the day, often brightly colored, and extremely photogenic―something about their appearance and dashing flight suggests a primeval world of tree ferns and dinosaurs.

     The first guide of its kind, this book includes an in-depth introduction with an overview of Costa Rican biodiversity and illustrated morphological terms. The species accounts show males and females of most species, detailed illustrations and close-ups of key distinguishing features, and descriptions of habitat, behavior, and range. Dragonflies and Damselflies of Costa Rica gives readers the information they need to identify nearly every species in the country. Experienced dragonfly fans and new enthusiasts alike will find it an indispensable resource.

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for anyone with an interest in the Odonata of Costa Rica!

 

3) Newman, Doug and Gordon King. Southern African LBJs Made Simple. 2021. Struik Nature. Paperback: 152 pages. Price: $16.50 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Southern African LBJs Made Simple is a useful guide to the cryptic little birds that are universally known as ‘little brown jobs’. With the help of color coding and careful design, the reader is systematically guided through successive sorting stages: from family group, to ‘visual group’ within the family, and finally to the species. Each step takes one closer to identifying the bird in question.

     Carefully labeled illustrations, distribution maps, concise text describing key ID criteria (such as size, habitat, habits, call and similar-looking and -sounding birds), and characteristic features summarized in an 'At a glance' box all help pinpoint identity. Calls play a critical role in identification of this challenging group of birds, and a major innovation is the use of barcodes alongside each species to scan and play individual calls and comparative tracks by means of a free downloadable call app.

      This enhanced and updated new edition will be an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to be able to tell one LBJ from another.

RECOMMENDATION: Two titles cover this topic: this one and Chamberlain's LBJs by Faansie Peacock (2012, reprinted 2021). Of the two, this one is more compact thus easier to use in the field, but  Chamberlain's LBJs has more details and better artwork.