1) Princeton University Press. Paperback: 576 pages. Price:
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: The best field guide to the birds of the Indian subcontinent is
now even better. Thoroughly updated and substantially expanded, this
third edition of Birds of India
features revised color plates, text, and distribution maps, and
sixty-four more pages than the previous edition. Comprehensive and
definitive, this is an indispensable guide for anyone birding in this
part of the world.
- The leading field guide to the birds of the Indian subcontinent—now thoroughly updated
- Revised color plates, text, and distribution maps—and sixty-four additional pages
- 1,429 species illustrated and described, including all residents, migrants, and vagrants
- 246 color plates depict every species and many distinct plumages and races
- Includes newly identified species
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a MUST-HAVE for those birding the Indian Subcontinent!
2) Wagner, Eric. University of Washington Press. Hardbound: 226 pages. Price:
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY:Every spring, thousands of rhinoceros auklets return to
Destruction Island off Washington’s coast, where they dig burrows, lay
eggs, and raise their chicks. Small, gray, and adorned with a curious
horn on their bill, these funny-looking birds have become an unlikely
but vitally important indicator for the health of oceans and the Pacific
ecosystem as a whole.
In Seabirds as Sentinels,
Eric Wagner joins a team of scientists who have been tracking the lives
of auklets and other seabirds to gauge the effects of climate change in
the region. The North Pacific―sometimes called the Blue Serengeti―is
one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth, supporting salmon,
whales, seals, and countless other species, including people. Yet its
waters are changing in unprecedented ways. Mass die-offs of birds,
hordes of jellyfish blanketing beaches, and the sudden appearance of
tropical species all point to an ocean in flux.
Wagner
intersperses accounts of research expeditions with deep dives into
phytoplankton, forage fish, lighthouses, ocean currents, and other
important elements in the Pacific Ocean’s tangled ecological web.
Readers travel into auklet burrows by fiber-optic camera and witness the
eerie arrival of seabirds under cover of night, seeing firsthand how
these birds have tried to adapt to widespread environmental upheaval.
Weaving together natural history, marine science, and the myriad stories
that humans tell about their environments, Seabirds as Sentinels helps us keep a close watch on the uncertain future of the oceans that sustain us all.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-read for those with an interest in the seabirds of the Salish Sea!
3) St. Martin's Press. Hardbound: 393 pages. Price: $
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: From the time the country was founded, early Americans assumed
that the land’s natural resources were infinite, including its birds,
which were zealously hunted for food, game, and fashion. With the rapid
extinction of the Passenger Pigeon―a bird once so numerous that its
flocks darkened the sky in flight―many realized actions needed to be
taken if other birds were to be saved. What followed was both a
spiritual awakening and a great crusade to save birds and their habitat.
The campaign took place on many battlefields: society teas in Boston,
hunt clubs on the East Coast, the mangroves in the Everglades, and in
the editorial pages of newspapers and periodicals. From many corners of
the country the bird protection movement was born and brought together a
remarkable coalition of people and organizations to save America’s
birds.
The Feather Wars
is an entertaining and expansive work of American history, an
incredible story about how disparate characters―progressive politicians,
free-thinking society belles, nature writers and artists, bird-loving
U.S. presidents, gunmakers, business titans, and brave game wardens―came
together to save hundreds of species of birds. Heroes, martyrs,
villains, and conflicted do-gooders―the early bird conservation movement
had them all. Together they transformed how Americans thought and cared
about birds, forever altering the American landscape.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-read for those with an interest in bird conservation!
4) Flower, Hilary. University Press of Florida. Paperback: 229 pages. Price:
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: When a bird of prey known as the Everglade snail kite became hard to find in the wetlands of South Florida where it was once abundant, scientist Hilary Flower sought answers, tracking the kite far from its ancestral home to tell a surprising story of survival and hope. The Kite and the Snail reveals how one species made a comeback from the brink of extinction through resilience and change—and what this means for the future of conservation.
From remote sawgrass marshes to abandoned mining pits, from flooded cattle pastures to water-treatment impoundments, Flower meets field biologists, tribal elders, environmental advocates, and other key players who help her piece together the kite’s past and present. The Everglade snail kite has traditionally fed on only the native Florida apple snail, which declined in population as wetland habitats decreased during the mid- to late twentieth century. But the kite shocked scientists by adapting to a new food source—an invasive, exotic snail that is now common across the Everglades and beyond—and quadrupling the kites’ population.
A rare success story in an age of increasing threats of extinction, this book traces the evolutionary and ecological factors that have allowed the kite to thrive against the odds. The Kite and the Snail asks: How can endangered species be saved when the world around them keeps shifting? Part natural history, part investigative journey, and part personal meditation, this story shows that flexibility, surprise, and human-altered habitats may play unexpected roles in saving species at risk, pointing to new approaches to conservation in the age of the Anthropocene.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-read for those with an interest in the Snail Kite.
5) Janes, Stewart. Oregon State University Press. Paperback: 205 pages. Price:
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Crater Lake National Park mesmerizes thousands of visitors each
year with its stunning vistas, natural beauty, and wildlife, including
the extraordinary birds that are found there. In Birds of Crater Lake National Park,
Stewart Janes introduces readers to Oregon’s high-country birds and
those that are most frequently encountered on visits to the park. The
high country is a hostile environment; the birds that live there
confront challenges—elevation, weather, geology, habitat—that their
lowland relatives do not have to endure. Species that inhabit the high
country must be adaptable and resourceful.
From the Clark’s
Nutcracker to the White-crowned Sparrow, the guide provides species
accounts of the most characteristic birds found in the park. Accompanied
by detailed color photographs, each entry also includes the scientific
name, description, and distribution along with a short narrative.
With essays focusing on the history, climate, geology, and geography of
the region, this guide offers a strong foundation to greater
understanding of the birds of Crater Lake. Plus, chapters like “Birds
Beyond Crater Lake National Park” and “Some Places to Bird in Crater
Lake National Park,” along with a birding checklist, offer invaluable
resources to beginner and skilled birders alike.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-have for those birding Crater Lake National Park!
6)Texas A&M University Press. Hardbound: 631 pages. Price:
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Building on the successful first edition, published in 2007, this comprehensive update to Texas Quails: Ecology and Management provides an encyclopedic overview of the research and best practices that support quail management and conservation, an accessible as well as useful guide for wildlife and natural resource professionals.
Four species of quails are native to Texas―the Northern Bobwhite, Scaled Quail, Montezuma Quail, and Gambel’s Quail―and hold the fascination of naturalists, hunters, and the general public. The Northern Bobwhite and Scaled Quail are of major economic significance to the state: hunters pay millions of dollars annually to lease land and construct hunting camps to support their pursuit of these birds. Gambel’s Quail and Montezuma Quail are found in limited areas of southwestern Texas and represent an important barometer of rangelands and habitat conditions. In some regions, such as the brush country of South Texas or the grasslands of the Rolling Plains, quail are now an economic commodity on par with livestock and agricultural crops.
Written collaboratively by leading experts, this updated edition brings the results of cutting-edge research to those who manage, enhance, and restore quail populations. This new edition will inform and serve quail management, conservation, and research priorities in Texas for decades.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-have for those with a serious interest in Texas quails.
7)Rizzoli. Hardbound: 112 pages. Price:
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: This book is meticulously designed as a large-format visual
portfolio of the world’s most distinctive birds, whose nesting behavior
and natural beauty are celebrated in beautifully detailed graphite and
watercolor illustrations—all based on actual field studies. The
exquisitely detailed bird, nest, and egg portraits are framed by details
that include building techniques, materials, egg characteristics
(shapes, colors, and number in a clutch), hatchlings and chicks, and
parenting behaviors.
Nowhere is avian ingenuity more beautifully
expressed than in the construction of nests. The book is organized into
chapters based on species’ nesting techniques: South America’s crested
oropendola, whose intricate, pendulous, sphere-like nests hang in trees
like holiday ornaments; Arizona’s ferruginous pygmy owl, whose nests are
hidden in vicious yet protective thorns and bristles of giant saguaro
cacti; and peregrine falcons, who scrape out a shallow depression called
an eyrie in the sides of cliffs or—in urban settings—ledges on
skyscrapers.
This beautiful book celebrates the very idea of
making a warm, cozy home. It is also a timely reminder of the diversity,
beauty, and ingenuity of the avian world.
RECOMMENDATION: The artwork by
Oppenheimer, Joel and Laura Oppenheimer. Rizzoli Electa. Hardbound: 304 pages. Price:
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY:This sublime collection of 418 superbly detailed hand-colored
lithographs of hummingbirds, created by John Gould, the “British
Audubon,” in the mid-1800s, represents all the known species at that
time and is the most complete ever produced of hummingbirds. Unlike John
James Audubon, whose work focused on the avifauna of a single country,
Gould’s folios illustrate species from around the world. His original
set of folios—Family of Humming-Birds—reproduced
here in its entirety, depicts the magnificent jewel-like birds together
with botanicals native to their habitats in the most remote and exotic
ecosystems of the Americas.
In her essay for the book, co-author
Laura Oppenheimer tells the story of Gould’s colorful life and places
his work in the context of a remarkable period when exploration and
classification of the world’s natural wonders was at the forefront of
scientific discovery and universally celebrated in Victorian popular
culture. Joel Oppenheimer details how Gould created the prints and
presents an overview of nineteenth-century printmaking and lithography
techniques. He also unravels the mystery behind the gold-leaf process
that Gould employed to portray the iridescent quality of the
hummingbirds’ plumage, resolving a long-standing controversy regarding
who should be credited for its invention. This Family of Hummingbirds will delight birdwatchers, fans of natural history art, and hummingbird lovers everywhere.
RECOMMENDATION: Of the two modern reprints of Gould's Hummingbirds, this one reduces the size of several plates, while the Wellfleet (1990) version keeps the prints their original size. Wellfleet reprints the original text while this one has introductory material from the authors.
9) Lynch, Patrick J.. Yale University Press. Flexibound: 274 pages. Price:
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: This richly illustrated guide introduces readers to the biology
and structure of freshwater ponds, smaller lakes, and associated
wetlands in the eastern United States, and to the natural life that
thrives in and around them—the flora, insects, mammals, amphibians,
reptiles, and fish.
Through photographs, illustrations, and
detailed diagrams, Patrick J. Lynch brings ponds to life in their great
variety, from freshwater marshes and swamps to vernal pools, bogs and
pocosins, and beyond. He explains the natural and environmental history
of these special regions: Why and how have they evolved? Why are they
important to the larger ecological picture? And how are human activity
and climate change defining the present and changing the future of these
precious ecosystems?
Lynch’s guide is concise yet
comprehensive, an indispensable tool for natural history buffs, birders,
anglers, boaters, canoers, hikers, and environmental educators.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a well illustrated overview of the subject.
Princeton University Press. Flexibound: 416 pages. Price:
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: When visitors think of Australia, they expect strange wildlife
such as kangaroos, platypus, koalas, and cassowaries. Yet nothing
prepares people for the otherworldly landscapes of mallee and mulga
woodlands, karri forests, and spinifex and gibber deserts. This
illustrated guide covers every major habitat found on the continent
together with those of New Guinea and the Solomons. Making the
otherworldly understandable, it presents an easy-to-use system for
exploring and enjoying habitats by combining wildlife assemblages with
descriptions of habitat structure, climate, soils, and botany. Packed
with invaluable information, Habitats of Australia, New Guinea, and the Solomons completely redefines how we experience the landscapes and wildlife in this spectacular region of the world.
- Features engaging, fact-filled descriptions of 85 major habitats
- Combines all state vegetation and ecosystem mapping from the region to provide completely original, up-to-date habitat maps
- Blends vibrant climate graphs and silhouettes with more than 350 stunning photos, illustrating the relationships between landscapes and their wildlife
- Formatted like a field guide for easy reference, accessible to nonacademics, and essential for working ecologists, botanists, and conservationists
- An ideal travel companion for birders, naturalists, and wildlife enthusiasts
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