The Weekly Birdbooker Report

                                        Photo copyright: Joe Fuhrman
                                                                              
My WEEKLY Birdbooker Report can be found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/grrlscientist/2012/jan/29/1

Forthcoming Title

                                                                              
Just learned about this forthcoming title: The Unfeathered Bird by Katrina van Grouw (formerly Katrina Cook). It's due out Fall/Autumn 2012 (Princeton University Press).
      From the author's website: A collection of over 300 fine anatomical drawings reflecting the diversity of bird forms. The skull of a Shoebill, skeleton of a Hoatzin, and the remarkable coiled windpipe of Birds of Paradise are just a few of the exotic gems to be found amongst more familiar birds; but birds as you’ve never seen them before. The majority of these drawings represent birds in living postures: flying, sleeping, feeding and displaying. As well as a representative selection from the 10,000 or so wild species, the book also covers domestic variations achieved by selective breeding, including many of the pigeon varieties kept by Charles Darwin which were so important to his theory of Natural Selection.

     The book is arranged according to an 18th Century taxonomy based around simple anatomical features, and has something of the classical flavour of the illustrated natural history works of the past. Its impact is primarily visual, and the concise, accompanying texts are aimed at the layman and free from scientific jargon.

More artwork from this fortthcoming book can be found here: http://www.unfeatheredbird.com/theunfeatheredbird/theunfeatheredbird-gallery.html                                                                                 

FEATURED TITLE

                                                                              
1) Hume, Julian P. and Michael Walters. Extinct Birds. 2011. T & A D Poyser. Hardbound: 544 pages. Price: 50.00 GBP (about $78.46 U.S.).

SUMMARY: This is the first comprehensive review of the hundreds of bird species and subspecies that have become extinct over the last 1,000 years of habitat degradation, over-hunting and rat introduction. Covering both familiar icons of extinction as well as more obscure birds, some known from just one specimen or from traveller's tales, the book also looks at hundreds of species from the subfossil record – birds that disappeared without ever being recorded. Julian Hume and Michael Walters recreate these lost birds in stunning detail, bringing together an up to date review of the literature for every species. From Great Auks, Carolina Parakeets and Dodos to the amazing yet completely vanished bird radiations of Hawaii and New Zealand, via rafts of extinctions in the Pacific and elsewhere, this book is both a sumptuous reference and an amazing testament to humanity's impact on birds.
     A direct replacement for Greenway's seminal 1958 title Extinct and Vanishing Birds, this book will be the standard reference on the subject for generations to come.
RECOMMENDATION: A must have for anyone with an interest in bird conservation, especially for those with an interest in what we have already lost! For my U.S.A. readers, Hume's Lost Land of the Dodo has been remaindered and is available at http://www.hamiltonbook.com/ for $9.95 (plus shipping)!

                                                  Buteo Books Link

New Title

                                                                              
1) Tyler, Michael J. and Frank Knight. Field Guide to the Frogs of Australia (revised edition). 2011. CSIRO Publishing. Flexibound: 188 pages. Price: $55.00 U.S.

SUMMARY: Throughout much of the world, frog populations are declining and some species are disappearing totally. In Australia, several species have become extinct in the past 25 years.
     This revised and updated guide provides concise accounts of all the known frogs of Australia. There are 230 species within the five native frog families: Hylidae, Limnodynastidae, Microhylidae, Myobatrachidae and Ranidae. Also included are the introduced Cane Toad and nine ‘stowaway’ species that have arrived in Australia.
     The text for each species includes details of size, status, distribution, habitat, behaviour and advertisement call. Each species is accompanied by a map of Australia showing its known distribution, and a full-colour painted illustration. Closely related frogs are shown in identical poses so that comparisons can be made readily. The introductory section of the book covers frog biology and habitats and includes notes on families and genera.
RECOMMENDATION: Frank Knight's artwork highlights this book! This title is a must have for those with an interest in the frogs of Australia.

New Pitcher Plant Titles

1 and 2) McPherson, Stewart et al.. Sarraceniaceae of North America and South America (2 volumes). 2011. Redfern Natural History Productions. Hardbound: 810 and 566 pages respectively. Price: 34.99 GBP per volume (about $54.45 U.S. plus shipping).

SUMMARY: Complete with up-to-date conservation assessments, distribution maps and accounts of the diversity, wild ecology and habitats of all species, these monographs are a major and definitive taxonomic revision of all three genera of true pitcher plants of the New World.
     Visually beautiful and comprehensive, these books will appeal to both general readers and specialists who are interested in the natural history, diversity, ecology and relationships of Darlingtonia, Heliamphora and Sarracenia.
RECOMMENDATION: A must have for those with an interest in New World pitcher plants! The books can be ordered through NHBS , Redfern or Amazon.com (see links below).

The Weekly Birdbooker Report

                                       Photo copyright: Joe Fuhrman
                                                                              
My WEEKLY Birdbooker Report can be found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/grrlscientist/2012/jan/22/1

Sibley 2014

                                The NEW small rails plates from the Sibley 2nd edition.




Found this at amazon.com: Due out March 11, 2014.
      A best seller for more than a dozen years, and now: the completely revised and updated second edition of the most comprehensive, widely acclaimed bird guide available.

Among the revisions that have been made for this second edition:
 
All illustrations are approximately 15%-20% larger than they appeared in the first edition.

Every image from the first edition has been re-digitized from the original art.

600 new paintings: including illustrations of 85 rare species and additional aspects of the species included in the original edition.

Two-thirds (4,356) of all original art has been revised, providing improved detail, and reflecting new physical and behavioral information.

Expanded text includes conservation status, habitat, and tips on finding species in the field.

More than 600 updated new maps.

Elegant overall new design.

FYI: the page count has increased from 544 to 624.




David Sibley has been working on a revised edition of his bird guide. It's due out in 2014. Here's are sample plates:

                                    Warblers, Thrashers and Tanagers 

                                                      Gulls: 50 Shades of Grey!

                                     Cuban Pewee and Tufted Flycatcher
  

                                        Steller's Jay subspecies
 

  Adding subspecies of Eastern Bluebird, Rose-throated Becard, and Fork-tailed Flycatcher.                                                                                  

David writes: On the drawing board today... Puffins, auklets and murrelets flying away - as they are so often seen from boats. These will be added to the revised bird guide alongside the other images of each species in flight.

                                  David touching up his small dove plates.

On the drawing board yesterday: The very distinctive Queen Charlotte Islands subspecies of the Northern Saw-whet Owl, which was not included in the first edition of the Sibley Guide, but will be in the second!


To see the artwork in progress, click here