New Title

                                                 
1) Tipton, Bob L. et al.. Texas Amphibians: A Field Guide. 2012. University of Texas Press. Flexicover: 309 pages. Price: $24.95 U.S.

SUMMARY: With a wide variety of habitats ranging from southeastern swamps to western deserts, Texas is home to numerous species of frogs, toads, and salamanders. Each area of Texas has a particular set of species that has evolved there over thousands of years. Indeed, most amphibians are not very mobile, and many live their entire lives within a few square meters. This makes them particularly vulnerable to environmental degradation and habitat destruction.
     Texas Amphibians is the only field guide focused exclusively on the state’s frogs, toads, and salamanders. It presents brief, general accounts of the two orders and fifteen families. Then it identifies each of the seventy-two species in detail, including size, description, voice (if applicable), similar species, distribution (with maps), natural history, reproduction, subspecies (if applicable), and comments and conservation information. Color photographs illustrate the species.
     The book also includes a general introduction to amphibian natural history, conservation, observation and collection, maintenance in captivity, museum and preserved specimens, and scientific and common names, as well as scientific keys to Texas salamanders and frogs and a generic key to amphibian larvae. This wealth of information, compiled by a team of experts who collectively have over a century of experience in field herpetology, will increase our appreciation for amphibians and the vital role they play as an early indicator of threats to the quality of the environment that we all share.
RECOMMENDATION: A must have for those with an interest in Texan amphibians.

The Weekly Birdbooker Report

                                 Photo copyright: Joe Fuhrman

                                            
My WEEKLY Birdbooker Report can be found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/grrlscientist/2012/aug/12/9

New Titles

                                                 
1) Oddie, Bill. Bill Oddie's Birds of Britain & Ireland (Second Edition). 2012. New Holland. Paperback: 240 pages. Price: GBP 12.99 (about $20.38 U.S.).

SUMMARY: Individual descriptions of 250 species of British and Irish birds, arranged in taxonomic order. Concise details on appearance, song, habitat, breeding and behaviour are given and each species is illustrated with specially commissioned artworks showing differences of sex, age, season and breeding plumage. Includes a unique "confusion species" feature, to compare and contrast birds.
RECOMMENDATION: A well illustrated introduction to the birds of the region!

                                                 
2) Paterson, Andy. Pelagic Birds of the North Atlantic: An Identification Guide. 2012. New Holland. Spiralbound paperback: 32 pages. Price: GBP 9.99 (about $15.67 U.S.).
SUMMARY: Pelagic birding is an increasingly popular pastime in both Europe and North America, with ever greater numbers of people taking boat trips offshore to see birds such as the various species of petrels, skuas and shearwaters. This innovative new guide, printed on waterproof paper to withstand the rigours of oceanic trips, gives annotated illustrations (black & white line drawings) of every plumage of every pelagic species, including vagrants, which could be encountered in the North Atlantic, from the Caribbean and Cape Verde Islands right up to the Arctic. In total 56 species are covered, from albatrosses right through to phalaropes.
     A prototype illustration sheet of the book, prepared by Andy Paterson, received high praise from a world expert on seabirds, Hadoram Shirihai, who saw it in action off the coast of Madeira. He declaimed how useful such a simple, waterproof guide would be if it were to be widely available. In short, this is a must-have guide for serious birders on both sides of the Atlantic.
RECOMMENDATION: Pelagic birders should find this waterproof guide useful.

New Title

                                                 
1) Apps, Peter. Smithers' Mammals of Southern Africa: A field guide (fourth edition). 2012. Struik Nature. Paperback: 392 pages. Price: $31.00 U.S.

SUMMARY: This revised and updated edition incorporates the latest information brought to light by molecular genetics, while remaining accessible to the layperson and handy in the field. Each entry includes an in-depth species description; notes on habitat, behavior, diet and conservation status; accurate illustrations and spoor drawings; and a distribution map. The book also details the whales, dolphins and seals seen along the coast.
     A classic,comprehensive and highly authoritative field guide that is quite reader-friendly, written in non-technical language.
RECOMMENDATION: The page count has increased from 364 (third edition) to 392 pages (this edition). If you have an interest in South African mammals, you'll want this book!

The Weekly Birdbooker Report

                                      Photo copyright: Joe Fuhrman

My WEEKLY Birdbooker Report can be found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/grrlscientist/2012/aug/05/1

New Title

                                                 
1) Stebbins, Robert C. and Samuel M. McGinnis. Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California: Revised Edition. 2012. University of California Press. Paperback: 538 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S.

SUMMARY: This user-friendly guide is the only complete resource that identifies and describes all the amphibians and reptiles—salamanders, frogs and toads, lizards, snakes, and tortoises and turtles—that live in California. The species are described in richly detailed accounts that include range maps, lifelike color paintings by Robert C. Stebbins, clear drawings of various life stages including eggs, notes on natural history, and conservation status. Easy-to-use keys for every order help identify species, and informative chapters cover more general topics including evolution, habitat loss, and photography. Throughout, anecdotes and observations reveal new insights into the lives of California’s abundant but often hidden amphibians and reptiles.
RECOMMENDATION: A must have for those with an interest in the herpetofauna of California!

New Title

                                                 
1) Williams, Tony D.. Physiological Adaptations for Breeding in Birds. 2012. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 368 pages. Price: $69.50 U.S.

SUMMARY: Physiological Adaptations for Breeding in Birds is the most current and comprehensive account of research on avian reproduction. It develops two unique themes: the consideration of female avian reproductive physiology and ecology, and an emphasis on individual variation in life-history traits. Tony Williams investigates the physiological, metabolic, energetic, and hormonal mechanisms that underpin individual variation in the key female-specific reproductive traits and the trade-offs between these traits that determine variation in fitness. The core of the book deals with the avian reproductive cycle, from seasonal gonadal development, through egg laying and incubation, to chick rearing. Reproduction is considered in the context of the annual cycle and through an individual's entire life history.
     The book focuses on timing of breeding, clutch size, egg size and egg quality, and parental care. It also provides a primer on female reproductive physiology and considers trade-offs and carryover effects between reproduction and other life-history stages. In each chapter, Williams describes individual variation in the trait of interest and the evolutionary context for trait variation. He argues that there is only a rudimentary, and in some cases nonexistent, understanding of the physiological mechanisms that underpin individual variation in the major reproductive life-history traits, and that research efforts should refocus on these key unresolved problems by incorporating detailed physiological studies into existing long-term population studies, generating a new synthesis of physiology, ecology, and evolutionary biology.
RECOMMENDATION: For those with a technical interest in avian breeding biology.