New Title

1) Cabot, David and Ian Nisbet. Terns. 2013. Collins. Paperback: 461 pages. Price: £35.00 / $50.00 U.S..

SUMMARY: This New Naturalist volume provides a much-anticipated overview of these fascinating birds – the first book on the natural history of British and Irish terns since 1934.
     Terns are small seabirds that are commonly seen along coastlines and estuaries in the summer months – their graceful flight and command of the air are among their most attractive features.
     Most of the five species of terns breeding in Britain and Ireland today are under intensive management, involving protection from predators, human interference, egg-collecting, recreational activities, land-use changes, and a range of issues concerning climate change, including rising sea levels and flooding of low-lying colonies. If these protective measures were abandoned then the numbers of terns would inevitably decline, with the possibility of several species ending up on the endangered list. Covering the history of terns in Britain and Ireland, David Cabot and Ian Nisbet explore these diverse issues as well as offering a comprehensive natural history of these stunning seabirds.
     Drawing on a wealth of new information and research, the authors focus on migrations, food and feeding ecology as well as breeding biology and behaviour. Perhaps most importantly, they highlight recent conservation issues and prospects, and what this means for the future of terns.
RECOMMENDATION: A MUST have for those with an interest in terns or for those that collect the New Naturalist series.

Featured Title

1) Dodd, C. Kenneth, Jr.. Frogs of the United States and Canada. 2013. Johns Hopkins University Press. Hardbound: 2 volume set: 982 pages. Price: $180.00 U.S.

SUMMARY: With many frog populations declining or disappearing and developmental malformations and disease afflicting others, scientists, conservationists, and concerned citizens need up-to-date, accurate information. Frogs of the United States and Canada is a comprehensive resource for those trying to protect amphibians as well as for researchers and wildlife managers who study biodiversity. From acrobatic tree frogs to terrestrial toads, C. Kenneth Dodd Jr. offers an unparalleled synthesis of the biology, behavior, and conservation of frogs in North America.
     This two-volume, fully referenced resource provides color photographs and range maps for 106 native and nonindigenous species and includes detailed information on
- past and present distribution
- life history and demography
- reproduction and diet
- landscape ecology and evolution
- diseases, parasites, and threats from toxic substances
- conservation and management

RECOMMENDATION: A MUST have for those with an interest in the frogs of the region!

New Title

1) Plater, Zygmunt J.B.. The Snail Darter and the Dam: How Pork-Barrel Politics Endangered a Little Fish and Killed a River. 2013. Yale University Press. Hardbound: 369 pages. Price: $32.50 U.S.

SUMMARY: Even today, thirty years after the legal battles to save the endangered snail darter, the little fish that blocked completion of a TVA dam is still invoked as an icon of leftist extremism and governmental foolishness. In this eye-opening book, the lawyer who with his students fought and won the Supreme Court case—known officially as Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill—tells the hidden story behind one of the nation’s most significant environmental law battles.
     The realities of the darter’s case, Plater asserts, have been consistently mischaracterized in politics and the media. This book offers a detailed account of the six-year crusade against a pork-barrel project that made no economic sense and was flawed from the start. In reality TVA’s project was designed for recreation and real estate development. And at the heart of the little group fighting the project in the courts and Congress were family farmers trying to save their homes and farms, most of which were to be resold in a corporate land development scheme. Plater’s gripping tale of citizens navigating the tangled corridors of national power stimulates important questions about our nation’s governance, and at last sets the snail darter’s record straight.
RECOMMENDATION: For those with an interest in American environmental history.

The Weekly Birdbooker Report

                                      Photo copyright: Joe Fuhrman

My WEEKLY Birdbooker Report can be found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/grrlscientist/2013/jun/16/1

New Title

1) Felt, Hali. Soundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor. 2013. Picador. Paperback: 340 pages. Price: $18.00 U.S.

SUMMARY: Before Marie Tharp’s groundbreaking work in the 1950s, the ocean floor was a mystery—then, as now, we knew less about the bottom of the sea than we did about outer space. In a time when women were held back by the casually sexist atmosphere of mid-twentieth-century academia—a time when trained geologists and scientists like Tharp were routinely relegated to the role of secretary or assistant—Tharp’s work would completely change the world’s understanding of our planet’s evolution. By transforming dry data into beautifully detailed maps that laid the groundwork for proving the then controversial theory of continental drift, Tharp, along with her lifelong partner in science, Bruce Heezen, upended scientific consensus and ushered in a new era in geology and oceanography.
RECOMMENDATION: For those with an interest in the role women played in the history of science.

Featured Title

1) Witton, Mark P.. Pterosaurs: Natural History, Evolution, Anatomy. 2013. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 291 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S./ £24.95.

SUMMARY: For 150 million years, the skies didn't belong to birds--they belonged to the pterosaurs. These flying reptiles, which include the pterodactyls, shared the world with the nonavian dinosaurs until their extinction 65 million years ago. Some pterosaurs, such as the giant azhdarchids, were the largest flying animals of all time, with wingspans exceeding thirty feet and standing heights comparable to modern giraffes. This richly illustrated book takes an unprecedented look at these astonishing creatures, presenting the latest findings on their anatomy, ecology, and extinction.
     Pterosaurs features some 200 stunning illustrations, including original paintings by Mark Witton and photos of rarely seen fossils. After decades of mystery, paleontologists have finally begun to understand how pterosaurs are related to other reptiles, how they functioned as living animals, and, despite dwarfing all other flying animals, how they managed to become airborne. Here you can explore the fossil evidence of pterosaur behavior and ecology, learn about the skeletal and soft-tissue anatomy of pterosaurs, and consider the newest theories about their cryptic origins. This one-of-a-kind book covers the discovery history, paleobiogeography, anatomy, and behaviors of more than 130 species of pterosaur, and also discusses their demise at the end of the Mesozoic.
     This book features:
*The most comprehensive book on pterosaurs ever published
*Features some 200 illustrations, including original paintings by the author
*Covers every known species and major group of pterosaurs
*Describes pterosaur anatomy, ecology, behaviors, diversity, and more
*Encourages further study with 500 references to primary pterosaur literature
RECOMMENDATION: A MUST have for those with an interest in Pterosaurs!

New Title

1) Cannings, Russell and Richard Cannings. Birdfinding in British Columbia. 2013. Greystone Books. Paperback: 466 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S.

SUMMARY: Veteran naturalist and birdfinder Richard Cannings and his son, Russell Cannings, a gifted birder in his own right, use their combined knowledge and expertise to guide readers to the best birding sites in the province. Packed with descriptions of the natural history, ecosystems, and diverse landscapes of British Columbia and accompanied by numerous maps, this thorough guide is enhanced by Donald Gunn's charming line drawings and the authors' infectious~enthusiasm, making it a must-have for novice and expert birders alike.
RECOMMENDATION: A MUST have for those birding the province.