The OceanWanderers Book Shelf

Hawks at a Distance: Identification of Migrant Raptors

2011-03-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

On first shake, the identification of North American birds of prey (hawks, eagles, accipiters and falcons) might not look like too much of a challenge. If you toss in Black and Turkey Vultures which look and migrate in a similar fashion to true hawks, there are only twenty widespread species across the continent, with a handful of less common species restricted to the southern borderland, the tip of Florida or specialized areas such as coastal California and the Grand Canyon. Moreover, some species are highly distinctive, Swallow-tailed Kite being an obvious example.

However, as with many bird groups, things become more complicated the closer you look. One soon discovers that extremely familiar species such as Red-tailed Hawk comprise five discrete populations (Eastern, Western, Harlan's, Fuertes, and Florida), and there is considerable individual variation within each of these populations. Some common species can be darn hard, Cooper's Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk are familiar to every North American birder but are notoriously difficult to identify reliably (and I stress reliably). So 'hawks' represent a deep well for the identification enthusiast and there is a thriving market for innovative texts on field identification.

In 2005, Jerry Liguori published a slim but very informative book called "Hawks from Every Angle: How to identify raptors in flight". This was designed for the enthusiasts who gather at hawk migration sites in the spring and fall to watch passing birds. The new book "Hawks at a distance" is similar in design and content but raises the bar a notch by focusing on identification of the 'core species' when viewed from a greater distance, thereby mimicking the more typical experience of a hawk watch. One of the mantras of skilled bird identification is knowing the common species as well as possible. This is achieved through hours of deliberate study and continuous practice. Expert birders spend just as much time looking carefully at common birds as they do looking at uncommon ones, something that beginning birders often forget.

"Hawks at a distance" considers 28 species, chosen on their likely occurrence at migration watch points across the Continent. Northern Hawk-Owl, Barn Owl, Short-eared Owl and Common Raven are thrown in for good measure because they are occasionally mistaken for accipiters, falcons or small buteos. Each species treatment begins with a beautiful full page 'portrait' photo (no brainer identifications) and then moves to the world of pepper dots on a blue sky. The text describes the species from the perspective of a distant view, discussing shape, the way the wings are held in a glide, wing beat cadence and so on. This is followed by sets of six image of birds in flight and arranged by age or sex. A paragraph length legend explains the take home messages evident in the pictures. One minor criticism is that the locations and dates are not given for any of the photographs. I can't help thinking how much more accessible this information would be in the form of video. Either to walk us through the points or to actually show the different flight styles or the way soaring birds rock from side to side. Style of movement is an important aspect to identification that is difficult to communicate and is absorbed by real world experience.

At the rear of the book we find an extensive collection of gray scale images showing multiple views (46 or so) of each species in near silhouette. These remind me of the outlines of small Eurasian eagles that I traced from books as a kid, hoping to one day see these species for real at an exotic watch point or mountain range in the Mediterranean or Asia Minor. I stuck the tracings to the ceiling above my bed hoping to soak the slight differences in shape every time I opened my eyes. Liguori's montages are a very useful reminder of the visual challenges that North American birds of prey pose. Remember what I said about Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks? Just looking at the panels of these two species arranged on opposing pages (172-173) sends a shiver down my spine. The eye eventually notices the differences but they are subtle, not evident at every angle and difficult to capture in words. I'd be interested to know if these montages show many different individuals or are generated from runs of shots taken in sequence. Regardless, an aspiring hawkwatcher would do well to spend some time in the pre-season carefully working over these powerful images to get their eye in.

The book begins with a quirky but thoughtful forward by Pete Dunne who considers the progress in North American field guides from the stand point of viewing and identifying birds from ever increasing distances. It is probably intuitive to most birders that shape and posture become increasingly important as birds get further but Dunne makes the valuable point that plumage details also transform, spots becoming lines, streaking becoming dark patches and so on. This is something that David Sibley incorporated into his field guide paintings.

We are certain moving into a new phase of North American birding, with greater emphasis on understanding and applying gestault identification criteria rather than relying on details that can only be seen at close range. There are plenty of other bird groups that could do with a similar treatment, waterfowl being an obvious example. More of this when I discuss 'The Crossley ID Guide' in a future posting.

'Hawks at a distance' is a neat little book and valuable reference.

Title: Hawks at a Distance: Identification of Migrant Raptors
Author: Jerry Liguori
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication date: 2011
Dimensions: 216 pp., 6 x 8 1/2 inches
Artwork: 558 color photos, 896 halftone photos, 2 tables.
List Price: US$19.95 (paper)
ISBN13: 978-0-691-13559-5

Helping the people of Haiti through birds

2010-06-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

The authors of The Birds of the Dominican Republic and Haiti (2006 Princeton University Press) have collaborated with Green Mountain Digital to create an iPhone app that combines artwork from the field guide and recordings from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Macaulay Library. Some 58 species are featured.

The Birds of Haiti and the Dominican Republic app costs US$9.99 and is available from the iTunes Store. Importantly, all proceeds from sales will be donated to Habitat for Humanity and Partners in Health to support the continued disaster relief efforts in Haiti.

Birds of Europe: Second Edition

2010-04-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

The wait is over! The much anticipated and much delayed 2nd edition of the Birds of Europe is finally out. Known to many as the 'Collins Bird Guide' but published in North America by Princeton University Press as the more fitting 'Birds of Europe', this is handy-sized book sets the bar for field guides, both in terms of the superb illustrations and phenomenal amount of information packed within its covers.

When rumors of a new edition first began to circulate, I naively assumed that it would amount to little more than a reprinting with some minor corrections to the maps and so forth. After all, how could such a superlative guide be improved? Glancing through the new edition the changes aren't immediately obvious but there are changes, many changes.

The first edition was published in 1999 after a difficult, decade-long gestation but was immediately and justifiably heralded as one of the most impressive bird books ever produced. Since then it has been published in no less than 13 languages and sold more than 700,000 copies - a 'Da Vinci Code' in bird book terms. So why the new edition? As Killian Mullarney explained in a perspective published in the March 2010 issue of Birdwatch magazine, "Gratifying as it was to receive such a positive reaction, as one of the authors I was acutely aware of where many weaknesses lay and the huge potential for making it better....now that people were actually using the book in the field, the list of things in need of attention grew longer and longer". Almost by definition guide books are works in progress and should evolve and I am no fan of the reissues of the Peterson Field Guides for this very reason.

So what cries out for updating in the Birds of Europe? Naturally some of the plates needed improving but according to Mullarney, the main impetus was to keep pace with (a) changing taxonomy, (b) improved understanding of some ID challenges and (c) the fact that some vagrants have become sufficiently regular in Europe that they now deserve fuller treatment. Case in point, Caspian Gull (Larus cachinnans), which is now much better understood in terms of its field identification and as a consequence appears to range much more widely and more regularly across western Europe than was realized. The new plate which shows 13 versions of the bird is a gem.

As Mullarney recounts, a number of the original taxonomic decisions were not universally accepted and this will be the case with the 2nd edition. Some of the 'upgrades' from subspecies to full species will come as no surprise. Madeiran Firecrest (Regulus madeirensis) for instance gets the promotion, as does Taiga Flycatcher (Ficedula albicilla). Indeed, more than 30 taxa are elevated to full species. Although many were well differentiated subspecies in the first edition and received fairly decent treatments, other new species are less well known. I'd never heard to Maghreb's Wheatear (Oenanthe halophila) but quickly discovered that it was formerly lumped with Mourning Wheatear (O. lugens), a handsome 'pied' wheatear resident in the barren mountainous of North Africa.

For the most part, the new plates are as good as, if not superior to, the original artwork. I have always felt that Mullarney and Zetterstrom have very complementary styles that give the birds a natural but crisp look and accurately portray the shapes and postures. One significant criticism is that many of the new plates are not well integrated into the existing structure. For example, Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) is separated by 14 pages from Greater Scaup (A. marila), the only species you'd really need to compare it to. Depictions of Common/Black Scoters (Melanitta nigra/americana) and Velvet/White-winged Scoters (M. fusca/deglandi) are similarly partitioned. As Mullarney explains in the Birdwatch article, this unfortunate arrangement came about because of limited communication and cooperation between the authors/illustrators (a candid admission) and other production issues. I'm sure nobody associated with the project is happy with the outcome but the flaw is not fatal and certainly better than no 2nd edition at all.

As a birder, I prefer to see birds set against their natural habitats and have a weak spot for the artful vignettes included in many of the plates. The new paintings of Laurel Pigeon (Columba junoniae), an endemic to the montane forests of several of the Canary Islands is particularly successful in this regard and the original Caucasian and Caspian Snowcocks set majestically on snowy mountain ridges are still as good as ever.

To sum up: I strongly recommend this guide to anyone with more than a passing interest in birds. Even if you don't have plans to bird in the area of coverage (Europe, North Africa or the Middle East), the guide has much to offer. North American birders will find plenty of familiar species as well as valuable information on regular vagrants. I also recommend the guide to all as an example of what a field guide should be like.

Now we begin the wait for the release of the large format edition!

Title: Birds of Europe: Second Edition
Text and Maps by Lars Svensson
Illustrations and Captions by Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterström
Publication date: 2010
North American Publisher: Princeton University Press
Dimensions: 416 pages, 5 x 7, 3,500+ color illus., 848 maps
Retail Price: US$29.95

The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State

2008-12-02T12:01:00.000-08:00

"Thump!" That was the sound made by the new 'Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State' when it arrived in the post this morning. Edited by Kevin McGowan and Kimberley Corwin, the book summarizes the findings of the second installment of the New York State Breeding Bird Atlas Project that began in 2000. The first iteration, "The Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State" edited by Robert F. Andrle and Janet R. Carroll, was published in 1988 and summarized field work conducted between 1980 and 1985.

At 696 pages, the book is much heftier and more solidly produced than I was expecting. The cover has a gorgeous painting of a Merlin by artist John Perry Baumlin. The 2nd Atlas project coordinate by a steering committee chaired by Valerie Freer, marshalled more than a thousand volunteers who conducted summer-time surveys in more than five thousand 'atlas blocks' that covered most of the state. Each breeding or likely-breeding species - 244 species in all - has a map summarizing the data from the 2nd atlas project (2000-2005) and a often a second map documenting the perceived changes in the new data compared to the 1st project (1980-1985). The editors and a team of regional experts have written essays discussing the status of each species. Additional chapters describe the methodology, overall results, habitats, land use, conservation, history of New York birding and ornithology. Appendixes cover the rare breeders as well as an updated table of the seasonal timing of breeding.

Details
Title: The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State
Authors: Kevin J. McGowan and Kimberly Corwin
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Publicaton Date: December 2008
696 pages, 8 1/2 x 11, Full color throughout: 25 paintings, 245 halftones, 258 tables, 164 charts/graphs, 512 maps.
ISBN: 9780801447167
Retail Price: US$59.95

Rare Birds Yearbook 2009 - News hot from the conservation frontline

2008-11-21T14:04:00.001-08:00

The second volume of this innovative and 'must have' annual publication has just been released. The brainchild of Erik Hirschfeld, £4 of each book sold goes to bird conservation.

To order your copy, visit the Rare Birds Yearbook web site.

The meat of the book is an overview of the current status of the 190 bird species rated as 'Critically Endangered'. There are 130 new photographs and a collection of essays including a feature on the successful reintroduction programs for California Condor.

The fortunes of the World's rarest birds have been mixed to say the least. Click here for a summary of status changes. Eight species have been upgraded to 'Critically Endangered' on the IUCN Red List scale, one step below the dreaded 'Ex' ratings.
These are:
Tristan Albatross (Diomedea dabbenena)
Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus)
Tachira Antpitta (Grallaria chthonia)
Reunion Cuckooshrike Coracina newtoni)
Mariana Crow (Corvus kubaryi)
Floreana Mockingbird (Nesomimus trifasciatus)
Akekee (Loxops caeruleirostris)
Gough Bunting (Rowettia goughensis)

A glimmer of hope is the fact that 6 species have been downgraded from 'Critically Endangered':

Gorgeted Wood-quail (Odontophorus strophium) [now only 'Endangered']
Marquesan Imperial Pigeon (Ducula galeata) [now only 'Endangered']
Purple-backed Sunbeam (Aglaeactis aliciae) [now only 'Endangered']
Gurney’s Pitta (Pitta gurneyi) [now only 'Endangered']
Rondonia Bushbird (Clytoctantes atrogularis) [now only 'Vulnerable']
Somali Thrush (Turdus ludoviciae) [now only 'Vulnerable']

Details
Title: Rare Birds Yearbook 2009
Author: Erik Hirschfeld
Publisher: MagDig Media Ltd.
Publication date: 14 November 2008
Softcover, numerous color photographs & diagrams, 276pgs.
ISBN 978-0-9552607-5-9
Retail price: £18.95 (UK)
Contact: editor@rarebirdsyearbook.com
www.rarebirdsyearbook.com

Albatrosses (Australian Natural History Series)

2008-10-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

This slim but eminently readable paperback by zoologist Terence Lindsey offers an excellent introduction to the beautiful but in many way utterly mysterious world of the albatrosses. There is thoughtful discussion of adaptations that allow albatrosses to thrive in the seemingly inhospitable Southern Ocean and the challenges that face researchers and conservationists. Lindsey discusses the fluctuating taxonomy - 13 species becoming 24 almost overnight - balancing the pros and cons of this deliberate move.

Lindsey is well-known in Australia for his numerous writings on natural history and the TV programs he has written/directed. His style is personable and on occasion, amusingly quirky. In reviewing the difficulties of studying albatross feeding habits Lindsey describes early study methods as follows: "All you need is a bucket, something to serve as a sorting tray and a can of cat food. You visit a chick on its nest, wait for the parent to return and feed it, upend the chick over the bucket and induce it to disgorge, feed it the contents of the can (to compensate for the lost meal), tip the bucket into the sorting tray, and start sifting through the mess trying to find something identifiable."

Although the book is aimed at the general reader rather than professional ornithologist, it is pleasing to see that almost 18 pages are given to a comprehensive list of source material, mainly articles in the primary research literature.

Other volumes in this extensive series on Australian wildlife include: Bowerbirds (Rowland), Wedge-tailed Eagle (Olson), Kookaburra (Legge), Tree-kangaroos (Martin), Gliders (Lindenmayer), Echidna (Augee), Great Whales (Bannister), Australian native mice and rats (Breed & Ford), Cockatoos (Cameron), Bettongs, Potoroos and the Musky rat-kangaroo (Claridge), Kangaroos (Dawson), Platypus (Grant), Flying Foxes (Hall and Richards), Seasnakes (Heatwole), Mallee fowl, Brush turkeys and Scrubfowl (Jones & Goth), Australian Magpie (Kaplan), Tawny Frogmouth (Kaplan) and more.

Details
Title: Albatrosses (Australian Natural History Series)
Author: Terence Lindsey
Publication Date: June 2008
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Victoria, Australia.
ISBN-13: 9780643094215
Paperback, 139 pages, 24 x 17 cm, numerous color and black-and-white photographs, line diagrams.
Retail Price: AU $39.95

Albatross: Their world, their ways

2008-08-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

Albatrosses take a hold of the imagination like few other birds. Superbly adapted to life on the open sea, they have been gliding effortlessly across the world's oceans for tens of thousands of years. Even after years of study and admiration, they remain mysterious inhabitants of a world that is distinctly alien to humans.

Unfortunately, the future is not looking too good for albatrosses in general. They are in trouble and not to mince words - humanity is primarily to blame. Nesting sites have been decimated by the feather trade, demands for airstrips and by the reckless introduction of predatory mammals. When cast ashore on Gough, a remote islet in the South Atlantic, a mammal as innocuous as the house mouse can become a monster that literally eats albatross chicks alive (click here for the gory details). At sea, albatrosses are drowned in their thousands by baited lures used to capture fish for our dinner tables or starve to death because their stomachs are packed full of cigarette lighters and other plastic debris carelessly tossed from ships or washed out to sea by rivers. It's ugly and it is serious but there is still hope.

The world is finally waking up to the scale and speed of the incipient calamity. Hundreds of researchers, conservationists, fishermen and plain everyday people are taking up the cause, modern-day 'Knights of the Albatross' if you will. Major conservation groups, backed by legions of supporters, are putting pressure on governments to formulate and enforce laws that will put a stop the unconscionable slaughter, ingenious methods are being devised to continue profitable fishing practices without adding albatrosses and other seabirds to the daily catch and remote islands are being systematically cleared of introduced mammals or plants that threaten nesting seabirds. There can be a happy ending to the story but it will take work.

Albatrosses by Tui de Roy, Mark Jones and Julian Fitter (2008, Christopher Helm) celebrates the extraordinary lives of albatrosses and ponders their modern predicament. This volume is really three different books pressed between one set of covers. The first 'Spirits of the Oceans Wild' by photographer Tui De Roy is a travelogue, a first person account of her visits to the remote nesting grounds of several different albatross species. The second book, 'Science and Conservation' by Mark Jones is a collection of essays by scientists, conservationists and other important figures that explore the treats and solutions that albatrosses face in the human dominated world. The third book, 'Species Profiles' by Julian Fitter provides a short overview of each species, describing their range, population size and so on in a fairly conventional guide book format. The glue that holds these somewhat unevenly matched books together are the hundred or more photographs by Tui de Roy. Well known for her captivating images of the Galapagos, De Roy has spent months, if not years, visiting remote albatross colonies, predominantly in the Southern Ocean. These are formidable places and her accomplishment is all the more spectacular when you consider that De Roy and her partner Mark Jones sailed to each location aboard the Mahalia, their 43-foot cutter.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely blown away by some of the photographs. The portrait shots are often taken from a low angle with the brightly illuminated bird set against dark brooding clouds. Somehow these seem overly contrived to me. I appreciate the effort to capture the drama of these slightly alien and others may find the images inspiring. Perhaps seeing these photographs in a large format would change my views?

Regardless, I think the authors are let down by the uneven layout the book, especially in the latter sections. Many excellent photographs are reduced to a tiny size and yet float on an unnecssary sea of blank paper. Other photos extend right up to and perhaps beyond of the margins of the page. Some images are simply cropped too tightly, either awkwardly clipping the wing tips off flying birds or creating a very cramped feel to scenes that were anything but cramped. The labels that accompany the photos also suffer from poor design, printed in a weak gray font that gets even weaker on some pages and inexplicably becomes so tiny and so tightly pressed against edge of the photographs in other sections that they could easily be mistaken for essentially unreadable agency credits. BBC Wildlife magazine reproduced a selection of Tui de Roy's photographs in an article about the book and in a side by side comparison the magazine versions of the photos look much better in terms of color and sizing.

A more minor grumble is the choice of not using capitalization to indicate species names. Here 'Wandering albatross' refers to a cluster of species (or populations) and 'wandering albatross' to a single taxa. This is the antithesis of most bird literature which favors capitals to designate species names and I was amused to note that the illustrations in Rosemary Gales section does use the upper case in this way. Again I appreciate that this is probably a production issue and not something the authors necessarily had much control over.

The production shortfalls are an unfortunate digression from the important mission of the book, namely to bring the extraordinary lives and diversity of albatrosses to the forefront of public awareness and to make it clear to the world that these birds are in real trouble and that to large extent, it is our fault. Most of us can only stomach so much doom and gloom and several success stories such as the use of ingenious methods to minimize accidental by-catch or to cajole albatrosses into establishing new nesting colonies provide a welcome breath of fresh air. The phenomenal recovery of the Short-tailed Albatross population, due in large part to innovative work by Hiroshi Hasagawa and colleagues on Torishima, deserves more air play than it gets. Recovery of Short-tailed Albatrosses from the brink of extinction represents a brilliant beacon in the field of bird conservation and there are many lessons that can be adapted to helping other albatrosses and seabirds.

The book was conceived from a need to raise awareness of the continuing plight of albatrosses and the marine environment in general. Brief endoresement from Michael Rands (Birdlife International) and Cristina Mittermeier (International League of Conservation Photographers). His Royal Highness Prince Charles, an active supporter of BirdLife's Save the Albatross Campaign, contributed the foreward and the introduction is by Carl Safina, author of the Eye of the Albatross (2002 Henry Holt & Co.), and a leader in the movement to improve public awareness and conservation of the marine environment.

Details
Title: Albatross: Their world, their ways
Authors: Tui de Roy, Julian Fitter & Mark Jones
Publication Date: 20 Jun 2008
Publisher: Christopher Helm, A & C Black
ISBN-10: 0713688122
ISBN-13: 9780713688122
Hardback, 232 pages. 29.6 x 23.5 cm, 300 color photographs.
Retail Price: £35.00 (UK)

Whose Bird? Common Bird Names and the People They Commemorate

2008-08-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

On a pelagic trip earlier this summer, someone asked me who Cory was, referring to the flock of Cory's Shearwaters Calonectris diomedea that were artfully catching flyingfish as they leaped clear of some hungry tuna below us. Hmmm. I knew that he was an American collector of some kind but had to admit that I wasn't really sure of his connection to these graceful seabirds.

I've always be interested in bird names, wanting to know who birds are named after and why. There are many reasons, and at times this is a topic of controversy. Obviously some names are given as a celebration of the contributions of great naturalists - think of Darwin's Rhea Pterocnemia pennata and Wallace' Bird-of-Paradise Semioptera wallacii to name but two. Similarly, eminent museum curators and explorers are frequently immortalized in the vernacular (common) names or more often, the scientific names of birds. Others are a little less meritorious, honoring spouses, expedition sponsors or their families and so on. The real controversy arises when these names contain imperialistic overtones, examples are Victoria Crowned Pigeon Goura victoria named after Britain's Queen Victoria or the self-explanatory Queen of Bavaria's Conure Aratinga guarouba. There is no evidence that either lady tramped through the steaming tropical forests with a shotgun over their shoulder but perhaps they had some role in enabling the expedition that discovered them. There is a trend in modern times to switch to more descriptive names Darwin's Rhea becomes Lesser Rhea or to adopt local names, especially for endangered species where the support from local people is often so important.

In this handy volume, Beolens and Watkins have systematically tracked down the origins of some 1,400 avian eponyms and provide in alphabetical order brief biographical sketches of the people behind the names. Some entries include a photograph of the individual concerned.

One can explore this remarkably rich topic in more detail by visiting the scholarly works by Barbara and Richard Mearns [Biographies for Birdwatchers: The Lives of Those Commemorated in Western Palearctic Bird Names (Academic Press, 1988), The Bird Collectors (Poyser, 1998) and Audubon to Xantus: The Lives of Those Commemorated in North American Bird Names (Academic Press 1992)].

Details
Title: Whose Bird? Common Bird Names and the People They Commemorate
Authors: Bo Beolens and Michael Watkins
Publication Date: January 2004
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN-10: 030010359x
ISBN-13: 9780300103595
Softcover, 384 pages, 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches, 150 black and white illustrations.
Retail Price: $40.00 (US)

Whales, Dolphins and Seals: A Field Guide to the Marine Mammals of the World.

2008-08-08T18:13:00.000-07:00

I can say without hesitation that this is most comprehensive field guide to marine mammals on the market! A bold claim I know, but I really think it's true. When the National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World was first released, I thought the bar for superlative marine mammal field guides was well and truly set and then along came this slimmer but denser guide from Hadoram Shirihai (better known for his writings on birds) and wildlife artist Brett Jarrett, pushing the bar one notch further and in effect says, 'bring it on'.

The book covers all of the whales, dolphins and porpoises of the world as well as the sirenians (sea cows/manatees), fur seals, sea lions, true seals and walrus. The honorary marine mammals, the Polar Bear and two otters are thrown in for completeness. One hundred and twenty-nine species in all, not counting the well delineated subspecies. The taxonomic treatments a very up-to-date, and I think most people without access the specialist literature will use this as the gold standard. Australian Snubfin Dolphin Orcaella heinsohni gets full species status from Irrawaddy Dolphin Orcella brevirostris, as it deserves. The confusing 'unnamed beaked whales' of other guides get names. Perrin's Beaked Whale Mesoplodon perrini is known only from handful of strandings, the first as recent as 1975, and one or two possible live sightings (there is confusion with Hector's Beaked Whale) and the name honors cetacean expert Bill Perrin of the US National Marine Fisheries Service. Wisely, the Spade-toothed Whale Mesoplodon traversii of the south Pacific and known only from two skulls and a jawbone, is not even illustrated.

The text is dense and in somewhat telegraphic style, summarizes the essential information on appearance, range, basic ecology and identification (separation from similar species, variation and so on). The paints are superb as are the numerous color photos. The vast majority show animals as the might be seen in the wild by surface observers. Depressing images of whalers' catches or beached animals are avoided. As a consequence, there are no photographs of the very secretive Gulf of California Porpoise (Vaquita) Phocoena sinus that sadly is slipping ever closer to the brink of extinction. These tiny porpoises live in murky water around the mouth of the Colorado River at the northern end of the Sea of Cortez and barely shows anything of themselves above the surface of the water. The only photos I've ever seen have been animals caught in fishing nets. With few exceptions, the photographs are of very high quality individually credited at the back of the book. Recently extinct species West Indian Monk Seal Monachus tropicalis and Steller's Sea Cow Hydrodamalis gigas are described and depicted, and one can only hope that their inclusion in the field guide might somehow lead to the rediscovery.

Overall, this is a very well produced book that showcases the marine mammals to great effect. It incorporates many of the devices developed by generations of bird field guides such as pointers, annotated plates, vignettes that summarize relative size and carefully captioned photographs. The information is very up-to-date and laid out in an accessible form. Those wanting to know more about the natural history of these animals can easily look elsewhere. The focus here is in how to accurate identify species under field conditions.

Details
Title: Whales, Dolphins and Seals: A Field Guide to the Marine Mammals of the World
Author: Hadoram Shirihai
Illustrator: Brett Jarrett
Publication Date: 2006
Publisher: A&C Black (UK), Princeton Field Guides (US)
ISBN-10: 0713670371 (UK) or 0691127573 (US)
ISBN-13: 978-0713670370 (UK) or 978-0691127576 (US)
Softcover, 384 pages, 75 colour plates, 22 comparison plates, 470 photos, 100 maps.
Retail Price: £12.99 (UK), $24.95 (US)

The Auks: Alcidae (Bird Families of the World)

2008-08-08T07:20:00.000-07:00

Although now out-of-print, this fascinating account of the biology of the world's auks (or alcids) is part of the authoritative Bird Families of the World series from Oxford University Press. Full of valuable nuggets of information, much coming from years of field research by the authors. The text is rich in useful maps, line drawings and tables of facts and figures. Lewington's color plates are up to his usual high standard and show all of the living species in the majority of plumage states. The discussion of the evolution and radiation of both extant and extinct species of alcids is particularly interesting. The high price and limited treatment of field identification may put off many birders, however, anyone who dips into the book will be surprised at how interesting the auks really are.

Details
Title: The Auks: Alcidae
Authors: Anthony J. Gaston and Ian L. Jones
Illustrator: Ian Lewington
Publication Date: 1998 (UK), 2000 (US)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN-10: 0198540329
ISBN-13: 978-0198540328
Retail Price: Out-of-print. Available from book sellers at ~£70(UK)/~$80(US).

Albatrosses

2008-08-08T07:05:00.000-07:00

This handsome book provides an authoritative overview of albatross biology and touches upon highly relevant topics such as ocean-ography, bathymetry and the unique niche that albatrosses have in human culture. A huge amount of information is beautifully blended with Tickell's many years of experience studying albatross biology in the field. Literally hundreds of diagrams, tables and maps provide the meat for his synthesis and the bibliography of primary references is extensive. All in all, this is a key volume for any student of oceanic birds, their biology and their conservation.

Details
Title: Albatrosses
Author: W. L. N. (Lance) Tickell
Publication Date: 2000
Publisher: Pica Press
ISBN 1-87340394-1
Hardback, 488 pages, hundreds of line drawings, maps, and photographs.
Retail Price:

Hooked: Pirates, Poaching, and the Perfect Fish

2008-08-05T04:56:00.000-07:00

OK, this is not about birds but a topic that should resonate strongly with anyone with an appreciation for marine ecosystems and the Southern Ocean. Author G. Bruce Knecht, a foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, describes a 3-week and four thousand mile long chase by the Australian customs and fisheries patrol vessel Southern Supporter across the stormy Southern Ocean in pursuit of Viarsa-1, a 175-foot longliner registered in Uruguay and loaded with illegally caught fish. Eventually, these modern-day pirates were apprehended and taken into custody, ending a dramatic chase through some of the most unforgiving seas in the southern hemisphere.

Knecht outlines the inspirational marketing that turned the once 'inedible' Patagonian Toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) into the 'Chilean Seabass', arguably the most chic fish served in top-end restaurants in the United States and to a lesser extent in Europe. In 2001, Bon Appetite magazine went as far as to declared the fish, 'Dish of the Year'. With skillful marketing, an appetite for the next culinary new thing and increasing scarcity of other valued species, the price of 'Chilean Seabass' has soared. While diversity in our piscine menu is probably a good thing when it comes to harvesting wild fish populations. Just think of the demise of the North Atlantic Cod, the staple of fish and chips or the extraordinarily wasteful bycatch of Gulf shrimp fisheries. As prices rose, many toothfish stocks quickly vanished and the commercial fishing fleets were forced to exploit more and more remote fishing grounds, such as the Ross Sea in Antarctica and waters around Heard Island in the remote and stormy waters of the southern Indian Ocean, the starting point of this tale.

It is difficult to capture the discomfort of life aboard relatively small ships in big seas. Knecht describes the bone jarring crash that is repeated over and over again as the Southern Supporter climbs one enormous wave and then falls bow-first into the next.

"But the worst part came when the bow plunged into the trough. It felt as if it had literally struck a wall. Earthquake-like shudders moved from the front of the ship back. Cabin walls shifted and bent, creating the impression that the hull was being pressed together like an accordion."

Both the Patagonian Toothfish and its close relative, the Antarctic Toothfish are found in cold waters of the Southern Ocean and like many deepwater fish, they reproduce very slowly. If left alone, toothfish can live for more than 50 years and grow to an impressive 2 meters (6 feet) in length. The are caught by bottom trawling or on long lines, both methods having severe drawbacks. Bottom trawling damages the ocean floor, which again can be slow to recover at such cold ambient temperatures, and careless long-lining may threaten albatrosses, shearwaters and other pelagic seabirds. For these various reasons it is hard to see how the Patagonian Toothfish is suitable for commercial exploitation under any circumstances. There are legal fisheries but surely they will deplete the stock soon enough? The shifting name game continues, and shoppers or restaurant patrons should be mindful of fish labeled as mero, bacalao de profundidad, icefish or black hake. This fascinating fish is not a hake by any stretch nor is it a seabass.

Details
Title: Hooked: Pirates, Poaching, and the Perfect Fish
Author: G. Bruce Knecht
Publisher: Rodale Books
Publication Date: May 2007
ISBN-10: 1594866945
ISBN-13: 978-1594866944
Paperback, 328 pages, black and white photographs
Retail Price: $16.95 (US)

Wild China: Natural Wonders of the World's Most Enigmatic Land

2008-07-31T15:52:00.000-07:00

Squished into my tiny and decidedly uncomfortable seat on a red-eye flight high above the Atlantic, I scrolled aimlessly through the menu of the entertainment unit on the seat back in front of me, looking for something to break the boredom. At first there seemed to be nothing but the usual 'canned laughter' sitcoms and other tame products of Hollywood. But hey, what's this? A picture of a Red Panda and the somewhat cryptic title, 'China'. Giving it a go, I watched 'Heart of the Dragon', the first episode of a new six-part television series called 'Wild China'. Almost immediately, I knew this new documentary was a jewel. In fact, I watched it twice and then again without sound as the strangers in the two seats next to me discovered it for themselves.

The Wild China' series is made by the incomparable BBC Natural History Unit (NHU) based in Bristol, England and shown on BBC 2 in the UK and Travel Channel in the US. Release of the DVD edition in the US coincides with the publication of an accompanying book by Yale University Press, which I will review here.

China is an immense country of extraordinary natural diversity, much of which is poorly know outside the country. Habitats range include high altitude plains, steaming tropical forests, immense wetlands and temperate forests. China is home to 534 species of mammals (1/8 of the world total), 1,300 birds, 2,200 fish and 32,800 plants, many of them quite unfamiliar. Among the strange but fascinating mammals we learn about the exquisite Yunnan (Rhinopithecus [roxellanae] bietii) and Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys (Rhinopithecus [roxellanae] roxellana), White-cheeked Gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys) and of course, the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). An estimated 2,000-3,000 remain in the wild scattered across 29 fragments of suitable habitat in Sichuan (A. m. melanoleuca) and the Qinling Mountains of (A. m. qinlingensis) of Shaanxi Province in central China. Intensive logging and encroaching farmland have put tremendous pressure on the species but new habitat protection measures and successful captive breeding programs offer fresh hope.

We are also introduced to the Takin (Budorcas taxicolor), a formidable ungulate that resemble Musk Ox (Ovibos moschatus) but in actuality more closely related to sheep. These shaggy, golden fleeced herbivores occur along the edges of dense bamboo forests in mountainous regions, moving to alpine meadows in summer. When threatened, Takins have a tendency to attack using their wildebeest-like horns and on encountering one we are advised 'to climb the nearest tree'!

The avifauna of China is extensive and perhaps most notable for 8 species of crane, immense numbers of waterfowl and shorebirds and an unrivaled collection of 54 species of pheasants, monals and tragopans and the like, many of which are spectacular in both appearance and shyness. Often restricted in range and often inhabiting difficult mountainous terrain, the pheasants are of great allure to adventurous birders. Among the many possibilities, large numbers of the gorgeous White-eared Pheasant (Crossoptilon crossoptilon) can be seen at Zhujie Monastery, a day's journey from Kanding in the mountains of Sichuan, where they are fed by the monks or to Xiongse near Lhasa, Tibet, where nuns feed Tibetan-eared Pheasants (C. harmani) each morning. The only error I noticed was in the section describing the intimate relationship between Miao rice farmers and the swallows that nest in their houses, the photo (pg 167) showed a Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) rather than a Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica) as captioned. The 'cormorant fishermen' featured in the cover photograph are an unique and ancient example of humans using the superior hunting skills of waterbirds. This ancient practice can still be seen on the Li River where it survives as a tourist attraction.

Six chapters that make up the core of the book lead us on a journey through the main ecological and cultural regions of China (1. The heartland, 2. North of the Wall, 3. The Tibetan Plateau, 4. Yunnan, 5. The Great Rice Bowl, and 6. Crowded Shores). A useful map is printed on the inside of the front and back covers, showing provinces, large rivers, mountain ranges and major cities. A complex overlay of boxes link sections of the map to the chapters that cover them and these sections are reproduced in a gazetteer at the rear describing places of special natural, landscape or cultural interest, including those used for filming. This section will be useful at the early planning stages of a visit to China, highlighting major nature reserves or historical wonders such as the 2000-year-old terracotta army unearthed by local farmers near Xi'an in Shaanxi Province. I would perhaps have liked a little more on the trials and tribulations of filming the series. Given the incredibly remote locations and harsh climates I imagine there are some great stories and the documentary crews must have encountered many extraordinary people in their travels.

Considerable attention is given to the diverse peoples that make up modern-day China and their impact on the visual environment. We glimpse sections of the Great Wall with their forts and impressive backdrops of snow capped mountains, the modern cities with their skyscrapers and the terraced rice paddies that cling to impossibly steep hillsides. The landscape photography is particularly strong with stunning images of the Swan Lake Nature Reserve near Bayanbulak in Xinjiang Province, the mighty Tsangpo Gorge through which the Yarlung River flows towards India, sometimes as much as 17,657 feet below the gorge rim and of course, the limestone (karst) pinnacles near Guilin in Guangxi Autonomous Region, so characterisitic of chinese watercolor paintings.

It is impossible to think about Chinese wildlife and cultural richness without pondering the enormous environmental problems facing the country, 'a cataclysmic change' no less. Other industrialized countries have been through similar industrial revolutions but not at the same rate or on the same scale. With 1.3 billion people and unprecedented growth, China faces numerous challenges. The book tackles some of these issues head-on with discussion of ruination of the mighty Yangtze River, the migration of hundreds of millions of people from rural areas into cities and proliferation of coal-burning power stations. The tone is guardedly optimistic and one can only hope that greater appreciation of the natural wonders of China outlined in this book and the accompanying television series will help in some small way.

Details
Title: Wild China: Natural Wonders of the World's Most Enigmatic Land.
Authors: Phil Chapman and the BBC Wild China Team.
Publication Date: 5 August 2008.
Publisher: Yale University Press (co-published with BBC Books, an imprint of Ebury Publishing).
ISBN-10: 0300141653
ISBN-13: 978-0-300-14165-8.
Paperback with flaps, 224 pages with 209 color photographs and 8 maps.
Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.5 x 0.7 inches
Retail Price: $29.95 (US)

Petrels Night and Day: A Sound Approach

2008-07-16T13:32:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while there comes a book that breaks the mold, radically changing our expectations of what a good bird book should be. Petrels night and day: A Sound Approach guide is one such book.

PNAD as I shall refer to it henceforth, is part audio-guide, part field-guide, part natural history and part travelogue. In 300-pages, it covers the twenty or so tubenoses (petrels, storm-petrels, fulmars and shearwaters) that nest in the Western Palearctic [WP] faunal region, ostensibly the western North Atlantic and Mediterranean. I hesitate to quote an exact number of species because the authors take an innovative, but well-considered, approach to the taxonomy. Some of the proposed splits rest on firmer foundations than others, but more on this anon.

Written primarily by Magnus Robb with painted plates from his collaborator Killian Mullarney, the book is truly a team effort with further seminal contributions from Arnoud van den Berg and Mark Constantine, co-founders with Robb of a new publishing endeavor and natural sound archive known as The Sound Approach, Réne Pop and several others. A supporting cast of seabird experts and conservationists provide additional input, assistance in the field and the freedom to quote their unpublished findings.

As a bird guide, PNAD defies convention in almost every aspect starting with its 20 x 29 cm landscape format that is more typical of books on fine-art, architecture and such like. The production quality is very high; the book feels wonderfully solid in the hand, with beautiful color reproduction on the many photographs, maps, diagrams and painted plates. The narrative thread follows a quest to explore and understand the tubenoses of the WP region through their vocalizations and other field observations. A whopping 127 separate audio recordings are provided on two compact discs (CDs), the majority collected by Magnus Robb, a musician and sound engineer by training. The recordings are meant to be listened to as the book is read and are integral to the text. Carefully annotated sonagrams are included and help the uninitiated to pick apart the decidedly unfamiliar noises. I'm not fluent in these depictions of complex sounds and to my naïve eyes, most could as easily depict the Loch Ness monster hovering in the watery depths as the chatters and purrs of a storm-petrel in its rocky crevice. I suppose I can follow the more obvious trends but I’m quite blind to the meaning of the finer structure. Robb’s explanations of the complex traces are wonderfully clear and revealing. Color is used to good effect, for example when multiple birds (males and females) are calling to one-another. Like most birders, I can usually hear the similarities and differences in natural sounds but struggle to remember them, let alone transcribe them. Working through a few of the many recordings, gave me a whole new appreciation for the strange and haunting noises associated with petrel or shearwater colonies.

In spite of the title, the book is much, much more than a guide to vocalizations. It is in truth a sweeping natural history guide covering many aspects of tubenose biology, ornithological history and the pure pleasures of experiencing amazing birds in the wild. Through wonderfully evocative photographs and descriptions, we are transported to some extraordinary places. In the Egadi Islands off Sicily, we follow Arnoud van den Berg and Réne Pop as they swim from a small boat into dank caves used by Mediterranean Storm Petrels (Hydrobates melitensis), following the waft of ‘petrel scent’ to find the birds roosting on slipperly ledges in the semi-darkness. Wow! That sounds like fun. Elsewhere, we are introduced several times to the arid hills and coastlines of the Cape Verde Islands, a fascinating archipelago located several hundred miles off the coast of West Africa, as well as to the greener slopes of the even more remote Azores in the mid-Atlantic.

Killian Mullarney’s eighteen painted plates occupy a full page each, a generous format that does justice to his exceptional artwork. All too often publishers fail to provide sufficient space to showcase outstanding artwork or photographs – not so here. Throughout the plates, there is a strong emphasis on field identification with vignettes showing birds alighted on the water, at their borrows and in flight, often in company of species as they would be in the field. Some of the shearwaters are shown under different lighting conditions to emphasize the effect that direct sunshine or heavily overcast conditions can have of plumage features. Manx Shearwaters (Puffinus puffinus) for instance, can look quite plain faced in very direct sunlight, suggesting one of the Little Shearwater complex. Well-chosen photographs scattered through the text reinforce many of the points illustrated in the plates. The under-appreciated similarities between dark Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus) and Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus) is clearly shown in the plates on pages 138 and 157. The potential for confusion with Short-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris), a Pacific species that has made it to the Gulf of Mexico and perhaps beyond, might also be borne in mind.

While most of the species will be quite familiar to birders on either side of the Atlantic, there are number of subdivisions (splits) that guaranteed to spark healthy discussion. It is no surprise that ‘Little Shearwater’ of old is duly separated into two taxa; Barolo’s Shearwater (Puffinis baroli) nesting across the European sector of Macaronesia and Boyd’s Shearwater (Puffinis boydi) of the Cape Verde Islands. These are really quite different beasts and the dual treatment will be helpful to many birders struggling to keep up with the explosion of new knowledge on the small black-&-white shearwaters. Unfortunately, Audubon’s Shearwater (Puffinis Iherminieri), an abundant breeder in the Caribbean and routine dispersant northwards along the Gulf Stream as far as New England, gets only the briefest of mentions; understandable I suppose, but a fuller treatment would have rounded out the comparisons, increased the appeal of the book to the North American audience and might perhaps lead to sightings in WP waters.

It is gratifying to see that Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel (Oceanodroma monorhis), a recent but well-documented addition to both the WP and North American avifaunas, gets full treatment, including an opportune account of how the first Atlantic bird was discovered through its unfamiliar vocalizations on the Portuguese island of Selvagem Grande in June 1983 by Paul James and Hugh Robertson. This, as it turns out, was not a freak occurrence but one of several birds to be captured over the years on this one island and Swinhoe’s Storm-Petrels have now been found at many other locations in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, with at-sea sightings in the Western Atlantic.

From the pattern of recoveries, there seems a strong likelihood that Swinhoe's are attempting to nest, at least occasionally, on Selvagem Grande, if not elsewhere. By coincidence, during the final stages of the book's preparation, researcher Rafael Matias recaptured the original 1983 bird on 21 August 2007. This celebrated male Swinhoe's must be at least 25 years old and sound recordings and photographs of the resilient ol’ timer are included. Venturing farther afield, I enjoyed the account of visits by Messrs van den Berg and Pop to a sizeable Swinhoe's colony on Chilbaldo, an islet off the coast of South Korea. Robb makes a good case for the need to search large British Storm Petrel colonies, which he argues may be better for Swinhoe's than colonies of large species such as Leach's Storm Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) or Band-rump types (Oceanodroma sp.).

While detailed coverage is focused on breeding species, the most abundant migrants into the region, Great Shearwater (Puffinis gravis), Sooty Shearwater (Puffinis griseus) and Wilson’s Storm Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus) are illustrated and discussed at length. This is not so for three deep-water gadfly petrels that have occurred in the WP, Black-capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata), Bermuda Petrel (Pterodroma cahow) and Trindade Petrel (Pterodroma arminjoniana) which get only the briefest of mentions. This is a pity because of their similarities to other species and strong likelihood of reoccurring in the WP and there are even hopes that Bermuda Petrel may one day nest on the Azores. Perhaps a future edition could incorporate a painting showing the thrilling trio? If Killian feels he lacks sufficient field experience to do them justice, but perhaps the publishers (aka his pals) will summon up the dough to send him to North Carolina for a month or two or better still, to the Atlantic and Caribbean breeding grounds of each of these dynamite gadfly petrels.

Distinctions are drawn between Fea’s Petrel (Pterodroma feae) of the Cape Verde Islands and Desertas Petrel (Pterodroma deserta) of Bugio in the Desertas Group and possibly the Azores to the northwest. As Robb points out, “almost everything we known about the breeding biology of ‘Fea’s Petrel’ actually refers to Desertas Petrel”. The two look very similar but nest in different seasons and also differ in several measurements. There may be subtle differences in plumage coloration as well but like the morphometrics, this will be extremely difficult to apply at sea due to the vagaries of lighting and lack of direct comparison. Currently it is only the appreciably deeper bill of Desertas Petrel (average 12.9 mm compared to 11.9 mm for Fea’s), discernable in good photographs, that inspires hope for pelagic birders. Zino’s Petrel has a shallower and shorter bill and is likely to seem much stubbier (peg-like) than either Fea’s or Desertas. Hopefully, these issues will be resolved soon because a number of experts have made dedicated chumming trips off Madiera this past season and photographed candidate birds. The vocalizations of the three are distinctive and to Robb’s ear there are interesting similarities between Desertas and Bermuda Petrel.

The subdivision of Band-rumped Storm Petrel will spark the most vigorous debate. For more than a decade, scientists and other ‘seabird cognescenti’ have been ruminating over the taxonomy of the pantropical Madeiran/Band-rumped storm petrels and a significant body of genetic and ecological data to support the splits has been accrued. It has been argued that there are upwards of eight distinct populations spread across the Atlantic and Pacific basins worthy of full species status. In PNAD, Band-rumps are split into four species: Grant’s Storm Petrel (no scientific name assigned yet), Monteiro’s Storm Petrel (ditto), Madeiran Storm Petrel (Oceanodroma castro) and Cape Verde Storm Petrel (Oceanodroma jabejabe). Grant’s is a cool season (August-March) breeder of the Azores, Berlengas, Canary Islands, Madeiran archipelago and Selvagens. The name was new to me and was apparently proposed by Steve Howell to honor the late Peter Grant in lieu of a new species of gull. I believe Atlantic Storm Petrel has also been floated. Monteiro’s refers to the hot season (March-September) breeder found on the Azores and appropriately honors the late Luis Monteiro, a seabird biologist and conservationist from the University of Azores. Mark Bolton (A Rocha Field Study Centre, Portugal) and colleagues have submitted a formal scientific description of Monteiro’s Storm Petrel but I don’t know if it has been accepted for publication yet.

Reasoned arguments are made for the occurrence of several of these 'band-rumps' in North American waters during the non-breeding season and this is supported by photos and descriptions of birds taken in US waters that exhibit noticeable plumage and structural differences. Many of the birds studied off North Carolina in the summer (May-August) could be Grant’s but Cape Verde Storm Petrel, a partial cool-season breeder needs to be considered. Obviously there is much work to be done, not only from the waters around the breeding sites but also from the Gulf Stream off the US and in the Gulf of Mexico. Specimens of birds driven inland by tropical storms may be of value in piecing the story together. The cryptic complexity of the Band-rumps will resonate with pelagic veterans, many of whom have struggled to understand differences in jizz that are not easily attributable to molt. The realization that more than one species might be present is exciting and will galvanize future offshore trips.

At this point in the review, I can imagine overworked members of regional or national checklist committees reaching for the aspirin or whiskey bottle. Tempers have flared in the past over the treatment of extralimital sightings of Fea’s Petrels because of the perceived difficulty in ruling out the much rarer Zino’s Petrel. Clearly, the arrival of Desertas Petrel on this tempestuous scene, which is probably even harder to distinguish from Fea’s than Zino’s, will churn the waters further. Identifying the ‘new’ storm petrels will be equally challenging in the field. That said, some of them are decidedly rare and from a conservation standpoint, discovery of their non-breeding ranges through field observations is of paramount importance. Do any occur, I wonder, in the oil and gas fields of the Gulf of Mexico? I believe that Desertas Petrel, Mediterranean Storm Petrel and Cape Verde Storm Petrel have been elevated to full species status by the Dutch DBA/CSNA, but I am not aware of other authorities that have endorsed (or even debated) the splits.

Seabirds very often nest in dramatic and inspiring places, and through the pages of PNAD we are escorted to many remarkable locations around the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. In the opening chapter, we climb up into the jagged 2,000 m (6,562 ft) peaks of Madiera, rocky pinnacles that literally rise above the clouds. Among the crags and rocky slopes surrounding the very highest point, Pico de Areeiro (32.7354°, -16.9289°), some 65-80 pairs of Zino’s Petrels (Pterodroma madeira) – perhaps the entire world population - make their nests. A stunning image of this unworldly and seemingly inhospitable landscape dominates page 14. Zino's Petrels visit on most nights from late March to late August and in spite of the remoteness, local guides are available to take visitors to listen to petrels calling in the darkness. A permit is required (make sure your guide has one) and needless to say, any use of tapes or spotlights is totally inappropriate.

Further on, we are treated to the sensory spectacle of 10,000 pairs of British Storm Petrels (Hydrobates melitensis) nesting alongside the ancient stone stairway of Skellig Michael, off County Kerry, Ireland (51.7706°, -10.5389°) and to the expansive fields of White-faced Storm Petrel (Pelagodroma marina) burrows on Selvagem Pequena (30°, -16°). With such a mouth watering list of places to visit the front cover ought to be stamped with a prominent warning label along the lines of, “Caution! Readers may experience feelings of intense wanderlust. If this occurs, drink plenty of fluids and consult your doctor/travel agent for further advice”. But this of course is the point, get out there and explore some of Europe's most remote places guided by the musky scent and surreal calls of nesting shearwaters and petrels.

A recent seabird book that draws fair comparison to PNAD is Hadoram Shirihai’s The Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife, which combined conventional field guide material (standardized species accounts, plates, range maps and so on) with a superb collection of photographs illustrating the environment as well as the birds and other animals. As with PNAD, Shirihai’s book is further enriched with an abundance of geographical and historical material that most readers find equally fascinating. The writing style of PNAD is more accessible than a typical academic text but is still rich in scholarship. Factual information is backed up by citations that link back to more than 200 references, the majority from the primary scientific literature. Hopefully many readers will be inspired to visit these additional writings as well as travel to see the birds and locations with their own eyes. The final chapter on Swinhoe's Storm Petrel sets out some innovative ideas about the inshore movements of storm-petrels during the hours of darkness and the ecological relationships between different species, offering a call to arms as it were to discover the migration route from the Indian Ocean and perhaps prove that this asiatic petrel is actually reproducing in the Atlantic.

Executive Summary: This remarkable book rolls the notions of a field guide, natural history survey and audio guide into a single volume and enthusiasts of every experience level will find much of value. Those planning monographs of other bird families (or faunal regions) may consider a similar multifaceted approach.

Species Covered: Zino’s Petrel, Fea’s Petrel, Desertas Petrel, Bulwer’s Petrel, Cory’s Shearwater, Scopoli’s Shearwater, Cape Verde Shearwater, Great Shearwater, Barolo's Shearwater, Boyd’s Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, Balearic Shearwater, Yelkouan Shearwater, Northern Fulmar, White-faced Storm Petrel, European Storm Petrel, Mediterranean Storm Petrel, Leach’s Storm Petrel, Grant's Storm Petrel, Monteiro’s Storm Petrel, Madeiran Storm Petrel, Cape Verde Storm Petrel and Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel.

Details
Title: Petrels Night and Day: A Sound Approach Guide.
Authors: Magnus Robb and the Sound Approach
Publisher: The Sound Approach
300 pages, 18 painted plates, numerous color photographs, figs and maps.
2 CDs, 127 recordings.
ISBN-13: 9789081093323
Retail Price: £34.95 (UK)
Also available from the Natural History Bookstore(NHBS).

Albatrosses and petrels across the world.

2008-05-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a book I find myself turning to again and again. Every time I need to look up some salient detail about the tubenoses (albatrosses, shearwaters, petrels, storm-petrels and diving-petrels) this is my first stop.

The book divides into two parts, the first covers basics questions of petrel biology and second presents a systematic survey of all 126 extant species of Procellariformes, distilling huge amounts of information on taxonomy, identification, breeding biology, distribution, and population trends. Species accounts often begin with an interesting paragraph on the discovery or naming of the species, sometimes highlighting taxonomic uncertainties. The book is not intended as a field guide, and consequently, the identification sections are fairly basic with little discussion of appearance at sea, flight style, changes due to wear and so on. Vagrancy is sometimes mentioned but not always and is generally omitted from the range maps.

The author Michael Brooke is an accomplished scientist and lecturer based at Cambridge University's Museum of Zoology and has spent the last thirty years studying petrel ecology and conservation biology. His name is virtually synonymous with the Manx Shearwater, on which he has written an excellent monograph, and he has authored numerous scientific papers on shearwaters and gadfly petrels. These studies that have taken him all over the globe and provided hands-on experience with many of the species described in the book.

Brooke's scholarship is evident throughout. He is not afraid to articulate his own opinions about taxonomy or nomenclature but like a good scientist, his opinion almost always comes with a justification. The chapters on petrel biology are perfused with his driving curiosity. He is not just interested in the facts (how many, where and when), he wants to know WHY petrels do what they do and how this fits into the bigger picture, meaning the ecology of marine environments. Many of these questions seem to have lodged in my brain only to pop out in some unexpected (but usually highly appropriate) circumstance.

Artist John Cox provides 16 color plates illustrating the major plumages and color morphs of all 126 species. The plates are gathered together as a block at the center of the book but fortunately the maps are inserted into the individual species accounts. [Older birders will remember that lumping the maps together away from the text was a troublesome bug in the design of Peter Harrison's ground breaking seabird guides.] Cox's shearwaters, petrels and storm petrels are really very successful, with some of the albatrosses less so. Occasional vignettes showing habitat (e.g. Wedge-rumped Storm Petrels cavorting in daylight over a rocky islet in the Galápagos or the Providence Petrels high above Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea off Australia) are a pleasant addition.

The one NEGATIVE about the book, and unfortunately it is HUGE one, is the astronomical price! Fortunately, you can get copies for significantly less than the hair-raising retail price, but come on OUP, what are you thinking?? Granted these hardback volumes are well constructed and include a series of nice color plates, but so are many books nowadays. I have never understood why every volume (there are 12 or so) of the excellent Bird Families of the World series commands such as steep price and it is a great pity because it keeps these wonderful volumes out of reach of the principal readership.

The bottom line is that for the serious seabird enthusiast, this is a must have. Those with more general interests might want to snap up a discounted (or used) copy if they can find it. Otherwise, you might stick with awesome Handbook of the Birds of the World, volume 1 (del Hoyo et al. Lynx Edicions).

Details
Title: Albatrosses and Petrels Across the World (Bird Families of the World)
Author: Michael Brooke
Publisher: Oxford University Press, Publication Date: 2004.
Hardback, 499 pages, 16 colour plates and numerous line drawings by John Cox, numerous maps.
ISBN 0-19-850125-0
Retail Price: £110.00 (UK), $208.45 (US)

Rare Birds Yearbook 2008 - Timely guide to the 189 Critically Endangered species.

2008-05-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

This gorgeously illustrated volume brings together the latest information on the World's most threatened birds. The Yearbook is edited by Erik Hirschfeld (Malmö, Sweden) and covers the 189 bird species classified by BirdLife International and the IUCN as Critically Endangered meaning that they are considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. It is available from BirdLife International and the Rare Birds Yearbook web site.

The book begins with short essays on timely conservation issues ranging from the thrilling rediscovery of the Madagascar Pochard Aythya innotata to profiles of key field workers involved in recent discoveries of new species and the impact of global warming or ecotourism of rare species and their conservation. The main meat of the book is the directory of Critically Endangered birds most of which are beautifully illustrated with photographs (or in a few cases painted plates). Some of the species are well known but tragically a few have not been seen for certain in some years. The text discusses the current population, threats and conservation plans (actual and recommended). A table of significant dates (collection of type specimen, formal scientific description, discovery of nesting sites, major census efforts etc) is useful. The third section of the book consists of appendices, such as a list of last sightings, and countries that host endangered species.

There are plans for the book to be updated annually (in softback) and £4 (i.e. $USD8, €5 or ¥852) of the sale price on each book is plowed back into BirdLife International conservation projects. Publication of Rare Birds Yearbook 2009 is scheduled for October 2008. This will be an attractive series to collect and will provide readers with a convenient annual overview of the noble and truly global efforts to protect the rarest of the rare.

Even if you never crack the book open, one would do well to buy a copy just to acknowledge your, support and appreciation for the dedicated efforts of bird conservationists in hundreds of countries around the world.

Details
Rare Birds Yearbook: the world's 189 most threatened birds
Erik Hirchfeld (Ed). 274 pages, numerous photos, color paintings and maps.
Published 7th November 2007
ISBN: 978-0-9552607-3-5
Retail Price: £18.95 (UK)

A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Japan and North-East Asia

2008-04-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

The Japanese archipelago and adjacent areas on 'mainland' (continental) Asia offer many fantastic birding opportunities and have become an increasingly popular destination for European, Australian and North American birders. There are several excellent photo-based field guides in Japanese on the market but this is the best in English. The images - a massive number by the author Tadao Shimba - are of high quality but are sometimes reproduced a little too small in this handy-sized guide. The text contains most of the key information but again feels overly compressed. How about a large-format edition for home use?

Details
Title: A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Japan and North-East Asia
Author: Tadao Shimba
Publisher: Yale University Press, Jan 28, 2008
504 p., 5 x 7 1/2 inches, 1350 color illus. + 554 maps
ISBN: 9780300135565
ISBN-10: 0300135564
Retail Price: US$40.00

Moon Handbooks South Pacific (8th edition)

2008-04-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

The central Pacific has been described as the 'liquid continent', a vast ocean studded with hundreds if not thousands of inhabited islands. Traveling birders and other naturalists will eventually be drawn to some of these archipelagos in search of unique birds such as the Kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus) of New Caledonia or the Tuamotu Sandpiper (Prosobonia cancellata) of French Polynesia. Seabirds abound as do spectacular coral reefs and remote atolls. There is an abundance of places to visit and things to see.

"The Pacific, greatest of oceans, has an area exceeding that of all dry land on the planet. One theory claims that the moon may have been flung from the Pacific while the world was still young."David Stanley, Moon Handbooks South Pacific

The meat of the guide is divided into 15 major sections covering French Polynesia (Tahiti, Moorea etc), Pitcairn Islands, Easter Island, Cook Islands, Niue, Kingdom of Tonga, American Samoa, Samoa, Tokelau, Wallis and Futuna, Tuvalu, Fiji Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands. For each, there is a substantial introduction (history, tips on appropriate conduct etc), followed by a detailed travel guide entitled 'Exploring the Islands'. This includes suggestions for activities (cultural, snorkeling etc), types of accommodation, visa requirements, healthy and safety and an exhaustive compendium of travel options. Finally, each major island destination is reviewed in turn with maps, hotel suggestions and so on. Really this is 15 regular guide books squeezed into one, yet the book is light enough (paperback) and small enough to easily fit in your carry-on luggage.

Canadian David Stanley has been exploring the central Pacific since the late 1970's and is a prolific travel writer. Indeed the 1st edition of his South Pacific guide was published in 1979. He researches his books in cognito and is amused by his numerous encounters will fellow travelers who are using his guides. Even for the armchair traveler this is a fascinating book and extremely useful for anyone planning a trip to the region.

Details
Title: Moon Handbooks South Pacific (8th edition)
Author: David Stanley
Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing
Publication date: 12 Nov 2004
Paperback, 1136 pages, 7.8 x 5.4 x 1.9 inches, numerous maps and B/W photos.
ISBN-10: 1566914116
ISBN-13: 978-1566914116
Retail Price: US$24.95

The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: 6th Edition

2008-04-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

This hefty but user-friendly compendium lists more than 9,800 species of birds and was near completion when Jim Clements died in 2005. At the behest of his widow Karen Clements, the torch has been picked up by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology under the direction of John Fitzpatrick, who provides the preface. The volume opens with a touching tribute to Clements from Jared Diamond, his friend and collaborator on previous editions. The checklist itself provides the species name (English then scientific) followed by a list of the major subspecies with a brief summary of world range for each. The inclusion of subspecies is critical in my view, to emphasize that species are more than simple check marks and to allow users to keep track of future taxonomic changes. It is hard to think of a better example of a moving target than a checklist of birds of the world. Avian names and affinities are in a constant state of flux and there are many points or disagreement or outright ambiguity. To help address this, and keep the volume semi-current, a compendium of updates and corrections will be maintained on-line by the Lab of Ornithology at Cornell. Common or English names present one of the thorniest areas and a planned electronic update will feature a comprehensive list of species that have different English names from those used by Clements and the International Ornithological Congress (IOC). A weakness, however, is that justifications are given for any of the decisions/choices. I appreciate that this challenging for such a huge list but referencing to key publications would help. This is probably where the web could be most useful. Presumably Clements and his team have extensive notes to back up each of their choices, and it is a shame that the information cannot somehow find its way into the public domain.

In 1983, the American Birding Association (ABA) accepted Clement's Birds of the World as the standard for species found outside of the ABA and AOU Checklist areas. Besides the world listers, I imagine many traveling birders will find this reference volume useful as an organized list of recognized subspecies and for clarification of common bird names. Those who own the complete set of Handbook of the Birds of the World (Lynx Edicions) can find similar information, but not in such a convenient format. There are of course other checklist out there. Edward Dickinson's 3rd edition of the Howard & Moore Checklist (2003) has been well-recieved, not least because of the much more extensive cross-referencing to the scientific literature and the bibliography contains ~3,000 items. A 4th edition is expected in 2009.

Turning back to Clements, I keep gazing at the exquiste cover photograph of a male Banded Pitta by Wicha Narungsri, which evokes fond memories of Thailand's broadleaf forest.

Details
Title: The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World
Sixth Edition.
Author: James F. Clements.
Publisher: Cornell University Press.
Pages: 844 pages, 8 3/4 x 11 1/4, tables, maps.
ISBN: 0-8014-4501-9.
Published: June 2007.
Retail Price: U$59.95.

A Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife - Second Edition

2008-04-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

Although I haven't seen a copy yet, it is exciting to learn that the second edition of this outstanding guide has just been released by A&C Black and Princeton University Press. The publishers blurb and past communications with Hadoram lead me to believe that this is a significant revision (not just cosmetic) with hundreds of new photographs. The hefty tome describes the breeding birds and marine mammals of Antarctica, the Southern Ocean, and the numerous subantarctic islands. There are also numerous maps and descriptions of the geography and history of the region as it relates to the wildlife. A perfect companion to any voyage south!

I am really looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of the new edition and will review the changes in a future TOWBS posting.

You can see my brief overview of the first edition on OceanWanderers.com.

Details
Title: The Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife:Birds and Marine Mammals of the Antarctic Continent and the Southern Ocean (Second Edition).
Author: Hadoram Shirihai.
Illustrator: Brett Jarrett.
Hardback, 544 pages, 7 x 10, 920 color illus. 128 maps.
Retail Price: US$55.00 (Princeton), £35.00 (A&C Black).

Field Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago

2008-04-05T10:34:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago I had the pleasure of extensively testing this new field guide by Martyn Kenefick (a Briton now resident in Trinidad) and co-authors Robin Restall and Floyd Hayes.

The guide begins with a general introduction to (bio)geography and climate the twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago, a more generic summary of bird topography and identification and then a very useful summary of the top birding spots on both islands. Having failed to purchase a copy of William L Murphy's Birdwatchers' Guide to Trinidad & Tobago, I found the brief but accurate directions and highlights very useful. The painted plates are adapted from Birds of Northern South America: An Identification Guide (2007 Yale University Press) by Restall, Rodner, Lentino and Williams, showing the appropriate subspecies for T and T. In general, the layout is good, with similar species gathered together on the same page and the plates are less crowded than in Restall et al.. One niggle is that many of the pigeon and doves are not illustrated in flight, and I found this to be a problem with the shyer forest species where flight views are what you get. Peterson style pointers are used to good effect on many plates but are entirely absent on others (e.g. kingfishers). Following the main species entries - text and corresponding plates on facing pages - the book ends with an up-to-date and useful TT checklist. Kenefick emphasizes the importance of formally documenting rarities (apparently a problem in the past), providing an address for submissions and a list of reviewable species.

This guide is the successor to Richard ffrench's influential A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago (2001 Comstock) and I had the rare pleasure of meeting both Martyn and Richard during our stay the Asa Wright Nature Centre on Trinidad. In a touching tribute, the new guide is dedicated to the ffrench. To my surprise, Birds of the West Indies (2003 Princeton University Press) by Herbert Raffaele et al. does not include TT, arguing that the islands more properly belong to the South American avifauna.

In summary, Kenefick and collaborators have produced a superb companion to any visit to this delightful island nation. The guide is light enough to be carried in the field, although it is always better to study the birds carefully, make notes and just enjoy them before reviewing the field guide at the end of the day with a refreshing rum and coke in hand!

Details
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication Date: Jan 28, 2008
288 p., 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 107 color illus.
ISBN: 9780300135572
ISBN-10: 0300135572
Retail Price: US$ 40.00 (paper)