Sunday, February 25, 2024

New Titles

 


1) Lovitch, Derek J.. Birdwatching in Maine: The Complete Site Guide (Second Edition). 2024. Brandeis University Press. Paperback: 482 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: An invaluable site guide for New England birders, now available in a new updated edition.

     With over 470 species of birds recorded, Maine offers an abundance of birding opportunities for people of all levels of interest and experience, from those looking beyond their backyards for the first time to knowledgeable visitors looking to plug a hole in their list of sightings. The state’s wealth of undeveloped land and its extensive coastline, countless islands, and varied habitat combine to host an impressive diversity of birds at all times of the year. Birders travel to Maine from near and far to seek hard-to-find species, from the only Atlantic puffins breeding in the United States on offshore islands to Bicknell’s thrushes high in the mountains.

     This book fills an important niche for the birdwatching community by offering comprehensive entries detailing the best locations for finding birds throughout the state for enthusiasts of all levels of skill and interest. It contains descriptions of 202 birding sites in Maine, with explicit directions on how to get there, for all sixteen of the state’s counties, several as large as other New England states! Each chapter features a county map, a brief overview by Derek J. Lovitch, numerous specific site guides, and a list of rarities. The book also contains a detailed and useful species accounts guide for finding the most sought-after birds.
 
      Lavishly illustrated in color throughout,
Birdwatching in Maine is the best available resource for finding birds in the largest of the New England states. This updated edition features a new introduction, as well as new birding sites and maps.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-have for anyone birding Maine!  

 


 

2) Goodfellow, Peter. Avian Architecture Revised and Expanded Edition: How Birds Design, Engineer, and Build. 2024. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 176 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: The essential illustrated guide to how birds design and build their nests—now fully revised and expanded.

     Birds are the most consistently inventive builders, and their nests set the bar for functional design in nature. Describing how birds design, engineer, and build their nests, Avian Architecture deconstructs all types of nests found around the world using architectural blueprints and detailed descriptions of the construction processes and engineering techniques birds use.

     This spectacularly illustrated book features more than 300 full-color images and more than 40 case studies that profile key species worldwide. Each chapter covers a different type of nest, from tunnel nests and mound nests to floating nests, hanging nests, woven nests, and even multiple-nest avian cities. Other kinds of avian construction—such as bowers and food stores—are also featured.

     Now with more case studies and an updated foreword, this revised and expanded edition includes intricate step-by-step sequences, visual spreads on nest-building materials and methods, and insightful commentary by a leading expert.

  • Illustrates how birds around the world design, engineer, and build their nests
  • Features architectural blueprints, step-by-step sequences, visual spreads on nest-building materials and methods, and expert commentary
  • Includes more than 300 full-color images
  • Covers more than 100 bird species worldwide
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in this aspect of bird behavior.
 

3) Pálsson, Gísli. The Last of Its Kind: The Search for the Great Auk and the Discovery of Extinction. 2024. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 291 pages. Price: $27.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: How an iconic bird’s final days exposed the reality of human-caused extinction.
     The Great Auk is one of the most tragic and documented examples of extinction. A flightless bird that bred primarily on the remote islands of the North Atlantic, the last of its kind were killed in Iceland in 1844. Gísli Pálsson draws on firsthand accounts from the Icelanders who hunted the last great auks to bring to life a bygone age of Victorian scientific exploration while offering vital insights into the extinction of species.


      Pálsson vividly recounts how British ornithologists John Wolley and Alfred Newton set out for Iceland to collect specimens only to discover that the Great Auks were already gone. At the time, the Victorian world viewed extinction as an impossibility or trivialized it as a natural phenomenon. Pálsson chronicles how Wolley and Newton documented the fate of the last birds through interviews with the men who killed them, and how the naturalists’ Icelandic journey opened their eyes to the disappearance of species as a subject of scientific concern—and as something that could be caused by humans.

       Blending a richly evocative narrative with rare, unpublished material as well as insights from ornithology, anthropology, and Pálsson’s own North Atlantic travels,
The Last of Its Kind reveals how the saga of the Great Auk opens a window onto the human causes of mass extinction.

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in the Great Auk and/or bird extinctions. 

 


 

4) McCune, Bruce and Linda Geiser. Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest (Third Edition). 2024. Oregon State University Press. Paperback: 549 pages. Price: $45.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: A key component in healthy ecosystems, lichens can be found in almost any natural habitat in the Pacific Northwest. This comprehensive guide to the region’s macrolichens is intended for use by beginners as well as specialists: weekend naturalists will be able to identify specimens and recognize the great diversity of lichens, while lichenologists and mycologists will gain greater knowledge of the distribution and abundance of various species.

      This updated third edition of
Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest includes 95 additional species and an expanded introduction. It features keys to 109 genera and 681 species of Oregon and Washington macrolichens—all the macrolichens known or expected to occur in the two states. The keys also provide excellent coverage for lichens of Idaho and Montana, inland to the Continental Divide. Color photographs and detailed descriptions emphasize lichens prevalent in forested ecosystems.

      The illustrated glossary and introductory material cover the terminology needed to identify macrolichens and provide information on collection and handling. The biology, ecology, and air-quality sensitivity of lichens are discussed; regional air-quality sensitivities are provided for nearly 200 species.

      Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest will prove invaluable to anyone seeking to identify lichens or to better understand these organisms and their vital role in the natural world. 

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-have for anyone with an interest in the lichens of the region!  

 

 

5) Turner, Mark and Sami Gray. Weeds of the Pacific Northwest: 368 Unwanted Plants and How to Control Them. 2024. Timber Press. Paperback: 455 pages. Price: $34.99 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: A comprehensive guide to the most common weeds of the Pacific Northwest, with essential information on their management and eradication.
 
      Weeds are everywhere. They crowd out valuable agricultural crops, compete with the tomatoes and beans in your vegetable garden, spread rampantly along roadsides, and pop up from the tiniest cracks in sidewalks. In order to manage them, we must first learn how to identify them.
 
     Weeds of the Pacific Northwest is a guide to identifying, controlling, and eradicating over 300 species of weeds that gardeners and homeowners are likely to encounter in Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Though they can all cause trouble, each weed is different. The hundreds of user-friendly photographs and detailed descriptions of each species here ensure that you can spot and treat any weed in your path.  As the experts behind this book demonstrate, some plants can be killed by eating them, some by digging, some by smothering, and some only by the judicious application of chemical herbicides—and it is very important for you and your neighbors to know and understand the differences. 

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-have for anyone with an interest in the weeds of the region!

 


 

6) Williams, Kevin et al.. Velvet Ants of North America. 2024. Princeton University Press. Flexibound: 440 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: An authoritative, marvelously illustrated field guide to the velvet ants of North America.



7) English, Neil. Choosing & Using Binoculars: A Guide for Star Gazers, Birders and Outdoor Enthusiasts. 2024. Springer. Paperback: 523 pages. Price: $32.99 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Binoculars are life enhancing instruments, uniquely capable of bringing the intricacies of nature into sharp focus. Whether it be birds, majestic lakes and seas, alpine vistas, wild animals or exploring the glories of the night sky, anyone interested in buying binoculars today will be faced with a bewildering number of different models to choose from!

     This book walks the reader through the fascinating world of binoculars, past and present, while exploring all of the main binocular types, their desirable features, how to test out and narrow down the choices a prospective customer should make, as well as looking at some of the best and most-sought-after binoculars money can buy. Uniquely experienced writer and binocular enthusiast, Dr. Neil English, takes the pain out of narrowing down the search for your ideal binocular, whether your budget is $50 or $5,000. Dr. English explores many of the timeless beauties of the binocular world, crafted by top European and Japanese manufacturers, such as Swarovski, Zeiss, Nikon, Leica and others. Sumptuously illustrated throughout with full color images, Choosing & Using Binoculars decodes all the technical jargon without sacrificing accuracy and presents the world’s best compendium of binocular literature for the birder, hunter, inveterate traveler, nature enthusiast and star gazer. Don’t leave home without it!

RECOMMENDATION: Due to size limitations, not all binocular models that birders use are listed in this book, but your average birder should find some good information here.

 


 

8) Varichon, Anne. Color Charts: A History. 2024. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 284 pages. Price: $55.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: A beautifully illustrated history of the many inventive, poetic, and alluring ways in which color swatches have been selected and staged.

     The need to categorize and communicate color has mobilized practitioners and scholars for centuries. Color Charts describes the many different methods and ingenious devices developed since the fifteenth century by doctors, naturalists, dyers, and painters to catalog fragments of colors. With the advent of industrial society, manufacturers and merchants developed some of the most beautiful and varied tools ever designed to present all the available colors. Thanks to them, society has discovered the abundance of color embodied in a plethora of materials: cuts of fabric, leather, paper, and rubber; slats of wood and linoleum; delicate skeins of silk; careful deposits of paint and pastels; fragments of lipstick; and arrangements of flower petals. These samples shape a visual culture and a chromatic vocabulary and instill a deep desire for color.

     Anne Varichon traces the emergence of modern color charts from a set of processes developed over the centuries in various contexts. She presents illuminating examples that bring this remarkable story to life, from ancient writings revealing attention to precise shade to contemporary designers’ color charts, dyers’ notebooks, and Werner’s famous color nomenclature. Varichon argues that color charts have linked generations of artists, artisans, scientists, industrialists, and merchants, and have played an essential and enduring role in the way societies think about color.

     Drawing on nearly two hundred documents from public and private collections, almost all of them previously unpublished, this wonderfully illustrated book shows how the color chart, in its many distinct forms and expressions, is a practical tool that has transcended its original purpose to become an educational aid and subject of contemplation worthy of being studied and admired.

RECOMMENDATION: This color charts book concentrates on commercially used color charts and not those used by naturalists. It barely mentions Waller's,Werner's, and Munsell's charts and ignores others (e.g. Ridgway, Smithe, etc.).

 


Sunday, January 28, 2024

New Titles

 


1) Yang, Liu and Chen Shuihua. Birds of China. 2024. Princeton University Press. Flexibound: 672 pages. Price: $39.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: China is home to some of the most spectacular birdlife to be found anywhere in the world. This richly illustrated field guide covers every species found throughout the region, including numerous endemic and globally threatened species. Detailed species accounts cover everything from biometrics and habitat to behavior, distribution, and voice, and each one comes with illustrations of the species and a color distribution map. A landmark achievement, Birds of China is the ideal companion for travelers to China and a must for any birder’s bookshelf.

  • The first complete English-language field guide to China’s wondrously diverse birdlife
  • Covers nearly 1,500 species, including endemics and threatened birds
  • Features a wealth of breathtaking color plates painted by leading Chinese artists
  • Includes some 4,000 images that illustrate every species
  • Discusses China’s geography and zoogeography
  • Shares invaluable advice on birding practices and ethics

 RECOMMENDATION: This book is a MUST-HAVE for anyone birding China!

 


 

2) Van Nieuwenhuyse, Dries et al.. The Little Owl: Population Dynamics, Behavior and Management of Athene noctua (2nd Edition). 2024. Cambridge University Press. Hardbound: 616 pages. Price: $99.99 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: The basic biology of owls is poorly understood compared to that of other bird species. The Little Owl, Athene noctua, is one of the best models for biological and conservation research. Though widespread across Europe, Asia and North Africa, populations of the Little Owl are now in decline, making studies of its behavior and ecology all the more important. This extensively revised and updated second edition features substantial new long-term data on population dynamics, behavioral observations and breeding biology of the Little Owl. The authors discuss its wide-ranging ecology, genetics, subspecies, and population status by country. In addition, they outline a research strategy and monitoring program. Exceptional illustrations of all fourteen subspecies cover embryonic and chick development, feather growth and moult, including high-quality drawings presenting concrete management suggestions. Whilst being an invaluable resource for academic researchers, its accessible and straightforward style will also appeal to amateur ornithologists and enthusiasts.

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a MUST-HAVE for anyone with a serious interest in the species. The artwork by Joris De Raedt highlights this book!

 


 

3) Seng, Lim Kim et al.. A Field Guide to the Birds of Singapore. 2024. John Beaufoy Publishing. Paperback: 236 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: A Field Guide to the Birds of Singapore is a fully comprehensive field guide to the 422 bird species of Singapore, as well as ‘escapees’ not formally accepted as ‘wild’ birds. The species are clearly illustrated in over 100 plates, with many variants. The main identifying features of each species are described and key facts cover size, voice, range and status, habitat and breeding. The book also includes information on taxonomy and nomenclature, observing birds, climate, habitats, the breeding cycle, migration and conservation as well as a section on 25 key birdwatching sites with maps.

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-have for anyone birding Singapore.

 

 

4) Light, Liz and Oscar Thomas. The 50 Best Birdwatching Sites in New Zealand. 2024. John Beaufoy Publishing. Paperback: 220 pages. Price: $29.99 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Aotearoa New Zealand has a diverse range of bird species but is especially renowned for its seabirds. Fifteen of the world's 18 penguin species have been recorded in the New Zealand region. Nine of these species breed here. Of petrels, 40 of the world's 127 species breed in the New Zealand region, some on the mainland or nearby islands where they can be seen with ease, and many more are throughout the Southern Ocean. Twelve of the world’s 21 albatross species nest in New Zealand and of those seven do not nest elsewhere. As well as these specific species, the book covers 50 sites on the North and South Islands, Rakiura/Stewart Island and Rekohu/Chatham Islands that are best for birdwatching. Detailed descriptions of each site cover the terrain, tracks and trails where certain species are likely to be encountered. Particular species for each site are highlighted. A fact file for each site lists land or sea access; type of habitat, best time to visit, facilities and accommodation. Key species checklists are provided for each site and particular ones are highlighted with detailed summaries. The second edition is fully updated by Oscar Thomas with 90 new photographs and with three new sites.

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-have for anyone birding New Zealand.

 


 

5) Zalesky, Philip H. et al.. Birding In Snohomish County and Camano Island (Third Edition). 2023. Pilchuck Audubon Society. Spiro-bound: 133 pages. Price: $20.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: A full-color, updated and expanded 3rd edition of Philip Zalesky's original book, Birding in Snohomish County and Camano Island, 3rd Edition is a celebration of the variety and bountiful birding locations in the area. This new edition covers more than 80 locations, noting general information about the sites and which birds are common at each. Philip Zalesky's original site descriptions have been revised and updated, including new observations, recent sightings, and historical and natural history information. A checklist includes all 355 species of birds ever sighted in Snohomish County and Camano Island.

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-have for anyone birding Snohomish County and Camano Island.

 


 

6) O’Shea, Mark. The Book of Snakes: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species from around the World. 2023. The University of Chicago Press. Hardbound: 656 pages. Price: $60.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: For millennia, humans have regarded snakes with an exceptional combination of fascination and revulsion. Some people recoil in fear at the very suggestion of these creatures, while others happily keep them as pets. Snakes can convey both beauty and menace in a single tongue flick, and so these creatures have held a special place in our cultures. Yet, for as many meanings as we attribute to snakes—from fertility and birth to sin and death—the real-life species represent an even wider array of wonders.

      Now in a new edition, reflecting the most recent species classifications,
The Book of Snakes presents 600 species of snakes from around the world, covering roughly one in seven of all snake species. It will bring greater understanding of a group of reptiles that have existed for more than 160 million years and that now inhabit every continent except Antarctica, as well as two of the great oceans.

       This volume pairs spectacular photos with easy-to-digest text. It is the first book on these creatures that combines a broad, worldwide sample with full-color, life-size accounts. Entries include close-ups of the snake’s head and a section of the snake at actual size. The detailed images allow readers to examine the intricate scale patterns and rainbow of colors as well as special features like a cobra’s hood or a rattlesnake’s rattle. The text is written for laypeople and includes a glossary of frequently used terms. Herpetologists and herpetoculturists alike will delight in this collection, and even those with a more cautious stance on snakes will find themselves drawn in by the wild diversity of the suborder Serpentes.

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a well-illustrated overview of the World's snakes.




7) Secher, Andy. The Trilobite Collector's Guide. 2024. Columbia University Press. Hardbound: 453 pages. Price: $59.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: For more than 250 million years, the primeval oceans of the Paleozoic teemed with trilobites. These hardy invertebrates evolved into an astonishing array of separate species―more than 25,000 at last count―and much remains unknown about these once-ubiquitous creatures. Fossil enthusiasts are captivated by trilobites’ diversity and adaptability, enthralled by the possibility of catching a glimpse of a transcendentally strange past.

9) Nayler, Ray. The Tusks of Extinction. 2024. Tordotcom. Hardbound: 101 pages. Price: $26.99 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: When you bring back a long-extinct species, there’s more to success than the DNA.