|
|
|
|
Books I've made a couple of changes to this page. Now, as I add books to the page, they will appear in the "NEW TITLES" section for a few weeks before being moved down into "THE LIBRARY". This should make it easier for you to consider new material as it is reviewed. If you have a book that you think should be on this page, just let me know! NEW TITLES
Availability: In print. Should be available from most book-sellers. S.R.P. $26.95 (CAN) Roger Burrows has been writing about birds and birding in eastern Canada for many years. This slightly larger than pocket-sized book is by far his most ambitious and polished. It follows a format that will be familiar to anyone who has used the old "Observer" series of field guides from Britain, with a single species represented on each page. The text is more detailed than in most field guides. Range maps are multi-colored and detailed. The illustrations are a bit uneven, with style and scale being quite variable from image to image. Quick reference guides inside the front cover and on the back cover make the book easily accessible. A checklist is incorporated in the back, and a very useful map of birding hotspots around eastern Canada is at the front. While the book is a bit thin on detail when it comes to non-breeding and immature plumages, it is nonetheless a nice addition to anyone's birding library, and a useful introduction to the birds of the Atlantic Canada region. Note - it does NOT include Labrador.
Availability: In print. Should be available from most book-sellers. S.R.P. $45.00 (CAN) Dorling Kindersley Handbooks This is a strange book. It's similar in style to Birds of Atlantic Canada (see above) but it covers the whole country. Illustrations are almost entirely photographic, although there are tiny, essentially useless sketches of immature gulls and some alternate plumages. Diagrams of flight patterns for all species are of interest and may prove useful for field identification of some species. According to the author, the book documents "each of the 622 species of birds documented for Canada." One wonders just how carefully this assertion has been pursued, however. For example, Common Greenshank is missing from the book, as is European Golden-plover, Eurasian Coot, and other species known to have occurred in Newfoundland. On the other hand, it includes Crested Caracara, which is only hypothetical in Canada. Although it is supposed to be a book on Canadian birds, the range maps are for North America and the text does not provide any Canada-specific information, suggesting to me that the book is really just an assemblage of pages taken from other publications in the Dorling Kindersley Handbook series. There is plenty of information in this book - but there is a lot missing, too. Personally, I wouldn't spend the $45.00, especially when you can get a Sibley guide for about $10.00 more.
THE LIBRARY
Availability: Out of print. Often available in second-hand bookstores specializing in Newfoundland materials. Prices range from $75.00 to $150.00 or more, depending on condition. This book is a classic. While much of the scientific information it contains is now considerably out of date, the sheer beauty of the book alone is enough to make it a "must have" item for any serious student of Newfoundland birds. The color plates rank with some of the best work ever done by Peterson. Some of the status information is also of interest. The authors, for example, refer to starling as a "rare to uncommon resident" - the species had not expanded into every nook and cranny of the island in the late 1940's!
Availability: Out of print but still available. This is the mother of all bird guides - literally. Roger Peterson invented the modern bird guide, and although this 1980 edition has been eclipsed by a number of newer guides, it is still an indispensable reference. If for no other reason than out of respect for tradition, every birder should have one. The cover has been changed many times on this Edition - but the three birds have remained the same.
Availability: In print. Should be available from most book-sellers. S.R.P. $32.95 (CAN) This is the revised version of the Fourth Edition. Peterson was working on it at the time of his death in 1996. It was completed due to the efforts of his wife, Virginia, and a host of experts. It is telling that it took so many people several hears to complete the almost-finished work of a single man. This guide is not up to the modern standard set by Sibley or even the National Geographic, but it is certainly a very good book. A more complete review can be found in the April 21, 2002 edition of Winging It www.thetelegram.com
Availability: In print. Should be available from most book-sellers. S.R.P. $30.95 (CAN) If you are going to have one pocket-sized field guide for all the birds in North America, then this is the one to have. It's hard to believe that almost twenty years have passed since the first edition of this book appeared on birder's bookshelves. The "Geo. Guide" may be the most well-liked guide to cover the entire North American continent. Although the quality of illustrations is erratic, it has improved greatly since the first edition. The write-ups are generally clear and well done. The maps accompany the write-ups on the left, with illustrations on the right. Sequence is generally in keeping with standard A.O.U. order. Unlike some books, the Geo. Guide places "vagrant" birds in the correct sequence with all the rest, instead of creating an "accidentals and vagrants" section at the back. If I have one small criticism of this book, it is that the "vagrants" it lists tend to be typical of the Aleutian Islands, while eastern North American vagrants are often overlooked. A nineteen page section at the front of the book describes basic aspects of bird identification. The index doubles as a checklist.
Availability: In print. Should be available from most book-sellers. S.R.P. $53.00 (CAN) A few years ago a new type of field guide appeared in Europe. It contained an increased number of smaller drawings, more text, and a lot more detailed information than the average field birder was used to carrying around. It reflected a vast increase in the general base of birding knowledge. The Sibley Guide does exactly that for North American birds. The vast array of unique features offered by this book needs to be experienced. No serious North American birder should be without a copy. The illustrations are at the least functional and in many cases exquisite. The text is authoritative and clear. The maps are easy to read and more detailed, in many cases, than comparable maps in other publications. The trade-off is that this is not a pocket-sized book. It's a full-sized volume, one that you could toss in a backpack, but which would not fit in your jacket. So buy a backpack - this book is worth it.
Availability: In print. Should be available through most book-sellers. S.R.P. $35.00 (CAN) If you are going to own a guide with photographic illustrations, this is probably the best one to buy. It covers the entire continent. Kaufman has digitally enhanced the photos to remove pesky shadows and emphasize important field marks. The arrangement is traditional, with images on the right and text and maps on the left. The author has included sections on identification for many problematic groups. Digital masking of the birds against the monotone backgrounds creates unrealistic profiles in some situations. Index doubles as a checklist. Pocket-sized.
Availability: In print. Should be available through most book-sellers. S.R.P. $28.50 (CAN) This book goes a bit overboard in trying to be "revolutionary", but it does have many fine features. The illustrations are of a generally high quality, and the text is informative. The format is so unorthodox that it might be unsettling to an experienced birder who is used to more traditional lay-outs. The illustrations are arranged across the two facing pages, with text underneath. The relative advantage of this arrangement is not immediately obvious. The book does not follow standard A.O.U. order, and this is also somewhat confusing. The "rare" birds section at the back is cluttered and poorly illustrated. Nonetheless, this book is a worthy addition to a field guide collection. Index doubles as a checklist.
Availability: For such an important book, this guide can be difficult to obtain, and may need to be ordered. There is probably no perfect bird book, but this one comes awfully close. Exquisite illustrations, clearly written, informative text, and a compact, beautifully printed format combine to make this a model for the next generation of field guides. It's just too bad it isn't a North American guide! Serious Newfoundland and Labrador birders should have a European guide - all you have to do is look at our checklist to understand why. Get this one if you can. It's awesome - and very useful for a surprisingly large number of species that are found on both sides of the Atlantic.
Availability: In print. Should be available through most book-sellers. MSRP $24.99 (Can.) This book is a major revision to the 1983 edition. The Newfoundland section has been extensively revised, and includes sections on Labrador, Central Newfoundland, and the Burin Peninsula as well as the better-known parts of the province. Knowing where to go to see birds is essential, and this book is very helpful to anyone visiting an area of Canada for the first time. Additional information includes maps, local contact information, and a smattering of local human and natural history.
|
