10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2024

Bird Day is a lovely, little jewel of a book. Hauber and artist Tony Angell fulfills this goal beautifully and was the factor that motivated me to review this book. The essays also touch on conservation, though less that the amount I would have assumed would be in a book that is part of an “Earth Day” series.

Chicago 170

Chicago Barn Owls Penguins New Zealand 170

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2021

There was a time when I thought each bird species had its own individual song. Then I found out that there was this vocalization called a ‘call,’ so I thought each bird species had its own individual song (but just the males) and individual call. It encompasses movement and plumage and even smell. How do they know?

North America 278

North America Research Birds Groups 278

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2024

Osborn, a passionate field biologist who participates to the core of her being three re-introduction projects aimed at saving three very different, endangered species: Peregrine Falcon, Hawaiian Crow (‘Alala)*, and California Condor. My only wish is that the book included photographs. This is the most intense, tragic section.

California Condor 168

California Condor Falcons California Birds 168

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2023

Flight Paths is a splendid but risky title for a book about bird migration. It could easily be mistaken for a book about aviation or space navigation or even a flight simulator game if you don’t read the long, adjective-filled subtitle: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration.

Science 180

Science Illinois Investigation Research 180

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2021

Last year there was a spate of books specifically about bird “behavior” – though one might well say that every book about birds, from field guides on up, is about behavior in some way or another. It’s the behavior that makes them fascinating to us. Well, purely physical attributes play a part, too: they’re pretty good looking.).

Alaska 196

Alaska Breeding Kenya Africa 196

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2021

And, some time later, during the final stages of the bird-atlassing work, computer models of Serbian ranges for some 150 bird species were produced for the first time ever: Some bias was created because of the large data set from Belgrade and environs where the majority of active eBirders live. The consequences were amusing.

Europe 263

Europe Breeding Denmark Birds 263

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

It was a pleasure to make these observations at the same time I was reading The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think , Jennifer Ackerman’s new book about the diversity and complexity of bird behavior. Many popular science books have neither.

Research 211

Research Birds Science Costa Rica 211

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

This shouldn’t have to be stated, especially in a book on bird evolution by an evolutionary biologist with a Ph.D. But, ‘synthesis’ is a dry word, and this is a book with a quiet yet firm personality underlying its words. The book is smartly organized into 12 chapters. that’s three birds).

Science 203

Science Albatross Research Birds 203

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

The book is chiefly about how people have conceptualized and studied birds, but there is an underlying theme, the changing ways in which our Western culture has viewed animals, nature and God. It’s a huge scope for a 338-page book. With Birkhead, you never know what’s going to come next.

Dissection 208

Dissection Birds Research Europe 208

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2022

Don’t misunderstand me, it’s not consciously presented this way, but as I read the book, I really did feel that Klem was writing as he talks, putting into text the many presentations he has done over the years. FLAP is the Fatal Light Awareness Program, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and this is how they raise awareness.

New York City 246

New York City Birds Illinois Science 246

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2020

The travels in his most recent book Natural Encounters: Biking, Hiking, and Birding Through the Seasons are more limited — to the eastern part of the United States, mostly Washington, D.C. Beehler’s blog includes lots of photos; the book has few of those but a number of good drawings by John C.

New Hampshire 213

New Hampshire Washington Virginia United States 213

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2020

” The book in question is Birds of Bolivia: Field Guide , edited and written by Sebastian K. That’s pretty amazing–Bolivia has more bird species than India! The source of this ranking, BirdLife International, lists Bolivia as currently having 1,439 bird species, including 18 breeding endemics. ″ x 9.5″x

Bolivia 167

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 167

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

This is the book you will want to give to everyone in your life who has said ‘I’d like to bird too, but ….(fill Not only is Nate a birding and blogging colleague, but Mike Bergin, 10,000 Birds co-publisher, has written the Foreword and I have been threatened with all sorts of birder-type punishment if I give this book a bad review.

Birds 262

Birds North Carolina North America Owls 262

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2020

Everyone is looking back on their best birds of 2019, so I thought it would be a good idea to look at a book that looks back a little further: Urban Ornithology: 150 Years of Birds in New York City , by P. Because, as this book demonstrates so well, it is sometimes important to look back in order to move forward. “Wait!”

New York City 145

New York City New York Birds Breeding 145

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2022

Yes, sure, Rock Pigeons are not a vulnerable species, unless you count the number of times they have been mocked, scorned, and shooed away. They’re apparently not a sensitive species either, because this derision doesn’t seem to bother them at all!

2018 205

2018 New York City Birds Abandon 205

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2024

Several where-to-find-birds books have been published, including ones by Steve Mills, Dave Gosney (both covering northern Greece), Steve Dudley (Lesvos), etc., Several where-to-find-birds books have been published, including ones by Steve Mills, Dave Gosney (both covering northern Greece), Steve Dudley (Lesvos), etc.,

Greece 239

Greece Spain India Europe 239

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2024

The next volume in this three-book series is now out: Field Guide to North American Flycatchers: Kingbirds and Myiarchus by Cin-Ty Lee, illustrated by Andrew Birch, and it is as informative and well-organized and lovely to look at as the Empid/Pewee volume. Introductory Material Sixteen species, 190 pages.

130

130

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2015

Navarro’s exceptional drawings illustrate the species accounts. Forty-eight species. Compare, for example, the species account illustration of the Cuban Trogon with the photo that opens up the introductory chapter. The luxury of space means that each species can be shown from various angles and in distinctive poses.

Cuba 223

Cuba Birds United States 2000 223

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2019

The last time a Julie Zickefoose book was reviewed on this blogsite, the piece began by saying “This is going to be a rave review.” That sentence will do for this review and this book, too: it’s unavoidable. As she has done for many years and with more than twenty species, she adopted a baby bird, a blue jay.

Ohio 135

Ohio Adoptable Emotional 2019 135

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2023

And I remember what I told him, based on many recent field guide trends: Coming from them, it will be a good book, but it will be nowhere near the user-friendliness of “Birds of Costa Rica” by Garrigues and Dean from 2014. Now I can hear you screaming: but there are over 900 species!

Costa Rica 234

Costa Rica El Salvador America Belize 234

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2019

Her lively block prints adorn calendars, note cards, puzzles, and children’s books, very much in the popular tradition of beloved minimalist Charley Harper. It’s a fun book, offering ideas for projects and, most importantly for me, new ways to observe birds and their natural world.

Birds 142

Birds Eggs Laws Woodpeckers 142

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2014

One of the reasons I enjoy about reviewing books is the opportunity to read titles I wouldn’t ordinarily encounter, not because they aren’t good but because they don’t fall easily into a category. Lost Animals: Extinction and the Photographic Record by Errol Fuller is one of these books. more than there really was to see!” (p.

Animal 263

Animal Mammals Hawaii Dolphins 263

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Two books, two authors, two countries bursting with neotropical avian diversity. Since the books share authors and a creation process, I thought I would review them together. An associated issue is that the Belize and Costa Rica guides share many of the same descriptions of species, written by Howell. Why are these issues?

Costa Rica 202

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 202

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 10, 2024

White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus) Notwithstanding the fact that nearly all of the endemics and other native species are extinct the islands of St Helena and Ascension remain very popular for birdwatchers and especially photographers because they are both major breeding sites for seabirds. BirdLife international has designated St.

Birds 197

Birds Madagascar ALA 2000 197

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2014

Birding being a visual and an auditory pursuit, it’s not surprising that publishers have taken advantage of the media of its day to produce bird books accompanied by CDs or DVDs. QR stands for Quick Response (the things I learn when I write a book review!). The process itself was easier to use than playing a DVD while reading a book.

2006 191

2006 2014 Connecticut North America 191

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2015

Producing a book about birds and nesting is a dangerous business. Some people love books like that. I’m happy to say that Laura Erickson and Marie Read have written a book, Into the Nest: Intimate Views of the Courting, Parenting, and Family Lives of Familiar Birds , that is not too cute and that does not anthropomorphize.

Eggs 263

Eggs Family 2006 New York 263

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2015

Birding by Impression is a conscious, deliberate method of identifying and recognizing birds based on the study and evaluation of “distinctive structural features and behavioral movements” and comparison with nearby and similar species. The result is a different kind of book. So say Kevin T.

Birds 168

Birds New Jersey Science Groups 168

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2017

The guide presents 69 species and 1 subspecies, from “NEW WORLD VULTURES: Cathartiformes” to “OSPREY: Pandioninae” to “FAMILY: Accipitridae” (Kites, Hawks, Eagles, Hawk-Eagles), to “FALONIDS: Falconidae” (Falcons, Forest-Falcons, Caracaras, Kestrels, Merlin). The order is roughly taxonomic, with the priority showing similar species together.

Mexico 154

Mexico America North America Falcons 154

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2016

And so, I turn to Better Birding: Tips, Tools & Concepts for the Field , the new book by George L. This is a very different book from what I expected, less of a handbook and more of a comprehensive identification text on 24 groups of birds, presented in words and photographs. It is an intriguing choice of species.

Birds 189

Birds Groups 2015 North America 189

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2014

It took me a while to wrap my mind around the concept of Birds and People , Mark Cocker and David Tipling’s book that, in 592 pages, explores the intersection of just that—birds and us. Still, I found it a little disjointing that a book has been written about our relationship with birds. So, I just sit here, amazed at this book.

Birds 204

Birds Egypt Family Eagles 204

10,000 Birds

JULY 16, 2012

Jake’s favorite before-bedtime book when he was just a bit younger was Owl Babies by Martin Waddell, a picture book I had picked up at a nature center. By the middle of the book, Jake and his younger brother Zach would be chiming in, “I want my mommy,” and when Mama Owl finally return, they would rejoice along with the owlets.

Birds 204

Birds Owls Switzerland Lions 204

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2016

This book is a field guide treat for traveling birders and birders who love to fantasize about travel, answering that age-old question, “I’m going on a trip to [fill in the blank—Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras], what field guide should I use?”. A lot of attention is given to differentiating amongst similar looking species.

El Salvador 229

El Salvador America Costa Rica Honduras 229

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2019

And the book is about much more, ripple effects from what happens when part of a living thing becomes the central ingredient to a highly visual, social, profitable business. I did often wonder while reading the book whether the result equaled the effort. It is reprinted in the book, though without artist credit or date. .

Industry 117

Industry Virginia Portland Campaign 117

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 26, 2023

That is why I am so pleased to see the new “Gulls of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East: An Identification Guide” being illustrated with nearly 1400 colour photographs of the 45 species of gulls found in the Western Palearctic. My first impression is that the book is somewhat large and heavy (2.05 pounds, and 6.7

Europe 218

Europe Africa Greece Groups 218

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2018

Fun fact: only three species in the lower 48 states are not protected by that statute – the House Sparrow, Rock Pigeon, and Common Starling.). The book, handsome and hefty, is meant to “commemorate and amplify” the Year of the Bird initiative –but it’s a self-celebration of sorts, too. As happy as, well, larks.

Birds 120

Birds Minnesota Protest Protesting 120

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2023

The official Ontario bird checklist, produced by Ontario Field Ornithologists , June 2022 listed 506 bird species**, putting it in the top tier of U.S. Small Species Accounts: Each species is allotted one page (with certain exceptions) offering basics–bird names and size, one or two photographs, and a one-paragraph description.

North America 199

North America Birds Owls Canada 199

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2024

When Jonathan Slaght did his research on Blakiston’s Fish Owl in Russia’s Far East – which he describes in his excellent book “Owls of the Eastern Ice” – he had to cope not only with extreme cold but also with rather bad music: “Katkov filled our commutes with loud music. How ironic.

Fish 187

Fish Owls San Diego Russia 187