10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

Penguins are cartoons, emoticons, animated films, children’s books (though owls really take first place here), sports teams, a book publisher, and a Batman villain (a rare example of penguin negativity, though Burgess Meredith did bring an endearing attitude to his 1960’s TV portrayal).

Penguins 277

Penguins Georgia New Zealand Albatross 277

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

OCTOBER 5, 2021

Wait–that adds up to 290 species, but the book only covers 283. page discoloration from my imperfect scanning, not the book). Finally, the “Using the Book” section explains decisions made in organizing the guide and what to expect from the Species Accounts. Helicopter Damsels page 157, © 2021 by Dennis R.

Costa Rica 255

Costa Rica North America Family America 255

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2022

It’s a unique bird, even its scientific name is wonderful, so it’s not surprising that Gerard Gorman, Woodpecker Expert Supreme, has written a book all about the species. Practically every sentence is documented with these studies. This is a very easy book to read. It’s an open question.

Woodpeckers 223

Woodpeckers Hungary Thailand 2014 223

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2021

It provides goals and a definite direction for your birding travels and thoughts; sometimes it even becomes the basis of a book! It is also one of the photographs by author Jon Dunn that appears in the book itself. One of Dunn’s biggest challenges in writing this book, I imagine, was describing the objects of his passion.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Brazil Ecuador Bolivia 264

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

APRIL 7, 2020

2019), and now this book. The progression could be said to echo that of an earlier book about an obsessive nature criminal, The Orchard Thief by Susan Orlean, which started out as an article in The New Yorker.). The book is structured cinematically. wrote a lengthy article in Outside magazine (Jan. Author Joshua Hammer.

Falcons 198

Falcons United Kingdom Zimbabwe Eggs 198

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2020

Type it in and you’ll find articles about a showy South African plant, trailers for two films (one of which was pre-Code and apparently created a sensation), eleven novels, a romance novel series, an animated children’s film, socks, and no less than nine coloring books. Like Antpittas and Gnateaters by Harold F. Introduction.

Guinea 260

Guinea Birds Papua New Guinea Family 260

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2019

Greeney was recommended to me as a book I HAD to review by no less than three birding friends. I hesitated because a 496-page book about two skulky neotropical bird groups is a little intimidating. It’s a fairly large book considering the limited subject matter. Antpittas and Gnateaters by Harry F.

Research 135

Research Eggs South America Costa Rica 135

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 3, 2019

Kai’s photos present a unique perspective on a very specific, under-birded area of China; you can view them on this blog, and, even more satisfying, you can view them in his book, Birds of Nanhui Shanghai , published in China in 2018 and available through NHBS, the international book distributor.

China 138

China Birds 2018 Ducks 138

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2020

” The book in question is Birds of Bolivia: Field Guide , edited and written by Sebastian K. The guide covers 1,433 species, the number of birds documented at the end of 2014, the cutoff point for the book. The downside of the size (and quality of paper) is that this is a fairly heavy book, about 2.5

Bolivia 167

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 167

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2018

In a birding world that celebrates identification, there are surprisingly few articles and books on gull identification.** There’s been a lot of excitement about this book. Pete Dunne has written and co-written 21 books (by my count, Wikipedia needs to update its entry!) This is their second co-authored book.

North America 192

North America America El Salvador Nicaragua 192

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. On a couple of different levels, this is a wonderful story and a terrific book.

Ohio 135

Ohio Adoptable Emotional 2019 135

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

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 Science 262

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2019

The full title of this exceptional book by Marie Read is Mastering Bird Photography: The Art, Craft, and Technique of Photographing Birds and Their Behavior. In this new book, she puts everything she has learned in over 30 years of wildlife photography down in writing.

Birds 185

Birds Ethics 2019 Experience 185

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

DECEMBER 1, 2015

It’s December and that means one thing—a great excuse to buy books on birding. I thought I’d do a round-up of some of the best bird books reviewed this year, a few memorable titles from recent years past, and one that wasn’t reviewed but which I love, that would be great holiday gifts. Books for Beginning Birders.

Papua New Guinea 176

Papua New Guinea 2014 Penguins Birds 176

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2014

Any doubt I had about the need for a book about rare birds in the United States And Canada were wiped out on a Sunday evening in early February with two birding friends. I had just started reading it, but I knew that this was the book my birding friends, in fact all North American birders who are fascinated by vagrants, have been waiting for.

North America 246

North America America Birds United States 246

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

This is the first book since Peter Harrison’s classic Seabirds: An Identification Guide (1983, rev. It is also an informal assessment of the state of our knowledge of oceanic birds, presenting a depth of field and book information with critical commentary that can only be found in a bird guide co-authored by Steve N.

Albatross 149

Albatross North America Birds Groups 149

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2015

For endangered species, red and gray tabs at the top of the page indicate level of threatened status from the IUCN and the Libro Rogo de los Vertebrados Cubanos (Red Data Book for Cuban Vertebrates). The book includes lots of space for Notes. This means that it has some interesting features, which may or may not work in practice.

Cuba 223

Cuba Birds United States 2000 223

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

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?”. Of course, this is an identification guide, not a coffee table book.

El Salvador 229

El Salvador America Costa Rica Honduras 229

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2015

There is a long list of articles and books on how to feed birds in your yard. So, I was happy to see the publication of a book on all aspects of wild bird feeding—history, culture, and economics. It is a serious book with a friendly attitude. There was cleaning, lots of cleaning of feeders and yard. And squirrels.

America 221

America Industry Squirrels Birds 221

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. Armistead and Brian L.

Birds 189

Birds Groups 2015 North America 189

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2019

But, sometimes an appreciation of birds and birding requires more than a reference book with images of birds and facts about their identifying field marks. There are large avian handbooks and small ‘how-to bird’ guides, and quite a few excellent books of both types have been published. And, each essay tells a story.

Birds 114

Birds North America Breeding America 114

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2018

Gallardo has been a professional bird guide in Honduras since 2001 and first came to the country as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1993 (his “Chronology of Field Work in Honduras” is a chapter in the book). And, there is the usual introductory material on bird terms, bird topography, and brief overviews on geology and climate.

Honduras 103

Honduras Birds 2015 Family 103

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2018

Two reactions on receiving my review copy from publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: (1) Small book, colorful design, (2) There really are 12 steps and they are not in the order I expected. Especially 10, because, this being a book co-authored by Steve Howell, plumage quickly becomes a tutorial on molt. This is a deceptively good book.

Birds 135

Birds North America 2012 America 135

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2014

So, when Redgannet asked me if I was interested in reviewing Phillipps’ Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo: Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan, Third Edition , by Quentin Phillipps and Karen Phillipps, a book he had acquired at Birdfair, I hesitated. Did I dare dip my toe into this catalog of tantalizing species?

Brunei 172

Brunei Birds Asia China 172

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2018

He brings to this book an academic background in biology and horticulture and, more importantly, decades of experience developing strategies for the best backyard bird feeding practices. The book is focused on suburban living, with little attention given to the unique challenges of urban bird feeding.

Birds 165

Birds New York City Squirrels New York 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2018

The theft of some “dead birds” captures his imagination, and by the end of the book we’ve traveled with him around the world as he talks to famous fly tiers,* the Tring police, and Rist himself, seeking for the truth behind the story. Seriously, this book is crying out for a movie treatment!). Frustrated with the U.S.

Collecting 102

Collecting Iraq Ostriches Science 102

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2018

Think about it–how do you document the behavior of birds that spend years flying (or swimming) and feeding and, apparently, sleeping above or within the deep sea? The book becomes most engaging when Brooke tells stories based on his or his colleagues’ experience. Bruce Pearson is the book illustrator.

Albatross 114

Albatross Penguins Research Breeding 114

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. There is no reason expertise and talent cannot be shared across field guides when the books are published close together, like these are.

Costa Rica 202

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 202

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2015

I could go on and on, it’s that kind of a book—a comprehensive treatment of a species we respect and adore, based on the most current research, written in a style that, while factual, is from the author’s viewpoint, flavoring facts with a witty, observant personal quality. Scott Weidensaul is a nature writer with roots in journalism.

North America 213

North America Owls America Dominican Republic 213

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2016

It’s time for some short book reviews. Two books are part of series I’ve reviewed previously (and you may want to reread those posts for more detailed info), one is a handbook that I’ve been wanting to review for a long time, but thought that a shorter piece would work better than the long ones I always seem to end up doing here.

Pennsylvania 157

Pennsylvania Texas Whales Whaling 157

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 3, 2013

I needed a book showing a Linnet. Conceived and authored by Richard Crossley, birder, traveler, and photographer, The Crossley ID Guide: Britain & Ireland is the third book of the series. The first book in the series, The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds , exploded onto the birding scene in 2011.

Ireland 170

Ireland 2013 Breeders Ducks 170

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 7, 2021

When you bird afar and wander wide, you carry a field guide to the birds of the region you are exploring, a pair of binoculars, likely a camera, perhaps a spotting scope and a tripod too, plus clothing, medicines, toiletries, electronics, money and documents… Did you notice the missing item?

Madagascar 231

Madagascar Mammals Lemurs Seychelles 231