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! In 2012, I reviewed The Jewel Hunter , an absorbing narrative in which author Chris Goodie travelled throughout Asia, Africa, and Australasia to observe and photograph every Pitta species in the world.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Brazil Ecuador Bolivia 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2022

Solid Air: Invisible Killer- Saving Billions of Birds from Windows is the summation of Dr. Klem’s expertise, experience, and professional life–what we scientifically know about bird and glass collisions, a handbook on how to prevent them, and, not insignificantly, the story of a remarkable career.

New York City 261

New York City Birds Illinois Science 261

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 224

Birds Egypt Family Eagles 224

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 227

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 227

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 253

Madagascar Mammals Lemurs Seychelles 253

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

” And, if you don’t believe them, just take a look at some of the photographic comparisons of species they present: Or, of albatross plumages: Or, read about the taxonomic confusions and scientific lapses in research on petrels, Albatrosses, storm-petrels, and diving-petrels. And, you need a boat.

Albatross 167

Albatross North America Birds Groups 167

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 259

North America America Birds United States 259

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 263

Birds North Carolina North America Owls 263

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 238

Cuba Birds United States 2000 238

10,000 Birds

MAY 23, 2023

Birders often venture into various habitats, such as forests, wetlands, grasslands, or coastal areas, to encounter different bird species. The primary objective of birding is to identify bird species based on their physical characteristics, behavior, and vocalizations.

United States 147

United States North America Birds America 147

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 190

Birds Groups 2015 North America 190

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 270

Animal Mammals Hawaii Dolphins 270

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 115

Birds North America Breeding America 115

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). Species Accounts. The Species Accounts are arranged in a rough AOS taxonomic order.

Honduras 106

Honduras Birds 2015 Family 106

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

Some people read cookbooks though they have no intention of whipping up a mushroom risotto, some people read bird guide books, even when the likelihood of actually seeing the creatures in those guides is remote. SCOPE & SPECIES ORGANIZATION. It covers 434 species across 9 orders and 18 families of birds.

Albatross 279

Albatross Penguins Family Groups 279

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 182

Birds New York City Squirrels New York 182

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2018

It’s not often that we have the opportunity to glimpse the home life of albatrosses, nor of any seabird species. 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? What about incubation shifts?

Albatross 114

Albatross Penguins Research Breeding 114

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 176

Pennsylvania Texas Whales Whaling 176

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 29, 2021

Maybe these people like challenges – at least here at the monastery, getting good shots of this species is quite easy. Another species apparently enjoying the proximity of a monastery is the White-winged Grosbeak. My extensive birding experience allows me to be very confident that the bird below is a Rosefinch.

Birds 226

Birds Germany India 2018 226

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

The opening beautifully encapsulates the essence of the book. She doesn’t know the species till it emerges, almost dreamlike, from the heavy glare of the sun. This is the story of Fox’s experiences on board the Achiever, the research vessel of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. And, this was badly needed.

Fox 100

Fox Albatross Geese Bald Eagle 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2012

Recently it has also been documented as breeding in Wisconsin, Ontario, and the Upper Michigan Peninsula, but those birds are few and not always accessible. It’s the warbler that is often the last unchecked species on birders’ life lists and, whether you list or not, for most of us observing it is a once in a lifetime experience.

Michigan 240

Michigan Bahamas Endangered Species Research 240

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2015

So, it is strange that while books have been written about owls and hawks, and the semi-charismatic seabirds and shorebirds, there have been few books written about woodpeckers. This is a comprehensive, handsome reference book that is likely to become the standard for many years. Gorman is the perfect woodpecker author.

Woodpeckers 252

Woodpeckers 2002 Europe Research 252

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2012

And, to give his dream year a little more oomph, he created a grand once-in-a-lifetime goal: to track down and see every pitta species in the world in one year. This is the birding adventure book supreme. I’m reading a book about a man who is doing a Pitta Big Year,” I say. And leeches. And getting lost without a GPS.

Hunters 202

Hunters Sri Lanka Asia Solomon Islands 202

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2019

Born in a different era, when bird photography was difficult, I gave many advice how to write the basic info, but the strangest thing to novices today turned out to be the advice on sketching the unknown species. Still, besides documenting rare species, forms, or odd individuals (e.g. Why should I sketch it, I am lousy at that.

Birds 144

Birds Costa Rica Greece Colombia 144

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2019

I like observing them, reading about them, grappling with species and subspecies identification, and even—on a good day—talking about sparrow taxonomy. This is a reference book with many layers, diverse uses and a distinct personality. Scope of Book. Small and other photographers, mostly, if not all, birders.

North America 157

North America Sparrows America United States 157

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2013

A breeding bird atlas is a special kind of book. For birders, it’s the extremely large book, shelved in a place where it can’t crush the field guides, used to research the history of a bird in their area. The resulting book, 616 pages in length, 6.4

Pennsylvania 239

Pennsylvania Breeding Birds Sparrows 239

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2012

When Corey and Mike asked if I wanted to review this book, I cautioned them that I am far from an expert in seabirds (my friends know that if you want to see my face turn green, just say the word “pelagic”), but would happy to review it from the perspective of a seabird beginner and librarian. Here’s Alan’s review. )

North America 159

North America Albatross America Species 159

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2013

I couldn’t wait to give names to all my new species. I tried using the Internet, but found it frustrating for all the usual reasons; websites either didn’t include all species or were difficult to use for identification. Identifying the birds was easy thanks to the Collins Bird Guide.

Ireland 180

Ireland France Breeding Eggs 180

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2019

Few hobbies place such value on the written knowledge contained in books as does birding. Birders cherish and hoard books above all other trappings of the pastime, and rather than relegating these tomes to the home library or study, they’re routinely carried out-of-doors as constant and dog-eared companions in field and forest.

2015 113

2015 Italy Falcons Europe 113

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2017

This is a large, heavy book–6.8 The guide covers 747 breeding residents or regular migrants, 29 introduced species, and 160 vagrants, a total of 936 species. Honeyeaters are “active, noisy and pugnacious” and there are a lot of them–76 species–in Australia.

Australia 109

Australia Birds Penguins 2015 109

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2013

It isn’t in your book of seabirds? (It But, to Elizabeth Gehrman, the author of Rare Birds: The Extraordinary Tale of the Bermuda Petrel and the Man who Brought it Back from Extinction, and to David Wingate, the man who Gehrman profiles in this excellent book, the Bermuda Petrel is always the cahow. You’ve never heard of the cahow?

Birds 172

Birds Rats Breeding 2012 172

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2011

You’d think, then, that applying science to philosophy by studying the evolutionary underpinnings of thought and behavior across species would be right up my alley. The temptation is even stronger for popularizers, who have to condense and choose a focus that will appeal to the book-buying public.

Morals 113

Morals Animal Humane Research 113

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

Mostly the ducks were Red-breasted Merganser and Greater Scaup , the two most prevalent species on the pond, but there were a few other birds mixed in as well. Just think, if no one was there to document this, would it really have happened? It was a great experience. Spring is the perfect season to take this book for a spin!

Ducks 174

Ducks 2011 Jamaica New York 174

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2011

The experience is one of the ornithological highlights in the world. The field site I am assigned to is located in one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world and home to a particularly rich avifauna that numbers well over 500 species. That’s right – birds eating clay. Scarlet Macaws.

Peru 255

Peru Parrots 2011 South America 255