The Shorebird Guide Author: Michael & Richard Crossley & Kevin Karlson O'Brien | Language: English | ISBN:
B001I4FFIE | Format: PDF
The Shorebird Guide Description
- Paperback: 477 pages
- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0618432949
- ISBN-13: 978-0618432943
- ASIN: B001I4FFIE
- Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
If you are a real shorebird enthusiast, or simply enjoy looking at great bird photographs, this would be a great book for you. If you want a straightforward reference for field identification, this may not be the book for you.
The book has two main sections: Species Photos (with copious identification notes and range maps, and Species Accounts. The photo section is subdivided into "Domestic Species" and ""Rarities and Regional Specialties". The photos in the book are wonderful, so it is fun to look through even if you are not trying to learn anything. Many of the photos are excellent for learning how to identify particular species and many others help to illustrate particular behaviors. Other photos are beautiful, but not very useful for illustrating identification features or behavior.
The text is also excellent. Although the authors profess to use a holistic approach to identification, there is plenty of attention to specific details. For example, in the notes for the White-rumped Sandpiper: "all plumages may show unique reddish or brownish base to lower mandible". Many photos show multiple species and there are little quizzes mixed in with the identification notes.
I often carry this book in my car when I'm out birding, but the book would be rather large and heavy to carry in the field. I dislike the separate sections for "Domestic Species" and ""Rarities and Regional Specialties". It would be much easier to compart similar species (like Wilson's Snipe and Common Snipe) if the photos for the two species were adjacent to eachother. I find the quizzes are fun, but they may not be to everyone's taste. Taking quizzes would be fine for home, but the quizzes might just get in the way if you were trying to use this bood in the field.
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