Product Description
From the author of the award-winning Wild Orchids Across North America comes an informative, beautiful—and at times poetic—summary of one man's life as a birder. Journeying from the swamps of Alabama to the icy waters of Québec's Gaspé Peninsula, from the sky islands of Arizona to the birdfeeder in his New Hampshire backyard, Keenan describes the remarkable pageantry of North American birdlife. More than a mere journal or travelogue, however, Keenan's book offers the incisive observations of a passionate naturalist for whom no question pertaining to birds is insignificant or irrelevant. With more than 100 color illustrations, it is as much a treat for the eyes as it is for the mind. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Any who love birds will find it most accessible
Birding Across North America: A Naturalist's Observations could be called a memoir of birding years, but it also holds plenty of practical details unique to the field guide, and description common to the travelogue. It may be hard to properly categorize this title, but any who love birds will find it most accessible. Individual chapters cover migration, reflections on domestic cats and wild birds, and basic elements of birdwatching in the East. A fascinating, revealing guide. ... Read more

Product Description
Birders from across the country and around the world come to Rocky Mountain National Park every year to find white-tailed ptarmigan, black swifts, northern pygmy-owls, and other high-elevation specialties of the Rockies. In "Birding Rocky Mountain National Park," author Scott Roederer provides a close-up look at eight of the best birding areas in the popular national park. Applying his thirty years of birding experience in "Rocky," Roederer dedicates an entire chapter to each area, offering unprecedented detail in describing where to park, where to walk, what species to expect, and much more.

Want to find that white-tailed ptarmigan? The guide identifies specific locations to look for it, describing not only when and where to go but even how to walk the area in its specilized habitat to best find this elusive bird. Need a black swift for your life list? Forget the arduous hike usually recommended for this hard-to-find species; Roederer knows where to find them roadside in an area of the park not covered in other guides.

The book reveals the best times to visit Rocky Mountain National Park, and it also includes valuable information on trip planning. There’s even a chapter covering nearby briding areas, including one local hot spot where 227 species have been recorded. The author concludes with a species-by-species birdfinding guide, with information on when and where to find each species, including special tips for difficult-to-locate birds. Maps show each area in detail and beautiful illustrations by Estes Park artist Scott Rashid further enliven this indispensable guide.

"Rocky Mountain National Park has world-class birding, but you have to know just where to go. On my own past visits I have relied on the phenomenal knowledge of Scott Roederer; and with this book in hand, you can too. Scott’s presentation is detailed, authoritative, in-depth, and essential. No birder or naturalist should visit the park with out this book."—Kenn Kaufman ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

BestRMNP Birdfinding Guide Available
As a seasoned world birder with a very extensive birding library, I have purchased dozens of birdfinding guides to regions, countries, states, cities, parks and refuges, and local areas.Scott Roederer's book ranks among the very best birdfinding guides available.I purchased it prior to a trip to RMNP in 2003 and used it to successfully find a number of specialty species missing from my ABA Area and Colorado lists.Scott's book is sort of like a Lane/ABA Birdfinding Guide, but better.Since RMNP is large and possesses many different habitats, Scott has divided the park into about eight areas and provided thorough birdfinding directions for each of these areas.He uses easy-to-follow directions and strategies for locating not only specialty species, but the more common western birds as well.This book is easily used while driving your car since Scott has provided mileages (from various start points) using your trip odometer and bird species names in boldface.The same goes for use when hiking along trails.This book is directed toward both casual and serious birders who want to easily locate their target birds in a reasonable period of time while enjoying the beauty of RMNP.My main target birds for my all too brief trip to RMNP were the Brown-capped Rosy Finch, Williamson's Sapsucker, and Three-toed Woodpecker.Using Scott's directions and strategies for avoiding the crowds, I easily found the sapsucker and woodpecker on my first try at the Endovalley picnic area and the rosy finch along Trail Ridge Road at the Lava Cliffs parking area.The Lava Cliffs parking area is normally crammed full of tourists and birding is difficult or impossible.Scott suggested arriving at dawn before the other tourists were up and about and this strategy worked brilliantly.I had the entire parking area to myself and within minutes had several Brown-capped Rosy Finches land on the retaining wall about several meters from me.I'm looking forward to using this book again on my next trip to RMNP.

Park Ranger Endorsement
This summer while stopped at an overlook on Trail Ridge Rd. in Rocky Mountain National Park, we spoke with a Park Ranger who had Scott Roederer's Birding Rocky Mountain National Park book in her vehicle.She told us that Scott's book was the best book on birding in RMNP.She uses it as a reference for park visitors who have questions about different birds and where to find them.It also is very well illustrated.I would definitely recommend this book for birders who visit this magnificent Park.

Rocky Mountain Birder's Bible
As first time visitors to Rocky Mountain Park, we purchased Scott Roederer's Birding Rocky Mountain National Park in thepark bookstore, but we wish we had had it to study beforehand. This guide not only focuses on the best locations for specific birds, but also provides careful directions (complete with odometer readings!) to trailheads that go well beyond the general maps available. We were also grateful for his strategies for avoiding the summer crowds, including when to arrive at specific trails and the order in which to bird them. Add to all of this Scott's warm, lucid style spiced with birding anecdotes that we can all relate to, and you get a bible for birding Rocky. Although we are certain that birding the park with Scott would have been the supreme experience, carrying his book in a hip pocket is the next best thing! ... Read more

Product Description
Minnesota is 84,000 square miles of lakes, prairies, and forest-and home to 420 species of birds.Today, birders from all over the country are discovering what Minnesotans have known for years: The Land of Lakes is a year-round gold mine for bird watching. Birding Minnesota leads you to birds in all four of the state's biomes-Northern Boreal, Prairie, Southern Hardwood, and Northern Deciduous-plus a special section on birding the Twin Cities.Perfect for the novice and experienced birder alike, Birding Minnesota not only gets you to the hot spots, it also tells you when to go and how to find birds once you get there.Filled with detailed maps, current information on seasonal occurrences and abundance, eye-catching photos, and beautiful illustrations, Birding Minnesota promises to be the source for Minnesota birders for many years. Award-winning author Jay Michael Strangis is a lifelong birder and outdoorsman with a passionate knowledge of Minnesota and its birds.Strangis spices up the bird finding information with interesting historical and geological facts along with birding tips gained from years in the field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent Reference
First off, this is not an identification guide. It is a run down of birding locations in Minnesota. Overall, it is an excellent reference to WHERE one can find certain bird species throughout the state.

My sister loves it!
I noticed that the only review of this book was negative, so I had to respond. I just visited my sister in Minnesota, and gave this book to her for her birthday. She loves it! It is not a field guide for identification, but has very specific information about locality of birds, and what seasons they are there. She said she can plan day trips for birding, with the help of this book. It was also fascinating reading! She also has Birds of Minnesota Field Guide by Stan Tekiela, which is a good companion book to bring along. Or any good bird field guide would do.

Not what I hoped
I assumed that every book about birds would have many pictures of birds. This did not.The few pictures contained lanscapes, but no birds.Iwanted a book to help identify the birds in Minnesota.This is definatelynot it! ... Read more

Product Description
The waterways of New York-New Jersey, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the French Quarter of New Orleans--all unlikely spots for birdwatching. For the careful observer, however, these urban locations and others like them can be settings for memorable birding experiences. In this unique book, some of the country's best-known birders observe birds in places where thriving bird life comes as a surprise. Funny, informative, and thought-provoking, the true stories collected here demonstrate the amazing adaptability of birds, which sometimes seem to thrive in almost any setting humans create: city parks, busy marinas, cemeteries, sewage lagoons. They also illustrate the vulnerability of the natural world in an increasingly man-made environment, and show how the excitement of birdwatching can exist in the most unexpected places. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A real gem of a book
This book is an absolute treat.I felt compelled to write a review because I couldn't believe it had only been written about by one other Amazon user.

Each "chapter" in City Birding is an essay about birdwatching in unexpected places, where man's environment (the city, a sewage treatment plant, a dump) has preserved (or remade) habitat for winged creatures.

The book features a variety of writing styles from a range of bird- and nature-lovers, including humor, interesting knowledge about birds, and a sense of wonder at the beauty and resilience of the birds featured.They are accessible and enjoyable, even for someone who (like myself) is not a serious birder.A few of the essays fit less well than others (the piece on Audubon in New Orleans felt like it belonged elsewhere) but overall it was a fine read.

I would especially recommend this book as a thoughtful gift to people who love birds or nature writing.

Writing to share the wonder of observing nature in the city.
This is a series of first person accounts of birding (aka birdwatching) in urban areas in the United States.The writers are a number of prominent birders and nature writers, and with the inclusion of nature writers that are not necessarily birders, show a wide range of experience, skill, and approaches to birding.But the main theme is that it is in urban areas, where the mass of concrete, steel and glass make its residents not as attuned to the natural world in its midst.And, truth be told, an environment where a lot of people who consider themselves nature lovers would not think of as rich environments for observing nature.

The urban environments are a wide range.From the dingiest examples of urban blight known as New York-New Jersey harbor to backyards to urban parks.Some of the writers, are city mice themselves who delight in showing off their world.Some of them are country mice who are lost in the city, but discover some surprising corners (like Julie Zickefoose in Lincoln Park (Montrose), Chicago).Some are world reknown experts in bird identification.Some have no idea how to use binoculars.But all have the sense of wonder in the world around them, and write to communicate that wonder and joy.

I live in the middle of the city, and I have the privilege of walking to work amist tree lined streets and living close to two large (150 acres) urban parks, and many of the stories here hit close to home. ... Read more

Product Description
"49 Ways to Improve Your Bird Watching" is a collection of practical, field-tested bird watching advice from the world's top birding experts.

Unlike many bird watching guides, which are specific to certain geographical regions, this book contains knowledge and information that can be used by any bird watching enthusiast, anywhere in the world.

The tips and tricks contained in this book cover an extremely wide range of topics, including how to select equipment, learn bird calls, locate birds in the wild, set up an amazing bird garden, and more!

Whether you're a bird watching veteran, or a complete beginner, "49 Ways to Improve Your Bird Watching" will help you take your bird watching to a whole new level. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Love this BOOK !!!!!!!!!
Wife and I needed a new hobby, I recently became retired and need something to do and this was it.

Great Tips for the Bird Watchers!
As someone who loves to watch the birds in my yard, this book gave me some great tips about how to keep them in my yard more often. Anyone who uses bird feeders knows that it can be hard to keep the other yard critters out of the bird food and invite the birdies to stay around more. This book gives some great tips and tricks that I have not thought of previously. This is a "must-have" for the bird watcher! ... Read more

Product Description

If you're a birdwatcher, this book will be a delight.If you can already identify the bird but wish to know where else to sight it, then this quick-reference book will be a friend and companion. Birds and Birding on the Mississippi Coast by Judith A. Toups and Jerome A. Jackson is the first book to focus attention on sighting the 357 species of birds known to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.It fills a long-standing need for a comprehensive, up-to-date guide to sites in the coastal counties of Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson where this wide range of birds can be located.

Product Description
Covering all 835 species of birds recorded on the continent, including 116 accidentals, this is the first field guide to North American birds specifically designed to satisfy the interests and needs of the serious birder. Its three volumes contain, in all, 1245 full-color photographs, 193 paintings, 422 drawings, and 650 range maps, while 61 of the nation's top field ornithologists and experts contribute their special knowledge to the 370,000 words of text. Entries are arranged taxonomically according to the new American Ornithologists' Union classification.

This volume contains:

Old World Warblers and Thrushes, Mimic-Thrushes, Accentors, Wagtails and Pipits, Waxwings, Silky-Flycatchers, Shrikes, Starlings, Vireos, Wood Warblers, Bananaquits, Tanagers, Cardinals and Thier Allies, New World Blackbirds and Orioles, Finches, Old World Sparrows

Volume 1 contains:

Loons, Grebes, Albatrosses, Shearwaters and Petrels, Storm-Petrels, Tropicbirds, Boobies and Gannets, Pelicans, Cormorants, Anhingas, Frigatebirds, Herons, Ibises and Spoonbills, Storks, Flamingos, Swans, Geese, and Ducks, New World Vultures, Hawks and Eagles, Falcons, Chachalacas, Pheasants, Grouse, and Quails, Rails, Limpkins, Cranes, Thick-knees, Plovers, Oystercatchers, Stilts and Avocets, Jacanas. Sandpipers

Volume 2 contains:

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers, Auks, Pigeons and Doves, Parrots, Cuckoos, Barn-Owls, Typical Owls, Nightjars, Swifts, Hummingbirds, Trogons, Hoopoes, Kingfishers, Woodpeckers, Tyrant-Flycatchers, Larks, Swallows, Jays and Crows, Titmice, Verdins, Bushtits, Nuthatches, Creepers, Bulbuls, Wrens, Dippers ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Searching for Vol. 2
If you have a copy of Volume 2 (Gulls, Terns and Skimmers) for sale, please notify me.

Kasieluka@aol.com

Where's volume 1 and 2?
Every serious birder should have the Master Guide. Unforntunately it is out of print and until the publisher decides to release it again so that one can have the complete set of all three volumes, it will leave a void in one's birding library. It might be out of date (1983), but the photographs for the most part as well as the text are extremely helpful when used in conjunction with other field guides. Sometimes it is the guide that will finally answer the question of what bird was that when the other guides have left you guessing. Here's hoping the publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, will release all three volumes again real soon! stormpetrel@msn.com

Best on the market!
I looked for a long time for the best book with photos not someones idea what the birds look like.Also it gives excellent data on identification, breeding, habitat and comparisons

best of any bird identification book on the market (3 vols)
the best of the best,be sure to get all three volumes, i have found these books to be the most accurate from florida to canada, and new jersey to california ... Read more

Amazon.com Review
The archipelago of Indonesia is a birder's paradise, with 17percent of the world's species represented, 381 of which can be foundnowhere else on earth. It's a rare pleasure to see the birds of Java,Bali, and Nusa Tenggara, of Sumatra, Sulawesi, and Irian Jaya, apleasure which takes a good bit of preparation, organization, andadvance detail. Fielding's Birding Indonesia is as fine aguide (to the region, the logistics, and the birds) as you couldwant. Take the chapter on Maluku, for example. An easy reference pagetells you at once that the ferry to Halmahera takes an hour, basicaccommodations are available at Anu's Birdwatcher's Home, it's hot andhumid always and very wet April through August, and that Standardwingsand Invisible Rails, plus 24 other indigenous, rare species, are therefor the viewing. With luscious color photos and reliable, practicalparticulars, Jepson's guide is the perfect blend of inspiration andinformation. -Stephanie Gold ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent but in Need of Updating
This book is an excellent guide to the varied nature reserves and many other sites of Indonesia not just to birders, but in fact to all travellers interested in wildlife.
The coverage of national parks and remote islands/forests is better than could be found in any other guidebook, and the wealth of detial on transport and accomodation options is impressive.
Unfortunately some of the information in this guide is now dated though - in many areas forests have been cut down, birds eliminated, accomodation closed since the book was written - and of course prices have gone up. An updated 2nd edition would be very welcome, but I guess there is little chance of that happening...
In the meantime, try to get hold of a copy of this book if you plan to visit Indonesia! ... Read more

Product Description

A field guide to one of the world's premier birding locations, this volume makes it easy to take this sublime pastime to the next level. With a breakdown of the Cape into regions, towns, and favorite birding areas, the guide includes a section on pelagic birding, detailed maps that indicate items of interest, birding hot spots, and even parking locations. A section on the descriptions of Cape Cod specialty species is also included as are explanations of when to bird, what to look for, and in which habitats to find birds. A useful checklist of the birds of the Cape, helpful cross references, and a complete index for quick reference round out this perfect field guide for both visitors to and residents of Cape Cod.

Product Description

Customer Reviews (12)

A must for every birdwatcher!
This book is simply fantastic!Color illustrations and text really help with common identification problems.Should be required reading for every birder.Even if you have been birding for years you will learn something new, and yet this book is super friendly to begining birders.

My Favorite Bird Watching Book
What a great little book. This is the first book to read before starting your field trips, and the perfect size to take with you. I wish I would have had this book years ago. It would have save a lot of wear and tear on my brain, especially when trying to identify Gulls. Bill Thompson has a remarkable sense of humor. He seems to know exactly where to throw in some comic relief, and Julie Zickefoose makes any would be illustrator drool in frustration as you look slack-jawed at her beautiful illustrations. I only hope you two geniuses have plans for another book.

Good, useful reference
This rates 5 stars for my purposes.It identifies birds, as it is supposed to do.Maybe I would rate it lower if I knew more about birds, and compared this books with 5 similar books with the same stated purpose.

Other books have much more information, but would one want to carry around a much larger, heavier book?This book is for a novice.Others should get a small book like this to carry around, and a more thorough book to keep at home.

A great reference for birders!
I purchased this last spring to help with migrants moving through my area.It helped with Warblers, Thrushes and Vireos a lot!In those brief seconds when the bird is in view, now I know what to look for to aid in identification,I love it and I'm buying a copy for a birding friend.Recommended for the advanced beginner.

Very educational !!!!!
As a bird fan, I really wanted to get this to help me learn as much as possible about feathered friends, and it sure does deliver! One disappointment however, it left out some species that summer here in the last frontier!!Other than that, this is a great book! Good for yourself,or as a gift for that birder you know!!! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very unique and interesting
I know this book is out of print and very difficult to find, but I really suggest you buy a used copy!The book is a collection of essays by Charles T. Flugum, written as monthly columns for the Community Magazine in Albert Lea, Minnesota from 1952-1964.The author was a farmer in Minnesota and the 137 columns depict the species of birds he observed on his farm and his experiences with them.The book is also sprinkled with some conservation techniques that Flugum used.This book is really worth the buy, especially for collectors of birding books. Enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (13)

A Different Birding Experience
The Life of the Skies is different if not unique for birding/nature books.This is not about birding but more about why we watch birds or at least why Jonathan Rosen watches birds.

It was a nice break between the scientific books on birds that I normally read. Rosen's writing style is a sort of intellectual and spiritual mix- wonderful!This is the book to take on vacation.

JR takes a drive (listing) and makes it meaningful.The Life of the Skies helped me define my reason for watching birds which seems like a useless activity to many people. He puts birding on a higher level, mixing science, spirituality, and psychology.

Wonderful!

if you love poetry, you will love this book. if you love birds, you will be disappointed.
This author clearly went to google books and typed in the word 'bird' and has threaded together every bird poem he could find. If you love poetry, and liked English class ("What does this poem MEAN? What is the significance of the BIRD in this work? What could the bird SYMBOLIZE?") you will be like a bird at a birdfeeder with this book.

On the other hand, you might be disappointed at how sparse you find the natural history information and how pretentious the author.

A Wonderful Book on Birding, Philosophy and Personal Experience
Some authors are very good at connecting seemingly disparate elements into fascinating narrative.Jonathan Rosen is one such author and in his "The Life of the Birds: Birding at the End of Nature" he has captured the paradox and ambiguity of human involvement in the natural world.Yes we are among the problems (probably the greatest problem) being faced by the environment right now, but we are also part of that environment and sometimes its protector (although never often enough).Paradoxically only modern society allows us to take the time to appreciate "nature."

Rosen is no avid bird lister who tries to reach new heights in chalking up new birds.He is instead a rare bird- the bird watcher who thinks in terms of art, philosophy, religion and history, as well as science. One can, of course, go too far down that road and in the process loose the science, but, from my point of view, Rosen never does this.He instead has produced discussions of birds and bird watching in relation to Audubon, Whitman, Thoreau, Frost, Theodore Roosevelt, E. O. Wilson and many others, weaving the mix into a intricate tapestry that both enriches the birding experience and places it into a human context.His on and off search for the ivory-billed woodpecker is both hopeful and painful and emphasizes the paradox of man (both destroyer and protector) and nature (not always kind itself).In short, it was very easy to read this book, but very hard to put it down.At the end, as in all good books, I was left wanting more!

This is a book to take on a trip on an airplane, bus or train, or to read in bed.Unless you have no interest in the subject at all, you will not be bored.

Excellent Choice of words
Right from the word go i.e the title, every word adds meaning to the experience had by Jonathan Rosen as a bird watcher. This is the first prologue that I didnt look for to end, as it already seemed like the book.

The book is divided into two parts :
PartI - Backyard Birds
PartII- Birds of Paradise.

Through the experiences of Audubon with his pet parrot and the killer monkey, Whitman's with mocking birds and the resultant poetry, Roosevelt's contribution to preservation of wildlife and his own from a decade of birdwatching, the author tries to get to the core of what this act means to him.

Looking at the evolution of his answers, looks like he will find many more spokes out of it other than the ones hes already meditated on. One tough nut is the instinct of hunting Vs conservation of birds. Theres a bit of history of land as it relates to migration, borders from his experience birdwatching in Palestine.

He blends fictional stories like 'The Bear' by Faulkner with non fictional acounts of bird sightings to bring across his point to the reader. Solomon stories, conference of birds, DH Lawrence, Thomas Hardy - everyone's welcome to the bounty.

The first essay 'the Ghost Bird' is about the history of Ivory Bill's extinction or man's desperate attempt at falsifying it by spotting one. This concern carries into other chapters and winds up the book too.

Illustrations make the book even more interesting.
p232. Stork with spear is very touching

Initially the book leaned more towards extinct birds
like passenger pigeons(it took me a while to imagine their number when present and believe that they are none now), carolina parakeets, eventually it did rake up my interest in putting the bird guide book to use.

If you decide to go birdwatching and its the first time, its better to go on a guided bird walk.

Whats bioblitz? Be open to know lots of such new things...

Much more than birds
Jonathan Rosen's book The Life of the Skies has been given little publicity and is not easy to find simply because it does not fit into the usual categories. It is not a nature book per se. It is not a biography. Rather it is about nature, about philosophy, about reflections on life in general. It is one of those large books that makes one think and reflect on life. Rosen writes well and draws from a wide range of sources, linking birdwatching in Central Park in New York City of all places to a huge number of other topics. It is a book that I came upon totally by chance. I heard a review of it somewhere and decided to go and find it and was amazed that no bookstore had it in stock. I have now passed it on to a number of friends, all of whom say that they have never heard of it. I would highly recommend it to almost anyone, regardless of whether they are a birder or not. Maybe it will convince them, like Rosen himself, to begin to watch birds and in turn to look at the earth that we live on in a new and different way. ... Read more

Product Description
Geography, topography, weather patterns, and unique natural features make Cape May, New Jersey, one of the most important birding sites in North America. Throughout the year thousands of birders travel to Cape May from around the country--and across the ocean--to witness the arrival of tens of thousands of raptors, songbirds, shorebirds, and seabirds. In this guide, Cape May birders can find out exactly when and where in the region to go, what birds they’re likely to see, why the birds are there, and what factors could affect the birds’ behavior. Filled with the authors’ photos, this book offers insider information that will help any birder make the most of a visit. It features a complete Cape May bird list and a description of the region’s history complemented by images that show how Cape May has changed over the years, and how it has stayed the same. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A must-have book for the Cape May tourist
This book was suggested to me by an employer, and I was not expecting to learn anything from reading it. However, this book is very thorough and covers everything from the history of birding and conservation in Cape May, to tips on identifying birds and even where most of the speed traps are located on the local roads. The information is presented in a captivating manner and is filled with funny/interesting stories and little-known facts about birds and birding at Cape May.
Definitely take the time to read this book from cover to cover before visiting Cape May for birding.

CAROLE SMITH
THIS WAS A CHRISTMAS PRESENT TO MY HUSBAND...HE THOROUGHLY ENJOYED AND LEARNED MUCH ABOUT THE BIRDS OF CAPE MAY...I BOUGHT THIS AND ANOTHER CAPE MAY BIRD BOOK FROM AMAZON.....GREAT PRICE....VERY PLEASED!

A Must-have resource for finding the best birds in Cape May
As a birder, I have traveled to Cape May many times, but some of the best times were taking birding workshops with Pat and Clay Sutton. Amazing naturalists and fantastic birders, the Suttons eagerly share their knowledge of the natural world around them. And one of their favorite subjects is the birds, birding, and birders of Cape May.

This well written book will engage you right from the first page and you will not want to put the book down at all until you have read the rich and fascinating history of birding in Cape May and discovered all of the many places to visit while there.

Many people go to Cape May and get no further than the hawk watch platform, but you are doing yourself a disservice if you don't take this book with you and discover the rest that Cape May has to offer. You will be amazed at the birding possibilities that exist there.

Excellent
Being a birder for years and going to Cape May, NJ for years, this book is great to have.It summarizes all about Cape May and will tell others what Cape May is about and what to look forward to.

Simply the best guide to birding at Cape May, one of the best places in the US
Cape May is a peninsula, the southernmost point of New Jersey. It separates Delaware Bay from the Atlantic Ocean, and lies only fourteen miles north of Delaware. Consequently, millions of birds funnel through the area in the spring and fall of each year. There are a number of nature preserves and wildlife refuges nearby. The Cape May Bird Observatory is the center of birding activity in the area.

"If birds are an excellent judge of climate, Cape May has the finest climate in the United States, for it has the greatest variety of birds." Alexander Wilson was writing in 1812 before Texas, the current US record holder, joined the union. But the area is still one of the best places to watch birds in the United States.

The climate also attracts thousands of people to the area. There is a wonderful array of attractions, beaches, restaurants, hotels and camping spots available to birders and to any companions who may not share their passions.

The authors have dozens of birding books and articles to their credit. As a quick perusal of the extracts on Amazon proves, they know the area intimately, and describe it in clear, helpful language. They profile 33 birding locations, and discuss the histories of popular birding sites. Some of the best passages deal with some of the great birders who enjoyed this area: Alexander Wilson to Roger Tory Peterson to Pete Dunne. They add delightful accounts of their own experiences; the sighting of a Yellow-nosed Albatross is especially good.

There is simply no better single volume resource covering the birds, history and geography of this area. If you go, take along this book, and stop in at the Cape May Bird Observatory to see what is going on. BirdCapeMay can give you a head start before you leave home.

Robert C. Ross, 2008 ... Read more

Product Description
At the end of the twentieth century roughly 265 million people visited the 374 sites in the American National Park System. These places, designated and protected because of their significance to our nation's historical and natural heritage, contain some of the most beautiful landscapes in the United States-landscapes that naturally lend themselves to outdoor recreation.

In this book, veteran parks interpreter Roland H. Wauer introduces the pleasures of birding in the national parks of the American Southwest. From California to Texas, from hugely popular destinations such as Arizona's Grand Canyon to the mostly undiscovered shores of Amistad National Recreation Area, Wauer visits fourteen sites and gives us his advice on what birds to expect and where and how to find them.

Birding the Southwestern National Parks is written for anyone visiting, or planning to visit, the following Southwestern parks:

* Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada

* Joshua Tree National Park, California

* Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada and Arizona

* Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

* Sunset Crater Volcano, Wupatki, andWalnut Canyon National Monuments, Arizona

* Montezuma Castle National Monument, Arizona

* Tonto National Monument andOrgan Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona

* Saguaro National Park, Arizona

* Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona

* Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks, New Mexico and Texas

* White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

* Big Bend National Park, Texas

* Amistad National Recreation Area, Texas ... Read more

Product Description
The Sills turn their wicked wit on the entire world of birdwatching in a hysterical parody of your favorite birding magazine. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Adorable!
This book is so fun to show someone who thinks it's serious and it ends up being silly.Very clever.An unusual sense of humor.I'd like to get some for gifts!

Beyond Birdwatching:More Than There Is to Know About Birding
Took the recommendations and ordered this for a gift.What a HOOT!I plan on buying a copy for everyone in the family.All of us watch birds for fun. Ben Sill makes birding much more entertaining!

Laughing so hard, it's hard to hold your binoculars steady
Buy this book and laugh your head off or give it as a gift to any person you would wish to see with a laughed-off head. It's funny, actually... Plus, I can really recommend the one time magnification binoculars advertised in there, no more looking in the wrong side seeing everything so annoyingly small...Tea kettle tea kettle... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

An invitation to birding
This is one of the most appealing birding books available.It has clear descriptions of the most commonly seen birds accompanied by beautiful photographs.It's an excellent introduction for beginners as well as a valuable reference for seasoned birders.There is also much on bird families, photography, identification, nesting, and habitat.The book is so friendly it make one love the hobby and want to seek out our feathered friends. I bought my copy from the bargain section of a bookstore and I really received more than a bargain.

An interesting bird book for beginners
I've sent this book along with a wren birdhouse to my friends to enjoy backyard birding. I send it to those who have a tree or an eave for the birdhouse. They've delighted in the book and have had wrens in the house. It's very exciting for them to know so much about many common birds they see. They've had fun with this book.

Birding
The first three chapters (83 pages) deserve a top score.The remainder of the book has problems that would barely earn a two on a one-to-five scale.Overall, a three is generous.

The first three chapters are as good a tutorial on birding as you will find anywhere.It begins with a chapter on understanding birds.Some readers may find it dry but should read it anyway.They are probably the same readers that have skipped the front material in every field guide they ever owned.Next comes a section on birding at home.For a beginner living anywhere other than a cave in Manhattan, observing neighborhood birds is a great start.This second chapter then provides ideas for attracting more birds to your backyard.The material on feeders and feeds is excellent and the information on planting and landscaping will get you started.

The third chapter is on actual birding.It is practical and covers all aspects of importance.There isn't any need for birding to be complicated and it should be available to everyone.It is difficult to conceive of a handicap that would preclude a person from enjoying birds.For starters, binoculars and a field guide is all that one needs.Some sort of notepad is a good addition.The book covers these basics, and then expands to a discussion of spotting scopes, birding by ear, photography, and getting more involved in bird study.Conservation should be mandatory in any discussion of birding and this book does not disappoint.

The remainder of the book is a sort of field guide arranged by habitat.The concept seems to be that an inexperienced birder can choose a habitat, look over the book's subsection on that habitat, and be better equipped to identify the birds found there.The problem is that birds do not always respect habitat.Every habitat I have visited has had birds not particularly identified with that habitat.Certainly, a beginning birder will find the order used by most field guides confusing; but it is better to have the hawks together, the sparrows together, etc. than to have them separated.

This "Birdfinder" section has 148 pages, each highlighting a species.Since this is far short of even the common species of the United States, many species are added as adjuncts to a related species or omitted all together.The golden-crowned kinglet becomes a footnote to the ruby-crowned kinglet.The red-breasted nuthatch is added to the white-breasted nuthatch's page, with no mention of the other nuthatches.Woodpeckers are a strange case.Downy woodpeckers get a page in the urban habitat and hairy woodpeckers get a mention on the same page.The rest of the woodpecker clan is represented solely by the acorn woodpecker and the northern flicker in the woodlands habitat.

Another objection is that the Birdfinder section is oriented to eastern birding without admitting that is the case.For example, the eastern phoebe gets a page but the Say's phoebe doesn't get a mention.Meadowlarks are represented by the eastern species, although the western species gets a mention.The same is true of the Baltimore and Bullock's orioles.Bluebirds get a page devoted to the eastern bluebird; the western bluebird gets a mention and a picture, while the mountain bluebird that is dominant in some areas isn't mentioned.Bluebirds are identified in the woodlands habitat; I find all three species more associated with grasslands, although they are cavity nesters.

While teaching a class on birding, I held up this book and said that it included nearly everything I had told them.To cover my conscience in even showing it, I added most of what I have covered in this review.

Great Overview of Birds
This book has a wealth of information about a wide variety of bird topics. It has bird anatomy, songs, how to build a nest box, etc. The main chapter of this book, named 'The Habitat BirdFinder' is a field guide to about 100 of the most commonly seen birds in North America, and isn't in any specific order, but by which habitat it is most likely to be seen in. It is very useful, with a large photograph and colour drawings with text for each bird. The range maps are very clear and easy to use. In the back of the book there is a good selection of other books and resources, including local birding organizations.
If you are looking for a first birding book, to get you started and familiar with birds, then this is a great start.

You need to buy this!
This book has been an excellent addition to my library on birding. Splendid photography! Helpful tips!Interesting insights and all at a great price. The book is beautiful and is clearly of high quality. You won't be disappointed! ... Read more