Product Description
Lively, anecdotal, and authoritative, this guidebook takes the birder by the hand and leads him or her into the field showing exactly what is needed and not needed to be a better birder. 50 line drawings. 17,500 print. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Ain't No Such Thing as a 'Trash Bird'
I'll say, categorically, that Jack Connor's book, The Complete Birder, is the best single introduction to birding I've ever seen. Period. It will greatly shorten a beginner's learning-curve, and it will help reinforce good birding techniques in the more experienced. And--bonus!--it's a totally great read!

Listen, being a beginning birder has to be one of the hardest things in the world. There's a gazillion things to memorise or to look at depending on whether a bird's male or female, young or old, or molting its plumage, or it's a certain subspecies, or color-form, or time of year, or the direction of light, or the moon's in Capricorn. There's a further kabillion calls & songs to learn, and if you're like most people, your auditory memory is about on a par with your ability to whistle all the parts in Wagner's Ring Cycle. There's migration stuff, which can get pretty complicated sometimes. To a beginning birder, far too many bird species just look and sound just the same and it can drive you nuts for the first little while until, as the British birders put it, 'you get your eye in' on them.

But learning how to become a birder is more than just memorising plumage patterns, flight-styles, calls, & songs; it's more than getting the best bird guides, & optical rig, & software, etc. It involves many things you just won't know until you find them out, that's where Jack Connor gives us such a gift with his book, 'The Complete Birder'. He helps organise that initial chaos with an easy humor (check out his 'warbler four-count', and his wry account of his run-in with a certain hawk in Florida), shared wisdom, and a hard-headed practicality. He understands the places where beginners are likely to run into technical & conceptual snags and head down blind alleys, and he helps you avoid them with solid advice & suggestions. He understands the interior processes of birding and describes them simply and compellingly so that you can appreciate them consciously as well.

Especially, he helps you learn to pay attention to what's important, to be a complete observer. So you'll never see a 'trash-bird', a bird so common & familiar that it becomes furniture in front of that hot rarity, or wallpaper behind it: instead, every bird will be an object of wonder & curiosity. That sounds simple yet it's anything but, and Connor's wonderful book will help you achieve it better & quicker than just about anything else I've ever heard of. I've had my copy for nearly fifteen years (the optical stuff is a bit dated but his general advice is still totally valid), and I still re-read it, not only for new insights & salutary reminders, but just for the heck-yeah fun of it.

Essential birdwatching reading
For any active birdwatcher who goes beyond their backyard this volume is essential reading. Connor writes in a lively, entertaining, but also very educational style. Chapter on optics will be very helpful for beginners,but probably best are his chapters on various bird groups where individualspecies can be difficult to learn (I especially like the chapters onwarblers, hawks, and shorebirds). Out of the multitude of birdwatchingbooks available there are few, if any, that fill quite the sameintermediate niche as this volume does so well. Warning: there are no colorpictures or photos here for those especially interested in such, but thisnow classic instructive text is well worth the price for avid birders.

The Complete Birder--THE Essential Guide
As a novice birder, Jack Conner's guide impressed me as the #1 essential book next to the field identification guide of your choice.Although it's over 12 years old, the Complete Birder has slightly dated but stillessential info on optics, chapters onacoustics & migration, and lotsof tips for identifying birds.The chapters on warblers and hawks shouldbe required reading for all birders!Those living near the shore havesimilar chapters.It's full of important information beautifullypresented.Don't miss the forward by Roger Tory Peterson!

Take your identification skills to the next level
This is a GREAT book that takes you beyond the basics and the common field marks in field guides. It has chapters on optics, seasonal birding, gulls, warblers and shorebirds, etc.

Years of experience are condensed intosimple approaches to identification and topics likeidentifying shorebirdsby their habitat choice and behavior or identifying all warblers by theirhead and face patterns only, a great help on our recent warbler migrationttrip.

I can't recommend this book highly enough if you want to get to thenext level of birding. It's also very well written with lots of anecdotesand examples. ... Read more

Product Description
A gentle hiking guide to Rhode Island's diverse natural and historic treasures.

For years Ken Weber has been educating visitors and natives to the historic and natural wonders of the Ocean State. The 40 walks and gentle hikes in this new guide reveal the best terrain the state has to offer, both urban and rural.

This guide includes the cliffs of Block Island; the beaches of Ninigret and Napatree; the quiet woods and fields of the Northwestern Corner; the wildlife sanctuaries and islands of Narragansett Bay; and the mansions of Cliff Walk in Newport. The walks range from 1.5 to 9 miles in length, from gentle strolls to more challenging day hikes. Each chapter includes directions to the trailhead, a detailed map, a complete description of the route, and natural and historic highlights you'll see along the way. 30 black & white photographs, 41 maps. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent Snap Shot of Rhode Island's Walks & Rambles
Ken Weber does an excellent job of relating the facts about various places to hike within Rhode Island.For the smallest state in the Union, there are plenty of places to Walk & Ramble from the Arcadia Managment area to Buck Hill to Blackstone Chasm to Weetamoo.The maps are simple yet efficient for the casual hiker and work well with the map obsessive that have their own topographic maps to compare with.The book offers many days of outdoor enjoyment so get out and explore Rhode Island (look up the Walks & Rambles Meetup.com group inspired by the book!).

The best hiking book
I moved to RI a year ago and so far have done 25 of these hikes.All of the hikes are easy to follow and informative.Hiking books don't get better than this.

Great book!
This is exactly what I was looking for. I like the way it rates the trails so you know which are more difficult and even which are kid friendly.

Great guide to Rhode Island's outdoors
This book provides detailed and accurate suggestions and advice for weekend rambles.It was a great way to introduce my 5 year old and 3 year old to the outdoors, and a good introduction to the lovely countryside of Rhode Island as well.Much better than some other similar guides which were not well researched and suggested trails that got us lost! ... Read more

Product Description
Western South Africa is one of the world's greatest biodiversity hotspots and is famous among international and local birders alike for the remarkable suite of birds that are found here and nowhere else. This ecotourism guide details how and where to find these species, as well as a few other ecotourism attractions such as big game, whales and flowers. Over 100 birding sites are linked into practical routes that encompass the whole of southern and western South Africa, ranging from the Cape Flora of Cape Town's mountainous environment, to the famed inland desert regions of Namaqualand and the Kalahari. The routes are well served with detailed maps and photographs illustrating the most sought after birds and their environments. Time-limited visitors are informed of exactly how to get to each of the region's most rewarding birding sites, what can be found there, and the best times and seasons to visit. Also included are practical suggestions for trip planning, seabirding expeditions, and a comprehensive annotated bird list. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A Most Excellent Adventure
If you are a birder or if you are interested in the many unique eco-areas in Texas especially Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park, you will find this book very interesting. The book describes the ups and downs and dangers of a Big Year, which will definitely gain more interest with the coming movie, The Big Year. Mr. Adams describes his 2000 adventure with thoughtfulness and detail. KK

for serious birders only
This book isn't much fun. It's not much of a book either. The whole thing is a list of birds the author saw and musings on the lousy food he ate. The narrative doesn't flow well. One minute the author is a boy mowing the grass the next minute he's an astronomer and then a few chapters later he has a family. When he mentions the family I thought wait a minute, he just graduated and got a job, didn't he?

I had to force myself to finish it.

A bit boring
I was a bit disappointed after reading the reviews and then reading the book. I read "A Big Year" first and thought it to be awesome, was expecting this to be as good. I did not get a sense of emotion from the author -just "I drove to... got the bird." Was a let down after waiting 5 days to get the book.

A Birding Extravaganza
"Big Years" as far as most birders are concerned almost always refer to an attempt to count how many different birds one can see nationally or even internationally in a specific 365-day period from January 1st through December 31st of a given year. Birders by their very nature are counters and it has become inevitable that for those with neither the time nor the money to fly from, say, the wilds of Alaska to the Dry Tortugas in the Gulf of Mexico and back might decide to make careful records of the birds that they see in a more limited geographical area such as a particular state. Though this is a fairly recent phenomena, today such records exist for every state in the Union.

No state in the United States has a wider diversity of birds than Texas which has recorded more than 2/3 of the 900+ birds seen through North America north of Mexico. Beginning on January 1st, 2000, Mark Adams, the assistant director of the University of Texas' McDonald Observatory and an ardent birder,set out to break the Texas record for sightings and by year's end he had done just that with a grand total of 489 different birds having been seen.This quite enjoyable volume recounts Adams' adventures throughout the state as traveled from the Gulf Coast to the Lower Rio Grande Valley to the Panhandle and then down to Big Bend National Park--all while still trying to hold down a full-time job. His successes were many; his failures few and far between even though he frequently laments having missed a rare species here or there.

Adams writes in an easy-to-read, enjoyable style. He captures, as ABC-TV used to say on one of its most famous sports programs, "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" but he does so in such a careful way that most readers will want to read more and more.Chasing Birds Across Texas is, however, a speciality book. Any one who cares about birds, especially the wonderful diversity of them to be found in Texas, will love this book and find it quite fascinating. Non-birders, on the other hand, will probably wonder at Adams' sanity and be bemused by why a grown man would care about the difference between a Blue Bunting and a Blue Mockingbird or would drive hundreds of miles in the hopes of seeing either.

A good read for birders
This book will be of interest to all birders and specifically for those who aspire to increase their life lists. In a well written volume, Mark Adams describes how to use hot lines, gossip, patience, dedication, persistence, and the aid of friends to see birds (and still keep your job). He comes across as a good person to join on a field trip, and the book contains lots of information about birding hot spots in Texas. ... Read more

Product Description
When men settled on the land in the Northeast United States they cleared land and started raising crops for their families and for trade. The birds in the area thrived in this manmade environment, taking advantage of the abundance of seed and the increase in the insect population. The last thirty or so years has led to the conversion of the land from largely agrarian to a more suburban and urban environment. The result has been a substantial loss of food and shelter for the birds of the region.

For the sake of birds and, in turn, for the best interest of man, it is important for homeowners to do what they can to make up for this debilitating loss. Bird feed and shelter is especially important during the brutal winter months of the Northeast when the bird's caloric intake has to increase but the supply of food has dwindled.

This book gives homeowners a number of ideas for birdhouses, birdfeeders, and bird food options so they can more efficiently help the birds in their area. Not only will the birds thrive but also they will bring their delightful colors and wonderful sounds to the backyards of the conscientious bird lover. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good, but not exactly what I am looking for
I bought this book, hoping to find information and charts about backyard birding, along with some practical information and tips.I am merely beginner. (Probably will never be an expert, but I can live with that)

While this book does include this sort of the information, I wish there is more of it.(yes, a data junkie I am)A lot of information listed seems to be rather general.What's there that I don't really particularly expect is that there is a lot of information about the history of backyard birding, agriculture impact on the bird ecology and ornithology schools.

Not to make fun of this, but perhaps in a charming way, I must admit the writing style is a bit old fashioned.It's rather a slow read, and yes, sometime it feels like my grand mother is reading it to me."These days, they just don't them bird feeders like we used to..." While I would recommend this book in general, it is not the best source for concise reading and information go-to.

Has much of value and interest to offer birdwatchers
Backyard Birding In The Northeast United States by Elmer Waldemar Eriksson is an extensive and "reader friendly" guide for backyard birdwatchers. Covering the do's and don'ts of bird feeders and bird food; how to deal with squirrels; providing nesting sites; and a great deal more, Backyard Birding In The Northeast United States is a 120-page satisfying introduction to the wonderful and pleasant hobby of birdwatching in the northeastern region of the United States. Enhanced with numerous appendices from attracting hummingbirds, to James J. Audubon, to the possible life spans of North American birds, Backyard Birding In The Northeast United States has much of value and interest to offer birdwatchers elsewhere in the country as well! ... Read more

Product Description
Birding by Ear is a unique and important new tool for birders. Now they can easily master one of the most useful and difficult field skills - the ability to recognize birds by their songs and calls. Birding By Ear points out exactly what to listen for to tell one bird from another. As the Peterson Field Guide groups birds by visual similarity, Birding by Ear groups them by acoustic similarity. Dick Walton and Bob Lawson have arranged eighty-five common species into seventeen intelligible learning groups, such as "whistlers," "chippers and trillers," "name-sayers," and "mimics." The entertaining and educational narrative does the same job as the arrows in the Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds, pinpointing the precise differences between similar species. The songs themselves are recorded to the highest acoustic standards and are a delight to listen to.Birding by Ear can enable anyone to become a better birder. Use it in conjunction with the Peterson Field Guide to Bird Songs, which provides a thorough catalog of the songs and calls of the familiar birds of eastern and central North America (a Field Guide to Western Bird Songs is also available). Birding by Ear may well become as essential to you as your Field Guide and binoculars.Amazon.com Review
Ever wonder what that trill in the backyard is? Or how to distinguish between all those similar warbler songs? If so, try Birding by Ear. This great resource for birders all over eastern/central North America conveniently packages three cassettes and an accompanying booklet into a single videocassette-like box. Each tape groups bird species according to acoustic similarity in order to help you learn the basics of bird-song identification. Soon you'll know just by listening whether the bird skulking underneath the bushes is an orange-crowned warbler, a chipping sparrow, or a dark-eyed junco. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A great choice for the first step in learning birdsong
If you live in North America east of the Mississipi and want to identify birds by ear, read on...

This audio set is a very well thought out and produced tutorial for introducing beginning "ear" birders to the world of birding by ear.The audio quality is excellent with several renditions of each song and call.The pace is well suited to the target audience - only after repeated listening will you want to skip ahead through sections.The groupings of similar songs seem well designed, and reflect situations in the field that pose problems.Each song is described verbally, with an onomatopoetic description.I wish the CD were coded so that sub-tracks could be accessed directly without the introductory descriptions, but the design of this set isn't as encyclopedia of song, rather as short course in learning how to identify song.

Buy this and the "More birding by ear", listen to them for 10 - 30 minutes a day (great drive time listening), and master the art of birding by ear!

Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central, Peterson Field Guides
....This set of audio tapes was a disappointment to me. I had wanted a set of bird songs to accompany my new Peterson Eastern Birds field guide, 4th edition.( Previously, I had owned the 2nd edition and its excellent, page-coordinated, accompanying tapes and had used them for years.) I bought this new set of audio tapes blind, so to speak, because they were shrink-wrapped with no real description visible. No one in any of the retail stores I consulted knew anything about them nor was willing to break into the shrink-wrapping.
....Birding by Ear, Eastern/Central is actually a 3-tape short course in identifying bird calls. It is essentially useless for field identification. To make use of this set of tapes, one would have to sit down and listen and listen and listen to interminable commentary by a sonorous male voice introducing bird calls in clusters that are of minimal use because they are grouped by similarity, which often doesn't translate into geography or habitat. The second side of the third tape is a "review" that is actually a test.... one must listen to a series of unidentified songs and try to remember what they are, after having spent thehours required to listen to the other 5 sides of the tapes.
.... The up side of this set of tapes is that the bird song recordings are excellent. They include both the song and the call. (But they are useless in the field in this format.)

Great Tool!!!!
Great learning tool for the novice and a great reminder for the seasoned veteran.

Richard K. Walton, author
Most birdsong CDs/tapes are lengthy "lists" of birdsongs. The "Birding by Ear" series is a unique tutorial that teaches you to recognise and recall birdsongs. If you want to learn to identify birds by their songs and calls this is the product for you! Ideal for birders East of the Mississippi!

Birding by Ear
This is a great intro to bird songs. It has many common birds as well as several I had rarely seen but often heard. Its strength is that it is arranged in groups of similar-sounding birds, with narration that ties them together with memorization clues. This makes listening on my way to work amusing, and memorization not too tough. The weakness is that it is not easy to find the song of a particular bird if you want to identify something you just heard. A good companion would be a CD with lots of individual songs easily searchable, although such a format would not be nearly as easy to listen to for more than a few minutes.

On the whole, a great start. Bike rides are more fun too, since you always hear more birds than you can see. After two years of listening to this each spring, I'm ordering the sequel, More Birding by Ear, as well as a more complete song collection for searching. ... Read more

Product Description
Dubbed the "Bard of America's Bird-Watchers" by the Wall Street Journal, Pete Dunne knows birders and birding--instinctively and completely. He understands the compulsion that drives other birders to go out at first light, whatever the weather, for a chance to maybe, just maybe, glimpse that rare migrant that someone might have spotted in a patch of woods the day before yesterday. And yet, he also knows how . . . well . . . strange the birding obsession becomes when viewed through the eyes of a nonbirder. His dual perspective--totally engrossed in birding, yet still aware of the "odd birdness" of some birders--makes reading his essays a pure pleasure whether you pursue "the feather quest" or not. This book collects forty-one of Dunne's recent essays, drawn from his columns in Living Bird, Wild Bird News, the New Jersey Sunday section of the New York Times, Birder's World, and other publications. Written with his signature wit and insight, they cover everything from a moment of awed communion with a Wandering Albatross ("the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen") to Dunne's imagined "perfect bird" ("The Perfect Bird is the size of a turkey, has the wingspan of an eagle, the legs of a crane, the feet of a moorhen, and the talons of a great horned owl. It eats kudzu, surplus zucchini, feral cats, and has been known to predate upon homeowners who fire up their lawn mowers before 7:00 A.M. on the weekend."). The title essay pays whimsical, yet heartfelt tribute to Dunne's mentor, the late birding legend Roger Tory Peterson. ... Read more

Product Description
Award-winning ornithologist and wildlife biologist John C. Robinson has introduced thousands of people all over the world to the joys of bird watching for nearly thirty years. In his latest title, Birding for Everyone, Encouraging People of Color to Become Birdwatchers, he encourages the appreciation of nature through birding. John also explores the curious lack of a minority presence in the birding community and offers new solutions for changing the face of conservation through birding.

Though the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment reports that 82 million enthusiasts enjoy bird watching, a closer look at the demographics reveal a disturbing lack of diversity in terms of race. The phrase "I've never met a black birdwatcher before" has echoed throughout Robinson's career since 1979, but his concern surrounds a larger trend -- few minorities are connected to nature.

As the U.S. population continues to diversify, minority involvement in environmental issues will become ever more vital to long-term conservation efforts and the preservation of the earth's natural resources. Rejecting the myth that minority groups have no interest in birds and the outdoors, John addresses multiple reasons for the relative absence of minorities among birders and calls for a renewed focus on support for outreach and recruitment programs in urban areas.

In Birding for Everyone, John C. Robinson also shares his personal life experiences as a natural history tour guide, reveals how he fell in love with birds and the college course that changed everything. He explains how role models, mentors and involved adults can help open new worlds, such as bird watching, to young people, especially those for whom nature may not be instinctively considered.

Readers will develop a basic knowledge of birds (including their distinctive songs), learn to identify birds using John's inside secret tips, discover birding festivals and tours, find online bird watching resources, read interviews with minority birders and about how to connect with mentors and other birders around the world.

Birding for Everyone is a fun and engaging read that encourages birders and the birding industry to unite in supporting global efforts to ensure that our natural resources remain available for generations to come. This book can help readers of all ages learn to appreciate the need for conservation while celebrating bird watching and our natural, diverse world. ... Read more

Product Description
In this second of the BLUES Go Birding series, five adorable cartoon bluebirds go on another bird watching adventure. This time they follow in the footsteps of the famed Roger Tory Peterson, and see birds on every coastline of America. Filled with both information and fun, the BLUES are a delightful introduction to birdwatching and the major shorebird species. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

wonderful means of introducing children to birds
If you wanted to see a lot of waterfowl, where would you go?The BLUES are back.This band of five adorable little cartoon bluebirds, Lulu, Uno, Eggbert, Sammi, and Bing, like to sing and have returned from their first adventure to find a new song in The BLUES Go Birding Across Wild America.They discovered how cool is it to go bird watching, so they decide to follow the route of the greatest bird watching trip ever, taken in 1953 by Roger Tory Peterson with his friend James Fisher from England all around the shoreline of North America and recorded in his book Wild America.Each opening of the The BLUES Go Birding at Wild America's Shores is devoted to a stop that they BLUES make and one of the birds which they see there.
Their itinerary begins in Newfoundland, Canada, where they find an Atlantic Puffin.Next they go to S. Monomoy Island, near Cape Cod, MA, and notice a Roseate Tern.Then it's on to Chesapeake Bay, MD, and the American Oystercatcher.At Merritt Island, FL, there is a Laughing Gull.The Everglades National Park in Florida contains over 360 different kinds of birds, including the Great Blue Heron.Also in Florida, the BLUES visit Dry Tortugas National Park where the Magnificent Frigatebird can be located.Avery Island, LA, is home to Snowy Egrets.Sanderlings, Willets, and Whimbrels, all members of the Sandpiper family, inhabit the shores of Lydia Ann Island on the Gulf Coast of Texas.Other stops include Isla Coronado, Mexico; Point Lobos, CA; Destruction Island, WA; and the Pribilof Islands in Alaska.What birds will they see in those places?And Uno is crazy about loons.Will he ever see one?
I suspect that everyone enjoys looking at and listening to birds."So God created...every winged bird according to its kind.And God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:21).Birds are pretty to look at, and they make lots of interesting sounds.But more importantly, they are a vital part of the ecology of the earth.While the BLUES are fictional characters, the birds which they see are quite real.Each page not only has a lifelike illustration by Louise Schroeder of the bird under consideration but also contains more material about that particular bird in sidebars of "Eggbert's Bird Notes," postcards that the BLUES send to their biggest fan, Rosie Robin in England, and facts from Roger Tory Peterson's famous Field Guide to the Birds.In addition, the last page has websites for finding more fun information about birds and even listening to bird songs and calls, as well as projects for becoming a citizen scientist.This is truly a wonderful means of introducing children to birds and bird watching.
... Read more

Product Description
The American Bird Conservancy Guide to the 500 Most Important Bird Areas in the United States offers both bird enthusiasts and conservationists specialized information never before compiled in a single comprehensive volume.

This expert resource organizes the United States into 36 ornithologically distinct bird regions, then identifies and describes the 500 sites within these regions. Each site entry includes ornithological highlights, ownership information, a description of habitats and land use, a guide to which species one can expect to find, conservation issues, and visitor information. Full-color maps and illustrations throughout, along with a thorough index, make this book as useful as it is unique, an essential addition to the bird lover’s library. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

OK but not as detailed as expected
This is a good book to throw in your suitcase if you are a birder and like to travel. Gives many locations for birding but not much detail at each. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

What happened to South America?
How can a book about great birding spots not have a single mention of South America?

Guide for Bird Watchers who Travel
Birders (a.k.a. bird watchers) can approach their hobby several ways. There's the backyard birder who enjoys feeding and otherwise attracting birds to his/her backyard. Then there's the lister, who keeps a list of species seen (whether in a time period such as a year or in a lifetime) and is always trying to see the next new bird. I feel that among listers there are several types, some who chase the rare (pronounced "lost") birds that blunder to a "migrant trap" near the birders' home, and others who'd rather travel to where the birds should be. This book is for the later group.

There are quite a few bird finding books out there, many good but perhaps none of them perfect. Some of them give detailed lists of what can be seen at each location covered. This one does not. However, that's not necessarily a strong negative because some of the lists in the other books seem to list lots of rarities. If you follow the lists blindly, you may find yourself searching for rarities rather than what is common at that locale.

This book is first and foremost a book for daydreaming. Sure, the advice is practical and you get a good idea of what to expect at each location. But the scope of the chapters range from specific sanctuaries to countries. You may end up getting practical advice about an outstanding sanctuary not terribly far from you and start day dreaming about a trip to Kenya "someday".

If you are a bird watcher who likes to travel, you will probably enjoy this book very much. In fact, you don't need to be an expert birder to enjoy this book. ... Read more

Product Description
For forty years, Alan Contreras has studied birds and natural history in the West. In Afield, he recounts his bird-watching experiences— primarily in Oregon, but also in Alaska, Arizona, California, and Texas. Sprinkled with comments made by ornithologists and early explorers of the West, his essays offer elements of natural history, personal memoir, and adventure travel. In the largest sense, Afield is a love story, reaffirming the practice of unhurried observation of nature. It is a chronicle of growing up as a person interested in the natural world. From encounters with Oregon’s first Eurasian Dotterel to the inspiring but unsuccessful search for Spruce Grouse, Afield describes the experiences of a birder and the life of an explorer. Contreras records his observations largely from the perspective of a lifelong birder, but the people he encounters—and their perceptions about nature—also inhabit Afield. The reader inspired to visit the locations described in Contreras’ stories will be pleased to find useful information about them. Afield will appeal to birders—and to anyone who loves the outdoors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A love story
I found this "love story" to birds last August in a book store in Seattle, and read parts of it during a trip to the Texas Hill Country in October. From time to time over the past few weeks, I've dipped into the several essays here, with growing delight.

I know almost nothing about birding in the Pacific Northwest and just a smidgen about the Texas Hill Country. Nonetheless, despite Contrearas's emphasis on Oregon birding (with a bit about Texas and Arizona) -- he has published several guides to Oregon birding and is the past president of Oregon Field Ornithologists -- it is his simple joy and humor in watching birds that shines through most strongly.

After 40 years of high level birding, he writes that now he most enjoys simplier pleasures,watch common finches and chickadees squabbling over seed at his backyard feeder. "Birding, ultimately, is not really about keeping lists -- 'bird golf' -- but about awareness." About 20 years ago, I had a similar experience; three little tribes of chickadees scolded me as I lay on a rock in the Ramapos, each in their turn as they passed by. I put aside my life lists, and just soaked up the joys of birds as part of nature.

He writes about the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon; from the front lawn of Malheur headquarters, one can see and hear more species of birds than from any other location in the state, possibly in the entire Pacific Northwest. Numbers and rarity are important, of course, but mostly "it is the kind of experiences that an observer can have there."

"I am always looking for the next bird, not necessarily the rarest or most colorful, just the next one, as a confirmation of the explicable glory of life."

If that thought resonates with you to any degree, you'll find reading this fine book a great joy. I sure did.

Robert C. Ross 2010

Like the best books about birding...
... Alan Contreras's brief history of his birding life makes you want, more than anything, to put down the book, and get out into the field to see some birds. I recently read most of AFIELD during the Oregon Shorebird Festival, including some passages aloud between bird-watching stops. Contreras is based in Oregon and much of the action takes place there, but there are also lovely sections about birders' paradises in the Texas Hill Country and in Southeast Arizona. Wonderful stuff for anyone who enjoys reading about birds and birding. ... Read more