HI:
Any early review of the book

--

Ian Paulsen
Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
A.K.A.: "Birdbooker"
"Rallidae all the way!"

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 01:06:35 -0000
From: woodpecker97330 <woodpecker97330 at yahoo.com>
Reply-To: birdbooklist at yahoogroups.com
To: birdbooklist at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [birdbooklist] Re: NEW National Geographic bird book

Below is a review that was posted by Greg Gillson today on OBOL
(Oregon Birders on Line, our state birding email list).

Jamie
Corvallis, Oregon
--------------------

Subject: First look: National Geographic Complete Birds of North
America
From: "Greg Gillson" <greg AT thebirdguide.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 10:40:56 -0800

"All the Birds of North America" wasn't all the birds, by
any means. But the new "National Geographic Complete Birds
of North America" does cover all the birds accepted as
occurring in North America in one volume.

Most of the painted illustrations and range maps are from
the most recent (4th edition) of the "National Geographic
Field guide to the Birds of North America," so don't
expect new paintings of the familiar birds. However, every
species to have been sighted is included, even species
with just ONE record (like Cinnamon Hummingbird,
Palmswift, etc.).

The 640+ pages show 950+ species. But it is the TEXT where
this guide excells. Each species account has an overview,
detailed plumage, status and distribution, similar
species, voice, subspecies descriptions and actual names
(contra to Sibley's handling of subspecies), and
conservation. For vagrants with only a few sightings they
are listed by date and location. Thus, the first 2
accepted records of Great-winged Petrel off Californai are
included along with the ID description, for the first time
in a field guide to North American birds, I believe.
(There are also 2 additional California sightings, not yet
analized by the records committee that are not included in
the book).

Thus, this is the ultimate field guide for those seeking
rare birds in North America. But even if that is not your
interest in birding, this book will take your ID skills
and knowledge of populations within a species to a new
level.

But there is much more!

Each family has a world-wide overview about the structure
of the birds included within the family, the number of
species, and behavior. There are 150 photographs in this
section. Each genus has a brief paragraph that describes
what is unique about it.

Every so often there is a sidebar explaining in-depth some
unique species or identification challenge among very
similar species. How to identify sparrows generally, for
instance, or the Northwestern/American Crow dilema.

Then there are the special maps. These are larger and very
detailed showing, for instance, the breeding range of
Bewick's Wren, with dated iso-lines showing the range
reduction in the mid-west over the last 40 years, or so.
The recent fall vagrant range of Cave Swallows were shown.
Typical and atypical winter range of Atlantic Puffin and
Dovkie on one map. There's just an incredible wealth of
great information you'll never find in any other field
guide.

The hard bound book is listed at $35. I got mine for $27
through Amazon.com and that included the shipping.

At nearly 5 pounds of weight and 10 x 7 x 2 inches thick,
this is a reference book, not a field guide. But you'll be
happy to know that the 5th edition of the Nat Geo field
guide is slated for 2006.

Errors? There are bound to be some in such a first
edition. On the other hand, most illustrations and brief
ID already occurs in the 4th edition field guide, so
liklihhod is small of an error in ID tips. I found one
wording error in the Cordilleran Flycatcher overview,
where both Pacific-slope and Cordilleran say "formerly
combined with Cordilleran as Western Flycatcher" or
something similar.

See:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0792241754/102-6565254-
9976905?v=glance


Greg Gillson
greg AT thebirdguide.com
http://thebirdguide.com



--- In birdbooklist at yahoogroups.com, birdbooker at z... wrote:
>
> HI:
> I was looking through this NEW National Geographic book: National
Geographic Complete Birds of North America by Jonathan Alderfer. I was
wondering how new the identification info. is that's in the book? Is
there new material or is it just taken directly from the field guide?
Also how useful is the natural history info.?
>
>
> --
> Ian Paulsen
> Bainbridge Island, WA USA
> A.K.A.:Birdbooker
> \"Rallidae all the way!\"
>






------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page
http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/70TolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Web site: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/birdbooklist

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/birdbooklist/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
birdbooklist-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/