5 comments about The Chicken Book.

1. From egg to poult to hen to rooster to featherbed and deepfreeze, from the ancient Egyptians to neo-feudal Southeast Asia to the iconographic Petaluma chicken ranch to the modern industialized chicken culture, this book covers everything you could ever need, want or just happen upon with respect to the chicken---except for one thing: it totally ignores the Chicken MacNugget!! Nonetheless (or perhaps because of this), it is not just a manual for the chicken fancier, the cockfight afficionado or the backyard farmer. It is truly an examplary product of a "LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION", and deserving of much wider appreciation than it has received to date. Page Smith, a well-known popular historian, co-taught an interdisciplinary seminar with a biologist named Charles Daniel entitiled "The Chicken" for undergraduates at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in the early 1970's. No doubt some initially perceived the course title as a joke, but they were wrong. Somewhere along the line, someone injected some intellectual rigor and real insight into the course syllabus. With the aid of their teachers, the students performed a tour de force of research, covering every facet of the chicken from cultural, historical, religious, biological, agricultural and even epistemological points of view. The professors took the student work and fashioned it into a book that is a classic in every sense of the word. "THE CHICKEN BOOK" is a beautifully written minor masterpiece of historic arcana, zoological detail, small-scale poultry management, veterinary medicine, cultural anthropology, blood-sport historiography and culinary arts. Long out of print and hard to find, the book well deserves this new edition. Whether or not you have a specific interest in chickens, this is well worth reading. As an example of what an active intelligence can do with a relatively commonplace and mundane topic, this book was way ahead of its time!!



2. This is a great book, detailed concise. It is wonderful from a Historical standpoint and for someone wanting simply to know the where and why of chickens. It is not light reading but it is the best fact filled book out there, most chicken books are too "ditzy". This is not the case here.Fact filled and entertaining, could use a few pictures but excellent just the same.



3. Page Smith obviously has an affinity for fowl; not only does he write about them admirably in "The Chicken Book," but he draws them as well, in, of all things, a terrific little tome called "Florence the Goose: A True Story for Children of All Ages"!
   
   Would that he had honored the chicken with his artistic impressions! The Japanese-inspired block-prints of "Florence" are wistful, delicate and emotional. I think this would have been a 5 starrer if Smith had rendered at least ONE chicken in this practically pictureless book!



4. The Chicken Book
   By Page Smith and Charles Daniel
   The University of Georgia Press, 2000
   Softcover, 380 pages.
   ISBN: 0-8203-2213-X
   
   Reviewed by Karen Davis[...]
   
   When I started United Poultry Concerns in 1990, one of our first members, Ruth Dahl of Minneapolis, Minnesota, sent me her well-thumbed copy of The Chicken Book, first published in 1975. Like me, Ruth engaged in an impassioned dialogue with the book, underlining passages and writing in the margins. The Chicken Book invites a passionate response. Anyone who is interested in chickens and in the human relationship with the chicken, worldwide and historically, should buy and read this book.
   
   The Chicken Book is not a happy book, but it is a fascinating one. It presents a jumble of messages including chicken and egg recipes. The two chapters devoted to cockfighting tell you a great deal about this activity, but if you expect Smith and Daniel, who oppose chicken factory farming, to oppose cockfighting, be warned. They show the cruelty of cockfighting, but their main criticism is directed at the "prigs" and "prudes" who historically have opposed cockfighting and sought to outlaw it. Of the British Parliament's decision to ban cockfighting in 1834, they claim, "No one was harmed by cockfighting except the reckless in their pocketbooks."
   
   They write: "Cockfighting was, to be sure, a brutal sport, but this is a rather brutal world and it perhaps is not too much to suggest that the passion to reform it might have been directed at worthier targets" (p. 96).
   
   The authors state, and they show, that "There is an abundance of evidence that Western man's rages and lusts, however sublimated their forms, are fully as cruel as those to be found in other cultures" (p. 124). For some people, including the authors, humanity's cruel rages are defensible if they take a classical populist ceremonial form. But when the human rage for cruelty takes a modern industrial form their hackles rise. Smith and Daniel deserve credit for being among the first informative critics of chicken factory farming. They focus particularly on the battery-cage system of egg production. Compared to old- fashioned chicken-keeping, which was being converted to industrial production in the 1950s, they write: "The rows upon rows of neat, clean birds, with their mutilated beaks, in the small cages, were like a glimpse into an Inferno as terrible in its own way as any of the circles of Dante's hell" (p. 287). Here Ruth Dahl cried out with her ballpoint pen, "And No One Cares and Helps Them!"
   
   The Chicken Book describes the poultry genetics mania that began in the 1930s when the biologist John Kimber started Kimber Farms in Fremont, California. "It was his inspiration to apply the most modern discoveries in the rapidly expanding field of genetics to the breeding of chickens for specific purposes--meat or eggs" (pp. 270-271). Noting that the term "Farms" was a concession to popular sentiment, the book observes that the "efficient, white-gowned workers in the antiseptic laboratories of Kimber Farms had little time for sentiment. To them the baby chickens (half of whom were killed at birth and incinerated or fed to the hogs) hatched by the millions in their enormous incubators had to be seen primarily as items on an assembly line. The fact that they were alive was, it seems fair to suggest, incidental" (p. 272).
   
   The Chicken Book has interesting chapters on the chicken in folklore and in "medicine"; the ancients used the testicles of cocks (the authors tell us the term "rooster" was coined by the prudish Victorians) to "treat" impotence and epilepsy, and "Pliny wrote that when a man suffered from chronic headaches a cock should be shut up and forced to abstain from food and water for several days, then its feathers should be plucked from its neck and bound around the patient's head along with the cock's comb" (p. 127).
   
   The Chicken Book contains some of the best writing about chickens anywhere, including passages from Plutarch and the Italian Renaissance writer Ulisse Aldrovandi. Here, for example, is the authors' description of the birth of a chicken:
   
   "As each chick emerges from its shell in the dark cave of feathers underneath its mother, it lies for a time like any newborn creature, exhausted, naked, and extremely vulnerable. And as the mother may be taken as the epitome of motherhood, so the newborn chick may be taken as an archetypal representative of babies of all species, human and animal alike, just brought into the world" (p. 317).
   
   The Chicken Book is an important part of the chicken's history. Though for some reason the photos of "a modern incubator" and "a modern chicken factory" are missing in the reprint, society's industrial curse on chickens is etched in words:
   
   "Chickens confined, and especially chickens confined in large numbers, like people confined in large numbers, are at their least appealing. In such circumstances, chickens, like people, give off offensive odors; disposing of their cumulative wastes becomes a major problem; they behave badly to each other, bedeviling and pecking each other in boredom and frustration; they become neurotic and susceptible to various diseases of the body and the spirit. This is what happened to chickens." (p. 272)
   [...]
   



5. This book promises a lot more than it delivers. The authors continually present their opinions and personal biases as fact.
   
   Before spending your money on this book, you should be aware that the authors defend the cruel "sport" (gambling enterprise) of cockfighting. They criticize the "prigs" and "prudes" who historically have opposed cockfighting and sought to outlaw it. Of the British Parliament's decision to ban cockfighting in 1834, they claim, "No one was harmed by cockfighting except the reckless in their pocketbooks." Hmm.. how about the birds?
   
   The authors write: "Cockfighting was, to be sure, a brutal sport, but this is a rather brutal world and it perhaps is not too much to suggest that the passion to reform it might have been directed at worthier targets" (p. 96). That just about says it all about this book. If you care about animals, are interested in understanding chickens and their historic relationship with humans, or hope to keep a backyard flock or pet hens, you are likely to hate this book. I'm wondering if the positive reviews on Amazon are primarily from those who participate in cockfighting?
   
   Finally, the information on raising chickens seemed slapped together and the advice given was very questionable/not in agreement with any modern book about raising chickens. Those new to raising chicks and keeping adult chickens should be sure to read one of the many reputable books on the subject (Storey Guide to Raising Chickens, Keep Chickens!, etc.).

3 comments about Bird Life (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press).

1. Although small in size, this book covers all the aspects of the lives of birds. Everything from nesting to migration. There's more to birding than just identification, and this book is a good start for that step beyond. Also has good illustrations. Recommended.



2. Bird Life was the first book about birds that I bought when I began seriously observing the birds in my neighborhood. I have more sophisticated guides to birds now, but I still refer to Bird Life for interesting bits of information that I just wouldn't find in any field guide. At only 4x6 inches in size and 160 pages, Bird Life looks like it was made to put in a pocket and take into the field. But it isn't really a field guide. It is simply the largest collection of information on the most different aspects of bird behavior in the smallest space. A list of the topics the book addresses will show you what I mean by that: bird behavior, preening, how birds sleep, feeding, food storage, social displays, family life, songs and calls, hearing, flight, navigation, longevity, conservation, attracting birds, feeding birds, and making bird feeders from common household items. None of these topics is covered in an exhaustive manner. Bird Life provides an introduction to each of these subjects. It doesn't help much in identifying birds, but helps you to understand their daily lives. The information is general but includes examples of species that engage in specific behaviors. And there are illustrations of bird behaviors and anatomy. As an introduction to birds, this book is tops!

   Highly recommended for anyone who has ever encountered a bird! Really. It is easy to read and full of fascinating facts. You don't have to be a "bird person" to enjoy this book. You only risk discovering that your avian neighbors might be more interesting than you realized. Casual birders will find some intriguing info that they may not have read before. Makes a fun and inexpensive stocking stuffer too!




3. Published in 2001, Bird Life contains 160 pages. Stephen W. Kress, Ph.D., is the author. The numerous color illustrations are by John D. Dawson. In addition to the topics covered, there is an index. This guide is a primer on bird biology and behavior. It is intended for those that are not just interested in the identification of birds. It is not only educational but concise. I am impressed with the quality of the illustrations--the artist is talented. Examples of topics discussed are habituation, preening, bathing, anting, sleeping, feeding behaviors, peck orders, mobbing, territories, mate recognition, nest helpers, vocalizations, hearing, flight, navigation and migration, longevity, and attracting birds. This guide is informative and recommendable.

3 comments about Birds of Tropical America: A Watcher's Introduction to Behavior, Breeding, and Diversity (Mildred Wyatt-Wold Series in Ornithology).

1. It is a shame that this book is out of print, because as more birders discover the wealth and happy confusion of birding in the tropics this book would find a ready audience. Birders who take their first trips to Central or South America step into an alien world, where the rules of the temperate zone do not apply.

   Hilty's essays draw upon many years as a birding tour guide, kind of a "frequently asked questions" collection. He discusses answers to questions such as: Why do birds in the tropics migrate? Why are tropical birds often so colorful yet so hard to see? Why are tropical mixed flocks so large and varied (up to 50 or more species in a single foraging flock), and how can so many birds forage together? In the course of the essays, Hilty also provides a great deal of insight into tropical ecology. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the tropics in general, and tropical birding in particular.




2. Steve Hilty does a wonderful job of translating the results of published scientific papers into the language of the curious layman without compromising the fidelity of the original research. With a strong academic background, coupled with many years of field experience and a formidable talent for communication, he successfully transmits the joy of the natural historian and the excitement of the pioneering ornithologist.
   
   The book consists of twenty essays on the ecology, behavioural ecology, biogeography and evolution of Neotropical birds, each based on three or four seminal scientific papers. The topics covered include flocking behaviour, species diversity, intra-tropical migration, seasonality, song, hummingbird foraging ecology, seed dispersal and much more. Many of the topics arose as answers to the questions posed to the author by fellow travellers, so they address a host of the main questions the curious naturalist will ask. The examples and original research come from all parts of the New World tropics making this book of direct relevance to those travelling anywhere in Latin America. Specific sites mentioned range from La Selva in northeastern Costa Rica to Manu in Amazonian Peru, and from Panama's Barro Colorado Island to the Oilbird Cave in eastern Venezuela. Species like the Yellow-rumped Cacique and Oilbird and key Neotropical groups like the Vultures, Hummingbirds, Antbirds, Tyrant Flycatchers, Manakins and Cotingas are treated in detail.
   
   In sum, a great introduction to the biology and natural history of American tropical birds for those who are new to the region and a fascinating companion for tropical veterans. Whether your interest is birding, natural history or simply enriching your tropical travels, this book should be on your shelves - or, better still, in your backpack.



3. One might guess by the title of Steven Hilty's book _Birds of Tropical America_ that he has written an informative though dry field guide, one that lists a number of birds of Central and South America but is not really a book to sit down and read. In fact, Hilty has written an engaging and extremely interesting natural history work covering many aspects of neotropical bird behavior, breeding, and evolution and is one of the finest popular science books I have read in a while.
   
   The book is organized into twenty different chapters, several illustrated with black and white drawings by artist Mimi Hoppe Wolf, and includes an extensive bibliography. Roughly half of the chapters deal with aspects of neotropical avian behavior and physiology that are applicable to most if not all of the region's birds, while the remainder deals with specific types of birds, such as antbirds, hummingbirds, and vultures. The focus is largely on birds of rainforests but Hilty also discusses birds of mountains, grasslands, and in one interesting chapter, islands of the Amazon River.
   
   The first few chapters tackle common questions asked about tropical American birds, questions Hilty has encountered over his years as not only a researcher but as a leader of birding tours in Central and South America. For instance, why are so many tropical rainforest birds so spottily distributed when there appears to be many hundreds of square miles of suitable habitat? Hitly wrote that distribution patchiness is a basic structural component of tropical rainforests; in an area that might contain up to 500 bird species, a particular acre or so of forest will only contain 100 to 200 species. One answer to this question is the existence of microhabitats, areas perhaps not obvious to naturalists recently arrived from temperate latitudes, but quite obvious to the local fauna. Some birds are found only along the edges of tree fall openings, while others that live in the canopy avoid areas where the canopy is discontinuous with tree fall openings. Birds might be rare because of their place on the food chain (harpy eagles occur generally at low densities though might be widespread throughout neotropical rainforests), of the lower population densities of tropical birds (the populations of the most common Peruvian rainforests birds are one-tenth that of those in temperate forests), the secretive nature of many understory rainforest birds (making them appear rare), and the large territories of birds (when compared to temperate species). A later chapter adds additional information; Hilty noted the work of Jurgen Haffer, who proposed that during the Pleistocene epoch the rainforests of South America at times contracted into isolated units he called refugia and that this repeated forest breakup increased speciation and helped produce many often small and localized ranges of birds in South America. Another theory, proposed by among others biologist Angelo Capparella, noted the importance of the major rivers of the Amazon Basin, which fragment the ranges of many widespread species and can act as barriers to gene flow; in a later chapter, Hilty noted how big a barrier the river can be, at one spot in Colombia, nearly 2,000 miles from the mouth of the Amazon River, the river banks are nearly five miles apart, a huge barrier to many tropical species that scarcely like crossing even forest trails.
   
   Interestingly, many tropical birds migrate. No, not the famous temperate-to-tropics-and-back-again migrations, but migrations within the tropics, often quiet migrations that only involve some species and an aspect of the neotropics that took researchers many years to discover. These are short-distance migrations, perhaps a few miles or a few hundred miles. The quetzal and the bellbird for instance are fruit-eaters that breed in mountain cloud forests during the drier months of the year, but migrate downslope during the rainy season in search of drier conditions and more fruit. Even lowland forest species migrate to seek concentrations of fruiting trees, while others migrate to take advantage of the short-lived and unpredictable seed crops of bamboo, or in areas south of the Amazon Basin, are fire-followers, seeking out recently burned grasslands for breeding.
   
   In a chapter on why there are so many more species in the tropics than in temperate areas Hilty noted the many niches unique to the tropics, for example antbirds, follow the swarms of raiding army ants, which flush small prey for them to eat, while other birds follow monkeys or the large peccary herds for the same reason (the latter of which are followed by the nimble, roadrunner-like ground-cuckoos).
   
   Hilty discussed hummingbirds in two chapters, noting not only the many different hummingbird niches (some are nectar thieves, poking holes on the outside of flowers to get nectar, not aiding the plant in pollination one bit, others are territorial, while still others forage over large areas) but that they even have different niches at different altitudes (wing length and body weight have a huge influence in the type of flight and behavior a hummingbird is capable of and as higher altitudes have less dense air and produce less lift, some species have different ecological niches at different altitudes).
   
   A number of chapters focused or dealt with breeding behavior. One interesting discussion analyzed why males might cluster together in lek assemblages when they are so extremely competitive. The "hotspot" theory of Jack Bradbury argued that leks form in areas where females forage widely for food and the males have a good opportunity to catch the attention of these wide-ranging females, while the "hotshot" theory of Bruce Beeler and Mercedes Foster argues that the success of a few dominant males attracts the attention of less successful males, who bide their time and try to move up the hierarchy.
   
   Other interesting topics include the flycatchers (part of a group of birds called suboscines) which have been among the few animal groups to colonize northwards with the appearance of the Panamanian landbridge and the influence of environment on song (different terrains affect song propagation in different ways).

5 comments about Hummingbirds of Costa Rica.

1. This book was purchased as a gift for relative traveling to southern Costa Rica. The birds are so beautifuuly photographed. The gift was greatly appreciated.



2. Exelente livro, com fotos maravilhosas, em grande quantidade e perfeitas.As informações são muito adequadas.Um detalhe, o livro é também uma enciclopédia das flores da Costa Rica.A diversidade mostrada, tanto de beija-flores como das plantas é única.As imagens primam pela qualidade e senso artístico.



3. This new book on the hummingbirds of Costa Rica deals with the 44 hummingbirds native to and breeding in this Central American country. It describes physical features of hummingbirds, flight, feeding, nesting, molting, migration and more. The superb photos illustrating this book not only show all aspects of the hummingbirds' daily life, but also more than 90 species of beautiful flowers on which they feed. The scientific information presented is correct and interesting. This book is a real must for all those ornithologists and bird watchers who love these little jewels of nature !



4. Both authors have produced a great 'coffee table book'. Lots of facts that help people understand these tiny birds.
   I agree with another reviewer that Plain Capped star throats are not only in Costa Rica, although they some of our most diligent visitors to our garden flowers in Costa Rica.



5. I purchased this book (among other Costa Rica field guides) to prepare for a birding summer trip to Costa Rica. I was thrilled to find out how helpful this book was. I realize this is not meant to be a field guide, so the size did not bother me at all. This book certainly provided very helpful and detailed photographic views of the hummingbirds we would see in CR. I found this book to be absolutely essential to recognizing each hummingbird species. Currently, this seems to be the only book with real pictures (not drawn), that allows for easy hummingbird identification. And if you just want an interesting and gorgeous coffee-table book or gift for a fellow Hummingbird lover, this would be an excellent choice.

2 comments about A Birder's Guide to Florida (Lane Aba Birdfinding Guides Series #175).

1. Excellent guide to the birding sites of Florida, especially to those birders chasing local "specialties".



2. We used this book as our itinerary planner for a recent 8 day trip to South Florida. We found the detailed directions to be so helpful to us in finding our target birds!

4 comments about A Summer of Birds: John James Audubon at Oakley House (The Hill Collection: Holdings of the Lsu Libraries).

1. What a refreshing and delightful read. Exquisitely detailed, I felt as if I were in the woods of St Francisville, Louisiana observing the birds myself.I love the way Heitman took liberty with the time line as he wove together past and future events in Audubon's life that supported the current points in each chapter. I also appreciated how adeptly he intertwined the account with modern metaphors --reading the book was like ascending that beautiful spiral staircase to the Oakley House gallery. This author has a gifted ability to observe and write that make this a delightful read, not only for the Audubon fan but for the general reader. Kudos! I do hope there are ideas for future books in development by this talented author.



2. First, let me declare openly that I am a biased reviewer. I was a classmate of Danny Heitman (the author) in high school and learned to love his story-telling and writing skills many years ago. I follow Heitman's columns and essays with interest because he always finds a way to seize me.
   
   I knew that would the case with this book, and I was not disappointed. Although I am a native of Louisiana, I must confess that I've never examined the life of Audobon nor his oeuvre. Nor am I a birder. I am simply someone who loves history and stories. Heitman tells an interesting story, and tells it well. Using the nominally episodic setting of one summer in the forests of Oakley, Heitman weaves the story of Audobon's life, dreams, and ambitions, and you leave this book with a grasp of who Audobon really was. I may never read another book about Audobon, but I know him now.
   
   You'll find this a quick and satisfying read, by a writer who deserves the opportunity to tell us more interesting stories in the years to come.



3. Nicely written delineation of Audubon's preparation of his great work. Expresses the family and financial problems involved.



4. Danny Heitman writes with keen observations on the beauty of nature, Audubon's sometimes contradictory motivations as man and artist and a page in Louisiana history as seen through his subject's eyes.
   The book is expertly written and rich in historical detail. Heitman's enthusiasm for his subject, and his love of his native Louisiana, is evident on every page.

5 comments about All the Birds of North America (American Bird Conservancy's Field Guide).

1. I really appreciated the drawings: precise, nice. The birds are drawn in their environment, that original and nice.
   But the birds are not classified as in most of the other birds guide. That's disturbing at first when you are used to another one. The index (the birds' list at the end of the book) is not so easy to read. The texts and explainations are good.



2. This is the best bird guide I have ever used. It helps my family to identify birds by key features. My sons now look at birds and tell me their beak shape, what they most likely eat, the color of the legs and their relative size, all from regularly using this book. It gives pictorial examples of birds one might confuse with one another. Also useful are the estimates of particular bird population in each geographic area, with terms such as "abundant," "populous," "numerous," and "numerous but declining." I appreciate the brief, not preachy, explanations given for why certain populations of birds are declining.



3. This book is a very useable field guide for beginning birders. The book is organized to help you identify birds as quickly as possible. First, you decide whether you are looking at a water bird or a land bird; the first part of the book covers water birds, and the second part land birds. If you're looking at a land bird, you next decide whether you've got a large bird or a small one. The section on large birds has small silhouettes of the birds' shapes in the margin, while the section on small birds shows the birds' beaks. By flipping through these small drawings in the margins, you can easily narrow down the bird you are looking at to a few pages. Then you look at the numerous color illustrations, the range maps, the short descriptions, and the song patterns to help you determine the identity of your bird. For further information, each chapter starts with a short article that describes the morphology and behavior of the group of birds that are covered in the chapter. Scientific names are included for each bird, and rare or endangered birds are highlighted.

   As a rank beginner bird watcher, I found the book extremely easy to use and informative. The color illustrations, because they are idealizations, were much more accurate and easier to use than the color photographs that appear in some other field guides. The descriptions of each bird are rather short, leaving me hungry for more details, but this book is a great place to start.




4. Quite possibly the worst book I've ever used in terms of organization. The color coding is done with these vaguely differing colors which are only differentiated in the best of light, the numbers shown on the inside of back and front covers are never explained, and there are quirky things such as why do they list "Swimmers" twice without an explanation -- if I'm trying to identify a swimming bird why not group them together? And a Table of Contents to at least get you to the right section would have been a nice touch. Don't buy it.



5. This is an excellent "field replacement" for Sibley's guide to the birds of North America, which is in my opinion the very best available. As anyone who own Sibley knows, though, it's a big, heavy guide, not so great if you want it with you while hiking or biking. For such occasions, I usually have "All the birds of North America" with me. It is comprehensive, the illustrations are done by different artists are mostly well done (but mostly not as beautiful as those in Sibley) and useful. You will find a map for each bird, on the same page as the illustration, so the guide is very easy to use. The cover is made of a soft, very resilient plastic material, which is excellent for a field guide. Overall, I find the combination Sibley-All the birds perfect, and I never felt the need to buy a third field guide.

5 comments about Birds of New York Field Guide, Second Edition.

1. It's nice to have a book on the NYS birds. Makes it easy to find and identify.



2. This is a wonderful field guide for anyone that lives in the Northeast. The pictures are beautiful and the information is easy to understand. Stan Tekiela has made bird watching even better!



3. New birdwatchers who'd like to know more about the birds they see in their area get a great introduction with this set. The book is relatively easy to use through a color coded system based on the prominent colors of the birds. One side of the page has a photograph and the other side has a basic description including things like the birds' feeding, nesting, and behavioral habits. The leatherbound set I purchased included two CDs of birdsong keyed to the book and vice-versa.
   
   As my observation skills grew and I came to see some birds not portrayed in this guide, I opted to get a Sibley's Field Guide as well. Nevertheless, this set containing the CDs and book together these provided an excellent introduction to the most common birds of New York State.



4. Before getting this book it was always a debate whether we were looking at this species or that. Tekiela's book is an easy-to-use, well-organized hand-sized reference book that has it's own place near my porch where I like to photograph birds. This book is great as a photographer's reference.
   The book many photos of both male and female with interesting facts about the birds other than just the standard stats. Excellent photography as well.
   
   I use this one along with Tekiela's book on New York TreesTrees of New York Field Guide (Field Guides)
   together they make a very handy, comprehensive reference collection.



5. As a beginner bird spotter livin in NY I love this book. Its replacing an old book that only had cartoon drawings which made it impossible for me to figure out what I was really looking at. The pictures are beautiful & extremely helpful. Easy to use w/the color coded corners, good info on the species. This book isn't collecting dust on my shelf - I use it all the time.

3 comments about The Wild Turkey: Biology and Management.

1. This book reveals valuable information about wild turkey biology and behavior. Naturalists, wildlife biologists, and hunters would find this book useful. Scientific research is presented so that everyone can understand the data.



2. I purchased this book in anticipation of answering some self generated questions about wild turkeys. Not only were ALL of my questions answered, but it provided information beyond my needs. I would highly recommend it to any biologist or hunter.



3. this book reads like a college biology text book. but one you love to read.your friends will want to shoot you for all the info you'll be able to spit out after reading this book.at first the price gave me pause but now i'm glad i bought it.

2 comments about Know Your Bird Sounds, Volume 1: Yard, Garden, and City Birds.

1. Lang Elliott, one of the best bird recordists around, has compiled a wonderful collection of virtually all the vocalizations made by 35 species found in eastern North America. This compilation may have a limited number of species covered, but it more than makes up for this in providing so many different calls and songs for each species, and also providing the context in which each vocalization is made. For example, for the American Robin you hear the basic song, the dawn song, the low-grade alarm call, the alarm call given when a raptor flies overhead, and more! Excellent both for learning common bird sounds and for figuring out what the meaning of a particular vocalization is.



2. As a novice to identifying birds by their songs and calls, I found this CD be exactly what I needed. When buying the item I was really mostly interested in the audio disk. This contains the songs as well as various calls for the common birds in the Eastern Region, and already I'm finding that I'm using the calls I've learned more than the songs to identify birds in my neighbourhood (at least at this time of year). While I initially was concerned that the number of birds the CD covers might be limited, I'm finding that learning even this number of birds is quite challenging for a novice, and a greater number of birds would probably have just confused me at this point. So while not comprehensive in terms of species, it is more detailed for each species, and I can identify most of the birds I encounter quite well. The book contains a photo of each bird and a description of the sounds it makes and when they are made, which is proving surprisingly useful since associating a "pronounciation" of the sounds seems so far an effective aid for learning the calls. Once I master volume 1 and 2, I will probably purchase a more comprehensive collection of songs, but for now I"m more than happy with this.