5 comments about The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: One Woman's Fight to Save the World's Most Beautiful Bird.

1. Barcott does a marvelous job of weaving the diverse elements and characters involved in this story into a comprehensive narrative. Better than that, he makes what could be very tedious legal proceedings a stimulating read. Well, the reading is stimulating, as is the subject matter. The situation itself, an instance of convergence on Belize of global forces enacting the doom of another unique wildlife habitat, is less than edifying.
   
   Barcott obviously sides with the environmental forces that ally themselves to fight the erection of a dam that will flood the nesting site of the largest scarlet macaw population in Central America, estimated at less than 200 birds. At times his partiality causes blindness to perspectives he does not share, but overall he does an excellent job of presenting the reasoning of all major stake holders.
   
   Barcott chose his subject well. The story is almost like a novel, with corrupt colonialism-playing politicians, heroic but flawed ex-patriot Americans, big international environmental players and corporations, local businessmen caught in the middle, and even the Law Lords of the British Privy Council. The combatants on both sides are committed, highly motivated, and adept at working the system.
   
   All told, this is a very well-written and enlightening telling of one of many current battles being waged over our planet's last remaining wild lands - what's at risk and what's being done to both exploit and to preserve the remaining pockets of natural diversity.



2. First, a disclaimer -- I'm related to Bruce Barcott, and so was preinclined to like this book because of family and locale references I would recognize. However, this book was much much more than I expected. I'll mention just two things I especially liked about this book. First, it is a true page-turner. I didn't know how the dam project would end, and Bruce's non-fiction story-telling kept me on the edge of my couch throughout. Secondly, I really liked the amount of somewhat tangential information Bruce wove into the main story. He would veer off on some interesting and helpful side road, but always bring the reader back quickly to the fascinating main story and players in the drama. I look forward to the next explanatory journalism that Bruce undertakes.



3. Well written and highly informative, especially regarding the politics of the delightful new country that is Belize. Great background reading if you're planning a trip there - and while there, be sure in include a visit to the Belize Zoo - absolutely amazing!



4. THE BEST FIELD GUIDE TO BELIZE.
   EVER.
   
   
   You probably won't find Bruce Barcott's The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw in the travel book or nature guide sections of your local bookstore or of Amazon.com, but it just may be the best field guide to Belize you'll ever read.
   
   Ostensibly the story of Sharon Matola, founder of the amazing Belize Zoo, and her campaign to defeat the Chalillo Dam on the Macal River in Western Belize and to save the nesting ground of what are believed to be the last 200 Scarlet Macaws in Belize, it's actually a 313-page crash course on Belizean culture, society and politics.
   
   It's also the most riveting, gossipy and entertaining book on the country since Richard Timothy Conroy's 1997 memoir of British Honduras in the 1950s, Our Man in Belize.
   
   Barcott names names. He pulls no punches. As an American writer - he's a contributing editor to Outside Magazine and the author of a book on Mount Rainier, among other things - he doesn't have to worry about making a living in Belize or raising a family there. He points to the high-level corruption that Lord Michael Ashcroft, the British-Belizean politician and entrepreneur, helped introduce in Belize and who "turned the sovereign nation of Belize into his own tax-free holding company," to the fast-buck shenanigans of the second generation of People's United Party politicians, to the seamy Dark Side of the PUP's "Minister of Everything" Ralph Fonseca, to the shrill shilling of party spokesman Norris Hall, to the fellow-traveling of the Belize Audubon Society and even to the bumbling efforts of some well-intended but barely competent Belizeans.
   
   I've been banging around Belize for more than 17 years, but Barcott's book is full of insights I've missed or didn't understand. It took Barcott to tell to me why so many Belizean politicians wear guayaberas and other open-neck shirts (to set themselves apart from their English colonial masters who slaved in the heat in coats and ties). Barcott explained why and how the Belize Audubon Society, which one would think would be on the side of the at-risk Scarlet Macao, helped get the Chalillo Dam approved (the Belize Audubon Society, under President José Pepe Garcia, at that time a quasi-arm of the Belize government, claimed the Scarlet Macao subspecies wasn't really endangered in Belize and that the habitat of the Macal River Valley was duplicated elsewhere in Belize.)
   
   If there's a fault to Barcott's approach, it's that he relies heavily on the gringo side of the outsider-local divide so common in post-colonial countries, including Belize. Many of his primary sources - Matola, ex-Fleet Street newspaperman Meb Cutlack, Lodge at Chaa Creek co-owner Mick Fleming, butterfly expert Jan Meerman, geologist/dolomite miner Brian Holland and others -while long-time residents of Belize and in many cases Belize citizens -- will always be viewed by some Belizeans as expat, white perpetual tourists. Barcott tried twice to interview George Price, Belize's ascetic, incorruptible George Washington, but was turned away: "He's too busy," the retired Price's sister told him. We hear little or nothing directly from Said Musa, King Ralph or Lord Ashcroft.
   
   It also bugs me that Barcott's publisher, Random House, didn't do a bloody index.
   
   Sharon Matola comes across as a complex and sometimes exasperating woman, neither Joan of Arc nor Wangari Maathai. A fluent Russian speaker, a fungi expert, a former bikini-clad circus tiger trainer, the founder and miracle worker of "the best little zoo in the world," Matola, at the height of the anti-dam, pro-Scarlet Macao effort, almost forsake the battle. She became depressed and for a while, as a long-time Rolling Stones fan, turned her focus to a new campaign to get the city fathers of Dartford, a small working class town near London, to build a shrine to native sons Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
   
   Even with Matola at her passionate best, the campaign to stop the dam failed, of course. With most of the economic and political power structures of Belize supporting the pork project, and the giant Canadian utility Fortis dead set on damming as much of the world as possible, there was never much chance it would succeed.
   
   Tellingly, however, Matola did win the Battle of the Garbage Dump. Vindictive members of the government allegedly planned to put Matola in her place by building a dump at Mile 27 of the Western Highway, virtually next door to the Belize Zoo. After some clever maneuvering, some of it involving Britain's Princess Anne, the government backed down and decided to locate the egregious dump elsewhere.
   
   One irony came too late for Barcott to include in his book. The environmental consulting company, Tunich-Nah Consultants, headed by José Pepe Garcia, the former Belize Audubon Society president, conducted the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for Ara Macao, the overblown planned development on the Placencia peninsula. Ara Macao, Spanish for Scarlet Macaw, received approval to build nearly 800 condos and villas, a marina, casino, 18-hole golf course and 400,000 sq. ft. commercial center, all this on a peninsula with no paved road access and a population of about 2,000. The beautiful, smart red parrots must have shuddered, as they searched for new nesting grounds in their fast-disappearing habitat.
   
   In the end, though, Belize is Belize.
   
   With a population of just 315,000, about that of a small provincial Canadian, U.S. or British city, everybody who is anybody knows everybody else, and it's hard to stay mad. As Barcott visits Belize for the last time in researching this book, in 2005, Matola is getting ready to attend a party at Beer Baron Barry Bowen's Belikin headquarters. Bowen, one of Belize's wealthiest men and the country's political check writer extraordinaire, had helped kick Matola's butt. Now, Barcott learned, it was time to kiss-kiss and make up. That's Belize for you.
   
   ..............
   
   Review and Opinion by Lan Sluder
   
   
   



5. "At times the earth's fate seems so dire and inexorable that I'm tempted to throw up my hands and say to hell with it." The words are by Bruce Barcott, and they reflect what a lot of people feel when faced with global warming, the current destruction of species that many biologists think is a "sixth extinction crisis" (a previous one wiped out the dinosaurs), or the ruin of natural regions for profit. And yet, Barcott found a story of optimism and hope (even if they might have been eventually misplaced) when he heard about Sharon Matola, better known in her adopted country Belize as the "Zoo Lady". She has become an authority on the scarlet macaw, and led a remarkable effort against strong odds to keep the macaw's only known habitat in Belize from being flooded behind the proposed Chalillo Dam on the Macal River. Barcott tells Matola's amazing story in _The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: One Woman's Fight to Save the World's Most Beautiful Bird_ (Random House). It's a story that might have remained obscure, but it becomes an epic in the way it is told, and it is also a legal thriller as Matola and her cohorts pursue one effort after another within the Byzantine Belize legal and political system.
   
   Matola has quite a history. After leaving a marriage by running away to the circus, she wound up in the early eighties helping to film a nature documentary in Belize. The movie featured orphaned animals, and when it was over, she had a jaguar, an ocelot, a puma, and some exotic birds, little money, and no job. What to do besides paint a sign on scrap wood saying "BELIZE ZOO"? As the nationally-known Zoo Lady, Matola has gotten the populace of Belize interested in its natural resources. There are only two hundred macaws on the Macal River where they make their nests, and a dam would not only destroy the macaws, of course, but drive out other animals like tapirs, pumas, river otters, and howler monkeys. Close evaluation of the economics of the dam indicate that it would result in higher energy rates, not lower. The geological analysis that preceded the dam's construction was full of lies. It claimed that there was granite upon which to build the dam, and there was none. The engineers even arranged to have a map of the site lose by eraser a geologic fault line that could endanger it. In Barcott's words, "the dam was a fiasco: environmentally devastating, economically unsound, geologically suspect and stinking of monopoly profiteering." In the middle of the campaign, the government released its vengeful plan to place a garbage dump adjacent to Matola's zoo, another battle she had to fight. She got the help of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the powerful environmental legal team in Washington, and the battle ranged through the local courts and even to the mysterious Privy Council in London. Barcott takes in each legal battle and financial tomfoolery, producing a book that has a great deal of suspense to it.
   
   I won't spoil the suspense by telling the outcome. "The odds are against us", Matola says late in the book, and gets the answer from an environmental-law solicitor, "The odds are always against us." Matola continues at her zoo, and has taken up, among other battles, the protection and reinstatement into the wild of the endangered harpy eagle. Dams continue to be planned and built, many financed outside the nations that will hold them, and placed in third-world areas containing poor people who won't benefit, and politicians who will. Concentrating the story on Matola makes for a brilliant narrative, spangled with instructive thoughts on matters ecological, financial, and political. In summing up at the end, Barcott writes, "People like Sharon are rare and strange and sometimes aggravating... These people aren't perfect. They aren't simple heroes. They are complex human beings. And we need them. Because without them the world would be lost." Barcott's fine book gives us a deep portrait of Sharon Matola, and she gives us one more reason not to give up on humans and their interactions with their planet just yet.

5 comments about National Geographic Complete Birds of North America (National Geographic).

1. In typical National Geographic fashion, this book is excellent. It is extremely comprehensive with outstanding artwork. This is a must have for anyone who enjoys birding. You should also buy the National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America as an easy to carry companion.



2. Well written, good information, well organized. Not a field guide but one of the best reference books I've seen.



3. The single most noticeable thing about this book is how poorly it was manufactured. The spine seems to be made from steel making it impossible to ever fully open the book and an exercise in frustration to read. This problem is greatly exacerbated by the fact that the text runs way down into the deep dark recesses of the crevasse created by the horrible binding. The actaully printing however is very good. The pictures are clear with good color and the paper is of high quality. This makes it even more of a shame that the binding is so bad.
   
   The actual content of the book is quite good. Most of the illustrations were taken from the National Geographic Field Guide as were the maps. The maps have been increased in size which is a definite help. Every species accepted by the ABA is covered with its own write-up. Not surprisingly, some of the rarer species receive much less of a write-up then the regular ones.
   
   In the end I believe that the poor production qualities fatally flaw the book and can only recommend to the bird book obsessed like myself.



4. Birdwatchers,hello! I am an 8-year old birder. If you love birds and need some good information 'Nat Geo's Complete Birds of North America' has great info on behavior, identification and other important bird stuff! It is the first book I look at if my family or a friend describes a bird they saw today.
   
   I reccomend this highly, and you can buy it at almost every bookstore or library.



5. This book has excellent content, but the first printing had the stiff binding that wouldn't allow the book to open fully, making it very difficult to read. The second printing has a more flexible spine where the pages are just stuck to it. After four months of very casual use, the pages began falling out. This is the poorest bound book that I have ever seen.

No comments about Birds: Mini Edition: The Art of Ornithology.

5 comments about Letters From Eden: A Year at Home, in the Woods.

1. I loved Ms. Zickefoose's little book. It's a publication one reads in small doses, enjoying her comments and her art. The style is like having a really good conversation with an interesting, accomplished naturalist. I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys nature.



2. Experience the seasons with Julie and her family on their wildlife sanctuary in the Appalachian foothills in southern Ohio. A gem of a book, if you love birds and other animals... very real and full of the wonder of everyday happenings - if you keep your eyes open.



3. This is a wonderful little book. Julie Zickefoose is a writer, illustrator, and contributor to NPR. In this book, organized by the seasons of the year, she shares her experiences living on her 80-acre farm in southern Ohio. She brings a sense of wonder to seemingly mundane things such as squabbling starlings and the wreck of her vegetable garden.There are sad points, such as euthanising a little opossum caught in a steel trap, but most of the book is devoted to happier topics. I really enjoyed reading it.



4. When I first saw this book I felt a little bit like a kid again--and that's exactly where this book took me--Every Sunday I would go into our sun filled living room and sit down and read a chapter in Julie's book--Every one of her outdoor "Nature" experiences took me back to the unencumbered days of my childhood --seeing nature through her eyes made me feel at peace while learning more and more about the things in nature that I would have liked to understand years ago--I just wish she would write another one just like this one--Have you ever read a book you wish would never end?? This was one of them--Thank you-



5. This book is a keeper and I'll probably read it several times. I have already ordered another for my daughter and am thinking of sending this book to others as well.

5 comments about Birds of North America, Revised and Updated: A Guide To Field Identification (Golden Field Guide from St. Martin's Press).

1. This Bird Book is the best book on identification of birds I have ever used. It is comprehensive, and the photos are extremely accurate. I have used it for years and no other bird book comes close to how accurate it is. This book has every possible variety of each type of bird and photos so that you can easily identify them. I have been a birder for over 10 years and this is my Bible.



2. I had used an earlier version of this book for years. The pages were literally falling out. I was delighted to get an updated edition. Especially useful are the color illustrations.
   If there were one thing I would add to this directory, it would be an index by color. Sometimes I see an unfamiliar bird and it would be handy to look in the back and see an index of birds by the dominant feather color.
   Of all the bird books I have used/seen,I prefer this one and find it the most user friendly.



3. This guide is not very good. The pictures are fuzzy, like the editors photocopied them into the book. The range maps do not show state lines, which can be endlessly frustrating - particularly if you live in the continent's interior, as I do. I suppose there is only one advantage to the maps: the lack of state lines forces the reader to be, perhaps, generous with their estimation of the bird's range; this encourages the interpretation of birds' ranges as being flexible (which they are).
   
   As another reviewer commented, why spend the money for an inferior guide when you can spend a similar amount of money on an outstanding guide?



4. this book was recommended to me as a beginner backyard bird watcher. the drawings are so accurate it is easy to identify the birds quickly. enjoying it and the birds that visit. highly recommend.



5. This is a great book! It is a little different than previous releases, so it can take time to learn the new format.

5 comments about In the Company of Crows and Ravens.

1. They lack the colour glories of parrots and lorikeets. They're not like the little tweetie birds of our childhood books. Probably the best known of them is Poe's bleak image - perched atop a skull croaking its dismal litany. Long before Poe, however, the corvids had gained a shady reputation in Western European legends and myths. Crows and ravens were messengers of dark fortunes sent by agents of evil intent. As is so often the case with relying on literature to depict Nature, the legends misled us. The reality is far more interesting and explains more than fiction ever has. Marzluff and Angell, are dedicated scholars in the history and legends of the corvids. This book reflects well that background, and their combined skills present what they've gleaned with style and wit.
   
   Perhaps no other species has shown how Darwinian adaptability can work as have crows, the authors suggest. Once wild and scattered, the crow has become habitated to human settlement. They were certainly scavengers at human feeding sites, whether people were hunters or scavengers themselves. Agriculture clearly brought them from the forests to the fields we planted. Grain crops - "the staff of life" - enticed them to our neighbourhoods quickly. The rise of cities only intensified the contact and offered the crow fresh opportunity. The "fast-food" restaurant, with its Dumpsters and scattered, food bearing trash, brings them hovering over what they clearly find a delicacy. They may even become selective, choosing the more brightly-coloured fries container over an equally laden drab one. It's even possible that the newly inhabited urban existence may be enhancing their numbers. The hunting activities in farmland is lacking in the city, but there are many nesting sites. We may complain about their noisy presence, but we brought them into our neighbourhood.
   
   Nobody has ever questioned the intelligence of the Corvus genus. Crows, ravens, rooks and their relations are considered grand tricksters at best, and opportunist thieves at least. Their intelligence is stated by the authors as being the equivalent of "flying monkeys". Marzluff and Angell relate how crows in Japan took up residence near a driving school. They learned to drop nuts under the tires of stopped autos, returning to retrieve the meat after the wheel passed over and crushed the nut. The talent spread out over time and crows many kilometres away now practice the feat. Antics of this sort have been observed over the centuries, with our culture adopting Corvid elements into stories and descriptions. What are the wrinkles alongside the eyes of the elderly, but "crow's feet". We'll pass over the origins of "eating crow".
   
   Corvid intellect goes beyond tricks and chance. The authors have witnessed both a murder of a crow by its fellows. They've also observed "funerals" in which a mob of crows silently surrounds a departed member [not the "murdered" one] for a long period, only to depart without a sound beyond the flutter of wings. Quiet crows are unusual. They also, it has been learned, developed the ability to count. Tests conducted with crows indicate they can count to five. They also "play". According to the authors, crows will slide down snowbanks or another smooth surface much as otters do, and with as little discernible purpose. Perhaps it's indicative that the Norse god Odin had two ravens, Thought and Memory as companions.
   
   There's much more to be said about this book. As a resource, it's without peer, covering all aspects of Corvid life from mating rituals to nesting practices and territorial claims. As a narrative of observations, it reads much as an adventure story. You needn't be a fan of crows or ravens to enjoy this book. Angell's artwork greatly enhances the text, and is both informative and a treat in itself. The Corvids are your close neighbours and it's both pleasurable and profitable to read about who and what they are. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]



2. This is a wonderful book, the authors have discovered so many interesting insights & amusing observations of the Corvidae family with the most fabulous crow art!



3. I bought this book hoping for a lot of good reference art. Although there are a number of good illustrations, its mostly text, which i haven't bothered to read, since i was only interested in the art. I'd look for another book if you want good reference.



4. I enjoyed each chapter in this book. Findings from the authors' field observations and original research with crows--by attaching transmitters to the birds, rather than relying on banding and a possible future sighting--provide a fascinating and unique insight into the lives of these smart and sensitive creatures. Did you know that crows usually mate for life or until "death do us part"? That there are actually scientists who specialize in crow linguistics? What are those crows in my yard saying? After reading this book I've started listening more carefully and have decided their whisper songs might be in Italian! I've given this book as gifts to friends. The illustrations are beautiful and don't miss a word of the text!



5. Many people hate crows, magpies and related birds. I don't. Already as a kid, my mother gave me and my brother two crocheted toy crows. You heard me. Naturally, we named them Hugin and Munin. We did live in Sweden, after all. I was also fascinated by real, non-crocheted magpies. They had built an enormous nest in a tall tree just outside our window, in the middle of an apartment building neighbourhood! And you wonder why I review corvoid books, are you now?
   
   ;-)
   
   "In the company of crows and ravens" by John Marzluff and Tony Angell must be the ultimate nerd book on American Crows and the Common Raven, although many other species are mentioned in passing. To be honest, John and Tony are the kind of natural scientists who prefer socializing with birds to writing books, which makes their book shaky at times, in terms of style and disposition. Sometimes, they mysteriously return to subjects already covered in a previous chapter, and they often introduce new subjects without natural transitions from the previous ones. Did I mind? Naaah, not this time. The book is simply too interesting!
   
   If there is a main theme in this rollercoaster ride of a book, it's co-evolution between humans and crows/ravens. For instance, the authors believe that the American, Northwestern and Fish Crows were originally a single species. The primordial American Crow evolved into three distinct species by adapting to three different kinds of Native American culture. Today, as the big cities are expanding, the American Crows are becoming more widespread, interbreeding with the previously isolated Northwestern Crows. Also, the subspecies of the American Crow more frequently interbreed with each other. The authors speculate that global warming might induce the American Crow to breed earlier in the year, making it possible for American Crows to interbreed with Fish Crows as well. If urban expansion (and climate change) continues, this might lead to the emergence of a single, homogenous, all-purpose Crow in North America!
   
   Urban expansion, and the prohibition against shooting birds within city limits, seems to be the main reason for the rapid expansion of the American Crow. With little or no natural predators, and abundant food supplies, sudden epidemics seem to be the only thing that can stop the crows from expanding virtually endlessly. The authors also make the interesting observation that suburbia rather than the urban centres are the best breeding- and hunting-grounds for crows. Apparently, crows and their chicks can't *simply* live on junk food, and need suburban lawns and parks to find natural food, such as insects! Why are we not surprised?
   
   Of course, crow-human interaction doesn't always benefit the crows. The book mentions several island crows driven to extinction or near-extinction by humans or human-introduced predators.
   
   An entire chapter of the book is devoted to corvid influence on human culture. It turns out that there are Stone Age cave paintings showing ravens, that many Native American peoples considered the crow or the raven to be the creator of the universe, and that crows have inspired Japanese art. In Europe, crows were observed for purposes of divination, and the Norse god Odin was accompanied by two ravens named...guess what...Hugin and Munin. It also turns out that eating crow isn't as rare as you might think, not even in the US. However, crows were sometimes served under the phoney designation "Rook", apparently because Rooks were considered even more delicious! Finally, the authors reveal that the Crow Indians were named by arrogant White settlers - in reality, they worship the eagle.
   
   There are also chapters on crow behaviour, intelligence and altruism. Apparently, crows sometimes take care of family members that have been maimed and can't take care of themselves. On the other hand, crows might be very aggressive to non-family members. If a dominant crow is seriously injured, he might be attacked and even killed by other crows, eager to replace him. It also turns out that crows and ravens use deception in some of their social interactions. Crows and ravens are definitely more intelligent than other birds, with the possible exception of parrots. The authors mention an experiment proving that Jackdaws can count to five!
   
   Sometimes, Marzluff and Angell venture into the twilight zone, as when they seriously discuss whether crows execute other crows, a persistent myth in many cultures, or wonder whether crows really are re-incarnated humans souls. I didn't quite get *these* parts of the book. Is John secretly a member of some spiritualist cult? May I join up?
   
   Once again, this book could have been more well-written. Still, if you belong to the small minority of humankind that's fascinated with American Crows and Ravens (mostly the former), this is definitely the buy of the month.
   
   And no, I wont tell you where me and my brother keep those crocheted toy crows. Hands off, you thievish little magpie.
   
   :-D

5 comments about The Birds of East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi (Princeton Field Guides).

1. I used this book in northern Tanzania, and found it to be an accurate book with helpful descriptions and maps. It is not too heavy to carry around, but still covers all the birds we every wanted to find or needed help identifying.



2. For the SECOND time Amazon sent me the incorrect addition of this book!! What is advertised vs what was shipped is unacceptable!! They shipped an old copyright instead of the newest!! I'm very disappointed in Amazon!!



3. This book includes all the birds; the birds that also live in California, the amazing colorful birds, the little brown birds. It is a nicely illustrated, organized field guide.
   
   It has the information that one expects from a field guide; maps with the geographic distribution, habitat description, call description, brief information on behavior.
   
   If you consider the cost of a trip to East Africa, the cost of a good bird book is insignificant.



4. Confronted by only one serious contender for the distinction of best field guide to the birds of East Africa, the Terry Stevenson/John Fanshawe entry wins by default. In featuring each descriptive summary and range map on a page facing the corresponding species illustration, the organization of the book qualifies it as a true field guide. While the field guide edition of "Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania" by Zimmerman, Turner, & Pearson incorporates several superior attributes, frequently including quality and variety of illustrations, it is essentially a condensation of a larger work and not organized in field-guide format. In covering a wider geographical area, the Stevenson/Fanshawe guide describes nearly 300 more species depicted on over twice as many color plates. Both of these fine books are potentially very useful for birding in Kenya and Tanzania, with the organization of the true field guide more likely to enhance its potential usefulness to those just beginning to appreciate the splendid avian diversity of East Africa.



5. This book really helped me identify birds that I had photographed in Uganda and Rwanda. The pictures were great as were the descriptions. I would highly recommend this guide.

5 comments about The Bedside Book of Birds: An Avian Miscellany.

1. I found this book in the gift shop of the Point Reyes National Seashore visitor center on a recent trip to Inverness and had to own it.
   
   As an artifact it's quite beautiful: the illustrations and text and heft of the volume is sumptuous. This is, as the name says, a bedside book; a substantial hardcover with a creamy, coated-stock dustcover instead of a slick and glossy coffeetable book. The point of it is to open the volume and read.
   
   Many such books are just random tidbits that catch the collector's fancy or have some private meaning to the person pulling the work together but which don't form a larger, coherent work. Somehow, though, this book seems to have an ebb and flow that seems natural, as if Gibson himself it taking ownership of the words, the images, the flavors here.
   
   I bought the book for feel and flavor, but am pleased to note that it is worth owning as a volume in its own right, a perfect bedside companion. Highly recommended.



2. I've found myself coming back to this book time and time again, just to open at random. I would recommend this book without hesitation.



3. A beautiful book, excellent for a gift as well as for one's own library. The illustrations are many, varied, and lovely. The text is engrossing.



4. I purchased this book as a gift for my Aunt Jen, to whom I am deeply grateful for instilling in me a love of the outdoors in general and a love of birds in particular. She is now mostly confined to a bed and I wanted to get her a book on an outdoor subject she loves which she can enjoy while indoors. Before sending her the book I was able to get a good look at it and I feel confident she will enjoy it. The book is beautifully illustrated and the stories are well-written. All of them are interesting, some are humorous. I highly recommend this book.



5. Very, very few books this physically beautiful are published today. This is a true gem! The author has collected poems, short stories, etc. from authors worldwide which concern or include birds. The numerous illustrations are classic-looking drawings similar to Audubon and that style of drawing. There are no photographs of birds. The paper is of unusually weighty quality and the binding is first class.
   This is a book that the avid bird-watcher can hand down to a younger generation. Makes a wonderful gift!

No comments about Audubon 365 Songbirds and Other Backyard Birds Picture-A-Day Calendar 2009 (Picture-A-Day Wall Calendars).

5 comments about Fifty Favorite Birds Coloring Book (Dover Coloring Book).

1. I just purchased these Dover COloring Books for my mother and she loves them. The detail is out of this world and the variety of colors you can use are only limited by your inagination. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!



2. I bought this book for my children who are both bird lovers and gifted artists. We prefer this bird coloring book over the other bird coloring books because this is the only one that has a fold-out section in the front and back of the books showing each page in full-color. My children have used those as guides as to how to properly color each type of bird. The others (such as Audobon birds or State Birds and Flowers-- others we have) do not include colored guides.



3. This book was wonderful in it's detail and I truly like the fold out pages with the pictures of the birds in their true colors. I look forward to many hours with this book. Perhaps it is the kid in me, or perhaps this book is good for grownups, whichever way you feel, I liked it.



4. I got my first dover coloring book about 30 years ago and have been hooked. I now have a collection of about 20. They are kind of hard to find in retail and when you do the selection is poor.
   
   I find coloring to be very relaxing when you are stressed. I also cannot just watch tv I like to be doing crochet or cross stitching, coloring.
   
   These books are very well done as far as the drawings are concerned. They can be very intricate. Some are made more for children but many would be hard for a child under say 10yrs old to do and feel good about.
   
   They are best done with colored pencils as you can get really good at shading and make them really pretty.
   
   I highly recommend this and many others. I do own this specific book.



5. Fantastic. These books are the best I have found to find pictures to use as templets or stencils for designs to paint on silk.