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• book logistics: This little softback is roughly 6" by 9" and consists of 192 pages of standard-quality paper. The font is fine... I find it to be perfectly acceptable as a read.
• ease of use: Couldn't be better -- read the intro, table of contents, and the first chapter, and you've got the gist of the book under your belt -- sweet!
• book organization: Speaking of the introduction/TOC...
  • Introduction
  • Chapter 1: Advanced Field Identification
  • Chapter 2: Birding by Habitat
  • Chapter 3: Birding by Geography
  • Chapter 4: Birding and Weather
  • Chapter 5: Birding at Night
  • Chapter 6: Birding with a Purpose
  • Chapter 7: Vagrants
  • Chapter 8: A New Jersey Case Study
  • Chapter 9 Patch Listing
• photography: Like the print and fonts, this is perfectly serviceable. (How much can Mr. Lovitch do with 6" by 9"?)
• overall impression: With one caveat I thought this book was fantastic. And that caveat is, IMHO, the title is poorly chosen -- this should be a starter book for all birders. To his great credit, the author has poked the sacred cow that is the traditional field mark system and introduced a 'whole birding' system that works in conjunction with the traditional field guides. Bird appearance alone does not the best identification make. A birder needs to ask questions such as, What tree was that unknown in? What's the weather like right now? What's the terrain like? He also wisely suggests that the observer take the time beforehand to do a bit of research on the Web, in the books, talking with locals, contacting forestry types and preparing for what might very well be out there tomorrow.

All told, super work delivered by an informal mentor -- highly recommended...

By the bookshelves...

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yes, it's time for another book review, and quite frankly, I've been waiting for some time to contribute my 1/50th of a dollar on this subject -- I like dragonflies, but I wouldn't know a Blue-faced Darner from a Halloween Pennant. So here we go...

I'll follow my standard review pattern: (book logistics such as paper, binding, etc; the immediate and long-term ease of use; book organization; photography; and lastly an overall impression).

• Book logistics:This 5.5" by 8.5" by 1.25", 32 oz. paperback field guide consists of 538 pages of quality glossy paper, On those pages lie over 1,000 photos, range maps, and illustrations plus the obligatory text.
• Immediate and long-term ease of use: Grrr... I'll get back to the 'Immediate use' part of the review in my 'Overall impression' section below. As for the long-term usability of this work -- that's exceptional.
• Book organization: This is the standard 'A+' from Princeton University Press (PUP):
  • There are 47 pages of intro, preface, table of contents, natural history of odonates, feeding, breeding, anatomy, blah, blah, blah...
  • Next comes the meats of the book: 115 pages of damselfliy descriptions and 352 dragonfliy descriptions. All told, all of the 336 eastern species are covered. Cool...
  • Each critter is described as follows:
    • Description (photos fall into the 'Description' or 'Identification' categories)
    • Identification
    • Natural History
    • Habitat
    • Flight Season
    • Distribution (when appropriate)
  • Appendix
  • Glossary
  • Index
• Photography: Excellent as always, though a tad on the small side. (Then again, what can one expect from a field guide for the diminutive odonates?)
• Overall impression: This is a wonderful book for the intermediate and avid odonates aficionado. If you know your way around the wee beasties, this is a must own. Unfortunately, for us new to the game, trying to find a just-spotted dragonfly out on the deck is nigh impossible. As in the case of the Petrels book, there needs to be some sort of location cross index. (Example: In MA, there are 124 possible dragonflies/damselflies that might be out on that deck -- I had to turn to the USGS site to find these guys.) I'd like to at least be able to narrow down my search to my state...

  All that being said, I can't imagine any serious backyarder not owning this book.

  Superb work Mr. Paulson...

Bookworm by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ain't they beauties? Those are 20 of 30 750ml bottles of home brew just waiting to head for dark storage.

Alrighty then all you adults... As promised, I'm taking a day off (sort of) from the birding theme and focusing on another aspect of cooking: beer. (Here are my posts on making chowder and bread.)

First up, a quick overview... Why home brew? There are a bunch of reasons: you like to cook; you want a higher quality beer than the stuff in the stores; saving money is always cool; it's nice to be able to tailor your own beer; etc.

So where do you start? That depends... If you want to get serious in a hurry, buy an equipment kit that includes a primary fermenter, secondary fermenter, bottling bucket, hoses, bottles, capper, caps, ingredients, hydrometer, thermometer, long spoon.. etc. Midwest sells a nice beginners package for about $200. I wanted to ease my way back into the hobby, so I settled for Coopers DIY setup for about $125. Coopers is a respected Australian brewery, and their DIY is simple and produces a decent beer. (Note on the bottles... I vastly prefer reusable plastic P.E.T. bottles -- no capping -- just screw on.)

General/subjective observations about the actual brewing process:

• After you decide what rig you're going with, order it and then hit the home brewing forums and start at least lurking -- knowledge is a good thing.
• When your gear arrives, open it and start reading... Don't even think about starting that night..
• Cleanliness is absolutely critical.
• Watch the temp of your wort... It matters.
• Be patient. If you rush your brew or its aging. Bad things happen to those who can't wait.
• Children and pets have no place around an active brewer. There's too much wet glass and hot fluids for something to get under foot.
• Keep a journal. (Years ago I created the finest red ale known to humankind only to lose the slip of paper that held its recipe. Sob!)

On a different note, if you're a regular reader of this blog, you may have noticed a number of reviews of bird books from Princeton University Press. And that's fine because, for the most part, the books focus on the birds of the U.S. But now I can start reviews for birds beyond the States... the Indian Subcontinent for example. Would you like me to review those sorts of books? Let me know via a comment or email me at: capecodalan@ebirdseed.com.

See you by those feeders...

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I do these reviews, I like to look at the following factors: book logistics such as paper, binding, etc; the immediate and long-term ease of use; book organization; photography; and lastly an overall impression... Let's get started...

As for logistics, this 10" by 7.5" by 1.75" book consists of 520 pages, 975 pics/figures, and 66 maps. It's well-bound in cloth, and the paper is high-quality. This is 'library grade' stuff.

When it comes to use, I openly admit that the first thing I do is crack one of these tomes open and try to find a particular piece of known info. I my case, I wanted to see the petrel types that frequent the New England coast... I couldn't find a quick list... The best I could do was make a fast thumb through and look at the maps as I went... A more prolonged study showed that the author lists the North American ocean currents, and then provides a list of birds that inhabit those currents. It's then up to the user to look up each bird. (More on this later.) Beyond the reference issue (and I'm not sure how the e-book version handles this), Mr. Howell is remarkably thorough... Taxonomy, flight patterns, molts, wing spans and body masses -- you name it and he has covered it.

Concerning book organization... This is where standard Princeton University Press shines. Here's how it breaks down per bird:

• Bird Number (P1 -- P40 for petrels); (A1 -- A11 for albatrosses); (S1 -- S19 for storm-petrels)
• Identification Summary
• Taxonomy
• Names
• Status and Distribution
• Pacific (and/or Atlantic)
• Field Identification
• Similar Species
• Habitat and Behavior
• Description
• Ages similar
• On the Water
• Molt

What good is a photographic guide if it doesn't have good photographs? Not to worry... This one knocks it out of the ballpark...

Finally, my overall impression... This book is extraordinary in its depth... As far as I know, there isn't another one like it available... The table of contents is fine. The index could use a bit of fleshing out, but for me that's not a deal breaker The maps could be more extensive, but that's nothing to lose sleep over. IMHO, the only real weak point in this book is the lack of a simple table for quick reference of 'region to bird' including page numbers... But even that can be solved with a cup of coffee and a few minutes cross referencing ocean currents with birds. I'm just going to take a bit and generate my own local list.

All told this is obviously a 'must' for seabird fans as well as all serious birders. Mr. Howell's work would also be at home with those who live on any briny coast, with fishermen, in libraries, schools, and waiting rooms... You get the idea...

As always, by those feeders...

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 2:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What can I say? Princeton University Press keeps sending us these books, and I'll keep reviewing them. This time, it's a 240 page field guide by Luke Hunter with 86 color plates by illustrator Priscilla Barrett.

First up, book details:

• It measures 6" X 9.25"... The cover and paper are standard quality fare.
• The Table of Contents points to the Introduction, Species Accounts (13), Skull (prints), Footprints (prints), Glossary, Bibliography, Index, and Acknowledgements.
• The Intro lasts seven pages, and covers the carnivore families, as well as a basic 'how to read this book' sort of collection.
• The next 171 pages cover the guts of the tome... Exceptionally nice... Stuff like the size, habitat, feeding habits, social and spatial behavior, reproduction, mortality, and status...
• The skull and footprints drawings are a nice wrap up as are the thorough index and very thorough references..

So, who would want a book like this? Well, certainly sportsman... Kids would love it too. (What youngster wouldn't get a kick out of looking up the Palawan Stink Badger or studying a Grizzly skull?) It would make for an ideal field guide for birders, lepidopterists, guides, campers, backyard birders ("What on earth was that thing?") fresh water fishermen, farmers... You get the idea... Truth be told, this would also be great as a coffee table book, or even bathroom reading stock...

There's not much to dislike about Hunter's and Barrett's work... I'm not crazy about the metric measurements, but that's a problem on my end... About the only thing that makes me pause is the cost -- $29.95 U.S... Still, a ton of work has gone into this, so from my angle, it's well worth it.

By the well-read feeders...

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yup, we have another book review. (Hey, if Princeton University Press (PUP) wants to keep sending me books, I'll keep reviewing them. If any other publishers want to send me books, I'll review those too. The more info the better...)

So, what have we got here? Well... it's a 5" by 7.5" 239 page field guide that covers 900 bird species. By a quick and dirty guesstimate, there are roughly 1,500 handsome individual bird depictions by the author/illustrator Norman Arlott. The preliminaries are taken care of in the first few pages. (Acknowledgments, Introduction, Area and Species Covered, Plates (symbols), Nomenclature, Identification, Distribution Maps, Map of the Region, and Bird Topography), That done, the tome cuts to the chase -- descriptions on every other even page, and images on the corresponding odd. Sweet... And the descriptions are consistent in their form as well: Name, Latin name, size in cm, Field Notes, Voice, Habitat, and Distribution. Add the perfunctory Table of Contents, Further 'Reading, and Index, and there you go. This is how to write a book.

But how does the book compare with its brethren, and who actually needs this puppy?

To address the former, I have four field guides before me:

• 'Birds of North America and Greenland' (Arlott, 2011)
• 'A Guide to Field Identification, Birds of North America' (Golden Press, 1983)
• 'A Field Guide to the Birds' (Peterson, 1947)
• 'Birds of New England' (Alsop III, 2002).

In the end I'd say buy both books, but buy the 'A Guide to Field Identification, Birds of North America' used. (AbeBooks sells the Golden used for under $4 including shipping.) See what you think.

As for the potential audience... These are obviously meant for the rough and tumble world of the field, but they'd equally be at home by the kitchen window for that quick ID while washing the windows. They'd be great for kids, seniors, and anyone with even the slightest interest in birds or the outdoors.

One final gripe about books of this ilk, and 'Birds of North America and Greenland' in particular. To date, I've yet to see this work in eBook form. And that's too bad -- even the author regrets not giving more extensive imagery to adolecent birds because of space limitations. Sooner or later, books like this are going to find their way onto the iPad, or the soon-to-be released Kindle Fire, and space will no longer be an issue. Let's hope it's sooner.

By the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 2:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi,

So far I've reviewed the following from Princeton University Press (PUP):

• "Birds of Hawaii, New Zealand, and the Central and West Pacific"
• "Hawks at a Distance"
• "Hawks from Every Angle"
• "The Crossley Guide, Eastern Birds"

On to the picayune and I'll get back to the bigger picture in a second...

• When I received the book, the printing process had folded over the corners of a number of pages, and consequentially, they hadn't been cut properly. For me, this is a non-issue, but if I bought the book as a gift, I would have returned it for a pristine copy.
• I spotted a couple of errors in the atlas such as the number of times Shakespeare mentions the bird 'Chough'... If that sort of thing 'derails your train', then the decision to buy or not buy this book is the least of your worries.
• This tome is loaded with references (over 150), but lack of corroboration of sources makes this old engineer antsy. At least 40% of Mr. Unwin's citations are from a single (and very well-respected) source -- BirdLife International. Corroboration might have been better, though, in the real world, that may not even have been possible.

• Introduction To Birds
• Where Birds Live
• Birds In Order
• How Birds Live
• Birds And People
• Birds Under Threat
• Protecting Birds
• Bird Table (including indices and sources)

So who should buy this book? Who will really read it? The answer is everyone. (Believe it or not, this is where I may truly tick off both the author and publisher...) Here's the deal... This book is ideal for the bird lover, the student who wants to learn how to write, and the coffee table. It's perfect for the auto repair shop, the doctor's office, and the dentist's office. You name the interested or idle moment and this book is perfect. But here's where I think it really shines -- in the bathroom. I don't say that in the least derogatory -- just the opposite. Whether we like to admit it or not, some of the most meaningful reading is done in the privacy of the 'loo'. Before you jump ugly on me, know that Mrs. CCA had the same first impression, and also some of my most treasured books are in the powder room. It is what it is...

Time to wrap this up... 'The Atlas of Birds' is a must. While a few of the numbers may be open to interpretation or confirmation, Mr. Unwin has nonetheless done himself proud.

By the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 1:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ah yes... Bird identification for the slightly-less-than "avid birder"... (That would be me. Don't get me wrong -- I like my birds, but I'm just not one of those hard-core birders who can spot a bee hummingbird hiding in a thicket at 75yards.) So onward to the first two obvious suspects...

Tough to miss this guy -- a bluebird. Still, the thing is a beauty...

Next is the downy... I don't know why, but these critters just put a smile on my face. Maybe it was the fact that I really didn't see too many of these growing up, but still, the visitation by a downy always stops me in my tracks. (Man oh man do they love their suet!)

Alrighty then! Things start to get murky for me here... I think this is a house finch or a purple, though I'd just name it a 'McEnroe Bird' (because of the red headband) and be done with it. Somehow, I don't think Cornell, Princeton University Press, or David Sibley would agree with my naming process. Nomenclature aside, he is one funky little dude.

I'd group the last picture into our "LLB" ("Little Brown Bird") category and move on. Unfortunately, the lexicologists amongst us would have a hissy, so here goes... I'm going to say that it's one of the following:

• Chipping sparrow
• Song sparrow
• Swamp sparrow
• White-throated sparrow
• House sparrow

I don't know... By my eye, it could be any one of those. I just like to watch 'em.

Normally, at this point, I'd sign off, but I do want to give you a heads up concerning a book review I've been working on... The text under the glass is, "The Atlas of Birds" by Mike Unwin. This is a respectable project. Overall, it's an impressive work, but quite frankly, I'm starting to struggle with some of the stats and sources... Let me keep thumping away and see if the problem isn't on my end... I'll keep you updated...

By the feeders (I think that's what they are...)

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 11:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Nothing too earth shattering here... (Although Princeton University Press did send me another book to review -- "The Atlas of Birds" by Mike Unwin. That piece is going to take some time to review -- It's not a field guide but instead is an actual Atlas that discusses bird diversity, behavior, and conservation. I'll keep you posted on the progress of that review.)

The weather was almost ideal here today --- dry, cool, windy. That might have had some influence on the remarkable activity we saw around our feeders and yard... Below are a threesome of orioles fussing over the jelly and orange...

My guess is that the one on the left is a young'un who still struggles with the concept of feeding oneself...

However, the hummingbird seems to have no such troubles...

And so it went... A baby rabbit found the wife's garden a great place to take an extended meal... The hawks were out... The crows were being their usual pushy selves... All the ubiquitous "little black birds" flitted about...

All told, just a nice day...

See you by those uneventful feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 1:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alrighty then... Looks like we've got another great Princeton University Press bird book to review... This is one of the 14 "Princeton Illustrated Checklists" series...

Where to begin? Frankly, I don't even know where to begin... Let's see, here are some random observations...

• First, I'm not a shill for Princeton University Press (PUP). This is the fifth book I've reviewed for them, and this one is certainly one of the best. (It's tough to beat the Crossley ID Guide though.) So don't think of me as a PUP groupie. Quite frankly, I wish they'd send me a dud so I could tear it to pieces; but that's certainly not the case this time...
• That out of the way... Let's cover the basics... The book itself is 5" by 7" by 256 pages. It contains 95 plates containing 750 illustrations. While the images aren't Sibley, they're certainly serviceable. It also contains the usual table of contents, preface, acknowledgments, bird anatomy, appendix, and index.
• Beyond the standard stuff, this tome really begins to come into its own when it starts to examine the environment... This includes tectonics, geological, and volcanic influences on local birds.
• But, that still ain't nothing... It's the magnitude, depth, and organization that really ring the bell... Take a look at the map below...



Maps courtesy of Google Earth Those little distance dialog boxes are tough to read, but here's the skinny concerning the scale involved -- Mr. van Perlo has cataloged avian from the Northern Marianas to Pitcairn Island (yellow), and from Hawaii to New Zealand (red). That's roughly 6,300 miles by 5,200 miles respectively. And it is that exact cataloging process that is so remarkable. This is a work of mind-bending taxonomy and systematics. The author has taken 20 "geopolitical entities", and by an act of genius cross referenced all the typical birds for those locations. This is simply amazing. (Hint... The key to this genius lies on pages 9 and 10, and pages 12 through 15. Pay special attention to pages 9 10, 12, 14, and 15!)
• Bluntly, this book is one of the best I've ever seen of any interest.
I'd highly recommend it to the following:
• Folks located in the title area...
• Those who dream of a far-off vacation and wonder what birds might be found on such-and-such small island......
• Anyone (and I do mean anyone) who is involved in the business of knowledge management, search engine design, data structures, etc...
The only complaint I have with this book is the usual gripe -- I'd like to see some sort of digital version adjunct... But perhaps, with time, that too will come to pass... Regardless... This is an exceptional work...

By the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

---

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 4:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a word, this book is "magnificent". Its 160 pages are loaded with the kind of photos and artwork that we've come to expect from Princeton University Press -- exceptional. The font and printing are both clean and easy on the eyes. The table of contents cuts right to the heart of the matter by listing all 12 nest types, and the glossary and index are spot on as far as they go... I especially liked the occasional "Step-by-Step" guide for making a nest. With this book, I really think I could make a crude nest or two. (Granted, my nests probably wouldn't pass bird muster, but at least they'd be recognizable.)

In short, this book delivers 100% of what the title promises -- the the design, engineering, and building of birds nests.

I have only two regrets about Mr. Goodfellow's effort...

First, while each nest-type section contains several case studies of the relevant birds and a brief mention of others that use that sort of structure, it's far from comprehensive. Simply put, if I look out the window and see a nest, I'd like to know what kind of bird built it and, conversely, if I see a particular bird, I'd like to be able to make a reasonable guess as to where the thing might be nesting. As daunting as that project might seem on a global scale ("Avian Architecture" discusses everything from the Ostrich to the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker..."), on the local level the project shouldn't be so bad. Consider Smithsonian Handbooks' "Birds of New England"... That contains a nice listing of apx. 500 species and each is listed with its own nest type... (For a simple example of this type of cross referencing, see my seed charts parts one and two.)

My second wish is closely related to my first -- I wish this sort of cross referencing was built into an app for a hand-held device. That would be absolute killer for the field.

But those two "Wish List" hopes aside, this work is splendid... Just splendid. And who would benefit from this tome? I can think of five groups...

• The avid birder (duh)
• The backyard birder (son of duh)
• The young (this is an, "Oh cool!" effort)
• The retired (remember, they were the generation that cut its teeth on "Mouse Trap")
• And finally, any engineer, architect, or designer would flip over this thing (trust me... I'm an engineer...)

Once again... Great work by the folks at Princeton University Press... This is an heirloom reference...

By the feeders...

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 2:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)