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Rare Birds of North America

Author: Visit Amazon's Steve N. G. Howell Page | Language: English | ISBN: 0691117969 | Format: PDF

Rare Birds of North America Description

Review

"Birders thrill to see rarities. This superb book covers 262 rare species, featuring Ian Lewington's unsurpassed artistry in 275 color plates. Species accounts discuss patterns of vagrancy, identification, seasons, regions, and migration."--
Library Journal starred review

"If you're a serious birder, there should already be a slot for this book on your shelf, since no other guide has ever filled this niche. . . . With the help of this book, I might grab 15 minutes of fame for finding the next great rarity."--Kirby Adams, National Parks Traveler

"[A] pleasure to read."--Matt Merritt, Birdwatching Magazine

"This book is . . . a guaranteed winner and not just for a North American readership. Put together by a superbly qualified team, it is both authoritative and attractive. For the lister, identification enthusiast, migration student and general birdwatcher, it brings to life a whole continent of avian excitement. Birds are always amazing and surprising us, pushing the boundaries of what we thought possible and exploding the myths and stories we so carefully create about them. This book is a fitting tribute to their continuing capacity to inspire and confound."--Andy Stoddart, Rare Bird Alert

"All bird identification books should be this good."--Jim Williams, Minneapolis Star Tribune

"The authors' sifting of bird-sighting records for a period covering some six decades is impressive. Detailed accounts of 262 species comprise the bulk of the book. Lewington's lovely color illustrations are supported by the sort of information one expects to find in bird guides (e.g., key identification features, taxonomy, distribution, similar species, behaviors, etc.). . . . That we are enjoying a 'golden age of bird [book] publishing,' as another reviewer in these pages has said, is clearly exemplified by this work. The birding hobby's growing popularity means that its fervent fringe of 'life-listers' is growing, too, and for them, or anyone with an eye for the unusual, this book will surely tantalize."--Robert Eagan, Library Journal

From the Inside Flap

"Rare Birds of North America is splendid. There is warmth and humor in the prose, and the color plates are stunning and will ensure a strong audience for many years to come. Such a book is long overdue for North American readers."--Edward S. Brinkley, editor of North American Birds

"An excellent treatment of a fascinating topic."--Paul Lehman, field guide consultant and bird tour leader

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Product Details
Table of Contents
Reviews

Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Princeton University Press (February 16, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0691117969
ISBN-13: 978-0691117966
Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

My pre-ordered copy of Howell et al.'s Rare Birds of North America showed up early! Thoughts:

- It's basically a field guide supplement. Goes in depth on how to ID each of these species. Also has really interesting info on possible vagrancy routes and timing, habitat and behavior in their native range, etc.. The illustrations are awesome, and apparently this guy (Ian Lewington) is working on a full North American field guide, which I'm looking forward to now.

- Really great introduction, on different causes of vagrancy in birds.

- What I was really hoping for, but is kinda missing, is a region-by-region write-up. So, in the Northeast, what should you keep an eye out for in each season? What kinds of weather patterns might bring interesting things? There's no central place to get that, you have to go species-by-species. It's almost addressed in the introduction, but not quite how I was thinking (it goes region-by-region for their native range, ex: when do most landbird vagrants from Western Europe show up?). And that part's clumsily done. So I was a little disappointed by that.

- There are some absolutely crazy records that I had no idea about. Humboldt Penguin has showed up off Canada and Alaska four times?! But all of those records were rejected, because it seems physiologically impossible. More likely is that sailors kept them illegally as pets or something. There is a record of Magellanic Penguin from El Salvador that could be legit though.
- A Double-striped Thick-Knee in Arizona was being kept by a Guatemalan immigrant as a watchdog/bird. Another one from S TX might've been wild though. Awesome.
- An apparently legendary snipe hunter in Oregon has shot three separate Jack Snipe, which is most of the lower 48's records.

BASICS: hardcover; a thick reference book with multiple high-quality illustrations for each of 262 "ultra" rare vagrants in the US and Canada; text for each bird covers normal distribution ranges, historical sightings and trends in North America, detailed field identification to include similar species as well as age and sex, and, notes on habitat and behavior

THE REVIEW
This relatively large book (10x7x1.5 inches) is an exceptional, first-of-its-kind resource for a niche of birding not well covered. This book will be greatly appreciated - and eagerly studied - by avid birders and twitchers who've jumped in a car (or plane) to see that nemesis rarity; or, by the travelling birder trekking to Arizona and Texas in search of those borderline rarities. However, the detailed nature of the material along with historical records might be a little dry (and overwhelming) to some people that gain sufficient pleasure and excitement from the local birds coming into the backyard feeders. Also, the book does not, and could not, tell one where to go find those rarities that are truly random.

There are a four things that define the scope of this book...
One: It is an identification guide but definitely not a field guide due to the book's size and weight; and, to the large amount of information in the book not related to identification in the field.

Two: A summary is provided of when and where the rarities were seen along with notes on the bird's status. Additional resources are also given for further research.

Three: A plethora of multi-decade experience of identifying these birds is given (in writing and illustrations) to any eager birder who wants to learn about rare birds that are more often seen in dreams than in the field.

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