Birds Books

A must have book for the avid pheasant hunter!

If you are reading this review then you are probably a Ringneck pheasant fan like me. I will say up front, this book won't dissapoint you. The large color photos of pheasants, fields, dogs, hunters and guns are wonderful. All are in full color and obviously shot by good photographers. There is also a fair share of narrative with many of the photos so you can spend lots of time reading and enjoying the book.

The item was in perfect condition.It was shipped in a moderate time and in excelent shape,so good I orderd 2 more.

A GREAT book full of some very colorful pictures. If the sight of a flushing Pheasant in full colors in autumn brings you joy - you will enjoy this book. Pictures of bird hunters, western landscapes, birddogs, shotguns and short stories.

Two of my co-workers purchased the book for me for my birthday. They understand my passion and obession that I have for pheasant hunting with my Chocolate Lab, Bailey. Especially in the off season! If I can't hunt the birds, then I need to be reading about them. This book is beautifully illustrated and well written. It discusses and describes the true passion for hunting pheasnts. Its an easy read and the pictures are awesome. All in all and excellent read and even better as a gift. Thanks Toz and Mojo!!!

I bought this for a friend in Nashville so haven't seen it myself as I am in the UK. She does say that its beautiful and she is very pleased with it.

Great book. Useful and full of really excellent photos. It has what you need to know about hummningbirds.

This work, like most of those by Donald and Lillian Stokes is well written, informative, useful and simply a joy to read. The subject here, of course, is Hummingbirds. The authors also do give us several very nice pages (6) addressing orioles, a common visitor to feeders. The photographs in this book are quite good and the authors actually tell and show us their technique of photographing these amazing creatures.

Probably the most important chapter in this work is the one covering the types, maintenance and placement of the hummingbird feeder. Some of the other subjects well covered are creating Hummingbird habitat, Hummingbird gardening, nesting habits, flight behavior, amazing facts, Hummingbird myths and very importantly, the identification of these little creatures which are found here in North America. Each species is given due coverage and no area of the country is left out. I enjoyed the section devoted to the various kinds of flowers which are Hummingbird friendly. The Stokes have given us specific information here, seldom found in other volumes.

As to the identification of the various species found here, the authors have given us a great over view of the eight major species, their range, habits, migration patterns and some wonderful photographs to help in identification. The hardcore birder will of course want additional field guides, as several species, usually found in small pockets along our southern border are not covered. This is not major flaw though, as most individuals that are very much into the hobby of birding, already have a trunk full of guides. The authors have also included a very nice section on other resources, books, videos, companies that provide feeders, etc.

All in all, this is a very nice book to own and certainly one that you will want to add to your collection

Great photos, trivia, information about how to attract the hummers and a lot of solid
information about the different species and much more. Also has nice section on which flowers
are good for attracting hummers . Price is right and it is a good resource as well.
You will not be disappointed. In addition it is easy to read.

This is a very useful guide to attracting and caring for these hummingbirds, with great photographs supplementing text that is well-written and filled with wonderful advice and tips about feeders, habitat, gardens, identification and further resources. Sections also detail behavior, photography, babies and feeder problems. Nicely done and very helpful.

Kids ...as well as adults... will love this book of poems. They're whimsical, witty, and just plain fun. The clever illustrations compliment the fun and lyrical text. This book is a joy to read!

This is a delightful book. As a former primary teacher, I recommend it on 2 levels. First...the poems will appeal to children (and adults!). Secondly...the poems can lead to more discussions about specific birds, bird feeder observations, and acquaintance with our natural environment.

This book of poems for bird lovers is a total delight. The whimsical illustrations match Ruddell's funny and clever poems. This book is great for older children who will appreciate some of the more sophisticated humor. My 12 year old's favorite is about the woodpecker:

If you think his life is a picnic,
a seesawing day at the park
I ask you just once to consider
the aftertaste
of bark.

My students chuckled with delight and begged me to keep reading Ruddell's wonderfully whimsical poems. Anyone who loves birds and poetry will find a magical pairing in these witty and wise poems and Rankin's joyous illustrations. Today at the Bluebird Cafe is a must for any library or child's bookshelf.

Although the poems in this book have a common theme (birds), they are anything but "common" in their use of language and the delightful way they tickle the funnybone while imparting tidbits of knowledge about our fine, feathered friends. The art is superb and complements the poems beautifully. The book is certain to become a treasured favorite in homes, schools, and libraries everywhere.

I honor the author Susanne Blake in her sharing her story of her paths beginning. She graciously allows the reader to travel with her down her path and share her experiences. I highly recommend this enlightened book to anyone who is awakening to thier path, who realizes coincendences are more then mere chance. I for one am waiting anxiously for her next book ! Love and Light Susanne..... hugs !

Susanne has enabled us to be an audience to a true story of healing, recovery and hope. "When Spirit Speaks" shows us that the life of miracles and peace are here for all of us.... if we only reach out and believe. As one of the characters in this book I know first hand that a Spirit-filled life is available to us all......

We all search for meaning and wholeness. In "When Spirit Speaks" Susanne Blake explains how we can find balance as we learn the lessons we need in order to become whole. Encouraging us to be ourselves and go forward without fear, Susanne's openness and honesty shine through as she describes her involvement in Native American beliefs and rituals. Through the telling or her personal story she enables us to focus on the truths of our own spiritual journey.

"When Spirit Speaks" is a joy to read and offers insight into how we too can draw on spiritual forces to help us with our lives.

Few accounts meld mystical and practical aspects of one woman's life as does this courageous journal. The author's journey through Christianity and Native American Spirituality reveals that these worlds do co-exist peacefully and beautifully. This is a freeing and self-affirming message to one denied cultural and racial knowledge and pride while living in the dominant society.

This is one of those books that I started reading years ago, and set aside - not because I didn't like it, but because I got distracted. It surfaced recently and I finished it in only a few days. The story in this book pulls no punches. The author portrays herself as a real, fallable woman on a path of connection with Spirit. The experiences and wisdom shared in this book came to me just at the time I most needed to read them. Spirit spoke to me through this book.

It is a very good book (one of my favirote three ever; my other favirotes include his other book -The Adventures of Curly Joe and Pete). I would suggest this book for any one over 10 years old.
See what happens when 2 girls become friends because a defenceless parrot, who is later stollen, causing the story to twist into a mystery. After rescueing the bird, who do they run into but the owner!! Will this story make you cry out of sadness or joy? To find out, read my uncle, 'Eugene Oscar's book: When the Rain Bird Sings!!! Also look for his other book, and I suggest you to read this book, your other bookS can always wait untill later, this book is the ulimate for kids, teens, and any age adults!

It is a very good book (one of my favirote three ever; my other favirotes include his other book -The Adventures of Curly Joe and Pete). I would suggest this book for any one over 10 years old.
See what happens when 2 girls become friends because a defenceless parrot, who is later stollen, causing the story to twist into a mystery. After rescueing the bird, who do they run into but the owner!! Will this story make you cry out of sadness or joy? To find out, read my uncle, 'Eugene Oscar's book: When the Rain Bird Sings!!! Also look for his other book, and I suggest you to read this book, your other book can always wait untill later, this book is the ulimate for kids, teens, and any age adults!

It is a very good book (one of my favirote three ever; my other favirotes include his other book -The Adventures of Curly Joe and Pete). I would suggest this book for any one over 10 years old.
See what happens when 2 girls become friends because a defenceless parrot, who is later stollen, causing the story to twist into a mystery. After rescueing the bird, who do they run into but the owner!! Will this story make you cry out of sadness or joy? To find out, read my uncle, 'Eugene Oscar's book: When the Rain Bird Sings!!! Also look for his other book, and I suggest you to read this book, your other book can always wait untill later, this book is the ulimate for kids, teens, and any age adults!

It is a very good book (one of my favirote three ever; my other favirotes include his other book -The Adventures of Curly Joe and Pete). I would suggest this book for any one over 10 years old.
See what happens when 2 girls become friends because a defenceless parrot, who is later stollen, causing the story to twist into a mystery. After rescueing the bird, who do they run into but the owner!! Will this story make you cry out of sadness or joy? To find out, read my uncle, 'Eugene Oscar's book: When the Rain Bird Sings!!! Also look for his other book, and I suggest you to read this book, your other book can always wait untill later, this book is the ulimate for kids, teens, and any age adults!

It is a very good book (one of my favirote three ever; my other favirotes include his other book -The Adventures of Curly Joe and Pete). I would suggest this book for any one over 10 years old.
See what happens when 2 girls become friends because a defenceless parrot, who is later stollen, causing the story to twist into a mystery. After rescueing the bird, who do they run into but the owner!! Will this story make you cry out of sadness or joy? To find out, read my uncle, 'Eugene Oscar's book: When the Rain Bird Sings!!! Also look for his other book, and I suggest you to read this book, your other book can always wait untill later, this book is the ulimate for kids, teens, and any age adults!

Amazing and informative - could not have picked a better book to guide me through my vacation. I highly recommend...

We have always been fascinated by Darwin's adventures in the area and the fauna to be found there. This book is very complete and will give us a good idea of what to expect during our own voyage there this coming Fall, where the book will serve as a reference to guide me in my photographic explorations for my forum. During last year's trip to Italy I made almost 900 photographs. I expect to make at least twice that number this year with the aid and guidance of this book.

I just returned from the Galapagos, and this book was invaluable!!!! It was a great resource and I referenced it quite a bit. I would definetly recommend it to anyone going or thinking of going to the Galapagos!!!

This book and a highlighter made it possible to keep track of the many birds and mammals, plants and invertrabrates that we saw during a recent week in the Galapagos. I would highly recommend it.

Anybody planning a trip to the Galapagos Islands needs to have this book in their pocket while on the islands. The photographs of plants and animals alike are as realistic as you will see on the islands and such reality will allow one to easily identify the wealth of species you will encounter. Descriptions of individual species include a listing of which island(s) the plant or animal is typically found. Added features in this book include maps of the islands with trails and listings of what to look for; tips on photography; and guidelines for respecting the national park and being a responsible visitor to the islands.

When it came to dealing with people, Dian Fossey was sometimes her own worst enemy, but her dedication to saving the African mountain gorilla and its habitat in Rwanda is indisputable. Describing himself as an "editorial collaborator," rather than as a biographer, Farley Mowat assembles Fossey's story from her never-before-printed journals and private papers, inserting them directly into the book in boldface so she can tell her own story. From her founding of the Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda in 1967, until her murder there in December, 1985, Fossey battled to save "those she loved" from poaching, abduction, and dismemberment.

Throughout her eighteen years at Karisoke, Fossey studied organized groups of gorillas to whom she became so familiar that they would even touch her. As fierce and protective of her own "turf" as a silverback, however, she refused to bend to the exigencies of the political climate and funding requirements and made innumerable enemies. When local herdsmen exerted their age-old rights to graze cattle on "her" mountain, Fossey shot the cattle. When poachers hurt her gorillas, she pursued them, even kidnapping the four-year-old son of one of them to force his surrender. When students at her own Center disagreed with her, she could be brutal.

Fossey also fought local officials, park guards, and conservators who took bribes and staged events in order to protect their payoffs. She battled conservation organizations which wanted to get her funds, rival researchers who wanted to take over her project, and governmental officials who saw tourism in the park as a source of wealth and graft. Always fighting with ferocity, she made no effort to see another point of view or compromise. Her unsolved murder in 1985, by someone who knew the layout of her cabin, could have been by someone from any of these alienated groups.

Mowat presents Fossey as a lonely warrior who never found personal peace, a woman who was instrumental in drawing pubic attention to the plight of the mountain gorilla but who was less sucessful than she had hoped. As he points out in his Epilogue, her cause has been continued by some of the researchers who studied with her. Two of those, Amy Vedder and Bill Weber, continue the story of the gorillas from the death of Fossey through 1993's disastrous Rwandan Civil War. Their book, In the Kingdom of Gorillas: Fragile Species in a Dangerous Land, reflects a more conciliatory viewpoint than that of Fossey. Mary Whipple

This Book contains the interisting life of Dian Fossey from her bith to her dearh

Another engrossing and fascinating Mowat title, another Mowat "must read", "Woman in the Mists" is the sympathetic biography of a woman whose work gave us a window into the world of the mountain gorilla, a species to whose protection and conservation she was devoted. By alternating excerpts from her diary entries and personal letters with his own descriptive text, Mowat brings Dian Fossey, a powerfully willed and often abrasive woman, to life. Her youthful years, young adulthood, her fateful meeting with Louis Leakey, her romantic involvements and disappointments, her first contacts with the gorillas and the years of her work and struggle are portrayed with humanity and affection. The tale is enormously enriched by her own words. She struggled indomitably against self-serving African bureaucrats, indigenous herdsmen and hunter-gatherers, antagonistic forces that gained strength against her in the fields of primatology and philanthropy, and her own gradually deteriorating health largely the result of a powerful smoking addiction.

But her work and her happiness were plagued by male academics and agents of philanthropic organizations who got caught up in a web of calumny and distrust motivated by primatologists who were seriously bent out of shape by her abrasiveness and who felt they could avenge themselves by vilifying her, possibly abetted by society's undercurrent of misogyny. Had there been no vilification, she may never have been killed, as her fatal enemy, probably an African, no doubt took strength from knowing how much she was hated by, for example, the American and European agents of the Mountain Gorilla Project. Mowat provides the reader a chilling view of Fossey's victimization, but never identifies the sexist element which seems apparent to this male reviewer.

Fossey survived all the victimization because of her extraordinary strength and a powerfully motivating love for the gorillas and the entire eden-like natural world in which she lived. She had serious blind spots: her obliviousness to her abrasiveness, her hatred for the National Park's Tutsi herders and pygmy hunter-gatherers, even before the latter began killing her beloved gorillas (whole gorilla family groups, in order to capture a single infant for the zoo trade and skulls for the tourist souvenir trade), and her (and Mowat's) use of the racist epithet "wog" with impunity toward Africans who she hated, though she shared genuine bonds of love with the Africans who worked with her as trackers and poaching patrollers, and evidenced no other racist feeling. Mowat's record of Fossey's life is a powerful, shocking, revealing and loving account.

Farley Mowat performed an excellent service when he wrote this book. Dian Fossey was a woman of great character, confidence, courage, determination, and conviction. Her life was lived for what she found to be a greater cause and the world is that much worse off without her. This book did an excellent job of showing the reader who Dian Fossey really was and what she really went through. I recommend it to anyone. It is well worth reading.

Read this book, and you will feel like you know the real Dian Fossey. Personal letters, journal entries all give insight to her life as a living, breathing human being who had many friends (human and non-human). Her passion for life is inspirational! This is a must read, and also an excellent book to read for school projects!

Beautiful story! My daughter loves it! This book is a classic that every child must hear. I have to read it over and over again to my three-year-old daughter. She loves the story and the names of the ducks.

This tiny mosquito scared everybody in the jungle because the animals have an alarm system. One animal runs one way and another the opposite way and this bird chirps and this rabbit hops and so on and so on. The animals do this to show that there is danger ahead. This works, but this time it was a false alarm. In all the commotion a baby owl falls out of a tree and dies. Now the owl will not make the sun come up.

That was someone trying to comment on Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears.

I have always loved the English version of Make Way for Ducklings. Now, as a student of Spanish and a teacher of children's Spanish classes, I greatly appreciate this translation.

This is a classic written by Robert McClosky in the 1940's, but is timeless like all classics. The duck parents are flying over Boston looking for a place to hatch their eggs and raise their ducklings. This version is all in Spanish, but I found out after ordering this book that there is a bilingual version also. It is a really long book to begin with so it would be interesting to see the bilingual version.

A fabulous book and fantastically well translated by Osvaldo Blanco. Having read many books translated from English to Spanish, I feel that Sr. Blanco's translations are among the best and true to the original work.

I saw an exhibition of David Macaulay at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, NY, in July 2007 and was totally in awe of his talent. He is such a fantastic Illustrator and has a wonderful sense of humor. Until then I did not know anything about him, but after the exhibition I went to Amazon and bought 6 of his books. In addition to his brillant architecture/construction books like Castle, Mosque, Pyramid, and fascinating technical "how to" books ie. The New Way Things Work, he's also written some amazing stories for kids. This is one of them and I really love this one:

The story is about the friendship between old Angelo, who works on restoring the outside of an old church in Rome, and a pigeon, that he rescues. Angelo reluctantly warms up to the pigeon as he nurses her back to health. But soon he embraces and enjoys their one-of-a-kind and caring friendship as the pigeon, called Sylvia, decides to stays with Angelo. We accompany this unlikely couple for many months, through various seasons, as Angelo is finishing his work at the church. We witness cute and silly little scenes as Angelo plays the pigeon's favorite music and holds headphones to her ears during her convalescence, Sylvia and her pigeon friends dancing in front of Angelo during lunch to cheer him up. However, Angelo is becoming weaker and weaker and we feel with Sylvia as she shows great concern for his health and well being. Although Angelo eventually dies, the story ends on a happy note: the pigeon continues to live in a special nest that Angelo created for her out of stucco at the top of the church and David tells it with lots of humor and great sensitivity.

Beautifully illustrated, this story tells of enduring love. Simply heartwarming, touching, uplifting. A delight to read to your kids, but I bet, you yourself will want to read it again and again and again.

A very touching story. It reminds me the words in Bible,"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.Love never fails."

It's an excellent storybook for readers of all ages!! I gave this book for my students to read and they loved it very much.

Its such a simple sweet story--of the relationship of the old man and the pidgeon--still so old world in feeling and simplicity about a friendship!!! It made me shed a tear!!! Brenda Momente NYC

Each day at work I have to read the new picturebooks that have been proccessed. I dislike few of them. I enjoy most of them. I love very few of them...especially on first perusal. "Angelo" is one of the very few.

It's the story of the unlikely friendship between a master plasterer (Angelo) and a pigeon he dubs Sylvia. He finds her wounded on the ledge of a building he is restoring & takes her in despite his negative opinions of birds. (The pigeon hospital bed he rigs up for her is wonderful). She flies off after convalescing...only to return when he needs companionship to see him to the end of his last great job. In thanks, he creates a tribute to her...a tribute only he could create & one only a pigeon could appreciate.

The story is heartwarming, but the pictures are silly, cinematic, and inspired. This is a treat to read (for young and old) and it is my pick (so far) for Caldecott 2002...

All of David Macaulay's books are wonderful, and this is no expection. One note of caution, though...I teach elementary school and read this book to a number of students. The story deals with death at the end, and this lead to some sad comments and discussion. Should be prepared to talk about death or loss of a loved one. This is would be a perfect book to deal with that topic.

This beautifully illustrated book is written by a collection of authors who have a love affair going with the birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Their writing, each on a different subject is filled with amazement, wonder and love for the area and its birdlife.

On the other side is a whole series of comments about protecting this environment and the thrust for development being urged by the oil companies and the Bush administration. Unfortunately, in the long run, I think that the environmentalists will lose. The 'God given rights' of the people to have inexpensive gasoline for their SUV's leads to power by the voting booth.

The book itself is of large format, printed on a very heavy paper with a printing quality that rivals photographs themselves. It is a beautiful book. There is also a CD included with the book that has recordings of 67 bird boices. This can be played as a single 60 minute recording, or you can select individual tracks of bird species.

Absolutely beautifully done with brilliant colors and well-composed pictures this is a great joy to just look through for all bird lovers or fans of the Arctic Refuge area. But it does not stop there. The writers share their experiences in an excellent educational yet highly readable treatise on their particular subject. Together they introduce the fascinating world of Arctic birds to the reader in a way that is both informative and fun. So, how to you finish off such an excellent book? They added a CD in the back with various bird calls, songs, and peeps. Arctic Wings: Birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is highly recommended and a real joy to have around even just for the pleasure of picking it up once in a while and enjoying the pictures.

If you love: a)nature photography, b)the Arctic, and c)birds - this book is for you. It is over-sized and filled with beautiful colored photographs of birds who come to breed in the Arctic. Plus, there are migration maps and essays telling you how the birds got to the Arctic. And there is a CD with sounds of the Arctic and many of the birds pictured in the book. It is a wonderful feast for the senses.

This gorgeous book on the birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge combines writing by a variety of authors, from birding luminary David Sibley to local Native American residents, with many outstanding photographs. Overall, it provides a considerable amount of information on the bird species appearing in the ANWR and the effects that oil drilling might have on them. While some segments are more gracefully written than others, all are interesting.

Along with the book is a CD of birdsongs and ambient sounds of the region.

Pacific, Central, Mississippi and Atlantic North American Flyways converge on the North Slope of Alaska and Yukon Territory. The area encompasses many ecosystems - river deltas and coastal wetlands, tundra, mountains, boreal forest; inshore waters, barrier islands, beaches and spits and coastal lagoons. Diverse and complex spread over 7.89 million square hectometers (19.5 million ac). The North Slope is a soundshed, viewshed, and the temporary annual residence for at least 194 birds - who visit, but not stay. Some fly almost 29,000 kilometers (18,000 mi), each year, for the round trip. The area is also home to moose, caribou, wolverines, arctic fox, bears and wolves.

US automobile companies and related industries have effectively been on welfare for most of the 20th and the 21st centuries - dependent on "cheap" oil. Perverse subsidies that function as disinvestments threaten to leave the arctic environment and US economy worse off. As pointed out by Hawken, Lovins and Lovins (1999) in Natural Capitalism and von Weizsacker, Lovins and Lovins (1997) in Factor Four: Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use, if you want to cut your costs by one-half or double your profit, then double your efficiency. The North Slope sustainably functions best as wilderness.

Rather than getting close to the Arctic tundra by "sitting behind an internal combustion engine pick up truck in midtown traffic," this is about minimizing human impact on the North Slope by becoming better informed about some of the wild visitors. A CD provides from a few seconds up to 14 minutes (60 minutes of continual play) of the sounds of 67 different birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The large 28 x 28 cm format helps bring the North Slope alive, everything but cool wind in your face and crisp smells wafting off the tundra.

After the introduction, the book is organized according to Loons and Waterfowl; Hawks, Eagles and Falcons; Shorebirds; Gulls, Terns and Jaegers; Owls; Land Birds and Winter Birds. President Jimmy Carter provides the Foreward. Multiple authors and photographers provide Cultural Reflections, Landscape of the Future, After an Arctic Season and Birders in the Scope.

Recognizing there is a direct connection between local birds throughout North America and the North Slope, this reinforces the need for efficiency and use of renewable energy, and brings you one giant step closer to an "aha" moment.