Birds Books

This is one of the better cd sets available on birds of Central and South America. There are two cds, covering 220 birds- available as of this writing from Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithollgy for $29.95.

CD 1 covers tinamous, raptors, doves, parrots, owls, hummingbirds, trogons, motmots, barbets, woodpeckers, foliage-gleaners, and antbirds.

CD 2 covers antbirds, becards, manakins, wrens, thrushes, warblers, caciques, oropendolas, euphonias, tanagers, grosbeaks and sparrows.

Since there is much variety, songs and calls do not become monotonous as in other Cornell releases featuring only antbirds, or only parrots. The wren family comes across as having the most consistently beautiful voices in this collection.

Here are the (for me) outstanding voices of the set:

Black-breasted Wood-Quail, Gray-breasted Crake, Red-lored Parrot, Common Potoo, Rufous Motmot, Gray-throated Leaftosser, Black-chested Jay, Plain Wren, Stripe-breasted Wren, Bay Wren, Black-throated Wren, Gray-breasted Wood-Wren, Song Wren, Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush, Chestnut-headed Oropendola - and the piece de resistance, the Montezuma Oropendola.

If you are planning a trip to Costa Rica, the set is indispensible. For sheer pleasure though, it is a delight to listen in wonder at the variety of voices in this tropical setting. Recommended for ornithologists, travelers and bird lovers in general.

I've been to Costa Rica on several trips. If you are a nature person, or birder that is interested in nature sounds, and knowing what they are, then this tape is indispensible. There is more information available on this title from tinkfrog.com, or any websearch of the title. These CDs cover several vocalization types for many of the over 220 species, call, songs, drumming of woodpeckers. With this and the voice descriptions in the field guide, you've a chance at recognizing, and finding more birds.

For a location that gets a lot of birders there is very little in the way of recordings available for Costa Rica. Don't let the title fool you, a great number of the birds presented on this set are also on the Pacific Slope. The quality of the recordings is very good, and over two-hundred species are resented. I found it very helpful in learning the calls of the birds of Costa Rica

Want to train yourself to recognize the 25% of the Costa Rican birds species by its voices? Then, you have to listen both CD's. I heard them few months ago when my fauna teacher put emphasis in the bird identification (I'm a forestry student --Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica). Sometimes, when you are in a dense forest or thicket you can only hear the birds, so, you need a non-visual way to identify them....and here it is. I bought the "Indicator Birds of the Costa Rican Cloud Forest" (from the same Laboratory of Ornithilogy) and I hear it in my house to train my ears in the identification of non common birds.

Buy it, I'm gonna buy it too.

With all the great Field Guides around it is becoming quite simple to identify a new bird.You are out birding and see a bird sitting atop a tree.You line it up in your bins,take note of the field marks,check your trusty guide,and Presto!You have just found a Painted Bunting.Now,let's crank it up a notch.You're driving along a back road,and SPLAT!!What was that?Now you're in the big league of bird identification.Here's where this book comes to the rescue.Yep! now you can stop the car and check out the characteristics of the splat and determine what bird paid you a visit.This book describes what matches your splat."Small,sometimes only the size of a grain of rice.The coiled,rather gaudy and squishy nucleus is delightfully encapsulated in a semi-opaque,frothy envelope."What you got here,my friend, is also a Painted Bunting;but indentified in a whole new way!However if this is what you got,"Messy and generous,with a definite tendency to splood.The thick,creamy envelope sometimes contains solids of bilious yellow (partly digested gristle and fat) that add a sprightly dash of color to the splay."Check the book,what you got this time is our old friend,the Turkey Vulture.
So,if you want to improve your image with your birding friends get hold of this book and amaze them at the next SPLAT.
Oh yeah;another thing,just in case that splat was with the compliments of a bat instead of a bird;this book will also help you make the differentiation.
A great gift for you or your birdwatching friend.

This is a short guidebook to birds with its smart tongue planted deep in its cheek. It's copiously illustrated with photographs of bird droppings (splays) on car windshields and instructions on how to tell what
species of bird they came from. As the authors say: "A knowledge of each splay is essential to fully describe and understand the variations in ornithological dejecta." It's largely by taking the subject exactly
that faux seriously, but then subverting it with the choice of topic and some very funny invented vocabulary, that they elicit laughs. Here, for instance, is one of their terms of art and its definition:

audibon: Soft sound made by avian dejecta as it strikes a windshield and forms a splay. Audi (l) sound, bon (fr) good, literally, good sound.

The book's kind of a one-trick pony, but a very amusing trick.

GRADE: B+

I'd never heard of this book (1991) til 2001. It's incredibly funny. Written in a pseudo-audobon style, each page has a perky 1x1" picture of the species of interest, and a sharp, color 4x4" photo of its supposed bird splat. (whether globby, loose, white, gray, yellow, small, large, starburst-like, etc). Very very funny.

This is a great book and has a great web site too, at, http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk./~design.machine-tanya/ Good book! Great site!

This book is a WONDERFUL commentary on how we deal with the connections between generations. Not only was Laura caught between the ancient and modern worlds, but her feelings of progression and independance conflicted with her feelings of love and friendship. The realization that Laura finally makes is in fact the realization that ties us to the past and to the future. It creates an appreciation for those who came before us and those who will follow.

I read this book first at age 14 and again at age 23. I feel more connected to Laura's emotions now, but her plight and hopes were some of the same that I had as I was growing up. There is an appreciation for all those people who stepped out of the safe world and traveled to the west, making a home for all of us who have followed.

While this book will appeal to fans of prairie or pioneer literature, it has depths that will actually appeal to almost anyone. Set in the early 1900s in small-town Nebraska, it follows the childhood and early womanhood of Laura Deal. Laura is the beloved granddaughter of Abby, the heroine of Aldrich's "A Lantern in Her Hand", and this book picks up right after Abby has died.

Laura is gentle and whimsical, and through her discerning eyes we get to view the other members of the family, many of whom are unintentionally humorous and certainly similar to those we know in real life. There is her practical, materialistic mother, about whom Laura one day thinks, "Mother has no poetry in her soul!" Her father John is quiet and hardworking, who carries some of the burdens of the town on his back but inside is afire with pioneer pride. Brother Wentworth dashes from one boyish pursuit to another. Her extended family, such as her flighty cousin Kathie, fussy Aunt Grace, and powerful Uncle Mack, are all interesting to read about. Outside of her family are several fascinating neighbors, including the attractive Alan and old Oscar, one of the town's founders, who lives in the past and can only find Laura to listen to tales of his glory days.

Although on the surface the story follows Laura's chronology in a fairly simple path, as she moves from school to college to a crisis of decision about how to proceed with her life, there are many other events, major and minor, occurring with everyone else in the story. There is her father's conflict with her uncle over bank monies lost, her cousin Kathie's gallivanting about rather than caring for her child, and old Christine's greediness for more land.

There are also lovely descriptions of the Nebraska countryside, and in the brief but beautiful details of life we get a sense of time and place. Having had a grandmother in Nebraska myself, it all felt so real to me when I read this wonderful book! I also felt breathless when it came time for Laura to decide if she would choose love or money, and the last sentence of the book is one of the best lines I've ever read. It should be quoted like Shakespeare. Quite simply, this is a book to cherish.

I would consider White Bird flying a very good read if I hadn't read A Lantern in Her Hand first. White Bird Flying is a sequel to the Mackenzie - Deal saga begun in A Lantern in Her Hand and it is fun to learn what happened to Abbie's children, grand children and neighbors in the years follwing her death.

But in reading this sequel, I got the feeling that Bess Streeter Aldrich was in a hurry to get the book out and didn't put the depth of feeling into her characters that she does in her other stories. The first chapter is promising with her dialogue between the neighbors contrasting with her narrative of Laura's feelings about her grandmother's passing.

But she was lacking in other areas - she spent time on Christine Reinmueller but all we hear about Sarah Lutz is a brief mention of her funeral. Sarah was a significant character in the first book - always representing the material comforts that were just beyond Abbie's reach. It would have been interesting to know Sarah's thoughts on Abbie's death. Eloise is turned into a money grubber, which seems like a false note. Why did she marry John Deal then? This is never adequately explained in the book. Eloise's rich relatives seem to be a bit contrived - couldn't Laura have gone off into the world on her own steam, without being dependent on these relatives for her future? And cousin Kathie blows up into a caricature of herself - of course we all know she is spoiled from reading the first book but her plot lines could have maybe been drawn more subtly.

But there is no denying that Aldrich is skilled story teller and her observations are magical. Her observations about life - "No one can stop time" make you feel like she has read your mind and has stolen your thoughts. And even if this story isn't up to par with "Lantern" it is still a worth while read. It is just best to have a different set of expectations for White Bird Flying than you might have for her other books.

This is the sequel to the novel A Lantern in her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich. Once you read this book, White Bird Flying, you have a deeper understanding of the first novel. These books are simply wonderful! She is a powerful, but overlooked author! This was pure pleasure!

"Why Birds Do That" is a terrific reference for beginners and experienced observers of nature.Magic on the Rocks : Canoe Country PictographsA Season for Wilderness: The Journal of a Summer in Canoe Country It is a common sense approach to bird behavior with beautiful photography. The author is an astute observer and a concise writer. This is a bird book that you will read and use because it makes
sense. The author must have spent years researching
and observing nature.

My wife has been an avid Birder for about 4-5 years and has gotten quite good. She is always trying to increase her basic knowledge of birds. I surprised her with this book and she loved it. She commented numerous times while reading it: "So that's why they do that."

With 40 different bird behaviors explained and photographed this is a very interesting book. Some questions are common ones like "Why do birds bathe?" or "Why do birds migrate?". Other questions have more complex answers like "Why do some chicks hatch naked, and others hatch covered with down?". With photographs that illustrate each question or part of the answer and well written answers this is an excellent book to understand birds better. Written on a level where it can be understood by about 13 years old or older it is an excellent book. Why Birds Do That is highly recommended and informative.

Birds provide endless fascination with their evocative songs, their complex and occasionally comical behavior, their variety, and their seasonal comings and goings. Why Birds Do That: A Collection Of Curious Avian Exploits by nature writer and photographer Michael Furtman explains forty distinctive bird behaviors. Enhanced with more than one hundred color photographs and very highly recommended for ornithology students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in bird behavior, Why Birds Do That explains why birds sing; why the singing principally takes place in the morning; why males of many species sport bright colors; why some birds hatch naked, while others come with thick and fluffy coats of down; and other common (and not-so-common) questions concerning the birds we see in our backyards, our farms and fields, our meadows, glens and forests.

He has many great fiction writings but I would start with this one. Solid, clear, continuously beautiful. 'Fidelity' comes in second place but this by far is leads. Should replace lots of other nonsense in the American lit canon.

My first encounter with Berry's fiction rekindled my appreciation for this genre of writing. These stories are filled with love and emotion while conveying Berry's ideals of community and cohesiveness. They decry materialism and champion mankind. I was inspired to be a better person during this walk through the Port William Membership

...and their sense of place, that runs through his readers like an umbilical spirit to the Earth. Making those connections in ways that move us emotionally and profoundly, from complacency to caring, about how we relate to each other, our communities, and the land that nourishes, sustains, and gives rise to this, and all life. In six finely crafted stories of character, conscience, and enduring values, the author inspires and challenges the reader to think of responsibility beyond their own mortality and how that caring strengthens and enriches their existence and gives it meaning.

He has many great fiction writings but I would start with this one. Solid, clear, continuously beautiful. 'Fidelity' comes in second place but this by far is leads. Should replace lots of other nonsense in the American lit canon.

Windlandia A Saga from the Age of Wings Book One: A Fable is Born is a fantastic novel set in a world where humankind never evolved - instead, birds became the dominant civilization! A young osprey, Fable Truetongue, has the unique ability to speak not only to birds, but also to furbeasts, a talent that makes him desirable to several competing factions within the Kingdom of Avilea who would use him for their own interests. Forced on a long journey of danger and discovery, Fable must reconcile his native traditions of honor, dignity, and justice with the more widespread and entrenched notions of duty, property, and power. An amazing and adventurous saga, enthusiastically recommended to readers of all ages, especially bird lovers.

A book you can truly wrap your wings around! Every page flew me further into Windlandia. This is easily one of the best fantasy novels I have ever read. Sunro creates a world only a master artist can dream up. I can't wait for the next book.

What if mankind had never evolved? What would another species have done with the chance to create civilization? H. H. Sunro, in his startling first novel, explores what such a world would look like - a world ruled by birds! Not only has he created a complex and detailed advanced bird civilization; he has written a captivating tale of adventure to lead us through it.

Windlandia is the compelling story of the life of a young osprey, Fable Truetongue, and his adventures in the Kingdom of Avilea. Born in a stick nest in the North Windland, Fable's unique ability to speak not only to birds, but also to furbeasts, brings him to the attention of competing factions within the kingdom who wish to exploit his gift for their own special interests. The young osprey's simple life is torn apart as he is sent away from family and friends to the heart of the empire. His journey south to the capital of the Eagle Kingdom starts him on a long journey through discovery, danger and coming of age. As Fable travels from the outer provinces to the teeming metropolis, his life and world become more complicated ... interconnected ... manipulated. Trusting to his native concepts of honor, dignity and justice, the determined osprey battles against the push and pull of a vast bird domain with its own entrenched ideas of duty, propriety and power.

This is Book One of H. H. Sunro's epic bird novel, Windlandia, a Saga from the Age of Wings. Sunro has produced an exciting, challenging and unique novel - setting the benchmark for serious avian fiction. Within a world ruled by birds of prey, with an aristocracy of raptors, a gifted young osprey becomes involved in the middle of a civilization-wide conflict; an engaging tale replete with action, humour, love, power and intrigue.

A great read! An incredibly absorbing tale. Throughly well written with thrilling action scenes and lots of adventure! Sunro has set a new standard in fantasy literature. I highly recommend this book to all that crave something more than your everyday fantasy novel.

Oh my gosh, I can't tell you how excited I am - I'm fit to burst! I remember a creepy little book with fab drawings from when I was about 7ish (I'm now 34 years old!). I read it with my mother repeatedly in our local library when I was little. It even became a bit of a family tale as one of the characters says 'nothing to concern yourself with' and I used to say that to my mum in a joking way. Anyway, I could never remember what it was called and for about the past ten years have been trying to trace it (I've even paid money to net websites to try to trace it!). Today I looked up to top shelf of a bookshop and there it was! It's such a brilliant story and the illustrations are beautiful. I instantly bought two copies - one for my mum and one for our future child. What a brilliant book.

my grand son loved this book, and so did the adults who read it to him..! wonderful..! Thank you Mercer Mayer

I found this book at the library last week and read it with my 5-year-old. The story itself - how a landlady rids herself of a nuisance tenant - is enjoyable, and is well complemented by the illustrations. The end of the story brings a nice commentary on human nature (the other tenants are bored once the wizard is ousted), and a wonderful closing in which a new wizard appears at the boardinghouse door.

Evan has made up many endings to this story - following different decisions by the landlady, a variety of personalities and actions by the new wizard(/?s), etc - and it has really helped him grasp the concept that the world is affected by branches of decision and action. Best of all is the light in his eyes when he comes up to me and says, "What if...?" It's refreshing to see a book that leaves so much to little readers' imaginations.

When I was small this was my favorite book of all time. I recently was given a copy and it rekindled many good memories. Mercer Mayer's illustrations are great, the details are amazing. I can't say enough nice things.

Since my wife is a huge fan of hummingbirds, she loved this book. Very good information presented with some beautiful photos of these stunning birds.

I charged this book out of the Beaverton, Oregon, library and may buy it for a friend who loves hummingbirds. It's beautiful. It contains many interesting facts and was an easy read. Some of the information could be used by school teachers to do a nice lecture for their students with a subsequent homework assignment to learn more about birds.

There have been many books written on hummingbirds; so why another? Robert Burton's World Of The Hummingbird provides a focus on the science of the hummingbird more than its coffee-table predecessors, considering the bird's survival tactics, daily patterns, and habitats. From feeding to migration patterns, this is packed with both color photos and fascinating facts easily accessible to lay readers.

I gave this book to a friend of mine who volunteers "banding" hummingbirds. She raved about the book, telling me that the book was excellent. Excellent birthday gift.

You must have an author within you struggling to get out, or you would not be reading this review. With his seventeen writing principles Tom Bird destroys the myths of why you cannot write and tells you how you can write. He explains the origin as well as how to control the Logical Critical Mind. That is your ruthless internal judge who is sure that your writing is nothing more than trash which no one wants to read. Tom elaborates on how to write from your heart and why that is critical for a successful writer. He also demonstrates that you need not take years to write a book. With discipline and his techniques, it can be completed within months. Finally, Tom gives an exact procedure for the rewrite process. You write a second draft and that`s it; not five or six rewrites. Tom Bird has presented 3000 lectures to 50,000 students at over 110 campuses. I think he is the worlds greatest cheerleader and motivator for writers. I highly reccommend this book.

If you long to write, but find yourself plagued by doubts, false-starts, failed-middles, and abandoned endings, you might find out what's ailing you in "You were born to...WRITE".

In the first half of the book Tom Bird provides 17 Writing Principles (#1--"The Past Does Not Determine the Future") which supposedly help to release influences/beliefs that hold a writer back. The reader is instructed to use a form of what I'd refer to as "automatic writing" to cleanse these negative beliefs from their psyche so they can proceed through their book at lightening speed.

The question I had was, IF the method works, will the finished book be any good? Maybe, after the revision process. Maybe not. I'll leave that opinion to someone who actually employs the method to write their book! For me, this manual seemed most valuable for its insights into the psychological blocks that are common for many who aspire to write. In that sense, it's a valuable tool indeed.

Complete your book in 30 days or less! Is that really possible?! It is not only possible but proven according to author and educator Tom Bird in his latest book. This phenomenon is backed by testimonials of Tom's students, or should I say published authors.
The Tom Bird method breaks the rules of traditional writing concepts taught to so many of us though academic institutions. This is one of the reasons that hinder our expression of ideas, according to Tom. In the first of portion of the book, the author reveals this & other conditioning that holds the writer back from putting their passion on paper. This section also provides Tom's 17 writing principles that are stated to be life changing.
The second section then shows how to utilize these concepts to write anything you want in record time, with more depth and purpose.
This book speaks to the heart of the writer, whether aspiring or published. The writing is direct, compassionate, and easy to follow. Tom is right there with you, from beginning to end, from choosing the correct writing instrument and mood to completion and beyond, starting that second book.
It is written informative and user friendly. Tom shares the concepts he developed that took him from frustration to publication in record time. He has published numerous books and articles. He has been teaching his methods at universities and schools nationally for 26 years.
If as the NY Times poll quoted is correct, that 81% of Americans have a book in them, this should be a bestseller.
Personally, I found this book so intriguing that I couldn't put it down, except to start writing the book inside of me!!

I highly recommend this book if you aspire to be a writer--or even if you don't. Tom Bird's approach speaks to the innate creative connection in all of us. The principles are concise and cut through all the traditional writing concepts. He shows you how to tap into your own unique expression and accomplish, in a relatively short time, what has taken some authors months and years to accomplish practicing the accepted linear processes. I enjoyed taking Tom's class and this book is a wonderful compact reminder of how much MORE FUN it is to write using his method.

Let me tell you, my children read this book and the excitment that they recieved is out of this world! The characters, Ohff and Grote were absloutly amazing! The animation is fun and colorful! If my children loved it so will yours - Highly recommended!!!

I am a regular reader of the Chicago Parent Magazine, and just recently I read an article in the March 2002 edition that gives the Yuggs a great review! I purchased the book, and I could not even disagree a bit, I logged on and picked it up, absolutley amazing. This story is filled with great characters and very animated illustrations. This will definitly be able to fullfill the imagination of your children as it did for mine!

The illustrations were fantastic depicting a fun and goofy story! The story flows very well and the message is simple and understanding. A great book for all the young ones!

Ohff and Grote are halarious, and the illustration for this book was fantastic! This has really become one of my kids favorite books, and we cannot wait for another book in the Yuggs series to come out!