Field Books

I bought this book as part of a birthday present for my wife. It is a wonderful reference on the subject.

The book is largely a reference guide to fresh and prepared fish and shellfish (generally). It is in a standard field-guide format with a section of pictures, and a larger section describing the seafood, how to select it, preparation suggestions, etc.

This is not a "cookbook" as such. However, it is very helpful or people who may want to have such a handy reference.

I have purchased several books on seafood hoping to find one that is devoted to the basics of buying seafood (intended for the seafood challenged). This is the book I was searching for ! It describes the various varieties of fish and shellfish, gives alternate names for them, tells something about them, gives ideas for preparation and recipes and tells what to look for in buying them. It is well organized by alphabetical listing of names and very easy to use. I have spent considerably more on other seafood books but this is my favorite.

There are quite a number of Australian Bird field guides these days. they all have merit. This one is right up there with the best and is an indispensible, easy to use essential. The Family summaries and short summary of classifications are succinct and informative - they certainly whet the appetite to learn more if the user is so inclined.
I have used Pizzey extensively ever since the first edition in 1981 (illustrations were then done by Roy Doyle). I actually preferred that first edition but it is now long out of print and this seventh edition is a worthy successor. The illustrations are sound and do help identification. The book is too large to fit in a pocket for a field trip but is certainly packable and although I do not use it in the field, it seems robust enough in construction to handle that if the user wished it.

As with any bird watcher, I have all the field guides to the birds of Australia. There are many and they are all good. However, my favourite (for the last few years...it does change with different editions, etc), is this, the "Pizzey and Knight". As a biology and wildlife based guide and educator in Australia, I travel all over the continent with school groups, tours and for my own recreation, so I 'road test" a lot of different field guides. I have found the illustrations in this book to consistently be the best, especially with the waders and shorebirds where it is most important. It also covers the family groups very well at the end of the book, which is important to gain a wider perspective on our bird fauna.
Damon Ramsey
Author, "Ecosystem Guides Rainforest of tropical Australia"
www.educational-tours.com.au

And I'm quite sure any Kiwi birder would agree with that. My review is of the revised edition of this book [ISBN 0670-89370-6].

This most certainly is the most complete guide to the birds of NZ with beautiful and accurate slates. I love its neat layout - slates on the right, description and ID on the left. There are no spill overs so its as simple as that. Where necessary, there are distribution diagrams with a detailed key which makes for very effective guide.

Because NZ birds are so unique, you will love the additional Handbook section which introduces the different genuses. This comes after the field guide, at the back of the book. Everything is very detailed and you can tell that this book has been crafted with alot of attention and care. Which must be why this is the only field guide to NZ birds officially endorsed by the Ornithological Society of NZ.

A downside may be that it's a little bulky to haul around the field, but using it is such a joy that this short coming is quickly compensated.

The book for any self-respecting and serious birder, and an indispensible resource for naturalists or the curious amateur.

I used the book while I researching about Gray Whales for a science term paper and it had lots of good info.

One of my favorite hiking memories involves exploring Point Reyes National Seashore for the first time the morning after Christmas, 2004. The day was crisp and clear, with a slight breeze, and the park was quite crowded that day. Like all new tourists to the park, I went to the famous Point Reyes Lighthouse for my first stop. It was very nearly my last too. On the way down the stairs to the lighthouse I came across a large number of whale watchers scanning the ocean and breathlessly joined them as we observed one gray whale after another making its way along the coast. From the steps above the lighthouse we were able to clearly see the spouts, flukes, and occasional soundings of these magnificent creatures. It was hours before I could pull myself away. I was hooked on whale watching then and there.

If you are interested in watching the California Gray Whales as they make their thousand mile migrations from Alaska to Baja California, by all means get this relatively inexpensive guidebook. As a previous reviewer noted, it has a lot of information, including facts about the migration and the whale's life cycle. You will also learn how to distinguish whales by the type of spout they produce, and what has been done to protect California Gray Whales and bring them back from near extinction.

The book also offers plenty of advice for where and when to see Gray Whales, as well as rules for traveling with them in private boats. Now that I have read the guide (and been on a few whale watching cruises) I plan to visit Baja in the winter. As the author notes, only in the calving grounds of San Ignacio Lagoon can one truly get up close and personal with these creatures. If you want to know when and where to have similar experiences, by all means get this guide. It is a quick and inexpensive way to add to your whale watching pleasure.

This is a very understandable--and geologically accurate--guide to "geology" as most of us find it--in pebbles and other rocks that we pick up along our hikes and explorations. Written for east coast lithologies (rock types) this is a lucid, understandable, but not overwhelming, succinct guide to understanding the pebbles found in and around many New England streams--and also in the abundant glacial tills of the area. Covers the basics of what the rock is made of, and how OLD it's likely to be--and of course, what it's called. It's fun, it's portable, and it's a great field companion for kids (AND adults) on any hike--or even a stroll around the back yard.

"A Field Guide To The Identification Of Pebbles" by geologist Eileen Van der Flier-Keller (Associate Professor in Earth Sciences at the University of Victoria) is a very nicely illustrated laminated fold-out pamphlet specifically and effectively designed to help children identify twenty-eight various rocks and pebbles commonly encountered on beaches and along rivers. "A Field Guide To The Identification Of Pebbles" is an ideal gift and 'kid friendly' reference for youngsters involved in beach and backyard explorations of the rocks, minerals and pebbles they come across.

This book is the most widely use in Borneo. Having work in the field of wildlife management and conservation in Sabah for more that 20 years i must say that Dr.John Payne is among the most well known scientist in Borneo. His book is user friendly. I wish to congratulate Sabah Society for noteworthy contribution to the advencement of knowledge in the field of mammalogy particullarly in Sabah and Malaysia in general.

The only comprehensive guide to the mammals of the Greater Sundas, this book covers all species known to occur on the entire island of Borneo (Kalimantan, Sabah, Sarawak & Brunei) with excellent drawings, information on ecology, distribution and status.
Also described are major nature reserves of Borneo, especially of the Malaysian third of the island.
It is also the only mammal guide one can use for Sumatra, Java and Bali, and an Indonesian language edition, available from WCS in Bogor, actually includes an appendix of Sumatran & Javan species not occuring in Borneo, and describes the differences between those and the similar Bornean species.
The original English language edition is available cheaply at www.nhbs.com!

I think this book is excellent because it have things I didn't know about orcas like the size, some parts of their body, and many other things. I think this book is very different to the others because it have different things. I want to recommend this book for all the people that like orcas becouse is an excellent book, is one of the best books I've read of orcas.

I think this book is excellent because it have things I didn't know about orcas like the size, some parts of their body, and many other things. I think this bbok is very different to the others because it have different things. I want to recommend this book for all the people that like orcas becouse is an excellent book, is one of the best books I've read of orcas.

I'm just about a third of the way though the book. It is very informative, but also enjoyable and accessible to one not very knowledgeable about the topic. Browsing though Amazon and the local bookstore a few times in years past, I have looked for broad-based books such as this to help me understand the area I live in. This book does that better than any I've come across.

Field Guide to the Piedmont is a magnificent, vividly described journey through the Piedmont, a unique ecosystem which stretches from the Hudson River Palisades to the Georgia plateau. The theme of succession dominates and illuminates the book, while Godfrey's literary descriptions of the landscapes reads like a Southern, landlocked Melville. I have used this book as my guide to understanding the ecology of where I live - a fundmental gift, and thank you, Michael Godfrey. I write about this at RaleighNaturalist.com. I highly recommend this book.

Essential reading for any safety investigator. An eye-opening way to transform your investigations by moving from the old-view to the new-view. I've used this book as a 'course book' for a seminar of 25 safety professionals to great effect. Plus there is a good guide to the role of a safety department too.

We all are extremely good to forecast the past. When this simple principle is applied to human error, it is very easy blaming the human operator.

Dekker tries to put himself in the shoes of that human operator showing why an analysis that does not try to understand an event from that position is useless.

There is a very hard criticism to different kind of positions taken by people that do not make that effort.

If we try to make something as a "winzip on a summary" of the book, I think we could reach these conclusions:

When we have to analyze an event, it should be useful starting with this hipothesis: "People are not usually dumb, people are not usually crazy and people have not usually chosen the day of a big accident to make self-killing." This starting point could be enough to avoid many of the practices fairly critiziced by Dekker.

Field Guide To Upland Birds And Waterfowl is a compact, pocket-sized compendium that is ideal for identifying the 73 species of North American waterfowl and game birds. Beautiful illustrated throughout with full color illustrations detailing every important aspect of each bird, Field Guide To Upland Birds And Waterfowl provides concise, informative descriptions. The information provided covers special features of identification, habitat, breeding habits, vocalizations, and flock information for waterfowl. Whether you do your hunting with a firearm or a camera, Christopher Smith's Field Guide To Upland Birds And Waterfowl is the ideal guidebook.

Field Guide To Upland Birds And Waterford is a compact, pocket-sized compendium that is ideal for identifying the 73 species of North American waterfowl and game birds. Beautiful illustrated throughout with full color illustrations detailing every important aspect of each bird, Field Guide To Upland Birds And Waterford provides concise, informative descriptions. The information provided covers special features of identification, habitat, breeding habits, vocalizations, and flock information for waterfowl. Whether you do your hunting with a firearm or a camera, Christopher Smith's Field Guide To Upland Birds And Waterford is the ideal guidebook.