Birds of Western North America: A Photographic Guide (Princeton Field Guides, 56) - Softcover

Sterry, Paul; Small, Brian E.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0691134286 ISBN 13: 9780691134284

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2009

Synopsis

Combining informative and accessible text, up-to-date maps, and--above all--stunning color photographs, this is the best and most lavishly illustrated photographic guide to the birds of western North America. All of the images have been carefully selected to convey both the sheer beauty and the key identification features of each bird, and many of the photos are larger than those found in other guides. Wherever possible, a variety of plumages are pictured, providing visual coverage and usefulness matching any artwork-illustrated field guide. And many of the images are state-of-the-art digital photographs by Brian Small, one of North America's finest bird photographers. These pictures, many seen here for the first time, reproduce a previously unimaginable level of detail. Finally, the ranges of nearly all species are shown on maps from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, the authority on North American birding. New and experienced birders alike will find this guide indispensable: the clear layout will help novices easily identify the birds they see, while the superb photographs will help seasoned birders confirm identifications.

• The best, most lavishly illustrated photographic guide to the region's birds
• Larger color photos than most other field guides
• Fresh contemporary design--clear, easy-to-use, and attractive
• Informative, accessible, and authoritative text
• Range maps from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
• Covers entire western half of mainland North America (excluding Mexico) and the arctic and subarctic territorial islands of the U.S. and Canada (excluding Hawaii)

About this title

About the Author:

Paul Sterry is a highly regarded and best-selling wildlife author and photographer. He is the author or coauthor of more than 50 books, including the HarperCollins Complete North American Wildlife and the Collins Complete British Birds. Brian E. Small is a leading nature photographer and author, and the photo editor of Birding magazine. He has been the principal photographer for many photographic field guides, including The Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America (HarperCollins) and Birds of North America (Houghton Mifflin).

Review:

"Outstanding. . . . The photos are of such superb detail you expect them to fly off the pages."---Bill Cochran, Roanoke Times

"Whether you are a birding fanatic or someone who enjoys looking in their backyard to see what shows up, there is a new bird guide that will fill your need. . . . With great photos of more than 500 species, this is a wonderful photographic guide making identification of birds that much easier. Both the Eastern and Western versions are great gift ideas."---Ken Moran, New York Post

"Flat-out gorgeous. We see the birds standing, swimming and in flight. There's the usual field buide-style information--maps of their range, what they sound like, etc.--but this book seems to make things uniquely clear."---Sandy Bauers, Philadelphia Inquirer

"With the proliferation of options, choosing a good field guide is increasingly a question of personal preference. Most of my casual birder friends prefer photographic guides; most keen birders seem to prefer traditional guides with paintings. I would recommend this book for novice birders and for those wanting to supplement a more traditional guide."---Mark Gawn, Canadian Field-Naturalist

"This pair of photographic guides provides superb quality photographic images which are well up to the best of modern standards. If your American photo-guides are a few years old, now is the time to update them. The text is surprisingly detailed and concisely covers all plumages, as well as 'Status and Habitat,' 'Voice,' and 'Observation tips,' and the distribution maps are detailed and clear. These are now the best photographic guides for North America and exceptional value-for-money too."---Steve Gantlett, Birding World

"Sterry and Small have created the best photograph based field guides I have seen for North American birds."---Michael J. Andersen, Quarterly Review of Biology

"Deserve a perch in your birding library. Birds of Western North America and its companion guide Birds of Eastern North America are photographic field guides, with clear, well-defined full-color photos for ease of identification."---David Buchanan, Grand Junctions Sentinel

"The guides are, in a word, gorgeous--the photos are crisp (the latest digital technology captures rich detail) and the page layout is superb."---Fannie Peczenik, Pittsburgh Bird Watching Examiner

"Birds of Eastern North America: A Photographic Guide and Birds of Western North America: A Photographic Guide should be a welcome addition to the libraries of serious birders as well as those who enjoy birdwatching only from their own backyard feeders. . . . I recommend both books."---Brad Sylvester, Manchester Bird Watching Examiner

"I never used to be very keen on photographic field guides for birds until I perused these two volumes. . . . An excellent volume set for the North American birder, complete with lavish photos larger than those seen in other field guides, useful, up-to-date range maps and an easy-to-use format."---David Bird, Montreal Gazette

About this edition

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0691134286
• ISBN 13: 9780691134284
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 416