Continuing our selection of the very best titles available through NHBS:

Winged Sentinels: Birds and Climate Change

by Janice Wormworth and Cagan H Sekercioglu

What?

An exploration of the effects of climate change on various groups of birds, what can be done about the threats and the possible consequences of inaction.

Why?

“The ability of the birds to show us the consequences of our own actions is among their most important and least appreciated attributes. Despite the free advice of the birds, we do not pay attention.”

Marjory Stoneman Douglas as quoted in the introduction to Winged Sentinels.

The chapters of this book take the reader on a global tour looking at the timing of seasonal activities of birds, their shifting distributions, and the abundance and make-up of avian communities – among various other factors – as ‘fingerprints’ which provide clues to the overall story of how our changing climate is taking its toll on the global bird community. It then provides an assessment of the current state and effectiveness of conservation efforts.

With its absorbing style and generous complement of colour photography Winged Sentinels is accessible to a general readership while being scientifically thorough, and tells a story that is of great interest to all scientists and policy-makers involved not only in avian conservation, but across the spectrum of climate-related ecological research.

Who?

Janice Wormworth is a freelance science writer.

Cagan H Sekercioglu is Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Utah and the director of the non-profit environmental organisation KuzeyDoga

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Popularity: 8% [?]

Important Bird Areas: Americas

“One of BirdLife International’s core research activities over recent years has centred on developing an Important Bird Area (IBA) network worldwide. The publication of ‘IBAs Americas’ represents a major milestone in this project. It is the culmination of 15 years of work by 72 partner organizations and over 3000 people to identify and document the most important sites for birds and biodiversity conservation in a region covering all of North America, Central America and, most ambitiously, South America – the ‘bird continent’, where one-third of the Earth’s avian species occur.

It takes the form of a comprehensive directory of 2345 sites identified in all 57 countries and territories, covering more than 3.25 million km2. The aim of the book is to provide a concise summary of these sites, and an overview of the opportunities they provide for biodiversity conservation. In general, this is achieved very well, and very attractively, as the final product is beautifully organized and liberally illustrated with detailed maps and stunning colour photographs.

If I had to put my finger on my only misgivings about the project, I would point to the practical obstacles of applying a site-based method to complex ecosystems such as Neotropical rainforests. The IBA approach seems tailor-made for developed nations, where biodiversity is largely restricted to patches of natural habitat embedded in human-modified landscapes, and where we often know fairly well what each patch contains in terms of species and populations. In contrast, the IBA maps of poorly developed regions seem to align, not with the distribution of biodiversity per se, but the happenstance of data availability. In Amazonia or the Andes, for example, IBAs tend to align closely with sites targeted by existing conservation actions, or else visited by expeditions or birdwatchers, whereas many remote regions are missing even though they appear to offer better habitat and better prospects for long-term conservation. The result is that the IBA map in such regions is often a better guide to accessibility than to importance for birds.There is a need to acknowledge that temperate-zone strategies may not work so well in such cases, and that the IBA approach may be less effective than regional conservation strategies based on habitat classifications and remote sensing data.

A similar argument applies to the quality of status or population data, which again is often poor in tropical ecosystems. As such, it is generally difficult to know whether a species listed for a particular tropical IBA occurs locally in numbers sufficient for long-term conservation. These caveats aside, ‘IBAs Americas’ is an impressive reference work embodying a huge amount of effort, and a major contribution to biodiversity conservation in a crucial region. It provides an excellent summary of current knowledge regarding many sites destined to play a key role in the fight to preserve rare species from extinction, deserves widespread acclaim and a space on the bookshelf of anyone interested in New World birds and their conservation.”

Joseph M. Tobias,

IBIS The International Journal of Avian Science

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Popularity: 6% [?]

Sue Steven from Whittles Publishing gave us a bit of background on the company and the books they publish:

“Whittles Publishing is a small but growing independent publisher based in Dunbeath, Caithness, in the far north of Scotland. We take pride in producing attractive and quality books that are a pleasure to read. As well as a technical list, we publish within nature, wildlife and maritime including a number of books on birds that have been highly acclaimed.

Our most recent titles include Life with Birds by Malcolm Smith, The Hen Harrier by Don Scott, Kestrels for Company by Gordon Riddle and Growing Barn Owls in my Garden by Paul Hackney.”

All these books are available through NHBS, and we think this growing list is an essential addition to the literature on birding – the content is often highly personal and anecdotal, and imbued with a real sense of dedication to the subject – and each makes a welcome contribution to current ornithological knowledge.

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Popularity: 7% [?]

With wildlife conservation high on everyone’s agenda, here are some recommendations to introduce you to the natural diversity of your garden, and help you to create a haven for wildlife on your doorstep:

Guide to Garden Wildlife, by Richard Lewington, is a field guide to all the wildlife you might expect to encounter in the garden – from mammals, birds and insects to invertebrates and pond life. The species descriptions are full of useful detail, and Lewington provides the intricate illustrations that make this a real treasure of a handbook. There are informative sections on garden ecology, nest-boxes and bird feeders, and creating a garden pond.

Gardening for Butterflies, Bees and Other Beneficial Insects, by Jan Miller-Klein, homes in on practical techniques for encouraging insect diversity in your garden. A large-format tour through the seasons, with additional sections on tailored habitats, and species-appropriate planting, this beautifully photographed guide is perfect for every bug-friendly gardener looking to provide a good home for the full range of insect life.

RSPB Gardening for Wildlife: A Complete Guide to Nature-friendly Gardening, by Adrian Thomas, is a fantastic encyclopaedic introduction to how best to provide for the potential visitors to your garden, while maintaining its function for the family. A species-by-species guide to the ‘home needs’ of mammals, birds, insects and reptiles is followed by a substantial selection of practical projects, and helpful hints and appendices, to get your garden flourishing – whatever its size.

Dr Jennifer Owen’s Wildlife of a Garden: A Thirty-year Study, is a rare and illuminating book, in which is recorded – in scrupulous detail – the evidence of dramatic changes in populations in a single suburban garden in Leicester over a thirty-year period. An abundance of beautifully presented data, discussed in the context of wider biodiversity fluctuations, is balanced with numerous colour photographs, illustrations, and descriptive natural history of the residents of the garden. Modest in one sense, but unbelievably grand in timescale – and in its completeness – the rigorous effort and expertise that have been applied to the task of collecting and interpreting these data make this study a real one-off in the field of natural history writing.

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Popularity: 11% [?]

Field Guide to the Birds of Macaronesia: Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, Cape Verde
Eduardo Garcia-del-Rey

This is a brand new field guide from Lynx Edicions, the publishers of Handbook of the Birds of the World, and Handbook of the Mammals of the World.

A quality compact hardback field guide, with detailed distribution maps and carefully illustrated colour plates. It covers all 573 species and subspecies of resident, nesting, migrating and vagrant birds.

Helm Field Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago, 2nd Edition
Martyn Kenefick, Robin Restall and Floyd Hayes

Helm do as they do best with this new second edition of Trinidad and Tobago (first published in 2007). Following a general introduction to the region and its habitats, tips for the birder, and a ‘where to watch’ section, is the ID guide in full. The essential identification of each occurring bird species is complemented by illustrated plates showing colour variations. 500 new or replacement images have been included in this edition.

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Popularity: 8% [?]

As usual, the NHBS ornithology list has expanded over the last year to incorporate many fantastic new books for birdwatchers, conservation workers, and ecologists. We hope you enjoy browsing these, alongside featured classics and bestsellers. The Editor’s Choice selections pick out the very best recent and forthcoming titles in each main subject area.

Our wildlife equipment range is always growing – now over 2000 items – and you will find all the best bird-related gear on the Nest Boxes and Wildlife Kit pages of the catalogue.

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Popularity: 6% [?]

Martin Kelsey reviews the best-selling Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia, and its companion volume, the Checklist of the Birds of Colombia – both of which are distributed by NHBS.

“This book will be indispensable for anyone interested in Colombia and will be an essential companion in the field.”

Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia

“When I first visited Colombia, A Guide to the Birds of Colombia (Hilty & Brown 1986; reviewed in Ibis 130: 136) had just been published. Not being able to afford a hardback edition, but worried about how its 800+ pages would survive as a paperback in the field, I followed local advice and got it hard-bound in Bogotá. Thereafter I carried my 1.45 kg treasure, wrapped in a plastic bag, in a special shoulder bag along forest trails. It was invaluable. The new guide, however, fully deserves its epithet ‘Field’. A full kilogram lighter than Hilty and Brown and less than 250 pages long, this remarkable book will fit in a pocket. Unlike the former, it illustrates in colour all of the species (nearly 1900) recorded in Colombia. This it achieves in 225 plates, which despite also fitting in distribution maps and brief notes for each species, appear far less crowded than in Hilty and Brown, especially for groups such as hummingbirds (Trochilidae), antbirds (Thamnophilidae) and tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae). There are coloured maps showing relief, political boundaries, vegetation types, rainfall, Endemic Bird Areas and Protected Areas, as well as lists of endemics, ‘near-endemics’, threatened species and species lists for Colombia’s offshore islands in the Caribbean and Pacific. Unlike Hilty and Brown, there is no separate text section. To meet this book’s rigorous requirements for economy, species notes are restricted to the few words that can be fitted onto the plates, highlighting information to help identification: habitat, status, diagnostic behaviour, perhaps one or two plumage features to separate from confusion species and, for some groups only, voice. It is a practical compromise which works extremely well to meet the stated objective of the book: to be easy and quick to use in the field, with the emphasis on identification. Its compact design is based on an extensive consultation with birders. There will, of course, be times when you need to refer back to the more extensive and comprehensive coverage of Hilty and Brown, but I recall that even with that work, which was my starting point in those days, I still needed to consult additional literature and museum skins from time to time. This book will be indispensable for anyone interested in Colombia and will be an essential companion in the field. There is also another important reason why I warmly recommend it. It is published by the pioneering Colombian NGO ProAves and all profits from sales will go towards their work in bird conservation and education. In just over 10 years since its formation, this group of energetic young fieldworkers and conservationists have made many exciting discoveries, helped to establish two national parks and currently own and manage a network of 18 bird reserves, as well as implementing integrated conservation and rural development projects and promoting bird tourism. The authors intend to publish a Spanish edition soon, which should have great appeal to both students and the general public in Colombia. As the country becomes safer to travel in, there is a growing interest in getting to know its extraordinary biodiversity through visits to reserves and national parks offering access and good infrastructure. ”

Checklist of the Birds of Colombia

“The bilingual Checklist to the Birds of Colombia serves as a companion volume to the Field Guide. It is the most up-to-date list for Colombia, which has more bird species recorded than for any other country. Subspecies are given (with an indication of where they are found) and endemic species are highlighted in bold. A further column indicates whether the species carries a threatened status and in which ProAves bird reserves it is known to occur (no fewer than 1130 species have been recorded in these 18 reserves, a remarkable 12% of the world’s total!). There are eight blank columns for personal use. The inside back cover carries a coloured map showing the location of these reserves, as well as national parks and other protected areas. Much as I still treasure my copy of Hilty and Brown, I wish that these publications had been around as well during my early travels in Colombia, to complement the former and save on considerable wear and tear! I will certainly be using this new field guide and the checklist on my next trip and I unreservedly recommend others to do the same.”

Martin Kelsey,

IBIS The International Journal of Avian Science

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Popularity: 6% [?]

Save £10.01

Birds of Vanuatu has been out of print for many years, but we have been able to source a very limited amount of stock – order today to avoid missing out on this unique offer.

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Popularity: 6% [?]

“This book cleverly manages to blend personal stories with the natural history of crows and the wilderness of the city in a very entertaining read. No matter whether you’re a naturalist, urbanite, suburbanite or already an urban naturalist, this book will undoubtedly introduce you to some idea you never considered before.” More…

Read the full review of Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness at The Metropolitan Field Guide. It’s one of our favourite wildlife blogs – an excellent resource on urban wildlife and ecology.

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Popularity: 9% [?]

Reed and Bush Warblers has just arrived at NHBS.

This detailed and comprehensive identification guide follows in the mould of “Sylvia Warblers” and “Pipits and Wagtails“. It primarily covers the genera Acrocephalus, Locustella, Cettia and Bradypterus together with a few smaller related genera.

Peter Kennerley & David Pearson’s authoritative handbook covers warbler identification in considerable detail, illustrated with line drawings, sonograms, colour plates and photographs. It is destined to become the ultimate reference for these challenging birds.

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Popularity: 10% [?]