Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion: A Comprehensive Resource for Identifying North American BirdsFrom the award-winning birder and author of Birds of Prey, an authoritative, information-packed guide to distinguishing North American birds. In this book, bursting with more information than any field guide could hold, the well-known author and birder Pete Dunne introduces readers to the “Cape May School of Birding.” It's an approach to identification that gives equal or more weight to a bird's structure and shape and the observer's overall impression (often called GISS, for General Impression of Size and Shape) than to specific field marks. After determining the most likely possibilities by considering such factors as habitat and season, the birder uses characteristics such as size, shape, color, behavior, flight pattern, and vocalizations to identify a bird. The book provides an arsenal of additional hints and helpful clues to guide a birder when, even after a review of a field guide, the identification still hangs in the balance. This supplement to field guides shares the knowledge and skills that expert birders bring to identification challenges. Birding should be an enjoyable pursuit for beginners and experts alike, and Pete Dunne combines a unique playfulness with the work of identification. Readers will delight in his nicknames for birds, from the Grinning Loon and Clearly the Bathtub Duck to Bronx Petrel and Chicken Garnished with a Slice of Mango and a Dollop of Raspberry Sherbet. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 62
... fairly distinctive profile, a very distinctive call, and a wanderlust nature. The body is fairly short, and the head large and roundish, but with a slightly peaked dome and a sloping forehead. The bill is unduckishly stubby—a short ...
... Fairly tame; usually swims if pressed, but often returns if observers remain passive. In winter, rarely hauls out on land. FLIGHT: Big, overall blocky, with a fairly long neck and short broad wings (recalls a compact goose or Muscovy ...
... fairly shallow freshwater interior lakes. In winter, primarily coastal, preferring shallow inshore waters within sight of land. Found along rocky, cobble, or sandy coastlines. COHABITANTS: In winter and migration, mixes with other ...
... fairly shallow water, often (but not always) closer to shore and in shallower water than Common Goldeneye. In winter, prefers rocky coastlines (where mussels abound) and rivers. Like most diving ducks, does not usually leave the water ...
You have reached your viewing limit for this book.
Contents
LOONS | |
ALBATROSSES | |
STORMPETRELS | |
PELICANS | |
HERONS EGRETS AND IBIS | |
STORKS VULTURES AND FLAMINGOS | |
RAILS COOTS LIMPKIN AND CRANES | |
SHOREBIRDSPLOVERS AND SANDPIPERS | |
SKUAS AND JAEGERS | |
TERNS AND SKIMMER | |
ALCIDSAUKS MURRES AND PUFFINS | |
Other editions - View all
Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion: A Comprehensive Resource for ... Pete Dunne No preview available - 2013 |