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 75
... vegetation - but it really , really , likes rice fields . COHABITANTS : Black - bellied Whistling - Duck , Mottled Duck , King Rail , Blacknecked Stilt . MOVEMENT / MIGRATION : Spring migration from late February to late April ; fall ...
... vegetation. Also forages by grazing on croplands. Subordinate to Mute Swan, which frequently drives Tundra Swans from its pond. FLIGHT: Classically swanlike profile, with long neck extended and long wings set well back. Flight is strong ...
... vegetation instead). Almost always found in shallow water, often right up against the bank. Associates with other puddle ducks (particularly other teal), but during migration, homogeneous flocks are the rule. FLIGHT: Longer, more ...
... lakes, large shallow or deep-water marshes, potholes, sloughs, and impoundments. At all times prefers habitat bordered by dense vegetation. In winter and migration, found in a variety of habitats, from deep freshwater lakes.
... with rocky shores and little vegetation. In winter, occurs in shallow coastal water, usually within a mile of shore; also found in inlets and bays. Forages over rocky, pebbly, or sandy coast. COHABITANTS: In winter and.
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 | |
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Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion: A Comprehensive Resource for ... Pete Dunne No preview available - 2013 |