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
... Males are mostly silent. PERTINENT PARTICULARS: Despite the adult male's unmistakable plumage, the birds can be ... Males make a fashion statement with tasteful gray; paired males and females remain together throughout the winter ...
... ( males and females are paired throughout the winter , so flocks are arranged in paired sets ) , but also mixes with other dabbling ducks . Prefers to stay close to the vegetated edge ( where it retreats when pressed ) , and is not shy ...
... males stand out, as do the white upperwing patch and the white belly (traits shared by American Wigeon). Note: The underwing of Eurasian Wigeon is uniformly gray, showing perhaps a trace of white; the underwing of American Wigeon males ...
... (males in August), and birds continue south through November, with peak migration in September and October. Pintails are also among the earliest ducks to return north in spring: northbound birds have been recorded as early as late ...
... males—elegant touches for a dapper bird. BEHAVIOR: A social, even gregarious duck; in winter, may be found in large, homogeneous flocks but is just as comfortable in a mixed puddle duck crowd. Feeds by dabbling in open water and also by ...
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 |