Harper Collins UK, publishers of such cornerstone natural history titles as the Collins Bird Guide, British Wildlife, and the monumental New Naturalists series, has now brought online Collins Birds, an exciting new website for bird watchers that combines social networking with extensive online bird reference and reporting resources. Drawing upon Collins’ extensive catalog of bird information compiled through years of producing some of the world’s finest field guides, this new free site offers users the opportunity to look up information on a particular species, report a sighting, maintain a personal checklist, review the latest real-time sightings near them on a satellite map, create sighting alerts for specific birds or locations, help out with user-submitted mystery bird sightings, upload and rate photos, make new friends, and participate in online discussions in the forum. Read the rest of this entry »

If only the eleventh chapter of Elizabeth J. Rosenthal’s Birdwatcher: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson was the entirety of the book, it would still be well worth the cover price; for it is in this chapter, titled “DDT, the Osprey, and the Old Lyme Offspring,” that Rosenthal recounts in exquisite detail what is all too often neglected or underplayed when the life story of Peterson is told. Fortunately, Rosenthal has chosen a somewhat unusual style for her biography of Peterson; one more thematic than strictly chronologic and from this is able to draw more focused attention to threads that spanned years and even decades throughout his life. Read the rest of this entry »

“Everyone is a birdwatcher, but there are two kinds of birdwatchers: those who know what they are and those who haven’t realized it yet.” So begins The Life of the Skies: Birding at the End of Nature, Jonathan Rosen’s investigation into not only the history of bird watching but into its very underlying spirit. While others have previously produced histories of the activity, anthologies of its artistic creations both written and pictorial, and veritable libraries full of instructional guides, Mr. Rosen, an accomplished novelist and presently the editorial director at Nextbook, has in this present work given the bird watching community a portrait of itself that discloses many of its deeper psychological aspects that have been too often missed by previous authors. Read the rest of this entry »

At long last the much anticipated second edition of the Collins Bird Guide: The Most Complete Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe by Lars Svensson, Killian Mullarney, Dan Zetterstrom, and Peter J. Grant is now available in a jacketed hardcover edition with the paperback edition still scheduled for release in March of 2010. NHBS Environment Bookstore in the U.K. lists the hardcover edition as being in stock; however Powell’s Books in the U.S. is not yet showing the book as available through their own locations. As this book has been so long anticipated and will be in such high demand, it may take the distribution links outside the U.K. a bit more time to secure copies of the book for sale. As of this writing, The Well-read Naturalist has not yet received a review copy. Be assured that once we have, a review will be published in as timely a manner as possible.

Let’s face it – natural history enthusiasts can sometimes be a tough lot for whom to buy gifts; especially if you don’t personally share, or even know much about, their particular interests. Alternatively, even if you do share a common interest with the gift-worthy person or people in your life, you might be at a bit of a loss as to just which of the superb collection of recently released titles from which to choose. For that reason, we present The Well-read Naturalist list of holiday gift book picks to help with your gift-giving needs. Some have already been previously reviewed on this site while others are still awaiting a full and complete published review; however even those titles appearing in this list that have not yet received a formal review here have been nevertheless been critically examined and deemed worthy of detailed published comment in the very near future. Read the rest of this entry »

NHBS Environment Bookstore is reporting that the much anticipated publication of the second edition of the Collins Bird Guide: The Most Complete Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe by Lars Svensson, Killian Mullarney, Dan Zetterstrom, and Peter J. Grant has been delayed until 2010. The website for Harper Collins UK now lists the publication date for the cloth bound edition as January of that year. They do not list the paperback edition at present but NHBS’ own website indicates that it is expected in March of 2010. The original Collins Bird Guide, published in 1999, is widely considered to be a cornerstone reference for the birds of Britain and Europe. This new edition has been much anticipated since word of its future publication was first made known. Those who have seen advance copies of it have indicated that the wait for the release of second edition is well worth it.

Bird watching is one of those pastimes that can be learnt in five minutes but takes a lifetime to master (if even then). While it essentially requires only one book to practice – a field guide to the birds of the area in which one intends to watch birds – seemingly countless volumes have been written to help those seeking to improve and refine their skills. The sheer number of these books alone is sufficient to either bewilder or bankrupt the aspiring bird watcher; however not all provide any significantly different or more effective advice than many of the others. Fortunately, a recently published title, Laura Erickson’s The Bird Watching Answer Book: Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Birds in Your Backyard and Beyond, provides a wealth of information that is both valuable and effectively presented so as to yield the reader great opportunity to apply it and reap the benefits of increased understanding, proficiency, and enjoyment of their hobby. Read the rest of this entry »

Two of the possible definitions for the word “pathological” offered by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary are “altered or caused by a disease” and “being such to a degree that is extreme, excessive, or markedly abnormal.” While allowing for vast differences in the perspectives of those contemplating it, and certainly not to levy any moral judgment upon it, it is difficult not to conclude that Phoebe Snetsinger’s dedication to birding was indeed pathological. However once this definition is applied, the deeper and more difficult questions emerge. Was the disease cancer, depression, or the misogyny of mid-twentieth century America? Where is the line rightly drawn between hobby and obsession? In Life List, Olivia Gentile doesn’t necessarily answer these questions; however she does elicit them in the mind of the reader, and in the process adding a level of humanity to the story of Phoebe’s (it seems too formal to refer to her as Mrs. Snetsinger) life that makes it relevant and interesting to readers both within and without the birding community. Read the rest of this entry »