Regardless of where your travels might take you in this world (and if Sir Richard Branson is successful in his venture, any other) it’s always a good idea to read-up on your destination before you go. For travelling naturalists and wildlife photographers, such preliminary study is not just a good idea, it’s of paramount importance. That’s why, from the moment I confirmed that my trip to Panama was a “go,” I walked directly to my bookshelves and began taking down the volumes that I would need either to read in advance or to take with me on the journey. Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

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.

One of the true joys of both reading and bird study is the practice of simply doing it for unapologetic personal pleasure. In the world of books, the trend toward “utilitarian books,” those intended to impart to the reader some great secret that will improve their business, romantic life, or cholesterol levels has largely displaced many older genres that really made reading an enjoyable part of life. Of these, the miscellany has perhaps suffered most. Lacking a Puritanically measurable purpose, these wonderful collections of facts, literary snippets, personal reflections, and assorted other discoveries, despite being a bane to classification and stocking for the modern bookseller, are a genuine joy to read. Fortunately, the authors and publisher of Winged Wonders: A Celebration of Birds in Human History have defied this trend and given us all a gift for which we should be most grateful. Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

In addition to true love’s kiss, praise of one’s native land, and longing for one’s absent beloved, birds have long been the one of the most popular subjects for poetry. From Catullus’ sparrow through Poe’s raven, birds have been admired, envied, questioned, debated, tasked, consulted, and meditated upon in verse for centuries. The reasons for this are not hard to comprehend – most birds can do the one thing humans cannot but dearly wish they could: fly. From this mankind has traditionally inferred them to possess absolute freedom and endowed them with all the powers such a miraculous state of being is assumed to bestow. However in the modern world, just as the style of verse has changed dramatically, so have the uses of its traditional metaphors and imagery. Romanticism has been replaced by an unvarnished realism. In Bright Wings: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems about Birds, verse reflecting both the old and the new poetic understanding and inclusion of birds has been collected and is presented in conjunction with contemporary illustrations of the avian world to both entertain as well as inspire the reader to deeper consideration of just what role these marvelous creatures now play in our collective literary imagination. Read the rest of this entry »

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 »