BIRDERS' BOOKSHELF

ouslylittle-known areas,as for example in the northwestern Yukon. It is a The Birds of Canada, revised edition W. Earl Godfiey.Illustrations by John thankless and impossible task to at- A. Crosby.National Museumsof Can- tempt to keep track of every obscure ada, Ottawa. 1986. 595 pp., 74 color record;the maps give evidenceof God- plates, 102 black-and-whitefigures. frey's excellenttrack record in this re- Hardbound $39.95 Canadian. gard. Although for at least nine species I can recognizeSaskatchewan ranges that are fifty or more miles in error, in some instances this represents local birders'failures to publishrange exten- International Congress of Orni- sions not known to those outside of the thologyNEOFTHE in OttawaHIGHLIGHTS in JuneOF 1986THE province.This book will providean in- b wasthe debutof Earl Godfrey'srevision centive to all Canadians to correct such of the Birds of Canada. A sumptuous Figure 56 deficiencies,especially for specieslike book, it is larger than the 1966 edition, Head of two centimeterslonger and one centi- a) Eurasian Curlew b) Whimbrel meterwider, with 167 additionalpages. It covers578 species,60 more than the 1966 edition, as well as 37 hypothetical "... the definitive work do you need the new one? The answer species,17 more than before. Of these, on the distribution of 426 are known to have bred in Canada. must be a resounding"yes" for all bird- birds in the northern one- ers in Canada, Alaska and the northern John Crosby's excellent plates depict 498 species,an increaseof 67 from the half of North America." states,and "probably" for anyone north of Mexico. This, al•er all, is the defini- earlier edition. Most speciesare shown tive work on the distribution of birds in in severaldifferent plumages,often in the northern one-half of North Amer- several postures, perched, flying or ica. Godfrey provides valuable infor- swimming. the Black Scoter, whose Canadian The maps, 387 by my count, 10 more breeding range remains virtually un- than the 1966 edition,provide evidence known and hence unmapped. As the senior Canadian systematist, "A sumptuousbook of the maturing of Canadian ornithol- 99 ogy, and our increasingknowledge of Godfrey'sthorough listing of recognized breedingbird distribution,especially in subspecieswill be of value. He gives the northern, lesssettled portions of the good reasons,based on (apparently) mation about field marks, habitat and country. At least 265 of the maps have unpublishedwork by Brian Knudsen of nesting.Only after bird atlasesbecome been updated, usually extending, and hisown museum,for lurepingThayer's the rule, will more accurate breeding rarely diminishing, known breeding and Kumlien's gullsas one specieswith range maps be possible. Meanwhile, ranges.Some of these representrange the IcelandGull, contradictingthe con- with an unusually attractive layout, the extensions,but many merely reflectthe clusions of Neal G. Smith and A.H. illustrations and maps alone are worth resultsof intervening studiesin previ- Macpherson. However, he choosesnot to lump the redpollsinto a singlespe- the priec.--C.S.H. .411illustrations on thispage fiorn "TheBirds of Can- cies,following the equallycompelling ada," illustrationsby John.4. Crosbyand S.D. MacDonald. and publishedwork in Alaska by De- clan Troy. One can quibble over minor points. The Great Gray Owl, by external feather measurements is indeed our largest owl. Yet such a statement is misleading,since the Great Horned Owl and Snowy Owl have a greater body mass.Historical changes in bird popu- lations are not alwaysmentioned. Ad- ditional revisions were added to the text b after completion of the maps, so some extensionsof breedingrange mentioned Figure 10 Figure 99 a) Western Grebe in the text are not mapped. a) Snow Bunting b) Clark's Grebe If you alreadyown the 1966 edition, b) MacKay's Bunting

336 AmericanBirds, Summer 1987 Species Checklist of the Birds of New Birds of New Guinea Guinea Bruce M. Beehler, Thane K. Pratt, and Bruce Beehler and Brian Finch. Austra- Dale A. Zimmerman. Princeton Uni- lian OrnithologicalMonographs No. 1, versity Press. 1985. 293 pages. Hard- December 1985. Royal Australian Or- bound $65.; paperback $37.50. nithologicalUnion, 127 pages.

byHIS BOOKornithologists HASBEEN as LONG well AWAITEDas bird- watchers.It is the first real field guide F•G. 18. PapuanBoo•ok (Ninox "... extremely useful to the birds of New Guinea and an up- theomac•).Race goldii from the date of the Handbook of New Guinea D'Ent•casteaux Is., typi•l •ce (theomac•) for anyoneworking in Birds by Rand and Gilliard published New Guinea." in 1968. This new volume is more of a fieldguide than the Handbook,with less Illustration/Dale .4. Zimmerman. "Birds of New Guinea." " a must for anyone wasBeehler's Guide to UplandBirds of interested in the birdlife HISCHECKLIST OFNEW GUINEA Northwestern New Guinea. But that birds is extremelyvaluable for any- of New Guinea." volume'slack of colorplates and limited one working in New Guinea. It is most geographicscope greatly reduced its useful in giving the original names, detailed information, but is it however, usefullness.This newguide fills the void dates of description, and author. These significantly updated. The field guide nicely. are all important data, but without other format and first rate color plates make A good supplementto Birds of New field guides such as "Birds of New this book a must for anyone interested Guinea is the recently publishedfirst Guinea," this volume alone would ap- in the birds of New Guinea. volume of a two volume set of photo- peal only to the serious taxonomist. The most useful field guide prior to graphsof Papua New Guinea birdsby Used in conjunction with the field the publicationof Birds of New Guinea Brian Coates(Dave Publications). guide, this checklistcan be a usefultool to anyone interestedin the birds of this part of the world. WOODHAUNTER "Used in conjunction SOFTWARE with the field guide,this checklist can be a useful tool " LISTA AVES A total of 708 speciesis listed, a sig- nificant increase from previous lists. Providingthe original name appliedto A computer checklist of the world's birds the speciesas well as the author, loca- with distributional data for all and tion, and dateof the originaldescription habitat data for most species. is alsoextremely valuable. The addition of more than one common name for ß Maintain your lifelist and keep it many speciesis very helpful and an im- up to date with the most recent portant part of the book. Clearly, "Spe- scientific findings cies Checklist of the Birds of New Guinea" will be usefulto any ornithol- ß Includes a data management ogist working or interested in New system that can be used to Guinea.--D.B. catalogue any order of animals ß RequiresVAX/VMS $750

Suite 100 ß 140 Wood Road Braintree, Massachusetts 02184

Volume 41, Number 2 337 of plates•nstead of the fifty-five•ncluded •n th•s volume. There •s also a s•gnifi- cant advantageto seeingmost similar speciesof a singleplate and comparison.

Fro. 19. SiberianRubythroat (Erithacus calliope).Female

The speciesaccounts are extremely •nformative, while being quite briefi They offer descriptionsof the species, s•milar species,habits, range, and de- scriptionsof calls.The bibliographyand

•ndex are very well done and provide a DAZ FIG. 17. PapuanHawk-Owl (Uroglaux great deal of assistanceto any user. dimorpha) Slightly oversizedwhen comparedto most other field guides, Birds of New Fro. 6. Fairy Prion (Pachyptilaturtur) Guineafollows the standardfield guide Most of the platesare in color, and those format with color plates in a separate All illustrationson thispage by Dale A. Zimmerman in black and white are of birds which section. While it would be much nicer from "Birdsof New Guinea"by BruceM. Beehler. ThaneK. Pratt, and Dale A. Zimmerman(Princeton are generally black, white and grey •n •f the plates accompaniedthe species UniversityPress). color. accounts,that would require hundreds While someof the colorsin the plates are not one hundred per cent accurate, they arebetter than any othersavailable. The illustration of the male Lobopar- adisea sericea attempts to show the bulbus blue waffle on top of the cere, but doesn'tdo the live bird justice.Stffi, it is a vast improvement over previous Questersfor 1987 illustrationsbased solely on skin collec- Thepleasure of travel.The exhilaration of learning. tions. Searchout plants and animals,birds and flowers.Investigate art and antiquities.Explore rain forests,mountains and tundra, Birds of New Guinea has additional seashores,lakes and swamps. Questerssees to all the details. Youhave outstandingfeatures, including a map ample time to photograph,absorb and reflect.Naturalist guides, of New Guinea on the inside cover The small tourparties, first-classaccommodations. introduction and Papuan natural h•s- Worldwide Nature Tours Central & South America tory sectionsare very useful, as is the 1987 Departures Panama & Costa Rica: 14 days, 2/7, 3/14, 12/19 "In the Field" section that follows. ß Guatemala,Tikal, & Copan: 16 days, 2/16, 3/2, Theseprovide a greatdeal of insight•nto United States & Mexico 11/16, 12/21 ß Venezuela: 16 days, 1/26, 3/2, 11/9 New Guinea, with the portionsdevoted Everglades/DryTortugas: 11 days, 4/2, 11/5 ß Amazon: 17 days, 1/18, 3/1, 7/5, 8/2, 11/15 ßHawaii: 15 days, 3/1, 7/12, 11/8 ,Alaska: 17 days, ß Ecuador/Galapagos:17 days, 1/11, 4/19, 12/20 to Health and Etiquette for visitors 6/19, 7/7 ß PacificNorthwest: 12 days, 6/15, 8/3 ßGalapagos/Peruvian Highlands (Machu Picchu): being particularly helpful. ßSouth Dakota, Wyoming, & Montana:14 days, 21 days, 3/1, 8/9, 10/25 ß Peru: 17 days, 7/12, 11/1 Birds of New Guinea is clearlya must 6/14, 7/5, 8/2 ßMexico/Yucatan: 15 days, 2/1 & 15, ß Brazil: 23 days, 8/9 ß Northern Argentina:21 11/1, 12/20 days, 5/4, 10/5 ß Patagonia/Tierradel Fuego:22 for anyone interestedin the bird life of New Guinea, anyone who plansto tour Europe days,1/12, 11/2 ß Trinidad & Tobago:11 days, 3/2 & 16, 11/2, there, or anyone who doesfield work •n Iceland:16 days,7/3, 8/7 ß Islands/Highlandsof If you would like to receive more information, call this part of the wofid.--D.B. Scotland:21 days, 6/4, 7/23 ß Switzerland:17 or write us today.If a particulartour strikesyour days, 7/17, 8/7 ß Spain: 20 days, 4/17 ß Isles of fancy,please ask for •ts Detailed Itinerary. Greece:16 days,4/25, 10/10. Asia & Africa Himalayas:25 days, 3/12, 10/8 ß China: Tibet & Yunnan:25 days, 5/20 ß EastAfrica: 23 days, 1/30, 2/20, 7/17, 10/16, 11/13 QUESTERS Australasia Worldwide Nature Tours Australia& NewZealand: 28 days,2/7,10/3 ß New Dept. AB, 257 Park Avenue South Zealand(Milford Track): 22 days,2/6, 11/13. New York, NY 10010 ß (212) 673-3120

338 AmericanB•rds, Summer 1987 fledgedBBC departmentresponsible for dertakeshis most ambitious project of True to Nature the production of over two hundred all, "Life on Earth." Parsonsprovides ChrtstopherParson, foreward by David wildlife programsa year. a fascinatingbehind-the-scenes look at Attenborough. Patrick Stevens, Ltd., Parsons'first assignmentas an assis- thisfamiliar and highlyrespected series. Salem HoUSeLtd. 1984. 377 pp. Black tant film editor is working on the series Though Parsonsseems happiest in & white and colorphotographs. Hard- "Look," hostedby Peter Scott. Within the field with a cameraman in tow, he cover $24.95. three years he is spending a hectic, spendsa good deal of time as an ad- nerve-wracking day directing his first ministrator in what one suspectsis the live broadcast.By 1962, Parsonsis on large bureaucracyof the BBC. The seg- his way to New Zealand with Gerald ments of the book in which he discusses and Jackie Durrell to shoot a series fundraising,the comingsand goingsof BritishHENATURAL BroadcastingHISTORYCorporation UNIT OFTHE is, called, "Two in the Bush." As the Unit personnel, the acquisition of indepen- without a doubt, the most well-orga- growsand gainsrecognition from BBC dent films, proposalwriting, and waiting razed, well-financed, and prolific pro- for project approvals are not as inter- ducer of wildlife programs.With a staff " captures the estingas his filmmakingadventures and of over seventy people, the Natural one is tempted to skip ahead until the History Unit has produced "Life on excitement and next project getsunderway. Earth," "The Living Planet,"and many expectancythat is felt on Parsons is undoubtably at his best of the wildlife programs,like "Nature," a film shoot in an exotic when describinghis "on location" ad- broadcast in the United States. Chris- ventureswith a crew and a subject.He topher Parsons,who is now head of the locale." capturesthe excitementand expectancy Natural History Unit, began working that is felt on a film shoot in an exotic for the BBC as an assistant film editor headquartersand from the world, his locale. He writes well about all of the m 1955, before the Natural History projects become more numerous and frustratingdetails--flat tires on wash- Unit officiallyexisted. "True to Nature" ambitious. "Two in the Bush" is fol- boardroads, bad &eather,seasickness, is his personalaccount of the growth of lowed by programslike "The Major" leeches, and uncooperative wildlife the Natural History Unit from a few and "A Bull Called Marius," and two subjects.When he is on location with small rooms filled with makeshift series--"Catch Me a Colabus" and Gerald Durrell, who is a born come- equipment and a tiny staff to a full- "The World About Us." Finally, he un- dian, practical jokes abound. A few of

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burra: Alsocommonly known as "Thelaughing Jackass" thts bird iswell known for itsunique 'cry'. The common kookaburraand itsrarer cousin, the bluewinged kookaburracan be found throughoutcoastal Australia. Australian, unique and within reach! Yes,the Kookaburraand over300 birdspecies unique to Australiaawait you on a MonarchBirding Tour. MonarchBirding Tours take you throughoutAustralia in search of some of the most diverse avifauna to be found anywhere in the world. It'sa birdingtour you'll never forget. 7!us....

Volume 41, Number 2 339 Durrell's simpleand funny cartoonsare creasesthe number of plants that are included to help illustrate their adven- described and identifies those that can The AudubonSociety Guide to Attract- tures. be usedin more than one region of the ing Birds A good many photographsillustrate country. An appendix also provides StephenW. Kress,Illustrations by Anne the book, introducing us to the people, Senechal Faust. Charles Scribner's supply sources for some plants not places,and wildlife Parsonstalks about readily available at commercial nurser- in the text. Fans of wildlife films will Sons, New York. 1985. 375 pages. Hardbound $24.95. ies. Second,an entire chapteris devoted enjoy meeting the man who is respon- to a list of state and provincial publi- siblefor many of our wildlife programs cations that will help you customize and learning how theseprograms were your landscapingto the prevailingsoils created.--J.F. and climate. Publications from 45 of the NEis theOF opportunity THE JOYS OF toOWNING provide A shelterHOME 50 statesand three Canadian provinces and food for wildlife, aswell as for your are listed with the publisher's address. family. In this book, Stephen Kress For those that cannot or do not desire outlines the techniques and resources to undertakeextensive landscaping. the needed to attract birds and other wild- chapteron supplementalfeeding alone life. Six chaptersand severalappendices is well worth the price of the book. In thoroughly discuss landscaping tech- additionto describingboth the respon- niques, the selection of appropriate sibilitiesand rewardsof feedingbirds, plants to provide food and shelter,sup- Kress provides an excellent summary piementalfeeding, and the construction of Aelred Geis's study of the relative at- of pools, ponds, and nestingstructures. tractiveness of different foods at wild We thank thefollowing bookreview- Using the information in this book the bird feeders.The descriptionsof pre- ers for their careful reading and suburbandweller can turn a small yard ferred foodswill help you adjust your comments.The initials at the end of into an attractive area for birds and the seed mix to attract the more desirable each review correspond to these large landowner can benefit from sug- speciesand exclude some of the pests names: Betty A. Anderson, DonaM gestionsfor creating wetlands, green- (starlingsand House Sparrows). This Bruning, Judie Fieth, and C. Stuart tree reservoirs,and even "guzzlers" in summarywill alsosteer you clearof the Houston. more arid areas. "cheaper" bird feeds that contain Two features of the book make it mostly undesirableseeds. useful for all areas of North America, overcoming the major drawback of books gearedto only one region. First, the chapteron plant selectionis nicely organizedto provide regional coverage of North America, not only of the more populated northeastand southeast,but the Pacific coast, prairies and plains, and mountains and desert. Abundant tables and cross-referencingvastly in-

"'Birds of Baja California SANFORD R. WILBUR The great distances and the difficulty of access to parts of SHAGBARK HICKORY Baja California challenge any- Carj/aovata one who would describe and locate itsmore than 400 spe- cies, but Wilbur has assem- Clear and uncluttered line drawings bled enough information to by Anne Senechal Faust are found delight both scientistsand throughoutthe text and illustratemany serious birdwatchers. $40.00 of the techniquesof landscapeplanning HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRY as well as easy to follow diagramsfor At bookstores or call toll-free 800-822- constructingnest boxes, bird baths, and 6657. Visaond MasterCardonly. Vacciniurncortjmbosurn sheltersfor roostingbirds. I highly rec- University of ommend this book for those who wish All illustrationson thispage by Anne SenechalFaust California Press fiom "TheAudubon Society Guide to AttractingBirds" to turn their "biologically sterile" yard Berkeley 94720 by StephenW. Kress(Charles Scribnerg Sons). into an attractive home and haven for birds.--B.A.A.

340 AmericanBirds, Summer 1987