Reviews

knowledge and experience pours HANDBOOK OF THE BIRDS from every page. To fill this many OF THE WORLD. VOL. 8. pages in such an informative BROADBILLS TO manner, about so many aspects of TAPACULOS the lives of these often rare and Edited by Josep del Hoyo, secretive species, further empha- Andrew Elliott & David A. sises the skills of all contributors Christie. Lynx Edicions, and their colleagues. Having once Barcelona, 2003. 845 pages; spent an hour in bamboo 81 colour plates; numerous (Poaceae) with an Automolus distribution maps and foliage-gleaner and failed to even photographs. discover its name, my admiration ISBN 84-87334-50-4. for all their efforts knows no Hardback, £120.00. bounds. Volume 8 follows the same formula as the previous seven: an The cloacal temperature of the introduction to the family followed were obtained, are often of the little-known Hooded Gnateater by the species accounts, both of highest quality, considering how Conopophaga roberti was once which are divided into pre-deter- hard some of these birds are just to found to be 39.8°C. You will learn mined sections. The essay on food see. So up-to-date in all aspects is much more from this volume than and feeding of the Thamnophilidae this volume that it even includes to beware of scientists carrying is just one of many that makes the first published photographs of thermometers. It is not for such compulsive reading. Such a rigid some species. gems of ornithological trivia that approach may not always be neces- Transcribing bird songs and this tome is so memorable, but sary. For example, we read in the calls is no easy task. While I am rather the comprehensive accounts movement section in the introduc- sure that the described song of the of both the families and species tion to the Rhinocryptidae that ‘all Chucao Tapaculo Scelorchilus which make up Volume 8. tapaculos are entirely resident’. Do rubecula is technically correct, it This marks the start of the we then need to have 55 movement does not evoke the ringing ono- passerines, and what a bunch they sections in the species accounts matopoeic sound familiar to are! Anyone who has visited the stating ‘sedentary’? There are anyone who has ever stood in a tropics will have searched hard, similar examples, taking up space central Chilean forest. A more and often long, for the broadbills that might have been better used. human, less scientific approach can (Eurylaimidae), asities (Philepit- The illustrations, as one would be just as meaningful (and is used tidae), pittas (Pittidae), ovenbirds expect, vary in quality, usually for many other species). (Furnariidae), antbirds (Thamno- between good and excellent. Many That these criticisms are largely philidae) and tapaculos (Rhino- are the best I have seen of a species unimportant is testimony to cryptidae), which contain some of and some of the Furnariidae are another near-faultless effort. The the lister’s most prized birds. This simply sumptuous. There are previous seven volumes in this volume contains all one could wish exceptions (for example, I do not series have rightly amassed a to know about any of these birds like the Restinga Antwren Formi- plethora of rave reviews and all the except which bush it is in. civora littoralis) and I would have good things apply here as well. This It is doubtful whether the writ- loved to have seen the two genera volume is exactly as one would ings of so many pre-eminent field of ant-thrushes (Formicarius and have expected – magnificent. ornithologists have ever occurred Chamaeza) on separate plates – if together within the covers of a only to increase drooling time. The Richard Schofield single book. Their wealth of photographs too, however they

For many years, the collection of Jean Roché and Jérôme Chevereau BIRD SOUNDS OF EUROPE songs and calls by Jean C. Roché on ten CDs, which looks set to & NORTHWEST AFRICA (1993), issued on four CDs or cas- establish a new standard. This new By Jean C. Roché & Jérôme sette tapes, has been the best- publication builds upon the orig- Chevereau. WildSounds, selling sound guide to most inal recordings by expanding the Norfolk, 2002. Ten CDs and a European birds. In 2002, however, scope into northwest Africa, 44-page booklet. £69.95. WildSounds published an updated including many of the omitted series of recordings, compiled by European species and adding in

102 © British Birds 97 • February 2004 • 102-106 Reviews some recent splits. The main differ- lights deserve a special mention, diomedea, not borealis); Yelkouan ence from the four-CD set, apart either for their quality or because Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan; from the expanded geographical of the rarity of the recording. For Yellow-legged Gull Larus cachin- area, is that this new collection me, these include Black Stork nans (michahellis/atlantis, not contains more material per species. Ciconia nigra at the nest and in cachinnans); Three-toed Wood- Unfortunately, this additional flight; Small Button-quail Turnix pecker Picoides tridactylus;Yellow space has not been used wisely. sylvatica (in another publication I Wagtail Motacilla flava (includes Instead, we are treated to more of read that this was recorded near both southern and northern taxa); what we heard on the original pro- Oualidia, Morocco, presumably Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe duction, with much of this addi- long ago); Great Bustard Otis tarda hispanica; ‘olivaceous warbler’ tional space being devoted to songs (amazing!); Jack Snipe Lym- (songs of both Hippolais pallida rather than calls, although addi- nocryptes minimus display; Poma- and H. opaca are given, but the tional examples of songs are some- rine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus; calls are left unidentified); times included. the owls, in particular Eagle Owl Marmora’s Warbler Sylvia sarda The larger geographical area Bubo bubo; Hoopoe Lark Alaemon (subspecies sarda, not balearica); covered means that many, but by alaudipes; plus the songs of Dipper Subalpine Warbler S. cantillans; no means all, interesting taxa from Cinclus cinclus, Wallcreeper ‘Bonelli’s warbler’ (the calls at least northwest Africa are treated, along Tichodroma muraria and Desert are Phylloscopus bonelli, not P. ori- with the Icelandic specialities. Sparrow Passer simplex. Names are entalis); Pied Flycatcher Ficedula Within the core area of western not announced, but the user can hypoleuca; Blue Tit Parus caeruleus; Europe, all the native and regular easily look them up based on track Citril Finch Serinus citrinella; and breeding species, including several number. Indeed, WildSounds are Common Redpoll Carduelis introduced species, are covered, to be congratulated for a simple flammea. The above list is not apart from Madeiran Storm-petrel and effective means of selecting a exhaustive, and one could name Oceanodroma castro, which breeds particular species. Each CD comes several other taxa which may be in autumn just off the Portuguese in its own colour-coded cardboard split in the future. The news is not coast. Towards the eastern limits of sleeve to match the disk, and the all bad for those interested in sys- Europe, the decision to include or sleeves have a track index on one tematics though, since a number of omit species appears somewhat side and an alphabetical index on interesting North African taxa are random; for example, Pied the other. In the accompanying included, such as endemic popula- Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka and booklet, it is easy to find the tions of Tawny Owl (Strix aluco Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus species notes quickly. mauritanica), Black-billed Magpie agricola are included but Pallid A major and recurrent criticism (Pica pica mauretanica) and Harrier Circus macrourus,Steppe of many CDs is the poor documen- Common Chaffinch (Fringilla Eagle Aquila nipalensis and Citrine tation supplied. Unfortunately, this coelebs spodiogenys). Wagtail Motacilla citreola are not. collection is no different, and the The inclusion of dates would Other exclusions include all Mac- lack of date and location data have enabled the user to draw a aronesian species, the specialities severely limits its value. This makes distinction between calls limited to and endemics of the Caucasus, and it difficult or impossible to say the breeding season and those many vagrants to Europe. which taxon or geographical popu- which can be heard throughout the An average of just over one lation a particular vocalisation year. In fact, it would have been minute is devoted to each species, belongs to. While it would be helpful to include separate tracks and the recordings are generally unfair to expect the authors to for songs and calls, or breeding- good quality mono. Some record- anticipate every taxonomic change, season and year-round vocalisa- ings are over-filtered, e.g. Hazel information about the provenance tions. Given that there are generally Grouse Bonasa bonasia and Black of the recordings would have made about 50 tracks per CD, this would Guillemot Cepphus grylle, and the the CDs much more useful to the not have been difficult to achieve, volume is nearly always loud many users who are interested in with the material being spread over regardless of whether the original systematics. Vocalisations often a potential 99 tracks per CD. sound was. For example, a male form a key part of the basis of the Regrettably, quite a few species on Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus decision to split taxa, and this col- the CDs which are most frequently aegyptius with ‘very weak calls’ is lection contains several examples observed on migration by Euro- nevertheless presented at full of taxa which have already been pean birdwatchers, or during the volume. A small number of record- split by some authorities. Examples winter months, are represented in ings are surprisingly poor, include (for some I indicate the this collection by sounds almost including those of Oystercatcher taxon actually heard on the CD in entirely limited to the breeding Haematopus ostralegus and a large parentheses): Bean Goose Anser grounds. The Lapland Bunting flock of Red Knot Calidris canutus. fabalis; Cory’s Shearwater Calonec- Calcarius lapponicus track includes On the other hand, some high- tris diomedea (subspecies two minutes of song and calls from

British Birds 97 • February 2004 • 102-106 103 Reviews the breeding grounds, while the publication is of fairly limited with the British Library, the characteristic rattling call given by value as a work of reference. Given month, country and name of the migrant and wintering birds is the generally good quality of the recordist are listed. Most of the text omitted. Wader sounds on the CDs recordings, and the inclusion of is in French, but species’ names are almost entirely restricted to dis- many interesting and rarely heard and introductory texts are in plays and alarm calls from the vocalisations, a thoroughly revised English. breeding grounds, and the typical edition with mistakes corrected It is to be hoped that future migration calls of Curlew Sand- and detailed documentation could publishers of bird sound record- piper Calidris ferruginea,Broad- still turn this into a useful refer- ings will take note of the limita- billed Sandpiper Limicola ence. tions of the Roché & Chevereau falcinellus and Terek Sandpiper So what alternatives can we compilation and include, as a Xenus cinereus are all missing. turn to? A new German collection minimum, the date and location of Having listened carefully to all by Schulze (2003) contains an the recording, and the name of the ten CDs, I discovered quite a incredible 819 species on 17 CDs, sound recordist. number of misidentified sounds, covering the entire Western wrongly described sounds and Palearctic region. The text is in Chappuis, C. 2000. Oiseaux d’Afrique – anomalies. Given that this work is a German, but scientific names are 1 Sahara, Maghreb, Madère, Canaries & Iles du Cap-Vert. Société much-consulted reference for bird included, making the CDs acces- d’Études Ornithologiques de sound material, it is important that sible to all. Unfortunately, the text France, Paris. these are identified. Unfortunately, contains many of the limitations Roché, J. C. 1993. All the bird songs of space prevents their inclusion here found in Roché & Chevereau. Britain and Europe on 4 CDs. but this review will appear in full, Chappuis (2000) deals primarily Sittelle, Mens. along with a list of anomalies, on with recordings of North African Schulze, A. 2003. Die Vogelstimmen Europas, Nordafrikas und the British Birds website at bird sounds, but is a useful refer- Vorderasiens. Musikverlag edition. www.britishbirds.co.uk ence to the majority of southern Ample, Germering. Given the number of errors and European species, along with many the scant and often misleading migratory species from western Magnus S. Robb documentation, I suggest that this Europe. Made in collaboration

series, provides a comprehensive would undoubtedly have added DIE KREUZSCHNÄBEL: review of the literature on these much and enlivened the debate in GATTUNG LOXIA remarkable finches and incorpo- Die Kreuzschnäbel on status, mor- By H. Münch. rates data from the author’s own phological and vocal differences in Westarp Wissenschaften, studies, mainly in eastern Common Crossbill (of which there Hohenwarsleben, 2003. Germany. may be more than one species in 311 pages; 4 colour plates; Following general chapters on Britain), Scottish Crossbill L. 67 figures; 13 tables. morphology and anatomy, phy- scotica, and Parrot Crossbill L. ISBN 3-89432-4422. logeny and taxonomy come pytyopsittacus (now known to be Paperback, £35.50 detailed descriptions of all four breeding regularly in Scotland, crossbill species, including the locally even the most abundant of With their at times spectacular 21 (!) races of Common (Red) the three species), but the papers irruptions, peculiar diet and Crossbill L. curvirostra, with sec- must have come too late for this feeding methods (and correspond- tions covering distribution, monograph. ingly unique bill morphology), plumages, racial classification, Hans Münch’s detailed text also their attractive plumage colours voice, movements, habitat, deserves to be enlivened with a and far-carrying calls, the crossbills breeding biology, behaviour, food richer selection of higher-quality Loxia have aroused interest and and feeding methods, etc. illustrations than those presented excitement over centuries. This Summaries of three important in the book. book, volume 634 in the German- 2002 papers (Brit. Birds 95: 4-11; language ‘New Brehm Library’ Ibis 144: 383-410 and 494-508) M. G. Wilson

104 British Birds 97 • February 2004 • 102-106 Reviews

island treated as a single ‘site’. The WHERE TO WATCH BIRDS book is split into seven regions, IN BRITAIN with 60 sites for southeast England, By Simon Harrap and Nigel 53 for Wales, 57 for southwest Redman. Christopher Helm, England, 53 for East Anglia, 51 for A&C Black, London, 2003. northern England, 60 for central 624 pages; 16 colour plates, England, and 104 for Scotland. many line-drawings; Each site entry covers habitat, over 240 maps. access arrangements (in a respon- ISBN 0-7136-4137-1. sible manner), birds, and useful Paperback, £19.99. contact information. Even for well- known sites, such as Spurn, East Yorkshire, there are tips on the best In reviewing this book, my mind areas to search; while the maps, was cast back to two of the origi- over 240 of them, with many cov- nals in this field: James Fisher’s ering more than one site, are clear, Shell Nature Lover’s Atlas from helpful and concise. Access instruc- 1966; and, probably the first book tions assume that a car is available devoted to birding sites, John (does anyone twitch by public hardly ‘occasional’ whatever inter- Gooders’ Where to Watch Birds transport these days?), but there is pretation you use – and Willow Tit from 1967. The book under review, no mention of those sites which Parus montanus certainly does not itself based on Birdwatching in have access for disabled birders. breed, and has not done so for Britain: a Site by Site Guide, pub- To see how accurate the bird several years, contrary to what is lished in 1987, has come a long way information is, I checked some of claimed. since then, reflecting a lot of the the sites in Bedfordshire well known These criticisms aside, this changes that have taken place with to me. While some of the site details book does contain a huge amount the hobby itself. Comparing the are realistic, others are distinctly out of useful information and I recom- index of Gooders’ with this book, it of date. For example, at The Lodge, mend it highly to all those of us is interesting to see that almost Sandy, Hawfinch Coccothraustes coc- that holiday in Britain away from 60% of the sites covered by the cothraustes is described as ‘occa- our normal range, or want to bird- former have either disappeared sional’ but the last published record watch somewhere unfamiliar, and (alas no Wisbech sewage farm in there was five years ago. Similarly, to those birders travelling here Cambridgeshire these days), or are for Harrold Odell Country Park, from abroad. My copy will be considered no longer to be worthy where ‘sometimes Bittern [Botaurus stowed in the car, readily available entries. Over 440 ‘sites’ are covered stellaris] and Bearded Tit [Panurus for regular use. here (many of which I had never biarmicus] are occasionally heard of, let alone known how to recorded’, the former has been Barry Nightingale get to), with sometimes a long recorded there only in 1991, and the stretch of coastline, or a whole latter only in 1977 and 1984 –

had relied on the painstakingly them in bulk or as full-screen ADOBE PHOTOSHOP slow Windows XP preview panes to images, which makes editing a ALBUM 2.0 preview images stored either on comparable joy. I also had the Adobe Systems removable drives or from ‘fresh facility to rename and retouch Incorporated, 2003. stock’ on recently filled memory images, but the latter feature £39.99. cards. Enter Album 2.0. Running cannot match full-version Photo- the software on a Pentium P4 shop, which is still the ‘daddy’ of With the digital photography age laptop with 1,024MB of RAM and image editing software. One major now firmly upon us, the require- Windows XP as the operating plat- snag is that Album 2.0 assumes ment to process, store and find form, this software immediately that you are not going to change digital images has never been took previewing images to impres- the folder structure in which your greater. Photoshop Album 2.0 is far sive heights. The speed at which it images are stored, or indeed the file from being the first program for imported images (without moving names. If you do so, the software previewing, retrieving, retouching, them from their original location), will recognise the broken links and and publishing images, but if you either from memory cards or prompt you to fix them. Great in need a versatile way to organise external and/or internal drives, was principle, but extremely tedious to images, it appears to be worth its impressive to say the least. fix! As with most software pack- weight in gold. Once the images were in the ages, there are a few extras thrown Until discovering this software I ‘well’, I had the option of viewing in for good value, and Album 2.0

British Birds 97 • February 2004 • 102-106 105 Reviews includes wizards which allow you attaching tags is a slow process – minimum of 250MB of hard-disk to create everything from video but then again, don’t forget just space and an operating platform of CDs to greetings cards and e-cards how slow editing slides from a Windows XP, ME or 2000. At to photobooks. lightbox is, let alone labelling them £39.99, Album 2.0 is certainly good Perhaps the most powerful and up! value for money and I thoroughly indeed useful tool of Album 2.0 is This software is certainly hard- recommend it. One question the ‘tagging’ system, which allows ware hungry, and designed to run remains though for the creators of the user to categorise and cross-ref- on more modern machines. It rec- Album 2.0 – why no version for the erence images. You can apply as ommends users to have a Pentium Macintosh platform? many tags to an image as you wish P3 or Pentium P4 processor, a for future searches, although minimum of 128MB of RAM, a Hugh Harrop

in late 1999, had seen 85% of all boating accident off Irian Jaya. BIRDING ON the world’s bird species. This auto- Perhaps her biggest battle, though, BORROWED TIME biography, completed posthu- was with cancer – three indepen- By Phoebe Snetsinger. mously by her son, tells the story of dent specialists all gave her less American Birding Association, her quest following her introduc- than a year to live when she was 2003. 307 pages; tion to birding, at the age of 34, by diagnosed with cancer in 1981, and 16 colour plates; numerous a neighbour in Minnesota. In many it was this that spurred her on black-and-white drawings. ways it is a whistle-stop tour towards her remarkable achieve- ISBN 1-878788-41-8. around the globe’s birding destina- ment. As well as a captivating read Paperback, US$19.95. tions packed with sumptuous – it took me just one sitting to read species that for many people will it from cover to cover – the book remain no more than a dream; but manages to capture the fascination To anyone with an interest in world it also provides an insight into the and thrill that birds hold for so listing, Phoebe Snetsinger is some- trials and tribulations she faced in many of us, and the lengths to thing of a legend. Upon seeing a completing her goal. En route, she which one person would go to Rufous-necked Wood Rail encountered an earthquake in pursue what, by any standards, Aramides axillaris in Mexico in Costa Rica measuring 7.6 on the became an all-consuming obses- September 1995, she became the Richter scale; was hounded out of sion. One that perhaps only fellow first person to reach the magical New Britain by villagers who falsely birders can really understand. 8,000-species mark, and at the time suspected her involvement in a of her death, in a road-traffic acci- murder; overcame a brutal assault Paul Harvey dent while birding in Madagascar in New Guinea; and survived a

and a lot of footage of Dave. pusilla are just the appetisers. GOSNEY IN ALASKA Indeed, the genial Yorkshireman When Gosney flies to St Paul By David Gosney. BirdGuides seems to spend more time on Island, we are treated to a feast of Videos, Sheffield, 2003. screen than the birds he sets out to auks. Accessible seabird cliffs allow Video; running time 53 show us. Starting his Alaskan frame-filling shots of Tufted minutes. £19.95. journey near Anchorage, he pro- Puffin, Horned Puffin Fratercula vides some useful footage of corniculata and three species of Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides auklet, including the outrageous There cannot be a birder alive who tridactylis dorsalis, together Crested Auklet Aethia cristatella. has not dreamed of travelling to with Black-backed Woodpecker Throw in Snowy Owl Bubo scandi- Alaska. Dave Gosney lived that P. arcticus, before venturing farther acus, 20 Long-tailed Skuas Sterco- dream, and here is his holiday afield. In Denali National Park, he rarius longicaudus (including a very video. It is subtitled ‘The bird encounters Gyr Falcon Falco rusti- rare dark morph, perhaps filmed watching misadventure of a life- colus and, eventually, finds Arctic here for the first time) feeding time’, but if being fog-bound on St Warbler Phylloscopus borealis; the together, and Varied Thrush Paul in the Pribilof Islands, only Old World warbler to breed in Zoothera naevia, and there are enabling him to spend more time North America. special birds for all tastes. I would looking at Tufted Puffins Fratercula But the waders and seabirds are love to have seen more of them – cirrhata, is misadventure, then the real attraction. Smart breeding- and a little less of Dave. Dave has led a charmed life. plumaged Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa There is mouthwatering flavipes, Long-billed Dowitcher Adrian Pitches footage of many of Alaska’s charis- Limnodromus scolopaceus and matic seabirds and shorebirds… Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris

106 British Birds 97 • February 2004 • 102-106