I have several birding or bird related books:

The Birds of British Columbia Volumes I & II
Excellent, excellent resource for birding here in BC, can't wait to get the the other two volumes

The Birder's Guide British Columbia: A Walking Guide to Bird Watching Sites
Excellent book for touring the province, the only time I don't refer to it is when birding in my local area.

How to be a Bad Birdwatcher
more of a guide in how to introduce yourself to birding. Didn't really enjoy reading this one however.

Sibley Guide to Birds, Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior
Good, as mentioned above.

All The Birds Of North America
This is the guide I actually take into the field with me for quick reference, being pocket sized.

Peterson Field Guides: Warblers
A good read on the warblers of North America, well worth the price.

Status of the White Headed Woodpecker in British Columbia
A breakdown of the afore mentioned from 1995. And no, I still haven't seen one.

The Snoring Bird
Just got this one...

Mind of the Raven
An excellent read, really makes me wonder when scientists downplay the thought process of animals.

Bringing Back the Dodo
Not specific to birds, this book is a group of essays related to natural history and scientific advances. An great read however.

Discovery Channel: Birds
Got this one as a gift, it is an entry level guide book to birds (approx 150 birds in it), also shows how to construct a basic feeder and bird house along with miscellaneous chapters on bird related habitats and items. Good for new or young birders.

The Bird Feeder Book
I thought this was going to be a book on constructing your own bird feeders. Wrong. The book was free and still I feel like I overspent on it. This book has future plans involving helping me start a fire.

And finally, while not a book, the BBC made a series called "The Life of Birds". It is 10 one hour episodes about birds around the world and is well worth the watch.

As well as Richard Attenburg's series on the 'Life of Birds' there are his 'Life of Mammals' and 'Planet Earth'. Even if your main interest is birds, these are excellent programs. Well worth watching.

Janna

thanks for keeping this thread alive everyone

docx, great list of books, i've been wondering about a few of those books.

Janna, i'm going to keep my eyes open for the "Life of Birds" documentary, that sounds good.
i have the "Planet Earth" dvd's and they truly are amazing.

"Wings of Migration" is also quite good although it's a few years old now.
it was nominated for an Academy Award if i recall correctly.

_________________
Paul Kusmin
http://www.flickr.com/photos/revs45
http://45revs.blogspot.com

Digital (photo) Life List:
283 birds B.C. / 427 birds N.A. / 706 birds World (including NA)

Hi all.

I just realized that I mis-named Sir David Attenborough! Hopefully he won't mind too terribly. None the less, his series are all excellent.

Just finished reading "The Big Twitch" by Sean Dooley which is a recounting of his 'big year' (2002), breaking the Australian record. It's a good read, though his aussie-speak was a bit thick.

Also just purchased "Hawks from Every Angle" by Jerry Liguori. It has both photos and illustrations featuring the characteristics and differences between the hawk species, mostly in flight. It looks to be pretty good. Now if I could just see more than 1 hawk a month I might get more proficient.

Janna

I agree with Revs about keeping this thread alive; it's been very enjoyable. I know now what to put on my Christmas wish list!

_________________
Bird to live, live to bird.

Another article I have that is quite interesting is "Report on Birds Collected and Observed During April, May, and June, 1913, in the Okanagan Valley, From Okanagan Landing South to Osoyoos Lake". This comes the Report of the Provincial Museum of Natural History and Anthropology and has birds seen, collected and status at that time. There is some difference in names, for example Batchelder's Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens homorus) which appears now to be the downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens). You can also see a change in trends like the lazuli bunting which is listed as common. The report is only 10 pages long but conveys much useful information. I wonder why they called a bufflehead a butterball?

Not sure as to why...
Out here in the Valley, growing up I remember the duck hunters always called them butterballs. Perhaps because duck meat is oily? Not a hunter myself, my old man was.

_________________
Kev

For those of you who may be interested in some on-line versions:

Status of the Western Grebe in British Columbia
http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/ ... s/wr87.pdf

Status of the Long Billed Curlew in British Columbia
http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/ ... s/wr96.pdf

Status of the American Avocet in British Columbia
http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/ ... s/wr98.pdf

Status of the Lewis Woodpecker in British Columbia
http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/ ... s/wr91.pdf

Status of the Bobolink in British Columbia
http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/ ... s/wr93.pdf

There are many more reports, not all to do with birds, they follow the general link
http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/ ... s/wrXX.pdf
where XX=a report number (93 being the bobolink for example)

great stuff docx, much appreciated.

recently picked up
Of A Feather - A Brief History of American Birding - Scott Weidensaul (Harcourt Books 2007)
quick read but thoroughly entertaining cover to cover.
If you have ever wondered about some of the names of birds and just who they were named for this book sheds some light.
"From pioneer 'shotgun ornithologists' prowling the untamed wilderness, to modern-day digital birders.."
this book was written by a birder and is about birders.
check out the fascinating history of birding in America (and Canada); from Wilson to Audubon, Peterson and beyond.
definitely worth reading.

_________________
Paul Kusmin
http://www.flickr.com/photos/revs45
http://45revs.blogspot.com

Digital (photo) Life List:
283 birds B.C. / 427 birds N.A. / 706 birds World (including NA)

Finally located a copy of Birds of the Okanagan Valley for less than $50! I had seen it anywhere from $50-$120. The cover price is 24.95, indicating what a terrific book this is. Its a wealth of information for a very specific region in BC and to my knowledge is the only book of its kind with such detailed info on a limited area. The authors are Robert, Richard and Sydney Cannings, noted earlier in this thread.

I was just notified that UBC Press is selling Birds Of British Columbia vol 3 & 4 at a reduced price of $37.50 each.

This is a great!! deal. I already have the set & I can tell you I paid much much more than that per issue.

If you want to add a couple of great books to your library I'd jump at these prices

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Larry Cowan
Pitt Meadows

Here is the link

http://www.ubcpress.ca/search/title_boo ... ookID=1276

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Larry Cowan
Pitt Meadows

Wow, I have a great list of books to buy now. I am new to
birding and it's great to hear the review before going out
and buying it. Thanks to everyone for putting in thier thoughts
and reviews. I only have one book it's a dick cannings, but it
only has about 200 birds. Birds of Sothwestern BC, it been
great for starting out. But I've been needing to upgrade.
Now to decide on what ones to buy first.
Thanks again for the topic and it's reviews.
Bonnie a beginer and always learning.

looks like it's back up to regular price $125, too bad.
i'll check out the series sometime for sure, thanks for the tip Larry

just finished reading

Return to Wild America - A Yearlong Search for the Continent's Natural Soul - Scott Weidensaul (North Point Press 2005).
wow, another great read by this author (who is fast becoming one of my fav's).
Kenn Kaufman said "this is one of the most important books of the decade, and it should be required reading for all who love the outdoors." and i agree pretty much, it's not so much about the birds but about the natural environment.
the book retraces the famous cross-country journey by Roger Tory Peterson and James Fisher undertaken in 1953 and documented in the subsequent book Wild America.
much more than just a re-tracing of the mens footsteps though, this book delves deeper into how the natural landscape has changed over the last 50 years for the worse, and even sometimes for the better.
this book was so well written that i couldn't wait to get home from work to read a chapter or two every day until it was finished.
it's actually worth re-reading and that's just what i might do

_________________
Paul Kusmin
http://www.flickr.com/photos/revs45
http://45revs.blogspot.com

Digital (photo) Life List:
283 birds B.C. / 427 birds N.A. / 706 birds World (including NA)

Great thread Revs, excellent source of information.

I would add an oldie to the list. One of my favorites is a book I read in school years ago, and one that I have re-read dozens of times. It's "Last Of The Curlews" by Fred Bosworth. This book was written back in the 1950's, and stands the test of time as being one of the best books ever written about a species of bird. In this case, the now extinct Eskimo Curlew.

I challenge anyone to read this book without shedding a few tears and feeling a deep sense of shame at what humans are capable of. On the other hand, I can't think of another book that will give you a better understanding of the incredible life story of an individual bird. This is a great read. I highly recommend it.