Many newer guides have been published about birds of this region, but this book still deserves its place on the bookshelf of anyone interested in birds of South-east Asia. Illustrations are good, and descriptions are detailed and mostly accurate. A bit bulky to carry in the field, but not a problem if you bring it in a backpack. The situation with forest fires in South-east Asia (especially Indonesia) is growing worse each year, so get out there and see some of these extraordinary birds while you still can!

Any serious birder to the listed regions of this book would buy this book.

It is the best guide of the region so far with excellent plates and useful details. What I find especially useful, particularly for the raptors, is that they show illustrations of the birds in flight.

The drawings appear consistent and the bird's information at the back of the book is easy to access.

The birds are categorised according to their family which definately makes for faster checks and identification, which I find important when in the field.

The spine of the book though is a little week and you might want to have it rebound before it falls apart - especially with all the browsing that is to be.

This was the book that everyone who seemed to be serious used in Borneo, but if you are going to be out in the bush for more than a few days and make frequent use of field guides, consider having it re-bound before you leave -- many people I passed along the way were finding that the plate pages were starting to fall out.

I thought this was a terrific introduction to the neotropics. The chapter on aquatic life was weak, and the author lowered himself to some unfortunate puns (he should have skipped the topic completely). The early chapters were the best.

I've had to choose between 3 and 4 stars, but I'll stick to 4 stars.
It's really a good introduction to the natural history of the Neotropics. Yet, I've got the feeling that Mr. Kricher wants to tell us about too many things in too few space, thus leaving much things for further explanation. Of course, it's a heavy task to pack such a diversity in so small a book. The general introduction is thorough, but in the group description some groups remain heavily underexposed.
He shouldn't be playing on words this much only to let every pun be followed by a hypocritical "no pun intendeed". There's nothing against making puns, though.
The colour pictures do not add much to the book. I think he'd better have fewer and larger pictures than this stamp collection that give a somewhat disorderly impression.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading it, making me wish to return to the neotropical rainforests.

Kricher's prose is easily read and digested with fascinating details of the workings in a tropical forest. A delightful read for both the student wishing to understand tropical ecology and the traveler who wishes to get a better feel for the environment in South America. Highly recommened.

I used this book while visiting Venezuela, and I was able to identify quite a few birds. However, I found that some of the color plates are inaccurate, which made identification rather difficult at times. Several species (such as the Green Jay, some tanagers) are depicted with improper coloration- some were too pale, some too brightly colored and/or with incorrect markings. The book was very useful and I'm glad I bought it, but be aware that the bird you see may look significantly different in the book.

There are a couple of risks of misunderstanding with regard to this book that must be made clear here. Firstly it is in no way a second edition. The only things in common with the first guide to the birds of Venezuela, by Meyer de Schauensee and Phelps Jr are the familiar old plates by Guy Tudor, the title, and the publisher. In all other respects it is completely new. Secondly, the "Grand-daddy" review here, clearly refers to the original book and not this one.

Having said that, there is little one can add to Chris Sharpe's comprehensive review except to say that I have already used Hilty's book extensively for research this year, along with the other current guides for other countries, and have found it to be the best. In my opinion it sets a new standard. The only small weakness worth noting here is the plates, but has there been a guide that is perfect in this respect?

For anybody birding in Venezuela, the book is an essential item to have along.

I believe the earlier reviewers are mistakenly referring to the 1978 First Edition of this field guide (Meyer de Schauensee and Phelps 1978). As the first modern field guide to a South American avifauna, the original Birds of Venezuela is certainly now showing its age though it is still a remarkably useful field aid to the world's sixth largest national avifauna. The new edition - practically an entirely new field guide - is a very different kettle of fish. What makes this new edition different?

First of all, the new guide is twice as thick and the text is much more closely packed. The book now weighs in at over 1.8 kg (4 lbs) and is more along the lines of the field guide volume of the Birds of Ecuador (Ridgely and Greenfield 2001). Nearly a hundred new species are treated, taking the country total to 1381. Far more species are illustrated and more colour plates have been used, though eight black and white plates have been retained to depict flying raptors and swifts. We now have 67 plates compared with the previous 53 - a 25% increase. Twenty-five of the plates are entirely new with beautiful artwork primarily by John Gwynne. The new plates cover a range of taxa, with Cracids, owls, nightjars, toucans, tanagers, Fringillids, Emberizids and Icterids particularly well covered. A further four have been adapted from Birds of Panamá (Ridgely and Gwynne 1989) and one from Birds of Colombia (Hilty and Brown 1986). The remaining 37 are basically the same Guy Tudor plates (and one by John Gwynne) from the old edition with some modifications.

To my mind, though, it is the text which has really benefited from this new edition - so much so that this should really be thought of as an entirely new field guide. The format follows and improves on the standard set by Birds of Mexico (Howell and Webb 1995) and Birds of Ecuador. The type-setting and text layout have allowed far more text to be included than, say, Birds of Ecuador and Hilty has also been precise and economical with his words. This comes as no surprise to those familiar with Hilty's earlier Birds of Colombia.

The text is far more oriented towards identification than in the old edition - the main requisite for a field guide. The first section contains information specifically on identification and this is followed by a section on similar species, where further comparative text is merited. The voice section is new and seems to be very well compiled with - to my taste - excellent transliterations of songs and calls. Much natural history information and further aids to identification are included under a paragraph on behaviour. A detailed appraisal of status and habitat preference is included before the final discussion of range. The text retains the custom established by the earlier edition of separating range information by subspecies, a feature which is particularly welcome in these times of ever changing taxonomy. Range maps are another new feature and they make use of points corresponding to specimen and sight records as well as the customary shading to indicate overall range. In short, they are similar in format to those provided in Birds of Ecuador.

Finally there is a good selection of references at the end of the book and some very nice colour habitat photographs at the beginning. A well annotated locality map of the country is also provided together with colour relief and vegetation maps.

Any drawbacks? With a work of this magnitude there are bound to be some errors and omissions and I quickly found a number of minor inaccuracies too petty to mention here. Perhaps the guide could have a benefited a wee bit more from external review of status and range of some species - there are gaps in the known range of a number of species. Many will also carp about the dimensions and weight of this new guide, though this is an inevitable product of the diversity of the avifauna in question and nothing that cannot be remedied with a pair of scissors and a certain degree of irreverence.

In resumé, an essential buy for all who are interested in Neotropical ornithology and truly great value for money too. I can't wait to get the book out into the field!

War Birds: Diary of an Unknown Aviator is a fascinating portrait of training and combat for a WWI aviator. It is unclear to me whether the book consists of an actual diary, or is a dramatization written by a friend based on letters written by the aviator main character (see http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/usa/springs.html). The aviator was a real person with real faults (he makes some racist statements), and this makes the story all the more personal. The story reminded me of Catch-22, but is more touching because the triumphs and deaths actually occurred.

It was obvious from the wealth of information of those who served with the author that the identity is known. Why not disclose who wrote the diary? We share the experiences. We watch the aviator transform from a fun loving barn stormer to a machine that can only function when airborne. The end comes and you know it is coming, the author is crumbling, his attitude has changed, he operates by reflex and his judgement is impaired. (not by booze but battle fatigue has taken over} This is too real . . .

Although little is written of the truth to the Air War in WWI, it is often offered to history as a time of chivalry amoungst the "Upper Class Gentleman" of WWI. Most sucessful pilots, that being anymore that 5 kills, were showered with metals and given the highest honors from their fatherlands. Deeming them, The Knights of The Skies. The truth is far from reality. This book of one young man's personal, daily recolection in it's original, unaltered text, depicts the Air War as it really was. Not only can you feel the excitement and astonishment in his mind as he earns his wings in flight school, you also experience the sadness and despair as he watches his squadmates perish and learns the veracity of war and death. Illustrated by Clayton Knight, whose sketches and paintings went on to become famous after the war, this book is a must for anyone who is interested in the true reality of The Air War of WWI.

Although small in size, this book covers all the aspects of the lives of birds. Everything from nesting to migration. There's more to birding than just identification, and this book is a good start for that step beyond. Also has good illustrations. Recommended.

Bird Life was the first book about birds that I bought when I began seriously observing the birds in my neighborhood. I have more sophisticated guides to birds now, but I still refer to Bird Life for interesting bits of information that I just wouldn't find in any field guide. At only 4x6 inches in size and 160 pages, Bird Life looks like it was made to put in a pocket and take into the field. But it isn't really a field guide. It is simply the largest collection of information on the most different aspects of bird behavior in the smallest space. A list of the topics the book addresses will show you what I mean by that: bird behavior, preening, how birds sleep, feeding, food storage, social displays, family life, songs and calls, hearing, flight, navigation, longevity, conservation, attracting birds, feeding birds, and making bird feeders from common household items. None of these topics is covered in an exhaustive manner. Bird Life provides an introduction to each of these subjects. It doesn't help much in identifying birds, but helps you to understand their daily lives. The information is general but includes examples of species that engage in specific behaviors. And there are illustrations of bird behaviors and anatomy. As an introduction to birds, this book is tops!

Highly recommended for anyone who has ever encountered a bird! Really. It is easy to read and full of fascinating facts. You don't have to be a "bird person" to enjoy this book. You only risk discovering that your avian neighbors might be more interesting than you realized. Casual birders will find some intriguing info that they may not have read before. Makes a fun and inexpensive stocking stuffer too!

I buy every new Montroll origami book sight unseen and I've never been disappointed. This book is no exception.

Historically, Montroll's bird models are among the best because: - They are pretty reasonable to fold, and don't rely on lots of "feather detail" which usually just means lots of tedious pleats.

- They can stand up! Many bird models will simply not stand when when complete. Most of Montroll's will and that, in my mind makes the model alot more appealing.

The birds in this book have closed backs and enough substance on their legs to stand, you will be very pleased with the results.

As far as the bugs go, if you have ever tried to fold any of the bugs from Lang's "Origami Insects and their Kin." you will be quite happy with what Montroll has to offer here. Using nothing more than 10-inch kami, an intermediate folder should be able to handle anything in this book.

As usual I have always looked forward to Montroll's books.

Even after getting this one, I cannot help but wonder what he will come up with next.

A general comment is that is book's models is of intermediate standard, similar in standard and style to Montroll's recent books. The birds can be classified as slightly below the intermediate standard suitable for beginners who wants to try something a bit more difficult. Compared to his first book "Origami for the Enthusiasts" and "Animal Origami for the Enthusiasts", Montroll's two outstanding books, the models within are of slightly lower standard. I believe Montroll is capable of doing better that is why I keep looking forward to his new books and purchasing every one in the market.

In this book, Montroll tackle the subject on insects which he has yet to do so in other books. Although the final product's standard is below what I expected, nevertheless, the insects have all the necessary body parts and they are not too difficult to fold. I have seen some of Montroll's insects and I had high hopes when I saw the title of his new book.

For birds, you will find models on goose, cardinal, crow, snipe, ibis, flamingo, ostrich, pheasant, quetzal, pelican, turkey, woodpecker, goose with outstretched wings, pigeon, humming bird, vulture, robin, crane, parrot and stork. None of these models caught my eye and cause me to sit down immediately to fold it. My favourites are pheasant, humming bird, pigeon and cardinal. I like folding birds.

For insects, you find scavenger beetle, ladybird, fly, spider, wasp, long-horned beetle, earwing and butterfly. Again nothing here caught my eye. Sorry if I am difficult to please. I cannot help but compare this to Kawahata's Insects.

Overall, if I were to compare this book with other Montroll's books, I will give this 3.5 out of 5 but compare with other origami books in the market, I will give this a 4.5 out of 5. Hence I rate this with 5 stars.

This book is still a good investment for origami enthusiasts.

The saving grace of this bird book is its portable nature. It is small enough to fit in a back pocket when traversing over hill and dell tracking down that Northern Flicker. The cover is also of durable material to weather the dirt, grass, the weather, or whatever you put it through. Those are the good things.

The detractors are that when compared to other bird books, the format isn't the friendliest. To find all the scoop about a particular bird it is easy to locate the picture, however there is a separate section identifying habitat, range, behavior, etcetera. Then there is a numbering system separate from the page numbers that make all this cross-referencing and flipping back and forth between the pictures and the descriptions somewhat confusing. Another confusing thing about the picture sequencing is that two different views of the same bird aren't always placed together. For instance, on frame number 185 (not the page number mind you) we find the Pied-billed Grebe winter plumage and then a couple pages over oddly enough on frame 195 we find what the Pied-billed Grebe looks like the rest of the year. So now we want to know more about this feathered-floater, we are directed back to the back of the book...pg. 341 (we are back to going by page numbers) to find out that this little guy has earned the local name, "Hell Diver."

So for an easier to use guide to read from the comfort of your living room or from a car's passenger seat, I would point you to the Stokes Guide to Birds. Audubon's book does have some good info and unique details on particular birds that can't be found elsewhere, can be carried into the field with ease, and does include some pretty good pics. The two complement each other nicely, but if I had to choose one...it'd be the Stokes.

The pictures and how they are categorized are good. The only issue that I came across was that when given pictures of what some birds look like in Winter and Spring they weren't always next to each other. One would be on one page and then a few pages later there would be the other shot.
I would have liked to have seen shots of both male and female versions of the birds since in most cases they do look quite a bit different. And in some cases with this book there were those shots.
I liked the fact that it gave you what pages to go to to read about the birds. Instead of having to look up alphabetically.
The cover of the book is durable to withstand the turmoils of bird watching.
Overall the book is good for a newbie to bird watching.

The National Audubon Society has long been respected as, among other things, the publisher of a series of top-notch field guides to the natural world in North America. Their volumes include birds, trees, butterflies, insects and spiders, wildflowers, mammals, rocks and minerals, mushrooms, fish... you name it. Several of the books are specific to geographic regions. This review is of the National Audubon Society FIELD GUIDE TO BIRDS - WESTERN EDITION.

This book is compact; it measures 4" x 7-1/2" x 1-1/2" thick, just the right size to fit into your pocket or day-pack if you're inclined to take it on a walk.

It's very thoughtfully and logically organized with four major sections, as follows:

INTRODUCTION
This includes a discussion of both the art and science of birding and the organization of the book. It includes a highly detailed rendering of a "typical" bird with all the anatomical points used in the book identified by their common names.

COLOR KEY
The avian kingdom is broken down into categories (long-legged waders, gull-like birds, owls, pigeon-like birds, hawks, tree-clinging birds, hummingbirds, perching birds, and so on.) Each category is assigned a silhouette. The categories are further broken down into families. So, in the category of hawks, we have ospreys, caracaras, vultures, hawks, falcons, harriers, kites, and eagles. Each family has its own silhouette symbol.

COLOR PLATES
This is a series of color photographs of 676 birds. The photographs are organized by the categories mentioned above. Most of the color plates show adult males, but some distinctive females and juveniles are also shown, along with seasonal changes in plumage. Each photograph identifies the bird by its common name, gives its overall length, and cites the page on which you can find more complete details about it.

Each color plate page has a thumb index with the silhouetted symbol for the birds on that page. The birds are arranged within their families by their predominant color, and the silhouettes are colored accordingly, to make it even easier to find your bird.

SPECIES ACCOUNTS
These are the write-ups cited in the color plates. Each citation gives the pages on which photographs may be found, the common and Latin names for the bird, and brief descriptions of the birds physical appearance. It also includes information on its voice, habitat, nesting habits and eggs, and range. There's even a tiny map of North America with its range shaded in gray.

At the end of this section is information about bird-watching, conservation, a glossary of terms used in the Guide, photographers' credits, and an index in both English and Latin.

What makes this Guide so easy to use is the way the color plates are organized, Without knowing anything at all about birds, I was able to identify a brightly colored bird that was hopping around my garden one day, and it took me less than one minute to do so. All I had to do is flip through the color plates, using the silhouettes, until I found the one of the right shape and color. My bird was on the second page of that section.

I also love the compact size and sturdy leatherette binding. This book will fit easily into a pack or pocket, and will stand up to damp weather.

If you're a life-list birding obsessive, this book might not be enough for you because it doesn't picture every color variation of every bird in every species and family. For that, you probably need Sibley. But for people like me, who enjoy backyard birding and want to know what we're looking at, it can't be beat.

The book is well done and deals with important issues surrouding turkey hunting by an obviously passionate turkey hunter, but he spends very little time with actual hunts. It is not a how-to book in any sense of the word.

You won't find much of the how-to info that is readily found in other books. But, you will be treated to an excellent look at the spirit of turkey hunting. This book respects the hunt, respects this great American game animal, and respects those who hunt with a sense of reverence. I recommend this book highly.

This book"The American Wild Turkey:Reflections on the bird,the hunt and the hunter" gives you all the information you need to successfully bag that trophy tom.It tells you a wild turkeys habits,and strenghts and weaknesses.The photography of the birds and diagrams of the set ups you need to bag your bird are extremely helpful and will leave you with no questions unanswered.Even if you think you know everything there is to know about turkeys and turkey hunting,you will still find this book both enteresting and probably informative even for you avid hunters.So I totally recommend this book to beginning and veteran turkey hunters alike.

Raptors: Birds of Prey, by John Hendrickson contains some of the most stunning pictures of Raptors I have ever seen. Many varieties of birds are presented, and one truly gets a feel for the birds in the wild.

The information presented in the book is rather general and does not match the quality of the photographs. Still, a good introductory book into the study of raptors. I would recommend this book for casual bird watchers or for use as a coffee table book.

I am a very good friend of Johns, and not only is he a great author and photographer, He also run an outdoor camp for children to teach them about the earth. What a great man. No matter how much you think you know, John can teach you more. Especially with this book. The more you read and look at it, the more you continue to learn.

According to the blurb on the book cover, the author's interest in raptors "began at an early age when he started birding with his third-grade teacher" and now the author is founder and director of the Calif. Raptor Education Center.

The photographs are exquisite, starting with the photo on the front cover -- a close-up, eye-to-eye view of a bald eagle.

The book has 4 parts:
1) Gifts of Birth (physical characteristics),
2) Struggle to Survive (migration, etc.),
3) Living in Balance (habitat destruction, accidents, etc.) and
4) the Future (which is more of a discussion of present actions being taken to preserve these birds).

Good for beginners (like me!), although a bibliography would have enhanced this book.

I have read several turkey hunting books, magazines, and articles. This book does contain some good information, but mainly just touches on the basics. As an experienced hunter, this book didn't really offer me any help I could use in the field. I would only recommend this book for a hunter new to turkey hunting and only wanting brief information.

I was amazed by this book; it was a real page turner. I could not put it down and read straight though it in a few days. The author (John Mettler) combines great information and anecdotes to apply what he describes. Mr. Mettler is a veterinarian so he is able to explain all sorts of reasons behind the behavior of the wild turkey. You'll not only learn where turkeys will be, but why they are there. Great for a begining turkey hunter and the acomplished one who needs a little brush up on stratagies.

Mettler gives a thorough examination of the wild turkey. He covers information about its origins, habitat, calls, and the equipment and skills necessary for a successful and ethical harvest. The illustrations also give clarity to the greenhorn turkey hunter.