Peterson Reference Guide to Seawatching: Eastern Waterbirds in Flight

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AuthorKen Behrens
PublisherHoughton Mifflin
PublishedSep 17 2013
Book FormatHardcover
ISBN-139780547237398
Dimensions10.1 X 7.1 X 1.2 inches
Weight 3.25 pounds
BISAC
CategoriesNature > Birdwatching Guides
LanguageEnglish

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Book Description

Seawatching is the challenging act of identifying waterbirds in flight. Since more than one hundred different species can fly past an observation point, often at great speed or in tightly packed, mixed-species flocks, identification of these distant shapes can be a mystery. The keys to the mystery--the subtle traits that unlock the identity of flying waterbirds, be it wingbeat cadence, individual structure, flock shape and behavior, or subtle flashes of color--are revealed in this guide.

Though commonly called seawatching, this on-the-fly observation and identification method is by no means restricted to the coast. There are impressive waterbird migrations on the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, and many inland lakes and rivers. Nor is it restricted to migrating waterfowl, as the principles of flight identification apply as effectively to ducks flushed off a pond as to distant migrating flocks. Like Hawks in Flight and The Shorebird Guide, the Peterson Reference Guide to Seawatching breaks new ground, provides cutting-edge techniques, and pushes the envelope in bird identification even further.

Author Bio

As a boy, Ken discovered Flickers in the Pennsylvania woods, and has been chasing birds ever since. In his teens, he was the ABA/Leica Young Birder of the Year and the Wildbird Birder of the Year. For parts of 6 years, he worked for Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory in far-flung and usually remote locations between Montana and New Mexico. He spent one fall counting the monumental raptor migration in Veracruz, Mexico.

Ken also spent parts of three years counting birds in Cape May. There he developed a particular interest in seawatching, and he is the co-author of the Peterson Reference Guide to Seawatching: Eastern Waterbirds in Flight, a ground-breaking field guide published by Houghton-Mifflin. He was a member of the team that set a North American big day record in 2008. Ken lives in Madagascar and guides tours all over the world. His non-birding interests include history, literature, climbing mountains, gardening, cooking, and eating.

He is a keen photographer, and enjoys guiding photo journeys and BwC tours. Ken co-authored Wildlife of Madagascar, Birding Ethiopia, Wild Rwanda, and Birds of Kruger National Park, and has other book projects in the works.

Source: Tropical Birding Tours