Better Birdwatching in Arizona & New Mexico
April 18, 2008
Galileo 7-21×40 Zoom Binocular
April 18, 2008
A Birder’s Guide to Coastal North Carolina
April 18, 2008
A popular destination for bird-watchers from across the country, the coastal region of North Carolina is a seasonal home to approximately 400 species of birds, some of which are found more easily here than anywhere else in the United States. A Birder’s Guide to Coastal North Carolina is the first guide to the prime bird-watching spots of the Tar Heel coast and nearby areas—including national seashores, national forests and wildlife refuges, state parks and game lands, and other public areas.
Written for both casual and serious birders, the book features detailed site guides to the entire coastal region, including the Outer Banks. John Fussell provides an annotated checklist, habitat information, and bar graphs indicating seasonal abundance for all regularly occurring species. The book also includes a chapter on the 140 most sought-after species on the coast. Fussell describes the best places and conditions—seasonal, weather, and tidal—for finding these popular varieties. Detailed maps of most of the major birding sites complement the text.
Customer Review: The Bible for Birding the NC coast
Anybody that’s at all serious about birding the fabulous NC coast needs this book. This will help focus efforts on the most productive, most reliable spots and will make figuring out where to go along the NC coast into a fun and rewarding experience. Fussell knows the NC coast like few others, and he shares that knowledge in fine detail, including very specific driving directions to some little known hotspots. Fussell tells not only where to bird, but when to bird and for what specific species. This book has not only helped increase my life list, but it’s helped me really explore some of the places along the coast that are somewhat away from the maddening crowds and off the beaten path.
Customer Review: Great resource for birders in North Carolina
This book is a wonderful resource for people who want to know where to go to find birds in North Carolina. It is detailed and thorough. It might be a bit intimidating for newcommers to birding but shouldn’t be. It is a wonderful companion to a field guide for anyone lining or visiting in NC. A prior review by Chuck Riddle rated it low because it had no pictures. The reviewer apparently was expecting a field guide and unfortunatly rated the book based on his mistaken expectations. Buy from here…
The Purple Martin (Corrie Herring Hooks Series)
April 18, 2008
“This book is a convenient, one-stop source for scads of martin information and will make informative and pleasing reading for all of [the public] who are attracted to martins, including martin ‘landlords.’”
—William J. Graber III, past vice president, American Birding Association, and past president, Texas Ornithological Society and The Nature Conservancy of Texas
One of the surest harbingers of spring is the return of Purple Martins to the houses that people put up across the United States to attract these companionable birds. The bustle of courting, rearing nestlings, and fledging young martins fills the summer months, until approaching autumn lures the martins to their winter range in South America. Then human landlords refurbish their martin houses and wait for another round of this much-anticipated yearly cycle.
Robin Doughty and Rob Fergus here present a concise natural history of the bird and its centuries-long companionship with people. They discuss the martin’s scientific classification and names, its migration and range, and its family life. They relate stories of how Native Americans and European colonists attracted Purple Martins and how Americans throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries helped martins survive the loss of natural nesting sites by providing houses for them. The authors also describe how whole communities have become centers for martin promotion and detail the many organizations and resources in print and on the Internet through which martin fans can communicate with each other and learn more about attracting and housing the birds.
Customer Review: special relationship
This finely produced University of Texas hardback is not your typical off-the-rack ‘What’s that bird?’ book.
What bird book do you know that begins with such picturesque scene-setting: ‘It is 6:30 a.m. in late April: a strange assortment of liquid chirps, chortles, and muffled yodels threads the dimness about to be burnished. In a nearby yaupon, a cardinal hammers bellow chinks into the still-black earth. Overhead, Purple Martins lance dawn–expressing their invisible presence through these baubles of sound that hang, as do the minstrels, in the dew-rich air.’
The two Texan authors, clearly in love with their land and the birds that fly above and well beyond it, maintain this lyrical tone throughout a volume that is more collector’s item than reference book.
93 pages of such reflection, printed on high-quality stock, cover ‘Classification: Species and Names’, ‘Migration and Range’, ‘Colonial Regard: Early Interest in Martins’, ‘Martins and Bird Protection’, ‘Life of the Purple Martin’, ‘Purple Martin Promotion’, and ‘Landlords’.
As Doughty and Fergus recognize early on, their topic is the ‘special relationship’ that binds these migratory and acrobatic birds and the humans who have adored them in this country since colonial times. It seems almost touching rather than tragic that in most of the North American continent Purple Martins are entirely dependent upon human beings for housing.
I first became aware of the Purple Martin-loving community by barely noticing the Martin homes that the Amish around my town in Central Pennsylvania built beautifully simple Martin houses. My wife recently reminded me that Harrison Ford memorably ran into one of these in his car in the film Witness, then poignantly ended his refugee time among the Amish people by bending is newly acquired carpentery skills to build a (replacement?) Martin house.
Now I own the scratches on my leg from having assembled – just now – my first Purple Martin house, soon to be erected in the front yard of my Indiana home.
If THE PURPLE MARTIN is to be believed, Ford’s generosity is arguably still to be remembered as Martin dads and moms teach their fledgelings to seek and to enjoy the company of men and women, some of whom welcome their Springtime return from winter in the tropics with almost religious zeal.
Though the authors are both scientists, they have produced something near to a work of poetry, attractive for its high-quality construction and both endearing and informative for the loving labor that has taught us to love these acrobats of the sky, intrepid travelers, loyal friends, witnesses to creation as an act of good love. Buy from here…
Binoculars, Sheltered Wings Audubon 8×25 Compact (M)
April 18, 2008
Wider field of view and slightly brighter image during dusk and dawn situations is preferred. It comes complete with a protective carry case and neckstrap. Precision ground lenses for sharp image resolution. Buy from here…
Mug with nest, egg, wings, bird, animal, watching
April 15, 2008
* Custom coffee mugs are dishwasher-safe and microwave-safe. Colors are permanently baked into the mug”s surface.
* If you have new ideas or need help selecting text for your custom coffee mugs please contact us.
* Size: 11 oz. capacity ceramic coffee mug.
The “SHOPZEUS.COM” label is just a watermark in the picture. Buy from here…
Bushnell 12-0150 10×50 Legacy WP Wide Angle Binoculars Plus Accessory Package
April 15, 2008
Some outdoor enthusiasts specialize in doing it all. The Legacy WP series is custom fit for the latter with a range of models at prices that leave plenty left over to gear up for diverse weekend agendas. Bushnell kept the cost reasonable without scrimping on optical performance. All models feature fully multi-coated optics and premium BaK-4 prisms for exceptional light transmission and image clarity. Rugged ruber armoring provides a sure grip and soaks up abuse. And they’re 100% waterproof. This solid well rounded lineup has a single purpose – everything outside. +Plus+ Accessory Package:- Multipurpose Lens Pen Cleaning Tool – Micro-Fiber Cleaning Cloth 5.25×5.75 in. Buy from here…
ULTIMATE BIRD WATCHING CHALLENGE FINALIST Colored Totebag(Your Choice of Colors)
April 15, 2008
This is a fun way to express your opinion while keeping the environment safe. The design is printed on the front of the bag in vibrant colors and is washable. Each bag is natural on the front and back, and you choose the color for the side. Buy from here…
Water’s Edge: Wading Birds of North America
April 15, 2008
Where to Watch Birds in Europe and Russia
April 15, 2008
Nigel Wheatley continues his continent-by-continent guide to the best locales for international birding by turning his binoculars to over 250 of the most productive birding sites in Europe and Russia. Whether you want to know how Golden Eagles are distributed on the Scottish Island of Skye, which birds you’ll find in the botanical gardens in Minsk, or where to go if you have your heart set on a Grey Phalarope or Lapland Bunting, this book is the essential travel companion. Though compact and portable, Where to Watch Birds in Europe and Russia contains a tremendous amount of information on travel, geography, and bird distribution that can be used to plan a trip from scratch or get more out of any itinerary.
Wheatley gives excellent coverage not only of the well-trod fields of England and France, but also of countries newly explored by North American birders (such as Romania and Azerbaijan), such bird-rich microclimates as Malta and Greece’s Strymon Delta, and several often-overlooked small nations (such as Luxembourg and Moldova). This addition to the acclaimed Where to Watch Birds series will be particularly valuable to birders visiting Eastern Europe, Russia, and other places whose birding sites have not been well publicized.
