A Guide to Bird Finding in Kansas and Western Missouri
June 18, 2008
Kansas and western Missouri are astonishingly rich in birdlife. Located in the very center of the North American continent, the area is home to most of the eastern bird fauna and many of the western species, and even hosts occasional visitors from the far north. Over 400 species of birds have been recorded in Kansas alone, an abundance that places it among the top five birding states in the country.
Bird Finding in Kansas and Western Missouri is a guide to this rich mosaic of birdlife. Written for both resident and visiting birders, the book begins with an introduction to the region’s avian diversity and to its eleven major biotic communities. Illustrated with 17 line drawings by renowned artist and ornithologist Robert Mengel, A Guide to Bird Finding also features 26 detailed maps, a checklist of birds of the region, and an annotated list of “Specialty Species.” The book’s main focus, though is on birding tours–75 of them. Meticulously described and thoroughly “road-tested,” these tours lead down paved highways, dirt roads, and paths, past old cemeteries, around lakes, along creeks, into cities, and out onto the prairie, winding through the birding hotspots of Kansas and western Missouri.
With this new guide in hand, birders can tailor their expeditions to focus on the big picture, taking advantage of all the birding possibilities a particular location has to offer, or the small picture, searching out one or two especially challenging species. Zimmerman and Patti have provided information on road conditions and tour routes, and have also zeroed in on a few birding surprises–like Bobolinks next to saline marshes in central Kansas.
Among the many birding possibilities the book suggests are: a trip to the tallgrass prairie of the Flint Hills where Greater Prairie-chickens and Henslow’s Sparrows can be seen; a tour of the Cimarron National Grassland, the best place in the U.S, to see Lesser Prairie-chickens; a tour of Missouri’s Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, the spectacular staging area for over 500,000 geese and other waterfowl; and a trip to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge and Cheyenne Bottoms, internationally significant wetlands that are an essential migration stopover for hundreds of species , particularly waterfowl and shorebirds, and even Whooping Cranes. Buy from here…
Birds of Mississippi v3.9
June 18, 2008
Version 3.9 was released on July 31, 2007. Birds of Mississippi v3.9 contains 313 species regularly seen in the state. This Windows CD-ROM includes color photos, songs for all species from the world-famous Cornell Lab of Ornithology, range maps, abundance maps, ID tips and more. The CD-ROM includes an ID Wizard to help you identify the birds, even if you do not know the bird’s name. Just enter colors, size, habitat and location. The ID Wizard will show you photos of all the birds that match your description. Petey the Parrot will pronounce each bird’s common and scientific name for you. Also included are over 300 quizzes, including Christmas Bird Count Quizzes for Jackson, Natchez, Tupelo and Vicksburg. The CD-ROM lets you compare two birds side-by-side and shows you the similar species. With version 3.9, you can: Share Custom Lists with your friends Download songs and photos to an iPod for your own personal use Add your own comments and photos for each bird Identify birds by sound in the ID Wizard Use the new “Pick One” quiz — see four bird photos and pick the right one. And most important of all, The Birder’s Handbook is now included (a $20 value) System Requirements: Windows 2000, XP or Vista; Pentium 4 processor or equivalent; 512 MB RAM; CD-ROM drive; 1 Gig on hard drive; plus hardware and software required to support multimedia applications. Some features of this CD-ROM require an Internet connection. Buy from here…
Natural Gardening for Birds: Simple Ways to Create a Bird Haven (Rodale Organic Gardening Book)
June 18, 2008
Customer Review: Very complete
I have to admit, I was surprised to see the emphasis on native plants and was so glad I did. In past books by Rodale Press they didn’t pay attention to this and it really bothered me. This book is great though- it talks to all sorts of different needs of birds - from nesting areas to food/water. It has lots and lots of fun facts about birds and their lifestyles/needs and info on feeders. And of course its packed with all sorts of great gardening ideas (bushes, hedgerows, “weeds”, benefits of leaf piles, etc). Attention is given to different regions of the country as well. Super book for any bird lover!!
Customer Review: Pair desired birds with desired gardens
Gardeners who want their gardens to appear as a welcome mat for birds will find Natural Gardening For Birds provides basic tips on how to lay out a garden rich with food, water, and shelter for birds. Especially intriguing are the various charts showing the bird-friendly features of specific types of regional plants ranging from hedgerows to wildflowers, and making it easy for even novice gardeners to pair desired birds with desired gardens. Buy from here…
Kingbird Highway: The Biggest Year in the Life of an Extreme Birder
June 18, 2008
Now revered as one of North America’s top birders, Kenn Kaufman hit the road at age sixteen and spent a year crisscrossing the country to see as many birds as he could, in a birding competition known as a Big Year. In what has become a classic among birders, this memoir chronicles the subculture of birding in the 1970s and a young man’s search for his place in the world, complete with wild adventures and some quirky characters.
Customer Review: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Birds
Written many years after the fact, this book is well worth reading many years after the fact. Kingbird Highway is an autobiography, a travelogue, and a `where-to-bird’ guide for 1973. It is a tale of life, liberty, and the pursuit of birds. Kingbird, alias Kenn Kaufman drops out of high school to pursue his dream (obsession) of seeing more birds in a single year than anyone had ever seen before. There are several catches to his liberty and pursuit of birds. He must see the birds north of Mexico, a technicality that affects his dream. He has almost no money, so he does cheapest Big Year ever with the lowest dollar to bird ratio ever. He spends only about $1000 by hitchhiking everywhere and living off Little Friskies in a can of cold soup for dinner. Kingbird Highway provides a wonderful map of where to bird even now over forty years later. For example, the Brownville Texas Municipal dump is still the place to see Tamaulipas crows. Read in conjunction with a field guide, Kingbird Highway opens a world of birds, their habits, and habitats that might otherwise escape notice.
Customer Review: Different than expected
This is a good book, but not what I expected. It’s about a specific time in birding and America. This makes Kenn Kaufman’s experience unique. This was during the “early days” of birding and bird listers. There was not the instantaneous information of the location of rare species we have now. If you are interested in birding, the search for rare bird species, or the effort to see bird species out of their normal range, I would recommend this book. Buy from here…
Pentax Papilio Binocular 6.5×21
June 18, 2008
The Pentax Papilio Compact Binoculars are ideally suited for watching butterflies, dragonflies, hummingbirds, and other critters at close range. Papilio means butterfly in Latin, and Pentax gave these porro-prism binoculars the ability to focus on objects as close to you as 1.6 feet. To achieve such a close focus range, Pentax created a proprietary technology that compensates for the misalignment of left- and right-eye images at close range. These binoculars have a rubber housing to make them easy to grip and to help protect the inner mechanisms. Sturdy and compact, the Papilio Binoculars hike and travel well and also work for sporting events or viewing wildlife on the horizon. You can use these binoculars with eyeglasses.
Product Features
- Shell Material: Polycarbonate, rubber
- Prism, Lens Material: BaK4 glass, multicoated glass
- Magnification: [6521] 6.5X; [8521] 8.5X
- Field of View: [6521] 393ft at 1,000yds; [8521] 315ft at 1,000yds
- Exit Pupil: [6521] 3.2mm; [8521] 5mm
- Weather Resistance: Not specified
- Eye Relief: 15mm
- Dimensions: 4.6 x 4.3 x 2.2in (116 x 110 x 55cm)
- Relative Brightness: [6521] 10.2; [8521] 6.3
- Minimum Focus: 1.6ft (0.5m)
- Weight: 10.2oz (290g)
- Recommended Use: Wildlife viewing, bird watching, insect viewing, watching sports events, hiking, viewing art in museums
- Manufacturer Warranty: 1 Year
Birds of Oregon: A General Reference
June 15, 2008
The definitive source for Oregon ornithology, “Birds of Oregon” is a comprehensive reference to the 486 bird species now known to occur in the state. It combines what is known today about the population status and distribution of each species with current knowledge on their habitats and life histories. “Birds of Oregon” provides interested citizens with a basic understanding of Oregon’s rich bird life and serves as an invaluable reference for birders and wildlife professionals.
Customer Review: Birds of Oregon
This is a great book to have. NO COLOR pictures, but I use it to learn more about the birds I have already identified with my field guides. Highly recommend it if you are learning about birds in our State. Information on diets, nesting, migration and very detailed areas of sightings.
Customer Review: Hardback vs Paperback Question
The reviews so far seem to refer to the original hardback edition.
Are there any differences in content between the hard and paper editions? Buy from here…
1st/Somebody’s Watching
June 15, 2008
Remastered Reissue of their 1970 Debut Full Length and 1973 Second Release.
Customer Review: EXCELLENT SET!!!!!!
I was lucky enough to find a seller who had the 2CD set of this…which contained RARE BIRD 1969…AS YOUR MIND FLIES BY 1970..SOMEBODY’S WATCHING 1973…and BORN AGAIN 1974…all tracks are present and remastered (very consistent sound thoughout) by the Italian company VHRCD…
If you can find this version….GET IT!!! I paid the same price as the 2on1 cd.
I waited a very long time for these to finally be remastered….and was worth the wait
Customer Review: solid debut from largely forgotten progressive rock band
i haven’t heard the somebody’s watching album, and know relatively little music from the latter incarnation of rare bird. rare bird were a talented outfit that emerged at the end of the 1960’s. stylistically, they are an early progressive rock band somewhat reminiscent of yes or early genesis, and unlike most bands in that they lacked a guitar player…most fans seem to believe that their greatest moment was their 2nd lp, as your mind flies by. steve gould’s vocals can occasionally be heavy handed, but at the same time, he does possess a powerful voice… the outstanding tracks on this good but not outstanding debut are sympathy and beautiful scarlet. sympathy was a minor hit in the u.k., but apparently a big hit in continental europe, and the song did receive some airplay here in the u.s.a., where the rare bird album reached a modestly successful 117 on the billboard charts. sympathy is a rather simple, brief, and haunting ballad that is essentially a plea for peace and compassion with pertinent and relevant lyrics, it is surprising that it wasn’t an even bigger hit. beautiful scarlet is a minor masterpiece that belongs in a progressive rock canon of sorts, with nice tempo changes, thrilling (if to some listeners somewhat pompous/ cliched keyboard runs that kind of sounds like the type of music where the silent movie villain is tying the hero’s girlfriend to the train tracks!) and fine vocals. god of war is another fine track, and while there are some other decent tunes, there is indeed some filler that precludes this album from being a true classic of the genre. however, the album should appeal to prog fans and enthusiasts of 60’s rock, as the two cuts i’ve mentioned are superb. Buy from here…
Hummingbird Mug Color changing coffee mug, Hummingbirds, Ruby throated, Violet capped, Rufus, Lucifer, Anna’s, Broad-Billed and Blue-Throated
June 15, 2008
Look at these two mugs! The first mug shows what the mug looks like when it is cold. The second mug shows what the mug looks like when a hot beverage is poured into it! See how the design on the outside changes? On this mug… Seven different species are featured: Ruby throated, Violet Capped, Rufus, Lucifer, Anna’s, Broad-Billed and Blue-Throated. Microwave safe gold lip. Once the hot beverage is consumed (or after about five minutes) the mug will cool down and you can do it all over again! Any hot beverage will do: tea, coffee, hot soup, hot cider, cocoa and latte. These porcelain mugs are brand new. They hold 11 ounces of liquid and they are microwave safe. The manufacturer recommends hand washing. These mugs make great gifts. Birthdays Anniversaries Graduation Themed Parties Nurses week Christmas Thank you gifts Gift baskets Fund raisers Babysitters Collectors Valentines Day Office gifts Grab bags Mothers Day Fathers Day Grand parents Day Wedding favors Gifts for your choir, minister How about one just for you!! Your friends and family will always remember you as the person who gave them one of these unforgettable gifts! Thank you for looking! Buy from here…
Follow That Bird: Around the World With a Passionate Bird Watcher
June 15, 2008
All Things Reconsidered: My Birding Adventures
June 15, 2008
Roger Tory Peterson’s unique perspective on birding comes to life in this collection of columns. Highly personal narratives, these were not teching tools for bird identification; rather, he recounts his adventures during a lifetime of birding and traveling the world to observe and record nature. From the incident when his boat capsized in freezing water off the coast of Maine while the octogenarian was filming a documentary, to his own experiences searching for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Peterson’s sense of adventure and curiosity cannot be extinguished. All of these essays appeared in Bird Watcher’s Digest during the 1980s and 1990s. The accomplished illustrator was nearly as passionate about photography as he was about painting, and the essays are illustrated with some of Roger’s own photographs reproduced in black and white.
Customer Review: A set of vivid vignettes perfect for that avid birder.
All Things Reconsidered: My Birding Adventures is an excellent pick for any who have long known of and used Roger Tory Peterson’s birding guides, which have become leading industry references in the fine art of bird identification. A decade after his death comes a personal collection which blends color photos and line drawings with a passionate survey of the bird world, selected by the editor of Bird Watcher’s Digest which ran his column ‘All Things Reconsidered’ during the last twelve years of his life. His adventures traveling the world are captured in a set of vivid vignettes perfect for that avid birder.
Customer Review: A Very Good Book
This was purchased as a gift, but before I wrapped it I read four of the essays. Enjoyed them very much and learnd some things. It has some excellent illustrations, too. I’m going to buy a copy for myself. Sorry I haven’t read more for this review. Buy from here…
