Where to Watch Birds in Australasia and Oceania
February 27, 2008
Where to Watch Birds in Australasia and Oceania is the fourth guide in a series that will ultimately cover the whole world. It describes over two hundred major sites in detail and many more in passing, from New Guinea to New Zealand and across the Pacific to Hawaii. Most important, it answers crucial questions you find yourself asking before you go: Where can I see birds that epitomize the region? Which country supports the best cross section of species and the most endemics, and which sites do I need to visit to see most of them? How long do I need, and when is the best time to go?
The layout of the book is practical, with countries, archipelagos, and islands treated alphabetically. General introductions to each country are followed by site details, which include bird lists under the headings “Endemics,” “Specialties,” and “Others”; a list of other wildlife if applicable; and the latest information on where to look for the best birds. Over one hundred maps and fifty line drawings complement the text. This guide will prove invaluable in both the preparation and execution of birding trips to any country, archipelago, or island in this highly varied region of the world.
Customer Review: Invaluable!
As usual with the series, this book does a very good job at introducing the “essential” birdwatching sites of a huge region.
Much of it is, for better or worse, devoted to describing the two biggest and most visited countries, Australia and New Zealand. Coverage of these is good, but since there are also single country guides to them you could also use those.
Where this book really becomes invaluable is its coverage of the often little-known archipelagos of Oceania: Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia. Few of these countries are often visited by birders, yet even the remotest ones, like Pitcairn, are described. Since other guides to nature reserves of these island nations are basically non-existant, descriptions and maps of remote islands and forested regions are of interest to anyone with an interest in the fauna of the Pacific.
But of course, twitchers are well served too - with lists of endemics, key sites to see each one, suggested itineraries and the like.
A worthy investment for your trip! Buy from here…
