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For the more curious
birder...
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We have a web
site called "What
Bird?"
and so my first thought when
I saw this book was “oh great they stole my idea”. But now that
I am older I put
my negative vibes on hold and took a look at it. Then I
realized that this is just the book I need. And maybe the one
you will need too if you want to ID birds as fast as experts
like David and Simone. Let's face it -- when it comes to
recognizing birds I suck.
My friend
David can be half asleep, hear a
bird and tell you what kind it is
and where it is before his heads off
the pillow. I’m still diving for the
binoculars when he shouts “theres
the nest”. What’s That Bird might
not give you the skills to be a
David, but its an easy and fun book
to learn from. It has a great
format, large photos, colorful
drawings and tables, all laid out in
big type geared to help us baby
boomer newbie's learn to fly with
the masters. The book is full of
tips which you won’t find anywhere
else, like: What are wishbones
really for, how does the American
Robin make its nest, where does a
Tufted Titmouse live, what is the
smallest bird in the world.
It has a great format, large photos,
colorful drawings and tables, all
laid out in big type geared to help
us baby boomer newbie's learn to fly
with the masters
At 177 pages its not a thick
book, in fact Amazon says its for a
young age group, but if you are just
starting out in this birding
business, I think its the perfect
entry point. Plus the price is
right.
Certainly there are denser
and more advanced books devoted to
the super passionate bird identifier, such as Identify Yourself , but I
think What's That Bird book is the perfect entry
point--easy to read in one setting,
and full of important factoids easy
to remember. Like did you
know the wishbone has another
purpose than making wishes? It acts
as a spring. When the bird's wings
flap downward, the wishbone opens
and stores some energy. It snaps
back to help push the wings upward
again. The wishbone's movements are
timed to open and close the air sacs
too, and so help the bird breath
when it flies.
See what other people think
of the What's That Bird
at Amazon.
Mitchell Waite
May 23, 2005 |
