Birds of Northern California - Softcover

David Quady, a longtime resident of northern California, has birded the region extensively since the 1970s. He wrote the owls section of National Geographic Society s Complete Birds of North America. Jon Dunn and Kimball Garrett co-authored Birds of Southern California (R.W. Morse Company). Brian Small is a professional wildlife photographer and shares his photo collection for this title.

This small field guide, published by R.W. Morse Company of Olympia, Washington, slides easily into a back pocket. Small in size, but somehow able to cram 502 pages full of details on over 400 Northern California bird species, this photographic guide bucks the bigger is better trend of many popular guides. The authors of Birds of Northern California are well known to many Bay Area birders. Dave Quady, the principal author, is known as the Grey Owl to many of us: Famous for teaching owling classes and leading field trips for Golden Gate Audubon, Dave is President of Western Field Ornithologists. Jon Dunns name appears as principal author of the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, and many of us have traveled with Jon to far-away places as he guides Wings field trips. His publication list is long, and his knowledge of local and world birds legendary. Kimball Garrett, as Ornithology Collections manager of the Natural History Museum of L.A. County, brings extensive knowledge of the status and distribution of Californias birds, and Brian Smalls photographs have appeared regularly on the covers of every bird publication there is. He s co-author of three other photographic field guides. This is a photographic guide. The pages are small, and often only a single species appears on a page. This contrasts to larger guides using artwork, where several species can be compared on a single page. Graphic Designer Christina Merwin has, however, done a good job of placing similar species on the same page where possible. Examples are Hooded and Bullock s Orioles; Bell s and Sagebrush Sparrows; Dusky and Gray Flycatchers; Peregrine and Prairie Falcon. The photographs are sharp and generally posed in a slight angle toward the reader, ideal for showing off as many field marks as possible. Many species are illustrated in several plumages: male and female, basic and alternate, immature and adult. Brian E. Small, nationally recognized wildlife photographer, has provided 468 of the 650 bird images. There are two maps by Rusty Scalf, showing public lands and habitats in Northern California. The book is organized taxonomically, covering the most common species found in the area. There are a few extras : A page of six vagrant warblers, an insert of Broad-winged Hawk on the Red-shouldered Hawk page, Glaucous Gull on the Glaucous-winged Gull page, etc. At the end of the book are sections on Recently Introduced Exotic Species, and on Mountain, Great Basin, and Pelagic Specialties. Each species is carefully described, with important field marks emboldened. There are comments regarding voice, behavior, similar species and location found. There s an interesting Did you know paragraph on the species offering some special bit of knowledge that Dave has provided. The book has a small section on habitats and a checklist to keep track of sightings. I d recommend this book for the beginning and intermediate birder. It will help you separate similar species, remind you of field marks and voice, and will tell you where to go to find a desired species, and when it might be in Northern California. It includes over 99 percent of the birds you ll see on a typical birding trip in Northern California, and it slides easily into your pocket. It s not the guide to take along when you re searching for a vagrant Magnolia Warbler or Blue-headed Vireo at Point Reyes. But it does mention a surprisingly large number of rare birds some briefly, some in more detail. I did not expect to find Glossy Ibis mentioned, or Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, but they, and others, are indeed included. --Bob Lewis, Served on the Golden Gate Audubon Society Board of Directors, Photographer and Educator.

This attractive book is just the thing for northern California residents and visitors interested in learning the birds of their region. Like the other regional field guides published by R. W. Morse Company, this book is compact yet complete, with superb color photographs complemented by informative text about each species. Both identification and natural history are well treated in the text, and the interesting facts included about the birds are an extra not found in most field guides. People love these little books. They fit in a jacket pocket, and they are all you need to get started in a long and rewarding life as a birder. The price is reasonable, and I highly recommend one at home and one as a traveling companion! --Dennis Paulson, Naturalist and Author, Pacific Northwest