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Re: Two new hummingbird books
- To: "Harry Legrand" <harry.legrand@ncmail.net>, <carolinabirds@acpub.duke.edu>
- Subject: Re: Two new hummingbird books
- From: "Gary Phillips" <walela@sccoast.net>
- Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 14:35:08 -0500
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
Hi y'all,
I have both of the books Harry refers to. The Howell guide came out last
fall (Nov., I think.) It is a nice book, lots of great pics, but a bit
pricey at $29.95 retail.
Sheri Williamson's book is the one to get, in my humble opinion. I rec'd
mine Jan. 30. Ms. Williamson is a long-time passerine and hummer bander in
SE AZ (she and her husband Tom Wood founded and operate the SE AZ Bird
Observatory, SABO.) She offers numerous photos of key ID features, has well
written species accounts, has a section on hummer-attracting flowers, and
the book is priced a bit more reasonably than Howell's, around $20 retail.
It's a great addition to the Peterson Field Guide series.
Either one (or both) would be a worthwhile addition to anyone's field
guide collection.
A caveat for everyone from my own growing personal experience; in winter
especially, some of these birds can't be id'd to species by field marks. A
case in point; on an overcast afternoon while I was in Louisiana working
with Nancy Newfield on winter hummingbirds, several VERY knowledgeable
hummer-folks observed an Archilocus hummer feeding at Salvia elegans from a
distance of less than 10 ft. The consensus among the group was
Black-chinned. Ms. Nancy captured the bird in short-order, removed it from
the trap, and said she hoped someone would pass along the fact that
tail-pumping IS NOT a definitive mark for BCHU. The bird she held was a
hefty imm. male Ruby-throated.
And some of these rascals can be very challenging even when you have the
bird in hand and are able to make the "definitive" measurements.
Aren't they amazing little beings? If you observe them closely enough,
they'll teach you something about life. Honest.
Cheers,
gary
Gary Phillips
Conway, SC
Sunset Zone 31
walela@sccoast.net
"...where is the person, I ask, who, on observing this glittering fragment
of the rainbow, would not pause, admire, and turn his mind with
reverence..." (J. J. Audubon)
-----Original Message-----
From: Harry Legrand <harry.legrand@ncmail.net>
To: carolinabirds@acpub.duke.edu <carolinabirds@acpub.duke.edu>
Date: Monday, March 04, 2002 1:21 PM
Subject: Two new hummingbird books
>Typical -- when one new guide comes out, another competing one also hits
>the market! Browsing around in a bookstore yesterday, I came across the
>new Peterson guide on Hummingbirds of North America, by Sheri
>Williamson, who lives in s.e. AZ. It looks quite good, with several
>hundred color photos, and a detailed treatment of the 20+ species found
>in the US, plus some others not far away in Mexico. Many photos are of
>hand-held birds, with close-ups of head, wings, tail, etc.
>
>Then, I noticed this morning surfing the web that Academic Press has a
>new book out on North American hummingbirds -- another photo guide,
>written by Steve Howell (of Birds of Mexico and n. Central America
>fame). I have not seen this book yet in the stores. Book stores tend to
>carry major guides such as in a Peterson or Audubon series, but as the
>AP guides are apparently new, I might have trouble finding a copy of
>Howell's book to look at prior to a blind purchase. But, the ad mentions
>several hundred color photos in this book also.
>
>I would assume both guides would be of great help here in the Carolinas,
>as we are beginning to see a winter plethora of hummers -- NC now has
>NINE species on the Official List, and SC has a few others not yet found
>in NC, such as Buff-bellied and Blue-throated. With other species in the
>East such as Magnificant, Allen's, etc., being reported, having photo
>guides available will be a great help, not only here in fall and winter
>but when we travel out West (e.g., Azizona in late summer).
>
>Harry LeGrand
>