In this book, bursting with more information than any field
guide could hold, the well-known author and birder Pete Dunne
introduces readers to the "Cape May School of Birding." It''s an
approach to identification that gives equal or more weight to a
bird''s structure and shape and the observer''s overall impression
often called GISS, for General Impression of Size and Shape than
to specific field marks. After determining the most likely
possibilities by considering such factors as habitat and season,
the birder uses characteristics such as size, shape, color,
behavior, flight pattern, and vocalizations to identify a bird. The
book provides an arsenal of additional hints and helpful clues to
guide a birder when, even after a review of a field guide, the
identification still hangs in the balance. This supplement to field
guides shares the knowledge and skills that expert birders bring to
identification challenges. Birding should be an enjoyable pursuit
for beginners and experts alike, and Pete Dunne combines a unique
playfulness with the work of identification. Readers will delight
in his nicknames for birds, from the Grinning Loon and Clearly the
Bathtub Duck to Bronx Petrel and Chicken Garnished with a Slice of
Mango and a Dollop of Raspberry Sherbet.
目錄:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
A GUIDE TO THE GUIDE: HOW TO
MAKE THIS BOOK WORK FOR YOU
SPECIES ACCOUNTS
Waterfowl--Geese, Swans, and Ducks
Game Birds--Chachalaca, Quail, Pheasant,and Grouse
Loons
Grebes
Albatrosses
Petrels and Shearwaters
Storm-Petrels
Tropicbirds
Sulids Boobies
Pelicans
Cormorants
Herons, Egrets, and Ibis
Storks, Vultures, and Flamingos
Diurnal Raptors--Kites, Hawks, Eagles, andFalcons
Rails, Coots, Limpkin, and Cranes
Shorebirds--Plovers and Sandpipers
Skuas and Jaegers
Gulls
Terns and Skimmer
……