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Reviews

Shorebirds of North America . ThePhotographic Guide. 2005. ByDennis Paulson. Princeton UniversityPress, Princeton, New Jersey.Softcover, 608 pages, 534 colour pho­tographs, 17 x 24.5 em. $41.95Canadian. ISBN 0-691-12107-9.

Dennis Paulson firmly establishedhimself as a shorebird specialist in1993 with the publication of his hand­book on the Shorebirds of the PacificNorthwest. Now Paulson has done itagain with a superb photographicguide to the Shorebirds of NorthAmerica.

Shorebirds in North Americacomprise the following families:thick-knees, plovers, oystercatchers,stilts and avocets, jacanas, sandpipers(includes curlews, godwits, dowitch­ers, phalaropes, etc.), pratincoles and

coursers. North Americans call thesebirds shorebirds and Europeans callthem waders.

Paulson's new guide treats all94 species of shorebirds recorded inNorth America, including the near­ly extinct Slender-billed Curlewwhose only North American occur­rence is from Ontario. This is thefirst guide to show every NorthAmerican shorebird using colourphotos, making it a tremendousresource. There is a handy quickindex on the folded front cover.

I recommend a thorough readingof the 19-page introduction coveringthe fundamentals of shorebird identi­fication. It includes detailed shore­bird anatomy using photos of stand­ing and flying birds, plumage varia­tion, seasonal variation, gender varia­tion, age variation, geographic varia­tion, individual variation, featherwear and fading, unusual plumages,photos of hybrids, molt, identifica­tion, behaviour, vocalizations, distri­bution, conservation, and CanadianWildlife Service population estimatesfor 26 species.

The 534 colour photographsalone are worth the price of theguide. It includes photos by photog­raphers from Ontario such as MarkPeck, Jim FUchards, Tadao Shirnbaand Harold Stiver. Each photo has acaption loaded with information,including the month the photo wastaken. The guide's text is packed withconcise information and facts oneach species. Of all the modem field

VOLUME 23 NUMBER 2

spotting above has faded and consid­erably worn away.

TIlls excellent guide has threebig strengths. First, its 534 colourphotos show most plumages with anaverage of 5-6 photos per species.Second, it was written by a world'sexpert on shorebirds. Third, it is com­pact, so easily taken into the field. Irecommend Dennis Paulson's newguide to the Shorebirds of NorthAmerica. It will make identifyingshorebirds much easier for all birdersfrom beginner to expert.

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guides and handbooks, this book'sstrangest omission is the absence ofrange maps. However, breedingranges, migration routes and winter­ing areas are well described.

I have only minor criticisms ofthis fine book. For example, it lacks agood photo of an adult StiltSandpiper in full breeding plumage.Also, the distinctive fresh juvenileplumage in August of the cinna­monea subspecies (race) of theSolitary Sandpiper is not shown.Instead, there is a photo of an olderjuvenile in October whose bright buff

Ron Pittaway, 4 Anson Street, Box 619, Minden, Ontario KOM 2KO

A Birder's Guide to Michigan.2004. By Allen T Chartier and JerryZiarno (editors). American BirdingAssociation, Colorado Springs,Colorado. Softcover, 660 pages, 253route maps, 6 photographs, 14 draw­ings, 14 x 21.5 em. $28.95 U.S. ISBN1-878788-13-2.

ONTARJO BIRDS AUGUST 2005

For many Ontario birders, theirknowledge of Michigan may be lim­ited to driving 1-75 through thesoutheastern corner of the state ontrips to southern birding locales, orperhaps a visit to the Kirtland'sWarbler breeding grounds.However, this spectacular newbirdfinding guide shows that thestate has much more to offer. Asnoted on the book's cover,Michigan has 3,000 miles of shore­line on the four Great Lakes whichsurround it, 11,000 interior lakes,36,000 miles of rivers and streams,and the largest state forest systemin the U.S., all of which contributeto its rich diversity of birdlife (421species on the official state list as of2003). The guide describes over 200birding sites in the state, with infor­mation on each site's birds, the bestseasons to visit, and driving direc­tions, accompanied by very clear

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and detailed maps. Many localexperts from throughout the statecontributed material for these sitedescriptions, and some wereauthored by them.

The Introduction explains thatin recognition of the ecologicaldiversity of this large state, thebook is organized into three regions(Upper Peninsula, Northern LowerPeninsula and Southern LowerPeninsula), with a further divisionof these into east and west sections.Other introductory material coverstopography, vegetation, bird habi­tats, climate, a brief history ofMichigan ornithology, the Michiganbirding year (a summary of birds bymonth), hazards, and informationresources for birders.

Following the site descriptions,which form the main part of theguide, there are some additional sec- graphs, there is an annotated list of alltions which will be of great interest casual, accidental, extirpated andand value to birders. For example, a extinct species. Finally, there are listschapter on "Michigan Specialties" of Michigan mammals, amphibiansprovides status and occurrence infor- and reptiles, butterflies, damselfliesmation for a number of birds that and dragonflies, and orchids. Six"Michigan birders make a special pages of references include literatureeffort to find", and ...."that out of cited in the guide, plus some addi-state birders most often have as tar- tional titles that "persons interestedget species". These include Spruce in more details of the natural historyGrouse, Sharp-tailed Grouse, of Michigan might find useful".Gyrfalcon, Yellow Rail, Black- I recommend this excellentbacked Woodpecker, Gray Jay, birdfinding guide. I wish it had beenBoreal Chickadee, and Kirtland's available when I lived in Ann ArborWarbler. Bar graphs for 303 regularly during my graduate school days atoccurring species show seasonal the University of Michigan. Itsoccurrence and abundance, with each extremely detailed information andspecies having three separate bars to maps will be a tremendous asset todenote the major regions of the state everyone birding in Michigan, bothnoted above. Following the bar residents and visitors.

Ron Tozer, 1017 Spring Lake Road, R.R. 1, Dwight, Ontario POA lROVOLUME 23 NUMBER 2

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LfvmmingbinlsJ L· of North ""'tria

Hummingbirds of North America.2004. The Advanced Birding VideoSeries with Jon L. Dunn. PeregrineVideo Productions, 7583 EstateCircle, Niwot, Colorado 80503. VHS($34.95 US) and DVD ($39.95 US);180 minutes.

This newest offering from PeregrineVideo is the third in their AdvancedBirding Video Series, following twosuccessful videos, The Large Gullsof North America and The SmallGulls of North America, and is thefirst to be available in DVD format.This review was done based on theDVD version (2 DVD set) of thevideo, which is stated to be identicalin content to the VHS video tape,but has additional advantages of theDVD format. Few of us are suchhopeless hummingbird fanatics thatwe will watch this 4-hour produc­tion in its entirety from beginning toend! The menu structure and anability to instantly cue to any speciesor species group is a distinct advan­tage of this format.

As with the previous gull videos,there is a short introduction coveringo TARIQ BIRDS AUGUST 2005

aspects of hummingbird identifica­tion, including hummingbird topog­raphy and some specialized termsused in describing their field charac­ters, and even covering some false illmarks, such as the presence of pollenon hummingbirds' heads. A handyinsert is provided with a humming­bird topography diagram drawn byShawneen Finnegan, who also creat­ed the artwork included throughoutthe video. Recognized bird identifica­tion guru Jon Dunn narratesthroughout, and the script was writ­ten by hummingbird expert SheriWilliamson, author of Hummingbirdsof North America in the PetersonField Guide series. (HoughtonMifflin Company, 2001). Editors haveincluded other well-known hum­mingbird authorities such as SteveBouricius, Bob Sargent, and others.The maps, many animated and in 3Dshowing relief, were produced byLarry Rosche, many based on themaps in Williamson's book.

All 24 species that have beenrecorded in North America, northof Mexico, are covered, and oneadditional species, Azure-crownedHummingbird, is briefly covered asit is a potential vagrant to NorthAmerica from Mexico. The arrange­ment of species is not taxonomic,but rather species are groupedbased on general size and appear­ance. Thus, we have the Rufous­Green group, the Sheartail group,the Gray-Green group, the SmallTropical Hummingbirds, and theLarge Hummingbirds. The insertlists which species are included ineach group for the times you mayforget, and the Species Locator in

the on-screen menu is very handy.One minor complaint I have withthe arrangement of the DVD is thatit might have been nice to have thegroupings so that the Gray-Greengroup was not spread across thetwo separate DVD disks.

It may be that my personal biasin favour of hummingbirds, and myrelatively reduced enthusiasm forgulls, causes me to state that thevideo images in this production aresuperior to the gull videos, trulyspectacular, and just plain fun towatch. Salient field marks are dis­cussed throughout, with occasionalfreeze-frames and slow motion toallow viewers to see points that thenarrator is discussing on these fast­moving birds, and well done side-by­side comparisons with similarspecies. All too often, however, anumber of interesting characters aredescribed and shown that seem tozoom by all too quickly. The viewersof this video will make frequent useof the rewind and pause features oftheir DVD or VCR just to soak it allin. Captions indicating the flowerspecies on which the birds are feed­ing are a nice added touch.

Hummingbirds exhibit manyinteresting behaviours, which includespectacular courtship displays inmany species. Animated graphicsshow the characteristic displays ofeach species. Vocalizations are oftenumemarkable in hummingbirds, butmany calls can assist with identifica­tion. Supplementing the presentationof these call notes are animatedsonograms that provide greaterdetail of the characteristics of theseoften brief and sharp notes.

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In reviewing for accuracy ofdetails, I found very little of concern,but a few minor inaccuracies didescape the editors. The introductionmakes a broad statement that hum­mingbirds molt once a year, but thatmay not be true for all species, asadults of our own Ruby-throatedHummingbird molt prior to fallmigration (body feathers), then onceagain on their wintering grounds(flight feathers). Rufous Humming­bird molt suggests a suspended moltduring fall migration. Another state­ment that by late summer mostimmature male Ruby-throats willshow some iridescent feathers on thethroat is inconsistent with my person­al experience; a small number willshow this. And, buff fringing on thecrown is correctly stated to be freshfeathers, but is incorrectly claimed tobe characteristic of irnmatures sincefresh adult females, and even wornfemales, often show buff fringingthere. A couple of the range mapscontain inaccuracies, which are surelycarry-overs from the source fieldguide. For example, the map forBroad-tailed Hummingbird shows arecord for central Indiana, wherethere is no such record, and anotherquestionable record on the border ofsouthern Indiana and Kentucky. Thelocation of one of Michigan's tworecords of Broad-billed Humming­bird is incorrectly located, and thereis a record of Black-chinnedHummingbird shown for Ontario onthe north shore of Lake Superiorrather than in eastern Ontario atRideau Ferry, Lanark County, whereit actually occurred. The descriptionand graphic display of the diagnostic

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"narrower inner primaries" of thegenus Archilochus, which includesRuby-throated and Black-chinnedHummingbirds, is a bit confusing andunclear. Dunn's consistent mispro­nunciation of the genus Amazilia isprobably of little consequence.

Technically, this video is verywell done, but the DVD did exhibita couple of glitches that probablycould have been cleaned up in theediting process. The Introductionhas a tendency to repeat or falsestart, and there are a couple ofother places with abrupt, but briefjumps. The music in the backgroundof the opening menu is a bit jerky,

and at the end of the introductionsegment, there is a cut to an inexpli­cable 1-2 seconds of Jon Dunn sim­ply sitting in a chair, after his narra­tion has finished.

This video will be very useful. Ithas very few errors or problems,and is a feast for the eyes whetheryou are a hummingbird enthusiastor not. Although the number ofhummingbird species to be seen inOntario is limited, this video couldhelp prepare you for the next rarityto show up, and I higWy recom­mend it for anyone planning a tripto the southern and western U.S.

Allen T. Chartier, 1442 West River Park Drive, Inkster, Michigan 48141

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o TARIO BIRDS AUGUST 2005

Birds of Ontario: Habitat Require­ments, Limiting Factors, and Status ­Nonpasserines: Waterfowl ThroughCranes. 2005. By Ai Sandilands.UBC Press, Vancouver, BritishColumbia. Hardcover, 365 pages, 89drawings, 86 maps, 21 x 26 em. $95Canadian. ISBN 0-7748-1066-1 (v. 1).

This is the first of four volumes onthe life history of Ontario's breedingbirds (with shorebirds throughwoodpeckers, flycatchers throughwaxwings, and wood-warblersthrough Old World sparrows yet tocome). The series is intended to be"an essential reference for wildlifebiologists, environmental consult­ants, and planners preparing orreviewing environmental impactstatements and environmentalassessments". However, seriousbirders will find these books to be ofgreat interest as well, since theypresent "so many interesting aspectsof the ecology of Ontario birds".

The objective of these books isto summarize the life history

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requirements of the regular breed­ing birds of Ontario, and to providecurrent information concerning fac­tors that limit their populations. Thematerial presented is derived prima­rily from published data. The mainbody of the text is devoted to speciesaccounts. Information in eachspecies account is organized underthree biological seasons: breeding,migration, and winter. For each ofthese three seasons, there is a discus­sion of habitat requirements, limit­ing factors, and status in Ontario.

In the Breeding Season section,Habitat Requirements includesnesting habitat, nest description andterritory size. Under LimitingFactors, information is provided onthe timing of key events in the nest­ing period, annual reproductiveeffort, mating systems and diet.Additional discussion may includetopics such as habitat loss and frag­mentation, human disturbance, envi­ronmental contaminants, effects ofwater-level fluctuations, loggingimpacts, nest parasitism, water andair quality, and nest site availability,when such information is relevantand available. Under Status, an esti­mate of breeding season abundanceis presented. A historical perspectiveof changes from the late 19th centu­ry to the present is given for somespecies, and the future status ofspecies is sometimes predicted (e.g.,Snow Goose, American Black Duck,Double-crested Cormorant).

The Migration section includesdata on migration routes, approxi­mate dates of migration, habitat

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requirements (where relevant),habitat loss, and abundance esti­mates. Migration route and stagingarea information is most pertinentto some species of waterfowl, diur­nal raptors, and shorebirds.

Winter is the final section in eachaccount, and it is relatively brief formost species. However, some birdshave particular habitat preferencesand limiting factors in that season.Information is presented on thesesubjects when available, and Ontariowinter status is defined numerically.

All the species accounts haverange maps, except (inexplicably)for Pacific Loon and CommonLoon. These maps show breedingrange, marginal breeding range,wintering areas, marginal winteringareas, and major migration routesand staging areas (when they existand are known) for Ontario. Themaps appear to be well done, andprovide detailed information onranges and occurrence.

Each account includes a blackand white drawing of the species byRoss James, often depicting thehead and shoulders of the bird withtypical habitat in the background.These drawings are a very attractivefeature of the book.

A strength of this book is thatpublication citations are provided in

the text so that the reader is awareof the source for most statements inthe species accounts, and can accessthe original material if desired. Theemphasis on Ontario-based refer­ences distinguishes this book fromother life history compilations.Sandilands has done a very thor­ough job of researching information,with 60 pages of literature cited.

At $95, the price of this initialhardcover edition is expensive,apparently due to the limited printrun that books of this type oftenhave. However, the publisherhopes to produce a softcover ver­sion in the $40-$50 price rangenext year.

UBC Press asked me to under­take a peer review of the speciesaccounts for this book prior to pub­lication, and so I have had theopportunity to study them in detail.I think Birds of Ontario will be avery useful reference for environ­mental consultants and planners,but also an interesting read and avaluable information source forOntario birders. A tremendousamount of material is summarizedin the species accounts, and it is pre­sented in a well written style. Istrongly recommend this book andfuture volumes in the series.

Ron Tozer, 1017 Spring Lake Road, R.R. 1, Dwight, Ontario POA 1HO

ONTARIO BIRDS AUGUST 2005