Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America

Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America
Author: Steve N. G. Howell
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 508
Release: 2012-01-24
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1400839629

A complete illustrated guide to these enigmatic seabirds Petrels, albatrosses, and storm-petrels are among the most beautiful yet least known of all the world's birds, living their lives at sea far from the sight of most people. Largely colored in shades of gray, black, and white, these enigmatic and fast-flying seabirds can be hard to differentiate, particularly from a moving boat. Useful worldwide, not just in North America, this photographic guide is based on unrivaled field experience and combines insightful text and hundreds of full-color images to help you identify these remarkable birds. The first book of its kind, this guide features an introduction that explains ocean habitats and the latest developments in taxonomy. Detailed species accounts describe key identification features such as flight manner, plumage variation related to age and molt, seasonal occurrence patterns, and migration routes. Species accounts are arranged into groups helpful for field identification, and an overview of unique identification challenges is provided for each group. The guide also includes distribution maps for regularly occurring species as well as a bibliography, glossary, and appendixes. The first state-of-the-art photographic guide to these enigmatic seabirds Includes hundreds of full-color photos throughout Features detailed species accounts that describe flight, plumage, distribution, and more Provides overviews of ocean habitats, taxonomy, and conservation Offers tips on how to observe and identify birds at sea

The Storm Petrels

The Storm Petrels
Author: Gordon Brook-Shepherd
Publisher:
Total Pages: 264
Release: 1981-12
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 9780345301642

The Storm-petrels

The Storm-petrels
Author: Rob Thomas
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2024-07-25
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1472985796

The first definitive work on the European Storm-petrel and its relatives, by one of the world's leading experts on the species. Imagine a bird as small as a sparrow, which lives most of its life on the open ocean yet can survive for decades. It walks on water, and migrates half way around the world, returning to remote islands to breed underground, often in the same rock crevice each year. At night it lays an enormous egg, feeding its chick until the nestling weighs more than both parents put together. It seems to have little fear of humans, but was itself feared by ancient seafarers. This might sound like the stuff of legend but is actually the description of a real creature, the storm-petrel: walker on water, global wanderer, climate sentinel and open-ocean survivor. In this beautifully written monograph, Rob Thomas explores the remarkable life of the European Storm-petrel, comparing and contrasting its behaviour and ecology across its range, and with the other storm-petrels of the world. We learn about their evolution, taxonomy, migration and adaptations to a life in the harsh open ocean, while also discovering what these enigmatic seabirds are revealing about what humans are doing to our planet. Illustrated with 150 photographs, and including the author's personal anecdotes and observations, Storm-petrels highlights some of the most exciting recent research findings and sets a trajectory for future discoveries.

Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World

Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World
Author: Derek Onley
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2013-02-28
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1408183765

Famous for their size and elegance in flight, albatrosses are familiar to anyone who has travelled through the southern oceans, and are a flagship family of conservation concern. However, albatrosses are just one of several groups of 'pelagic' birds - those that visit land only to breed, and spend the rest of their lives far from the coast, soaring from ocean to ocean in a never-ending search for food. Mysterious and graceful, these birds can present a formidable identification challenge to even the most experienced birder. This fixed-format ebook provides the answer - the first comprehensive guide to pelagic birds, the albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters, storm-petrels and diving petrels. Optimised for iPad, it features the book in crisp, clear high-resolution. A total of 46 detailed, fully zoomable colour plates highlight key ID criteria of the birds in flight, with close-ups of diagnostic regions of the plumage. The plates are accompanied by accurate distribution maps, while the sparkling text brings the world of these amazing birds to life. Sea-watchers all around the world will find this superb field guide indispensable – and no birder will want to be without it.

Oceanic Birds of the World

Oceanic Birds of the World
Author: Steve N. G. Howell
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 360
Release: 2019-08-20
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0691175012

A state-of-the-art photographic field guide to the world's oceanic birds Oceanic birds are among the most remarkable but least known of all birds, living at sea, far from the sight of most people. They offer unusual identification challenges—many species look similar and it can be difficult to get good views of fast-flying birds from a moving boat. The first field guide to the world's oceanic birds in more than two decades, this exciting and authoritative book draws on decades of firsthand experience on the open seas. It features clear text filled with original insights and new information and more than 2,200 carefully chosen color images that bring the ocean and its remarkable winged inhabitants to life. Never before have oceanic birds been presented in such an accessible and comprehensive way. The introduction discusses the many recent developments in seabird taxonomy, which are incorporated into the species accounts, and these accounts are arranged into groups that aid field identification. Each group and species complex has an introductory overview of its identification challenges, illustrated with clear comparative photos. The text describes flight manner, plumage variation related to age and molt, seasonal occurrence patterns, migration routes, and many other features. The result is an indispensable guide for exploring birding's last great frontier. A comprehensive, authoritative, and accessible guide to oceanic birds Covers more than 270 species Includes more than 2,200 color photos with concise captions noting key features Features careful species comparisons, overviews of the latest taxonomy, tips on how to observe and ID birds at sea, and much more

Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America

Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America
Author: Steve N. G. Howell
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 509
Release: 2012-01-24
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0691142114

A complete illustrated guide to these enigmatic seabirds Petrels, albatrosses, and storm-petrels are among the most beautiful yet least known of all the world's birds, living their lives at sea far from the sight of most people. Largely colored in shades of gray, black, and white, these enigmatic and fast-flying seabirds can be hard to differentiate, particularly from a moving boat. Useful worldwide, not just in North America, this photographic guide is based on unrivaled field experience and combines insightful text and hundreds of full-color images to help you identify these remarkable birds. The first book of its kind, this guide features an introduction that explains ocean habitats and the latest developments in taxonomy. Detailed species accounts describe key identification features such as flight manner, plumage variation related to age and molt, seasonal occurrence patterns, and migration routes. Species accounts are arranged into groups helpful for field identification, and an overview of unique identification challenges is provided for each group. The guide also includes distribution maps for regularly occurring species as well as a bibliography, glossary, and appendixes. The first state-of-the-art photographic guide to these enigmatic seabirds Includes hundreds of full-color photos throughout Features detailed species accounts that describe flight, plumage, distribution, and more Provides overviews of ocean habitats, taxonomy, and conservation Offers tips on how to observe and identify birds at sea

Lives of North American Birds

Lives of North American Birds
Author: Kenn Kaufman
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Total Pages: 708
Release: 1996
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780618159888

The bestselling natural history of birds, lavishly illustrated with 600 colorphotos, is now available for the first time in flexi binding.

Albatrosses and Petrels Across the World

Albatrosses and Petrels Across the World
Author: Michael Brooke
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 499
Release: 2004
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780198501251

Visiting all the world's seas, the 125 species of albatross and petrel are the most oceanic and widespread of all seabirds. The nesting islands tenanted by these remarkable birds include some of the remotest atolls and some of the bleakest ice-bound Antarctic islands on the planet. Despite their penchant for the remote, petrels are now well studied ashore during breeding and, thanks to the rapid development of satellite tracking and similar techniques, when they roam the high seas. In this comprehensive and elegantly written book, Michael Brooke, who has visited some 40 countries in pursuit of birds, has brought together a wealth of information on all aspects of the biology of the species. He considers why Short-tailed Shearwaters nesting off Australia make regular 10,000 km round trips to Antarctica to harvest a single meal for their chicks, and he discusses the fearsome threat posed to most of the world's 21 albatross species by modern fishing techniques, especially long-lining. Following the ten introductory chapters come 125 individual species accounts, each accompanied by a detailed distribution map. These accounts are the most accessible and up-to-date summaries of each species' biology currently available. The book is enhanced by 16 color plates and many delightful line drawings by John Cox, and the text is also liberally illustrated with photographs. Albatrosses and Petrels Across the World will appeal to all seabird enthusiasts, whether non-specialists keen to learn more of the species that can be seen on a pelagic cruise, or professionals eager to discover how the extraordinary lifestyles of albatrosses and petrels are adaptations to a life on the ocean waves.

Stormy Petrel

Stormy Petrel
Author: Mary Stewart
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Total Pages: 139
Release: 2011-04-28
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1444715089

font size="+1"A gripping, nail-biting adventure set in Scotland, from the original queen of romantic suspense/font size font size="+1"Total heaven. I'd rather read her than most other authors' Harriet Evans/font size When Rose Fenemore takes a desperately needed holiday to an isolated cottage on the Scottish island of Moila she doesn't expect much in the way of adventure - just a few quiet weeks of writing, walking and bird-watching. And then, late one night during a wild storm, two young men appear in her doorway, seeking shelter from the wind and rain. Neither man is quite who he claims, and the question of who to trust will put Rose in grave peril . . . Praise for Mary Stewart: 'Mary Stewart is magic' New York Times 'One of the great British storytellers of the 20th century' Independent 'She set the benchmark for pace, suspense and romance - with a great dollop of escapism as the icing' Elizabeth Buchan 'Mary Stewart's writing is illuminated by her evident affection for the Western Scottish landscape . . . a rattling good yarn' Sunday Telegraph Reader reviews of Stormy Petrel: 'Mary Stewart! What an author! . . . The plot has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, and the writing is a joy' 'She truly is one of the best romantic suspense writers, if not the best' 'Like consuming really rich chocolate you don't want it to end . . . She has the gift and has been sharing it with her readers generously. She still has magic' 'Mary Stewart specialises in novels which have you alternately holding your breath as to what might happen, or chuckling to yourself'