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Review
' It is a splendid addition to any wader watcher's library ' --Birdwatching (July 2009)
'An important new source for shorebird identification.'
--Scottish Birds (2009)
'...a useful collection of shorebird photographs from one of the world's finest bird photographers...many will find it a valuable purchase.'
--Sandgrouse (2009)
'This is a very attractive publication at a very reasonable price, and I highly recommend it to all wader enthusiasts.'
--Seabird (2009)
'An important new source for shorebird identification.'
--Scottish Birds (2009)
'...a useful collection of shorebird photographs from one of the world's finest bird photographers...many will find it a valuable purchase.'
--Sandgrouse (2009)
'This is a very attractive publication at a very reasonable price, and I highly recommend it to all wader enthusiasts.'
--Seabird (2009)
Review
' Fans of tertials and split supercilia will love this technical book '
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
This book is a real labour of love by author Richard Chandler - not only has he written detailed text on over 130 species of northern hemisphere waders covered by this book, but he has also taken most of the accompanying photographs. Either achievement on its own would be notable, but to combine both is something pretty special - it's hard to imagine how much time spent in the field this work must represent.
As far as the text goes, the species accounts are authoritative yet concise, the photographs very informatively annotated and the introductory sections on plumage and behaviour a cut above. There is no doubt that Mr Chandler knows his stuff. The photographs, all 850 of them, are generally of a very high standard - whether taken by the author or by other contributors - and show the birds of in a range of different ages and in various plumages. Highlights include 20 shots covering all six races of Dunlin, and a superb gallery of a dozen different breeding plumage male Ruff.
So why "only" four stars?
Well, while the photographs are generally excellent, a few are not quite up to the same standard (there are a couple of very grainy Phalaropes, for example). A further potential issue with any photographic guide is the difficulty of getting good shots of birds in flight, and as a result that's a slight weak spot, though there are useful flight shots of the great majority of species covered.
The major issue I have with this book is, however, nothing to do with its content - it's the way the book is bound. It is published in a (water-resistant) soft cover, and at nearly 450 pages it is too thick to open anything like flat unless you want to break the spine (which would be a pity). The result is that it can be difficult to read the text and fully appreciate the photos towards the inside edge of the pages, and the book is not particularly easy to handle. Helm's reasoning is that the book is intended to be used in the field, so a hard cover would be inappropriate. Personally I think a book like this is far more likely to be used for reference and "swotting up" on identification at home - or at a pinch in the car - than stuck in your jacket pocket on a day's birding. A hard cover presentation would have done the author's labours more justice, and made the book easier to use.
So, this is without doubt the best photographic guide to waders available today, but it could have been even better. The Hayman / Marchant / Prater classic "Shorebirds" is still the one to beat as a first choice wader identification guide, but Richard Chandler's impressive work would make a good companion volume in any keen birder's library.
As far as the text goes, the species accounts are authoritative yet concise, the photographs very informatively annotated and the introductory sections on plumage and behaviour a cut above. There is no doubt that Mr Chandler knows his stuff. The photographs, all 850 of them, are generally of a very high standard - whether taken by the author or by other contributors - and show the birds of in a range of different ages and in various plumages. Highlights include 20 shots covering all six races of Dunlin, and a superb gallery of a dozen different breeding plumage male Ruff.
So why "only" four stars?
Well, while the photographs are generally excellent, a few are not quite up to the same standard (there are a couple of very grainy Phalaropes, for example). A further potential issue with any photographic guide is the difficulty of getting good shots of birds in flight, and as a result that's a slight weak spot, though there are useful flight shots of the great majority of species covered.
The major issue I have with this book is, however, nothing to do with its content - it's the way the book is bound. It is published in a (water-resistant) soft cover, and at nearly 450 pages it is too thick to open anything like flat unless you want to break the spine (which would be a pity). The result is that it can be difficult to read the text and fully appreciate the photos towards the inside edge of the pages, and the book is not particularly easy to handle. Helm's reasoning is that the book is intended to be used in the field, so a hard cover would be inappropriate. Personally I think a book like this is far more likely to be used for reference and "swotting up" on identification at home - or at a pinch in the car - than stuck in your jacket pocket on a day's birding. A hard cover presentation would have done the author's labours more justice, and made the book easier to use.
So, this is without doubt the best photographic guide to waders available today, but it could have been even better. The Hayman / Marchant / Prater classic "Shorebirds" is still the one to beat as a first choice wader identification guide, but Richard Chandler's impressive work would make a good companion volume in any keen birder's library.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
This excellent book deals with 134 species of shore birds (the Eskimo curlew is not included as it is considered extinct)
The northern hemisphere is considered not at the Equator but at times much further north-a map explains the area covered.
After chapters on plumage,moults and behaviour each of the 134 species (in 20 groups)are given in detail with a general introductory section then notes on each species in the group.
The pictures are first class,there is a map for each bird giving natural residence plus summer and winter homes.
This book deserves 5 star plus.
The northern hemisphere is considered not at the Equator but at times much further north-a map explains the area covered.
After chapters on plumage,moults and behaviour each of the 134 species (in 20 groups)are given in detail with a general introductory section then notes on each species in the group.
The pictures are first class,there is a map for each bird giving natural residence plus summer and winter homes.
This book deserves 5 star plus.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Good ID & resource guide with excellent photos
18 May 2009
Basics: 2009, softcover, 448 pages, 850+ color photos of 134 species, identification and reference guide, general global range maps
With over 850 quality color photos, this book acts both as an identification guide and resource for 134 species of shorebirds. Like a few other books on shorebirds, this is not a field guide due to its large size and its layout.
Each species is shown with 3-19 good photos, nearly all of them being top quality. These photos are larger and with a greater number of poses than the author's prior book of 1989 (see #8 below). The poses are mostly at a profile and are accompanied by in-flight or stretching shots that display the wing and tail patterns.
The text ranges from 1-2 pages with 70-80% of it focused on descriptions and identification. The remaining information addresses status, habits, and distribution. I like how the material breaks out descriptions for adult and juvenile plumages as well as for breeding and non-breeding. My favorite text is each note that accompanies a photograph. These notes offer immediately relevant tidbits that are useful when given next to the particular plumage.
Thirteen (13) tables are provided throughout the book to help compare details of similar species. It's too bad these useful tables are not noted in the table of contents to more easily find them. Instead, these are orphaned and you must flip through the pages in search of them. Also somewhat odd is the use of a table to compare three races of the Short-billed Dowitcher but none for comparison between the Short and Long-billed.
A distribution map showing three colors (breeding, non-breeding, and year round) offer general ranges for the birds. Only the outlines of the continents are used. Due to the global range of many of these birds, the use of a broad map provides little detail.
Conflicting slightly with the title of the book, not all northern hemisphere (i.e., north of the equator) species are included. Instead, the author uses a line that follows natural habitat zones. This effectively disregards South America, Africa south of Morocco-to-Egypt, and the East Indies. However, he does include the Three-banded Plover that ranges over central and southern Africa while excluding the Spot-breasted Plover (endemic to Ethiopia) which is found just as far north.
This is a very useful book with excellent photos to help identify the shorebirds. I should note the material within does not really offer anything new over other books, but it does offer additional and different photos.
I've listed several related books below...
1) The Shorebird Guide by O'Brien
2) Shorebirds: An Identification Guide to the Waders of the World by Hayman
3) Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia by Message
4) Shorebirds of North America: The Photographic Guide by Paulson
5) Shorebirds of the Pacific Northwest by Paulson
6) The Waders of Britain and Europe by Colston
7) Guide to the Identification and Ageing of Holarctic Waders by Prater
8) North Atlantic Shore Birds by Chandler
9) Photographic Guide to the Shorebirds of the World by Rosair
(written by Soleglad at Avian Review or Avian Books, May 2009)
With over 850 quality color photos, this book acts both as an identification guide and resource for 134 species of shorebirds. Like a few other books on shorebirds, this is not a field guide due to its large size and its layout.
Each species is shown with 3-19 good photos, nearly all of them being top quality. These photos are larger and with a greater number of poses than the author's prior book of 1989 (see #8 below). The poses are mostly at a profile and are accompanied by in-flight or stretching shots that display the wing and tail patterns.
The text ranges from 1-2 pages with 70-80% of it focused on descriptions and identification. The remaining information addresses status, habits, and distribution. I like how the material breaks out descriptions for adult and juvenile plumages as well as for breeding and non-breeding. My favorite text is each note that accompanies a photograph. These notes offer immediately relevant tidbits that are useful when given next to the particular plumage.
Thirteen (13) tables are provided throughout the book to help compare details of similar species. It's too bad these useful tables are not noted in the table of contents to more easily find them. Instead, these are orphaned and you must flip through the pages in search of them. Also somewhat odd is the use of a table to compare three races of the Short-billed Dowitcher but none for comparison between the Short and Long-billed.
A distribution map showing three colors (breeding, non-breeding, and year round) offer general ranges for the birds. Only the outlines of the continents are used. Due to the global range of many of these birds, the use of a broad map provides little detail.
Conflicting slightly with the title of the book, not all northern hemisphere (i.e., north of the equator) species are included. Instead, the author uses a line that follows natural habitat zones. This effectively disregards South America, Africa south of Morocco-to-Egypt, and the East Indies. However, he does include the Three-banded Plover that ranges over central and southern Africa while excluding the Spot-breasted Plover (endemic to Ethiopia) which is found just as far north.
This is a very useful book with excellent photos to help identify the shorebirds. I should note the material within does not really offer anything new over other books, but it does offer additional and different photos.
I've listed several related books below...
1) The Shorebird Guide by O'Brien
2) Shorebirds: An Identification Guide to the Waders of the World by Hayman
3) Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia by Message
4) Shorebirds of North America: The Photographic Guide by Paulson
5) Shorebirds of the Pacific Northwest by Paulson
6) The Waders of Britain and Europe by Colston
7) Guide to the Identification and Ageing of Holarctic Waders by Prater
8) North Atlantic Shore Birds by Chandler
9) Photographic Guide to the Shorebirds of the World by Rosair
(written by Soleglad at Avian Review or Avian Books, May 2009)
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