Albatrosses Petrels & Shearwaters/World (Helm Field Guides) [Paperback]

Paul Schofield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2007 | Series: Helm Field Guides

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 book provides the answer - the first comprehensive guide to pelagic birds, the albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters, storm-petrels and diving petrels. A total of 46 spectacular 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. Several extremely rare species, such as Beck's Petrel, are illustrated for the first time, while the New Zealand Storm-petrel, rediscovered as recently as 2004, is also included. Sea-watchers all around the world will find this superb field guide indispensable.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A well-crafted and useful field guide that pays fine tribute to a really fabulous group of birds.' Birdwatch (June 2007) 'An excellent addition to the field guide series.' BTO News (May-June 2007) 'Whether you are a travelling birder seeking new ticks around the globe or a local birdwatcher keen to get to grips with the occasional petrel or shearwater seen offshore in British waters... this great value book comes highly recommended.' Morecambe Visitor (July 2007) 'This book is an absolute "must buy" for seabirders.' British Birds (August 2007) 'Books as well researched and as well illustrated as this will certainly encourage and promote a greater interest in these wonderful birds.' Avicultural Magazine (no.3 2007)

From the Back Cover

"This is an exciting book that will appeal to the flourishing and growing group of seabirders. The concise text opposite the plates is handy, and essential, as seabirds are ever on the wing. The layout and organization are right on the money."--Debra Shearwater, owner of Shearwater Journeys

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: A&C Black (March 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0713643323
• ISBN-13: 978-0713643329
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,089,074 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have book for pelagic birders, December 15, 2007

By 

C. Harrison (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World (Princeton Field Guides) (Paperback)

I bought this book as a replacement for my older Peter Harrison's book on Seabirds. That book is good, but is somewhat outdated and too large for the field.

This book is much smaller, as it only covers the procellariform birds, and much more field friendly. As such, it makes a good pelagic field guide rather than just a desk reference.

The plates are nice and show several views and plumages of each species.
The maps are good, the text concise and readable with good references and comparisons with similar species.

For the inexperienced pelagic birder, there is a good discussion of approaches to pelagic birding and challenges that this specialized type of birding presents. For the experienced seabirder, there are tables of measurement data for certain problematic groups (Little Shearwaters, Prions, etc.) and a good discussion of plumage variation in the "Wandering" Albatrosses.

I think this book will provide a good introduction to the challenges of pelagic species identification as well as being an indispensable book for the pelagic birder. And all this comes at a reasonable price.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent plates with top-rate identification info, November 1, 2008

By 

Soleglad (Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World (Princeton Field Guides) (Paperback)

Basics: 2007, softcover, 240 pages, 45 color plates of 136 species, range maps

Second only to the classic book by Harrison, this is a quality book that focuses on a specific set of the pelagic species. Groups not included in this book are the gulls, jaegers, terns, penguins, cormorants, pelicans, tropicbirds, and frigatebirds. I like having this narrower focus since it allows more plates and information to be included while maintaining a smaller sized book.

The artistry and the variety of plumages in the plates are excellent. Each species is shown with anywhere from 2-8 different angles or plumages. Some birds, such as the Leach's Storm-Petrel, are shown on multiple plates to show direct comparisons with similar species. Wisely, a note is placed with these birds to alert you to where additional illustrations may be found on the other plates. The plates make good use of the space with 8-23 illustrations. Those with higher counts still do not appear too crowded since these often involve only the heads of the birds to show subtle differences. I found these extra illustrations, such as the bill variations for the Westland and White-chinned Petrels, to be very useful when using this book off the coast of Chile. My only small critique with the plates is the stark, shiny white background, which makes the paler-plumaged birds not stand out as much - especially in the bright sunlight when standing on the deck of the boat.

The text is arranged into two sections. One consists of brief identification notes found opposite the plates. These are brief but potent. The bulk of the species accounts is in the last half of the book. About one page is dedicated to each bird and is broken into these catetories: taxonomy, distribution, behavior, jizz, size, plumage, molt, and identification. At least half of the information is given towards plumage and identification. This is top notch information that covers the variety of races, subspecies, and color morphs. The notes on jizz are also well written and quite helpful to aid in the identification. These offer distinct pointers that might not be noticed otherwise.

The range maps, which must cover a large area for these widely wandering birds, do a good job at depicting the ranges. Of course, the vast area covered means these ranges are somewhat generalized. Where a species is more locally confined, the maps zoom in to be more specific.

This is a must-have book for pelagic excursions. Although the Harrison guide might offer some additional text, its age falls behind the many taxonomic changes addressed in Onley's book. Also, Harrison's book is simply bigger to handle with all the other seabird families included.

I've listed several related books below...
1) Seabirds: An Identification Guide by Harrison
2) Seabirds of the World by Harrison
3) Southern albatrosses and petrels: An identification guide by Harper
4) Seabirds of Australia by Lindsey
5) The Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife by Shirihai
6) Sea Birds Britain Ireland by Cramp
7) Field Guide to New Zealand Seabirds by Parkinson
8) Ocean Birds of the Nearshore Pacific by Stallcup

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A significant contribution, September 27, 2007

By 

Wj Waugh "John Waugh" (Auckland, New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World (Princeton Field Guides) (Paperback)

A very useful and well illustrated book. A must for the expert and amateur alike. Easy to use and well laid out, it is essential reading for those of us who go to sea with our eyes open to the nature around us