Arctic Wings: Birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge [With CD] [Paperback]

Stephen Brown (Editor), Subhankar Banerjee (Photographer), Steven Kazlowski (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2006

This is a celebration in word and image of the birds who return each year to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to nest - and how they link every point on the globe. 200 colour photos from award-wining nature photographers, Subhankar Banerjee, Steven Kazlowski and Arthur Morris are included. Essays by noted writers, biologists and conservationists, including David Allen Sibley, Debble Miller and former US president Jimmy Carter are provided. It offers life histories of individual bird species from every major group, including shorebirds, songbirds and raptors plus dramatic stories of migration and strategies for survival. It also includes an audio CD of Arctic bird songs.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This magnificent book, with 200 sumptuous color photographs, is the story of the birds that return each summer to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. About 190 species gather from six continents and all 50 states to nest and rear their young. Included here are essays by biologists and conservationists recounting the life histories of loons and waterfowl; hawks, eagles, and falcons; shorebirds; gulls, terns, and jaegers; owls; land birds; and a few species that remain within the refuge in significant numbers year-round. David Allen Sibley, renowned author and illustrator of comprehensive guides for birders, writes in the introduction that these birds are constantly in motion, competing for territories and mates, building nests, and feeding their young and themselves. At the same time, Sibley points out, they must prepare for the migration south. The book makes clear the importance of the refuge to bird populations and the dire consequences of permitting oil exploration there. Bird-watchers will be captivated by the book; other readers may be inspired to take up this avocation. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A stunningly beautiful nature photography book." -- Wisconsin Bookwatch

"Arctic Wings: Birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a handsomely illustrated and unapologetically political volume " -- Appalachia Magazine

"Could be used for in-home notes about birding in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." -- Salem (OR) Statesman Journal

"The book makes clear the importance of the refuge to bird populations and the dire consequences of permitting oil exploration" -- Booklist

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books (May 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898869765
• ISBN-13: 978-0898869767
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 11.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #668,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Debbie S. Miller grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. She loved climbing trees, watching animals, and hiking in wild places such as Yosemite National Park. The natural world inspired her to write at a young age. After obtaining her teaching degree, Debbie moved to Alaska with her husband, Dennis. The call of the wild beckoned them from the freeways of California.

For the past 35 years, Debbie has loved exploring the wilds of Alaska and studying its great diversity of wildlife. Alaska has been the foundation and inspiration for all of her writing. Her first wilderness adventure book, Midnight Wilderness (Sierra Club Books, 1990) describes the wonders and natural history of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge based on 14 years of explorations. Many of her nature books for children, such as Survival at 40 Below (Walker, 2010) have been recognized as Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children by the National Science Teachers Association and Children's Book Council (NSTA/CBC).

Debbie enjoys speaking in schools across Alaska and America, sharing her books and programs with teachers and students of all ages. She also likes traveling to other wild regions of the world, such as Australia, where she recently studied some fascinating marsupials, reptiles, and birds.

Alaska will always be a home that Debbie cherishes along with her two grown, beautiful daughters who still enjoy hiking, fishing and camping with her.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Arctic Wings, August 11, 2006

By 

K. Freeman (Apple Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Arctic Wings: Birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge [With CD] (Paperback)

This gorgeous book on the birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge combines writing by a variety of authors, from birding luminary David Sibley to local Native American residents, with many outstanding photographs. Overall, it provides a considerable amount of information on the bird species appearing in the ANWR and the effects that oil drilling might have on them. While some segments are more gracefully written than others, all are interesting.

Along with the book is a CD of birdsongs and ambient sounds of the region.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Book that Covers a Place that May Not be here long., October 19, 2006

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Arctic Wings: Birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge [With CD] (Paperback)

This beautifully illustrated book is written by a collection of authors who have a love affair going with the birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Their writing, each on a different subject is filled with amazement, wonder and love for the area and its birdlife.

On the other side is a whole series of comments about protecting this environment and the thrust for development being urged by the oil companies and the Bush administration. Unfortunately, in the long run, I think that the environmentalists will lose. The 'God given rights' of the people to have inexpensive gasoline for their SUV's leads to power by the voting booth.

The book itself is of large format, printed on a very heavy paper with a printing quality that rivals photographs themselves. It is a beautiful book. There is also a CD included with the book that has recordings of 67 bird boices. This can be played as a single 60 minute recording, or you can select individual tracks of bird species.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully done, very interesting, August 31, 2006

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Arctic Wings: Birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge [With CD] (Paperback)

Absolutely beautifully done with brilliant colors and well-composed pictures this is a great joy to just look through for all bird lovers or fans of the Arctic Refuge area. But it does not stop there. The writers share their experiences in an excellent educational yet highly readable treatise on their particular subject. Together they introduce the fascinating world of Arctic birds to the reader in a way that is both informative and fun. So, how to you finish off such an excellent book? They added a CD in the back with various bird calls, songs, and peeps. Arctic Wings: Birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is highly recommended and a real joy to have around even just for the pleasure of picking it up once in a while and enjoying the pictures.