rtp@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu (06/13/91)
Expecting a trip to Queensland, Australia this winter. What is the best bird book for Australia? Many thanks, Richard Poole, Apopka, Florida
dmark@acsu.buffalo.edu (David Mark) (06/13/91)
In article <1991Jun12.135522.202@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu> rtp@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu writes: >Expecting a trip to Queensland, Australia this winter. What is the best bird >book for Australia? Many thanks, Richard Poole, Apopka, Florida I prefer: Slater, Slater, and Slater (Peter, Pat, and Raoul), 1986, "The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds." Willoughby, NSW, Australia: Lansdowne-Rigby Publishers. ISBN 0 7270 2085 4 343 pages. Maps and text on left page, facing color plates on the right. Nice shape (taller yet less wide that typical North American guides, fits a pocket better). All 756 Australian species described, and (almost?) all are illustrated. Eggs of all species known to have bred in Australia also are illustrated, at the bottoms of the pages. Birds presented in taxonomic order. I bought mine in the gift shop in the botanical gardens in Sydney on my first day over there in 1988. David Mark dmark@sun.acsu.buffalo.edu
mcolthea@sunb.mqcc.mq.oz.au (Max Coltheart) (06/13/91)
The Slater book recommended by David Mark is good; I slightly prefer A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia by Graham Pizzey published by Collins.Very accurate reproductions of birds and oriented towards identification. Richard, if you are going to Queensland you *must* go to Townsville. Australia in all has about 730 listed species; 365 of these have been recorded in or near Townsville. There is a patch of wetlands on the edge of Townsville called the Town Common that is a wonderful birding place (go at dawn and watch the brolgas dancing - brolgas are a species of crane). A short ferry ride is Magnetic Island - many birds there, with Bush Thick-knees and Yellow-Bellied Sunbirds very common. In Townsville buy "Birds of Townsville and where to find them" edited by Jo Weiner. Useful address: The Secretary, Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland, Townsville Branch, PO Box 1249, Townsville Queensland 4810. Have a good time, Max Coltheart
christ@sci.ccny.cuny.edu (Chris Thompson) (06/14/91)
In article <79788@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> dmark@acsu.buffalo.edu (David Mark) writes: >In article <1991Jun12.135522.202@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu> rtp@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu writes: >>Expecting a trip to Queensland, Australia this winter. What is the best bird >>book for Australia? Many thanks, Richard Poole, Apopka, Florida > >I prefer: > >Slater, Slater, and Slater (Peter, Pat, and Raoul), 1986, "The Slater Field > Guide to Australian Birds." Willoughby, NSW, Australia: Lansdowne-Rigby > Publishers. ISBN 0 7270 2085 4 > >343 pages. Maps and text on left page, facing color plates on the right. >Nice shape (taller yet less wide that typical North American guides, fits a >pocket better). All 756 Australian species described, and (almost?) all >are illustrated. Eggs of all species known to have bred in Australia also >are illustrated, at the bottoms of the pages. Birds presented in taxonomic >David Mark > Funny this comes up now...I was just looking through field notes from my trip to Australia. When I went (last December) I looked all over for Slaterx3. It came highly recommended from an ornithologist friend (well, I'm one also, but she works on Australian birds). Anyway, I looked in Sydney, Brisbane & Cairns, and couldn't find a copy. I wound up with Simpson & Day, _Field Guide to the Birds of Australia_. (I think Jim Rising mentions this in a later message). It is larger than Slater x 3, but has fewer pages. Publishing date on mine is 1986, which I think is more recent than the Slater book. I really liked Simpson & Day: the maps are also on the facing page, and the pictures, while comparable to Slaters' in quality, are much larger, due to the larger size of the pages. Simpson & Day list an incredible number of well-regarded ornithologists at the end, along with the sections of text which they contributed. I don't think either book has arrows to field id marks, as the Peterson guide does. I think the determining factor will be the size: if your field guide MUST fit in your pocket, get the Slaters' book. If, like me, you were always carrying so much stuff you need a backpack anyway, I'd get Simpson & Day. Have fun! It is beautiful there. Email me if you want any other info, I'd be glad to write about it... Chris Thompson -- "Never count a human dead until you've seen the body. And even then you can make a mistake". -Lady Fenring
drintoul@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (David A Rintoul) (06/14/91)
The latest edition of Slater 3X is 1989. I got mine at a bookstore in Alexandria VA (name of bookstore escapes me, but it was something cute like "One Good Tern"...). I have also seen it in other bookstores since then. Almost all of the Aussie birders I ran into were using this book, and all of them said that they had the Pizzey book as well but didn't use it anymore. I don't have a catalog handy, but another good source for field guides and bird-finding guides is Patricia Ledlie Booksellers, Inc, in Buckfield Maine (207-336-2778). If you can, you should try to find the book you want before you leave, since the long plane ride over there gives you a chance to read it (even memorize it, probably). -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Dave Rintoul Internet: drintoul@matt.ksu.ksu.edu Biology Division - KSU BITNET: drintoul@ksuvm.ksu.edu Manhattan KS 66506-4901 TCN: id2418 (913)-532-5832 or 6663 FAX: (913)-532-6653 -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
christ@sci.ccny.cuny.edu (Chris Thompson) (06/19/91)
In article <1991Jun12.135522.202@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu> rtp@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu writes: >Expecting a trip to Queensland, Australia this winter. What is the best bird >book for Australia? Many thanks, Richard Poole, Apopka, Florida Did my news reader bounce this to me twice? I sure don't mind saying this again...I looked all over for Slater et al., but couldn't find it. I wound up with a copy of Simpson et al. I really liked it- the pictures are comparable to the Slaters' book in quality, but they're larger. The book itself is larger, definitely NOT back pocket size. Slater et al. came highly recommended by an ornithologist friend, who worked on Australian birds for 4 years. I know what she would say. Have fun! Chris Thompson -- "Never count a human dead until you've seen the body. And even then you can make a mistake". -Lady Fenring