Waders of Europe, Asia and North America

This new field guide offers a complete identification reference to all of the sandpipers, plovers, stints and other waders found in Europe, Asia and North America. The superb plates show birds at rest and in flight, in every plumage variant likely to be encountered in the region. Species have been grouped, especially on the flight plates, so that similar species are shown close to each other. Facing text summarises key identification pointers to complete a quick-reference, field-friendly guide to this difficult and challenging group.

Field Guide to the Waders of Britain and Europe with North Africa

Although this was publish in 1988 and some of the taxonomy and names have changed this is still a really good book for this group of birds. As it covers North Africa and the Middle East there are some African species covered in this book too. The 23 plates are of good quality artwork all done by Philip Burton showing several adult plumages, 8 for male Ruff alone, and the last plate being of 18 downy chicks, which considering many shorebird species have young that are nidifugous and precocial is quite helpful. Each of the 87 species dealt with in this book receives 1-3 pages of information covering identification, voice, habitat, distribution, movements, feeding, social and breeding behavior, nest,eggs and young. There are also nine pages of maps at the back covering the breeding range and migratory range, though only separated by a dotted line rather than being two toned.

Common and Spotted Sandpipers

This wonderful book describes the fascinating lives of the two most ubiquitous shorebirds in the world. Between them the Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) and Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia) make use of a large part of the world's terrestrial habitat and they exhibit many of the exciting features of shorebirds. As the birds arrive on the breeding ground, their displays are spectacular and their sounds are an exciting announcement of springtime. Unusually, the Spotted Sandpiper appears to be the only bird where the female is the territory holder, laying successive clutches of eggs for different males to care for, while the male of the Common Sandpiper holds the territory, has one mate, and shares most duties. They stay on the breeding grounds only as long as is essential to reproduce before making a migration southwards to a broad range of non-breeding homes in Central and South America, Africa, India, and eastwards to Australia with vagrants reaching as far as Tristan da Cunha and New Zealand. The Common Sandpiper has also been recorded breeding in East Africa and wintering in Scotland so their flexibility is amazing. The author has spent over 40 years studying the lives of these fantastic birds and provides a wealth of information including their breeding behaviour, migrations, distribution, food sources, habitats and their history from the present back to 36 million years ago. This beautiful book will hopefully stimulate others to watch these worldwide birds more appreciatively and add to our knowledge.

Waders: Their Breeding, Haunts and Watchers

All of the Nethersole-Thompson family contribute in some measure to this book but it is Dr Desmond Nethersole-Thompson's life-long interest in waders which gives the work its exceptional quality and authority. For well over fifty years the study of waders and their behaviour has been his passion, and his great knowledge and experience are internationally recognised. There is a bonus, too, for the reader in the particular freshness and style of his writing which conveys not only his closely observed, patient study but also the joy and satisfaction he has known in watching such intriguing and beautiful birds, mainly in their Scottish habitats. The core of the book is the comprehensive accounts of the biology and behaviour of 18 species of waders in their breeding haunts (see Contents list). In addition there are chapters on waders generally, wader spacing and dispersion, the wader watchers of past and recent times, and two final chapters on new or returning waders and those pipe-dream species that, not too fancifully, may yet breed one day in these islands. Voice is one of the headings within the species accounts but there is also an appendix of sonagrams of wader songs and calls; there are tables of data and an extensive, selected bibliography. Donald Watson has provided more than a hundred drawings to complement and embellish the text and there are 32 photographs. Jacket paintings by Donald Watson

Shorebirds - An Identification Guide to the Waders of the World

Shorebirds - An Identification Guide to the Waders of the World" By Peter Hayman, John Merchant, and Tony Prater. This is the Reprinted Edition, published by Christopher Helm Ltd., 1987, 1988. A comprehensive guide to wader birds, this book was British Birds' Best Bird Book of the Year 1986. Richly illustrated with colour plates of 1800 birds, 214 distribution maps & black & white drawings & diagrams. Contents: Foreword. Introduction. How to Use this Book. How to Identify Waders. General Notes on Families and Groups of Waders. Conservation of Wader Habitats and Species. How to Study Waders. Acknowledgements. Notes on the Plates, Peter Hayman. Colour Plates, Facing Captions and Distribution Maps.

Shorebirds: An illustrated Behavioural Ecology

The migration, feeding and breeding of shorebirds are explained in a comprehensive but simple and visually stunning form. The core of the book is based on studies of shorebirds and other waterbirds that migrate along the East Atlantic Flyway. The emphasis is on those using the Dutch, German and Danish Wadden Sea, but examples from the rest of the world are also included.

Waders of Europe

Waders are truly spectacular members of our avifauna, especially along coasts and in wetlands during the spring and autumn migration periods, when members of several species may form dramatic flocks that wheel and turn in flight. While waders are often particularly striking in summer plumage, identifying these birds outside the breeding season can be problematic for even the most confident birdwatchers. Waders of Europe is the ultimate guide to wader identification, ecology and biology. Through outstanding photography and concise, detailed text, this book is indispensable for anyone interested in learning more about waders, and is an invaluable tool for identifying birds to species level in the field.

Sky Dance of the Woodcock

Woodcock are one of the oddest birds in North America. They are a shorebird that got lost and ended up in the scrubby parts of the forest, and look like they were put together with the leftover parts of other birds. Oddities aside, each spring they rise to great beauty with their sky dance at dusk.
Greg Hoch combines natural history, land management, scientific knowledge, and personal observation to examine this little game bird. Woodcock have a complex life history and the management of their habitat is also complex. The health of this bird can be considered a key indicator of what good forests look like.

Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia

Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia is a quick-reference field guide to the sandpipers, plovers, stints, and other shorebirds found on these continents. The exhaustive and superbly detailed colour plates show the birds at rest and in flight, and in every plumage variant likely to be encountered. Species are treated plumage by plumage alongside images of similar species they are otherwise likely to be confused with. Succinct text on pages facing the plates summarizes the key identification features of appearance, voice, and behaviour. There is a colour distribution map for each of the described species. This guide provides fast, easy, and reliable field identification of this challenging group of birds.
80 colour plates show full range of plumage types of all species covered

• 
  Concise facing text treats appearance, voice, and behaviour
• 
  Clear colour distribution map for each species
• 
  Definitive pictorial guide to the shorebirds of these continents
  

Shorebirds of North America

Identifying shorebirds can be a challenge--and having a field guide specifically devoted to the species gives any birder an edge. Yet until now, no guide has illustrated or described the complete range of North and Central American shorebirds.
Dennis Paulson's book more than corrects that deficiency. This beautifully illustrated volume represents the first complete guide to North and Central American shorebirds ever published.
Unlike other guide books, which have traditionally relied on paintings to represent shorebirds, this one contains an extensive series of striking photographs--most never published before. More than 530 photos illustrate all shorebird species in their varied plumage, and are accompanied by text that points out the variation within common species.
The book also includes identification tips and ways for distinguishing shorebirds from all similar species, at rest and in flight. Brief descriptions of voice, behaviour, habitat, and range are given for each species.

Chamberlain's Waders: The Definitive Guide to Southern Africa's Shorebirds

• Waders, or shorebirds, represent only a small percentage of the world's birds, but are unparalleled in popularity among birders. Why? Identifying these seemingly anonymous grey birds, through a combination of shape, plumage and behaviour, is one of the most rewarding challenges in birding and the possibility of finding a rarity is an ever-present drawcard. Despite their delicate appearance, waders thrive in some of the most inhospitable environments on the planet thanks to remarkable structural and behavioural adaptations, dynamic life cycles and dramatic global migrations. More than two years in the making, this unique, lavishly illustrated book will help you not only to identify waders with confidence, but also to understand and enjoy these inspirational birds. It is the ultimate resource on the identification and biology of Southern Africa's wader species.

North Atlantic Shorebirds

Identifies more than sixty species of shore birds, including phalaropes, willets, sandpipers, curlews, plovers, and avocets, and offers advice on observing them.

• Publisher : Facts On File Inc (1 May 1989)
• Language: : English
• Hardcover : 208 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0816020825
• ISBN-13 : 978-0816020829
• Dimensions : 2.03 x 14.22 x 19.3 cm

Shorebirds of North America

Publisher : Gallery Books; Spi edition (1 April 1991)

• Language: : English
• ISBN-10 : 0831769629
• ISBN-13 : 978-0831769628
• Dimensions : 12.7 x 1.27 x 19.69 cm
• 
  

The Shorebirds of North America

ASIN : B0006BQVW4

• Publisher : Viking Press; First Edition (1 Jan. 1967)
• Language: : English
• Hardcover : 270 pages
• ISBN-10 : 1131974212
• ISBN-13 : 978-1131974217
• 
  

Shorebird Ecology, Conservation, and Management

Shorebirds are model organisms for illustrating the principles of ecology and excellent subjects for research. Their mating systems are as diverse as any avian group, their migrations push the limits of endurance, and their foraging is easily studied in the open habitats of estuaries and freshwater wetlands. This comprehensive text explores the ecology, conservation, and management of these fascinating birds. Beginning chapters examine phylogenetic relationships between shorebirds and other birds, and cover shorebird morphology, anatomy, and physiology. A section on breeding biology looks in detail at their reproductive biology. Because shorebirds spend much of their time away from breeding areas, a substantial section on non-breeding biology covers migration, foraging ecology, and social behaviour. The text also covers shorebird demography, population size, and management issues related to habitat, predators, and human disturbances. Throughout, it emphasizes applying scientific knowledge to the conservation of shorebird populations, many of which are unfortunately in decline.

Shorebirds: Beautiful Beachcombers

A wonderfully illustrated introduction to identifying North American shorebirds: sandpipers, plovers, oystercatchers, turnstones, and dowitchers

Shorebirds offer unique challenges to both beginning and experienced birdwatchers. They're large, forage in the open, and are easy to spot, but their infinitely variable plumage makes them difficult to identify. With beautifully detailed images taken by one of the country's premier bird photographers, this book offers invaluable assistance to those who want to distinguish a yellow-legs from a willet, or a snipe from a dowitcher. It also offers sound advice on how best to observe these fascinating creatures, details on their natural history, and information on how mankind's actions have affected their populations.

Greenshanks

Desmond Nethersole-Thompson has been studying his favourite bird, the greenshank Tringa nebularia, since May 1932. This book, published in 1976, owes much to the interest, almost an obsession, of the Nethersole-Thompson family. The two girls and four boys, as well as both parents, now work as a team in the wild and beautiful north-west Highlands of Scotland. Greenshanks has drawn heavily on the team's field notebooks. In the gneiss country of Sutherland, so different from the forest bogs of Spey Valley, Fennoscandia and the Soviet Union, they have particularly concentrated on the greenshank's displays and breeding, food and feeding behaviour and its remarkable voice. There can be few long-term projects on waders to equal this made by the Nethersole-Thompsons, and there are valuable specialist contributions by other eminent ornithologists. Greenshanks is a major contribution to bird studies and takes its place beside Desmond Nethersole-Thompson's four earlier monographs. The illustrations in colour and monochrome by Donald Watson have all the veracity and atmosphere that one has come to expect of this gifted artist.

Field guide to shorebirds of South Africa

Do you have a large 'Wader'-sized gap in your bird knowledge? Roy Cowgill and Stephen Davis will help you fill in those gaps and will soon have you identifying South Africa's shorebirds with confidence and ease. This unique new guide will help identify the more common waders (shorebirds) in South Africa and will appeal to both experienced birders and novices. Using classification, characteristics and behaviour, and based on an 8-point identification framework, the reader is guided through the stages of identification of shorebirds. The book gives visual clues to both plovers and sandpipers through silhouettes and plumage patterns showing their relative size as a key to identification, as well as photos with key species characteristics. Also included are descriptions of habitats, tables showing seasonality, abundance and distribution.

The Stone Curlew

The first monograph on the Stone Curlew. Drawing on the authors' extensive field research it provides detailed and comprehensive information about the Stone Curlew's habitat, feeding, breeding and migration patterns, as well as the levels of protection and encouragement this species enjoys in several parts of the world.

Snipes a Study of the Genus Capella

428 page monograph covering the Snipes. Black & white photographs, many maps and charts. Laminated covers.

Arctic Shorebirds in North America

Each year shorebirds from North and South America migrate thousands of miles to spend the summer in the Arctic. There they feed in shoreline marshes and estuaries along some of the most productive and pristine coasts anywhere. With so much available food they are able to reproduce almost explosively; and as winter approaches, they retreat south along with their offspring, to return to the Arctic the following spring. This remarkable pattern of movement and activity has been the object of intensive study by an international team of ornithologists who have spent a decade counting, surveying, and observing these shorebirds. In this important synthetic work, they address multiple questions about these migratory bird populations. How many birds occupy Arctic ecosystems each summer? How long do visiting shorebirds linger before heading south? How fecund are these birds? Where exactly do they migrate and where exactly do they return? Are their populations growing or shrinking? The results of this study are crucial for better understanding how environmental policies will influence Arctic habitats as well as the far-ranging winter habitats used by migratory shorebirds.

Shorebirds in Action

Shorebirds, or waders, are a large group of small to medium-sized birds that occur worldwide, in a wide range of predominantly coastal or wetland habitats. Some species are largely sedentary whilst others are amongst the world's most migratory bird species, travelling thousands of kilometres in a few days. In addition to describing physical behavioural traits such as feeding, breeding, migration, and particular physiological adaptations, Shorebirds in Action also covers territorial behaviour both when feeding and breeding. There is detailed discussion of the range of species and their different lifestyles together with feeding strategies, flocking, roosting and the avoidance of predators. The seasonal features of shorebirds' lives are included, such as the various plumages that they have when breeding, or not breeding, together with the intervening periods of moult, during which the birds change from one plumage to the next.Shorebirds in Action is in two parts - firstly basic behavioural information and then a photographic section that explains the specific behaviour being illustrated for that particular shorebird at the time the photo was taken.Consequently, the book can be read as a general text, split into chapters that provide the basic behavioural information and also by reference to the extended photograph captions which explain the details of the particular behaviour shown. The book contains excellent photographs of about 180 shorebird species - over three-quarters of the world's total - and therefore provides a general reference for the identification of shorebird species and the recognition of their various plumages. It will be relevant to readers worldwide, including Europe, North America and Australasia. This comprehensive work can be read as a general text and also the photographs can be enjoyed separately in their own right. Detailed references to source material are provided.

The Shorebird Guide

When many birders go out looking at waders, they see a distant mudflat with grey-brown birds of various shapes and sizes and have no idea where to begin the identification process. When advanced birders look at that same flock, they can identify the vast majority with a quick scan of the binoculars. Experts use the simplest, most easily observed characteristics, or jizz - size, structure, behaviour and general colour patterns - almost subconsciously, and they can identify most birds before the complexities of plumage detail need to be considered. The Shorebird Guide allows birders of all levels to identify Nearctic waders quickly and accurately. With more than 870 stunning colour photographs, images are sequenced to give a general impression of a species first, progressing to more detailed photographs of the birds at various ages and plumages. Captions list characteristics in order of importance, reflecting the process of elimination and deduction that experts use to identify these tricky-to-separate birds, while each species is accompanied by a full-colour map plus details on taxonomy, status, behaviour, migration, moult and vocalisations. The Shorebird Guide is acknowledged as one of the finest photographic guides to any avian group available; it is a superb addition to the Christopher Helm list.

Shorebirds of the Northern Hemisphere

Shorebirds are a very popular group of birds among birders of all standards, though their identification is often a challenge. Covering all the species of the northern hemisphere, this new photographic guide provides all the information a birder will need at a glance. Lavishly illustrated with colour photography by the author, Shorebirds of the Northern Hemisphere focuses on specific and subspecific separation and on ageing to provide a complete identification resource.

Shorebirds: From Stilts to Sanderlings

Describes the general physical characteristics and behaviour of shorebirds and takes an in-depth look at fourteen different species.

• Language: : English
• Library Binding : 48 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0531115968
• ISBN-13 : 978-0531115961
• Reading age : 9 - 12 years
• Dimensions : 20.96 x 1.27 x 24.77 cm

The Oystercatcher (Shire natural history)

Publisher : Shire Publications; First edition (1 Jun. 1988)

• Language: : English
• Paperback : 24 pages
• ISBN-10 : 085263949X
• ISBN-13 : 978-0852639498
• Dimensions : 14.88 x 0.33 x 20.98 cm

This book has chapters dealing with avocet plumage, world distribution and populations, food, feeding ecology and predators. A further chapter details courtship, breeding and migration. The final chapter deals with managing and conserving avocet habits and shows how they can be encouraged to breed.

• Publisher : Shire Publications; First edition (1 Sept. 1988)
• Language: : English
• Paperback : 24 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0852639597
• ISBN-13 : 978-0852639597
• Dimensions : 20.93 x 12.9 x 0.28 cm

The Flight of the Red Knot

Red Knots are in the sandpiper family. They are barely ten inches long and weigh about twenty ounces. Each spring they breed in the Arctic, but in the year that follows they will migrate to the southern tip of South America and back again in their quest for food. Why and how they travel more than 18,000 miles each year, often as many as 2,500 miles nonstop (and at speeds averaging between thirty and forty miles per hour), is the subject of this engrossing and beautifully illustrated book.
Based on a popular NOVA series on migration, The Flight of the Red Knot is the story of an ornithological marvel by one of the world's foremost authorities. Here we learn of the marvellous physical equipment of the long-distance flyers, their extraordinary food storage capacity, and the nature of their ever-moving food supply. The methods of research into the Red Knots' life cycle are also described. Bird lovers especially, but also any one interested in nature will love this book.

Red Knot: A Shorebird's Incredible Journey

Narrated in journal entries from the point of view of a red knot--a robin-sized shore bird that migrates 20,000 miles annually, from the tip of South America to the Arctic Circle and back--this book depicts one such dramatic journey in stunningly detailed coloured-pencil illustrations of the flight over the Atlantic Ocean, a landing in Delaware Bay, the northern nesting grounds, chicks feeding on hatching insects, a close call with an arctic fox, and the return home. At the heart of the story is a message about conservation: the birds stop only a few times as they travel and always in the same coastal areas where dwindling food supplies have caused a precipitous decline in their numbers over the past decade. Science concepts such as animal life cycles, climate, extinction, the food chain, and migration are introduced by information about how bird-banding and protecting the horseshoe crab--whose eggs are a principal food for red knots--can help them survive. A four-page appendix includes a map of the western hemisphere, a range and route map for migrating birds, a glossary, a timeline, and the history and conservation of red knots. This book was the first runner up in the Children's category for the 2007 Eric Hoffer Book Award.

Avocets in England

ASIN : B0000CIJ2Z

• Publisher : Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; 1st Edition (1 Jan. 1950)
• Paperback : 40 pages

Northern Waders

• Publisher : Oriel Stringer (1 Jun. 1992)
• Language: : English
• Hardcover : 120 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0948122102
• ISBN-13 : 978-0948122101
  

The Dotterel

Desmond Nethersole-Thompson

• Publisher : HarperCollins; 1st edition (20 Nov. 1972)
• Language: : English
• Hardcover : 288 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0002130572
• ISBN-13 : 978-0002130578
  

The Ruff

The Ruff is a fascinating species whose elaborate breeding behaviour has captivated ornithologists for decades. Their communal display grounds, or leks, provide an extreme example of a social system widespread in birds and other animals, in which brilliantly plumaged males seemingly compete for the attention of passing females. In this book, Johan van Rhijn explores this complex and intricate drama, both to lay bare the details of the players' private lives, and to provide a means of exploring the wider variety of wader breeding systems. Strands of evidence for all aspects of the Ruffs life, in and out of the breeding season, come together to give a thought-provoking insight into this important area of biology. Specialists and birdwatchers alike will have much to learn from this intriguing story and the insights it provides. Illustrated by Ian Willis

The Curlew (Shire natural history)

The curlew is the largest of the Palearctic waders, its long down-curving bill making it instantly recognisable. There are few other birds which can match the beauty of its calls. This book first describes how the curlew's habitat range has expanded considerably in the twentieth century to include many lowland breeding areas, and then examines its lifestyle. The various calls are set out, after which the breeding cycle is discussed in detail from the initial courtship through to the raising of the young. The book then deals with the bird's inland and coastal feeding habits, its patterns of migration and its enemies, inevitably including mankind.

Guide to the Identification & Ageing of Holarctic Waders

ASIN : B003TTA1IK

• Publisher : British Trust for Ornithology; 1st Edition (1 Jan. 1977)
• Language: : English

The Lapwing (Poyser Monographs)

With its striking green-black and white plumage and distinctive pee-wit call, the Lapwing is one of Britain's best-known birds. Lapwings depend on agricultural land to breed and are considered a barometer of the health of this habitat; the population has crashed over recent decades, partly due to changes in farming practices. In winter, Lapwings switch to coastal areas and to wetlands, including those in suburban areas, where large, noisy flocks can gather. Michael Shrubb's The Lapwing is a concise yet authoritative monograph of this popular species; a thorough review of Lapwing biology contains sections on population dynamics, feeding ecology, habitat use, migration, and conservation; there is an impressively detailed review of our current understanding of breeding biology, plus discussion of some other species in the genus. The Lapwing is a superb addition to the Poyser list. Of interest to both amateur naturalists, who will enjoy insights into the birds' lives, and to academics, who will appreciate the broad overview of current research, this title will remain the definitive work on the species for many years to come.

The Lapwing

E. A. R. Ennion 

Published under the auspices of the Council for the Promotion of Field Studies.

• ASIN : B0007JA6AS
• Publisher : Methuen; First Edition (1 Jan. 1949)
• Language: : English
• Hardcover : 47 pages

The Lapwing (Shire natural history)

Publisher : Shire Publications; First Edition (1 Jan. 1987)

• Language: : English
• Paperback : 24 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0852638558
• ISBN-13 : 978-0852638552
• Dimensions : 21.03 x 15.06 x 0.25 cm

The Dunlin Der Alpenstrandläufer: Calidris alpina (German)

• Publisher : A Ziemsen Verlag; 1. Aufl edition (1 Jan. 1989)
• Language: : German
• Paperback : 248 pages
• ISBN-10 : 3740301600
• ISBN-13 : 978-3740301606