This is a truly monumental work, and I do not use that term lightly. It surpasses anything that has gone before it. By an order of magnitude, too!
The range of miniaturized devices now available to track migration is staggering, especially when compared to the situation that existed just a few years ago, when rare and sporadic bird band recoveries were still the main source of data. Advances in technology have enabled more precision than was ever dreamed possible. Lightweight trackers of various kinds are installed on birds, from the tiniest songbirds to swans, geese and raptors, so that we are able to follow the bird in precise detail, knowing at any time where it is - and even what it is doing. Specialized instruments enable researchers to know the depths to which pelagic species dive, their food, changes to their anatomy in response to changing pressure and light, in addition to their movements across the oceans.
Internet platforms such as eBird and iNaturalist have amassed huge quantities of data and images, empowered by legions of dedicated citizen scientists around the world.
The information age has revolutionized and expanded our knowledge of migration, a subject that has captured the imagination of humankind for centuries.
The concept of connectivity looms large in this work. Over the last fifty years bird populations have declined by three billion, but in many instances there is insufficient information to fully understand the reasons for decline. Some species have discrete populations in both breeding and nonbreeding seasons, and different groups of the same species may never meet. The conditions faced in their habitat and on their migratory journeys may be radically different.
The individual species accounts are incredibly well done, reflecting the current state of knowledge right up till the book went to print!
There is a generalized connectivity map, and other maps as appropriate, showing different migratory pathways and and both breeding and nonbreeding areas.
A quick guide is provided, detailing the species' distribution and abundance, and showing the current status of the bird as ranked by various organizations.
The maps reveal so much!
The water-colours by John C. Anderton are charming, and complement the text with accuracy and aesthetic sensibility.
I have been using this book since the moment I received it, and I am impressed each time I turn to it. Hopefully the data may be put to good use to put the brake to the alarming decline in birds throughout the world.
If I had one very minor complaint - not a complaint actually, more of an observation - the book is huge and very heavy. It is fine when seated at a desk, but nestled in an easy chair it is cumbersome to handle. It might have better to have split it into two volumes.
Thanks to everyone involved for a job very well done.
The Atlas of North America's Migratory Birds: Tracking Movements Across Seasons and Continents - Princeton University Press
Peter P. Marra and Amy L. Scarpignato
Hardcover - US$90.00 - ISBN 9780691163185
816 pages - 8.5 x 11 inches (21.25 x 27.5 cm)
972 colour illustrations - 1,092 maps
Publishing date: 03 November, 2026
I'm always amaze by the capacity of migrary birds to go and come back to the same place...
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing an other interesting book !
Bises et bonne semaine !
Anna
Hari OM
ReplyDeletePerhaps more a true text than a casual read, hence the heftiness? Regardless, an important book in every sense! YAM xx
It is certainly not a casual read.
DeleteHola, David.
ReplyDeleteLa vida de algunas aves migratorias es increíble. Muchas gracias por traernos este libro tan interesante.
Mis actualizaciones no salen, no sé el motivo, te invito a visitar mi blog también.
Un abrazo y buen día.
Oh how interesting! Right now I see a lot of mirgratory birds coming back and visiting my garden, and it would be really interesting to know more about them. And I'd also like to see where my "summer birds" go to and what they do.
ReplyDeleteThe price, however, like the book is heavy. That needs some serious contemplation before a decision.
I agree, Carola, but well worth the price. And given the weight of the book it can substitute for a gym membership!!
DeleteThis is a fantastic book. It has always amazed me how bird migrate. Thank you for your book review.
ReplyDeleteA great book that allows the opportunity to understand where different breeding populations migrate.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a good book, David—and of course, you already have it! It’s a shame it’s so heavy; as you say, it really should have been split into two volumes. That way, it wouldn’t have been so heavy.
ReplyDeleteHugs and kisses, Marit
It sounds an impressive book, even given it's a tad large and heavy.
ReplyDeleteHeavy with knowledge!
DeleteMust have this book!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a wonderful book!....Abrazotes, Marcela
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an amazing book, and the timing of it is perfect since it is migration season for so many birds. I have a small flock of yellow rumped myrtle warblers hanging around my bird feeder, and I was surprised they were still around. But I read they fly south late. Now I want to know where they are headed to. Happy new week. hugs-Erika.
ReplyDeleteMyrtle Warblers are hardy and a few even brave the northern winter. They are able to switch from a strictly insectivorous diet to the consumption of berries. The name Myrtle Warbler is derived from their habitat of feeding on the berries of Wax Myrtle.
DeleteFifty years ago I was just entering high school. Distressing such a high number of birds have vanished in that time.
ReplyDeleteConsiderate the commensurate increase in humans.
DeleteHuikea teos, jota hyödynnät jatkuvasti! Ymmärrän, että kirjan lukeminen ja tutkiminen muualla kuin työpöydässä on hankalaa.
ReplyDeleteLooks a hefty book but a good one. As you have said it perhaps could have been made into two.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a wonderful book, David.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a pity that it’s so large and heavy.
I have great admiration for migratory birds, they cover such vast distances.
Wishing you a lovely week.
All the best, Irma
I mostly read non-fiction, so a book like this with maps and species accounts sounds right up my street. The watercolours by Anderton are what I’d look at first, they must make it a pleasure to browse and not just look things up. Too heavy for the sofa, but a table works fine. Thanks for the review, David.
ReplyDeletehttps://canalsandcitrus.blogspot.com
Browsing is a pleasure, to be sure.
DeleteHello Dawid,
ReplyDeleteIt’s great to be back here. Indeed, technological progress allows us to learn about and understand nature in an almost entirely new way. Bird migration is something that has always fascinated not only laypeople like us but also scientists. Many astonishing things are happening constantly in the natural world around us; these phenomena never cease to intrigue us and give us plenty to reflect upon.
Another valuable post filled with important information.
Best regards, and have a wonderful week.
I would be interested in learning more about those birds. Personally I would prefer a smaller handbook that I can carry with me when I go out for a walk in the woods.
ReplyDeleteTwo different things, Angie. There are lots of field guides that easily fit into a deep pocket or a handbag.
DeleteWhat an amazing book! It's fascinating how much we can now learn about bird migration thanks to technology. The maps sound particularly interesting, and hopefully all this information will help us to better understand why bird numbers are declining and what we can do to protect them.
ReplyDeleteBirds fascinate me and I'm also alarmed at their decline. This year I have only seen a handful of blackbirds in my area. There used to be plenty. Thank you for your in-depth review of this massive tome, David!
ReplyDeleteDobrý den, Davide,
ReplyDeleteděkuji za skvělou recenzi a představení knihy, která je určitě zajímavá. Migrace ptáků je v každém kontinentu jiná, v Evropě se tomu také věnuje hodně pozornosti a tak i my známe tažné trasy "do teplých krajin", což jsou nejčastěji tahy do Afriky. O migraci ptactva na americkém kontinentě se mohu domýšlet, jak to funguje. Za posledních několik desetiletí pozorujeme úbytek ptactva, zvláště některých druhů. Třeba vrabců bylo plno i ve městech a teď jsou vzácní. Možná se přesunuli jinam.
Migraci ptáků se věnují i některé přednášky ornitologů, zúčastnila jsem se přednášky, kterou organizovala naše nejbližší zoologická zahrada. Jen mě znepokojuje vaše poznámka na závěr - že na celém světě dochází k alarmujícímu úbytku ptactva. Upřímně je mi to líto, ale nenapadlo mě, že je to celosvětový problém.
Děkuji za zajímavé čtení a přeji příjemné říjnové dny. Hanka
They could also make a digital version of the book.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a very complete and in depth read...full of illustrations as well....very timely!!❤️
ReplyDeleteI admire your passion for birds. Of course, birds fascinate me too though I wouldn't go to the extent of reading encyclopedias on them.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful reference book! Even though I like to learn about birds and enjoy birdwatching, this may be too much for me to just sit and read - but a great book to have to refer to. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteWe were just talking this morning about 'our' migratory ospreys, and wishing them well and safe. Monitoring migrants is so important.
ReplyDeleteHallo David,
ReplyDeleteEen indrukwekkend boekwerk, alleen al door het formaat en als ik jouw recensie lees is het ook een goed geschreven en gedocumenteerd boek. Het behandelt de Noord-Amerikaanse trekvogels en in die zin is het voor mij qua vogelsoorten niet zo herkenbaar. Ik heb daarom wel een redelijke bibliotheek aangelegd van de vogels van Europa en met name in de Benelux wat voor mij een onuitputtelijke bron van inspiratie en informatie is.
Vriendelijke groeten,
Ad
Hi David, beautiful book of the migration. To where does the North American migration birds fly ? Greets
ReplyDeleteMostly to Central and South America, Caroline.
DeleteGreat review, David. This sounds like a wonderful resource. Thanks for sharing AND have a grand day.
ReplyDeleteUn libro muy interesante, sobre el mundo de las aves y las corrientes migratorias tan extaordinarias que realizan. Gracias por la reseña.
ReplyDeleteMuchos besos.
I need to share your review of this book with others in my naturalist group and our library system. This sounds like a book many of us would love to read.
ReplyDeleteEssential reading for a group like this!
DeleteThanks for reviewing another excellent book, now on my list.
ReplyDeleteInteresante libro sobre la migración de las aves. Hay veces que vemos grandes bandadas de ellas en el cielo cuando viajan.
ReplyDeleteBuena noche David.
Un abrazo.
I am continually amazed by the distances these birds travel, even the tiny ones with the shortest wing spans. Lovely they can be tracked so easily now to learn so much more about their journeys. Here, there are many migratories, but the puffins are the ones I love the most. They are comical in their activities and I can spend days just observing them.
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
An excellent review, David. I am amazed by migration; I find it incredible that we can now track birds with such precision and learn so much about their journeys. I always watch and say goodbye to the Godwits here in Chch, who come here from Alaska The maps and artwork sound wonderful, and I can easily see why this book has already earned a permanent place on your desk.
ReplyDeleteYour comment about the alarming decline in bird populations struck a chord.
Thank you for highlighting this book and sharing your thoughts/review.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Love it when the weather network reports huge flocks of migrating birds on the weather radar. It gives me hope.
ReplyDeleteMe gusta ese libro y no me importa que sea tan pesado, para mí seria un placer tenerlo. Ahora están llegando las grullas aquí, seguro no sé de donde vienen, tal vez de Polonia o Noruega y me encantaría saberlo. Hace una semana vimos muchísimos cormoranes, en el embalse de Borbollón, que está cerca de mi casa, creo que se estaban alimentando para emigrar, volvimos hace dos días y ya no están. Abrazos.
ReplyDeleteMuy interesante lo que señalas de ese libro...claro que igual me gustaria consultar
ReplyDeleteun estudio increible debe haber sido de cómo ir acumulando tanto conocimiento
acerca de las aves ...recuerdo alguna vez siendo niña que vimos pasar aves en lo alto
de norte a sur, ni idea que tipo de aves eran...
Me hace sentido a esa conectividad...ellas antes nos enseñaron de eso!
Gracias por visitar mi blog.
I think your observation about the heft of the book is a good one. This seems like a book that people will want to refer to over and over again, as you've done, and making that as easy as possible can only be a good thing. It's such a fascinating topic. Thanks for your excellent review, David!
ReplyDelete