John Acorn (1)Critiques

Excellent field guide and I use it often. I was one of the rural watchers involved in the creation of the Alberta Bird Atlas in the early 1990s, so consider myself an experienced bird watcher. Of course it is a field guide for Alberta birds so don't use it out of province. Other field guides, because of the number of birds from out of the area, fell apart very quickly in the field.

Excellent field guide, beautiful coloured drawings, I use it all the time.

This is a decent book on birds for beginners. The authors discuss similar species together, avoiding technical descriptions and emphasizing those field marks that are most helpful in distinguishing closely-related species. This is not a comprehensive field guide, as it includes only the most common species of the region (although a complete checklist is included in the back of the book). The illustrations are large and clear, and the species descriptions are interesting and easy to read. Not all species described in the text are illustrated though, so as you gain more experience it would probably be helpful to supplement this book with a more complete field guide. However, even then, I can still see this as being the first book to turn to in most situations.

A fantastic resource. Large, full colour pictures make it easy to identify both common and rare birds in Alberta.

My only complaint about this book is that it is too slim! I do wish more species were covered in it, though I understand it's smaller size makes it easier to travel with and less formidable to those new to entomology. Highly recommended!½

A nice guide to Pacific Northwest arthropods, but a bit short, with only 125 species covered.½

Pretty pictures, immaculately organizes, doublebound, waterproof, fits in your pocket, produced by a couple of fit hots who make you feel good about birdwatching. The allpurpose lifestyle aid. And pitched at just the right level--if I wanna leave the coast,I can get another bird book, thank you v. much.

Only thing is, it doesn't play birdsong mp3s. Oh, Baron and Acorn and Kroodsma, I love you both.½

Useful for a person living in Alberta, Canada. Some picture quality is not always the best but excellent descriptions and discussion about where they can be found within the province.

Ample illustrations and accessible test make this a good introduction to the bugs of British Columbia. As the title indicates, it covers more than just insects: It shows common moths, spiders and arthropods as well, with a good description of what makes each group different. It's very much an "entry level" book, but for the beginner or the casual observer ("What is this thing?!?") it's a useful resources. It's a great tool for young travelers at the campgrounds and rest stops of the Province.

My copy is signed by the man himself.

This was shared by Kyle @ the 2007 JHS Summer Readers' Cafe which was graciously hosted by The University Book Store, Mill Creek.