Peter Ryan (4)

This book easily fulfills a wish I’ve had for many years about having a field guide to these very remote islands in the southern Atlantic. Besides the islands noted in the book’s title, it also covers Inaccessible and Nightingale Islands. This book has three strengths: Quality color photographs, brief but thorough text on the species, and a well-rounded assortment of fauna types.

The fauna types are broken into 6 sections, all with color photos: Island Setting (30 photos), Plants (159), Birds (107), Mammals (26), Terrestrial Invertebrates (21), and Marine Life (86).

All bird and mammal species found on or around the islands are shown with very good photographs. This includes the seven (some say only six) endemic birds. For the endemic birds, these are by far the best photos I’ve seen. Additionally, this is only one of three books I know of to show photos of all the endemic birds (see Shirihai’s and Sinclair’s books below).

The photos are equally good of the insects, especially the flightless moths. Terrestrial plants and marine life have a great variety with clear, colorful, and large photos.

Text for each species provides descriptions and distribution. For the birds, mammals, and fish, additional notation is given on behavior and natural history.

I especially appreciate the three pages that discuss tourism to the island and the logistics of getting and being there. In short, anyone wishing to visit Tristan da Cunha must set aside a minimum of 5 weeks due to travel requirements and ship availability.

This is a great book on Tristan da Cunha and will certainly be enjoyed by anyone who’s wanted to learn about these little known islands.

I’ve listed several related books below…
1) Origin of the Land Birds of Tristan da Cunha by Rand
2) The Complete Guide to the Antarctic Wildlife by Shirihai
3) A Guide to the Birds of St. Helena and Ascension Island by McCulloch
4) Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World by Onley
5) Identification of Seabirds of the Southern Ocean by Onley
6) Seabirds: An Identification Guide by Harrison
7) Seabirds of the Tropical Atlantic Ocean by Watson
8) Field Guide to the Birds of Southern Africa by Sinclair (ISBN 0869774352)… (plus d'informations)