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18 new books and guides about birds and birdwatching

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Bookshelf, BirdWatching Magazine, December 2015, page 34-35.
Bookshelf, BirdWatching Magazine, December 2015, page 34-35.

2015 was a great year for books about birds and birdwatching.

In our December 2015 issue, on newsstands November 3, you’ll find our reviews of five new books that we can’t recommend highly enough — an identification guide to hummingbirds from George C. West, a reference guide to owls from Scott Weidensaul, a gallery of extraordinary photos of baby birds by William Burt, a cartoon collection of endangered birds by Ralph Steadman, and, perhaps most important, a how-to guide for raising children who value and enjoy nature from PBS Kids host Scott D. Sampson.

See the contents of our December 2015 issue.

We liked more new books than we had room for in the issue, however, so we’re publishing reviews of additional titles on our website.

In addition to the reviews we printed, you can read about Better Birding by George Armistead and Brian Sullivan, guides to California and Pennsylvania from the American Birding Association, a revised edition of a classic beginner’s guide from Contributing Editor Pete Dunne, guides to offshore sea life from Steve N. G. Howell and Brian Sullivan, fold-out ID guides for waterfowl, raptors, and shorebirds from the Cornell Lab and Kevin Karlson, and a children’s book about Chimney Swifts by Marilyn Grohoske Evans that we just love.

Below is a complete list of the titles we featured in our year-end roundup. Please leave a comment, letting us know which books you like best. — Chuck Hagner, Editor

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18 recommended books and guides

The Amazing World of Flyingfish
By Steve N. G. Howell
Princeton University Press, 2014

American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of California
By Alvaro Jaramillo and Brian E. Small
Scott & Nix, Inc., 2015

American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Pennsylvania
By George L. Armistead and Brian E. Small
Scott & Nix, Inc., 2015

Better Birding: Tips, Tools, and Concepts for the Field
By George L. Armistead and Brian L. Sullivan
Princeton University Press, 2015

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Cornell Lab of Ornithology Waterfowl ID Series: The Basics, Dabbling and Diving Ducks, and Sea Ducks and Others
By Kevin McGowan
Waterford Press, 2015

How to Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature
By Scott D. Sampson
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015

Nextinction
By Ralph Steadman and Ceri Levy
Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015

North American Hummingbirds: An Identification Guide
By George C. West
University of New Mexico Press, 2015

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Offshore Sea Life ID Guide: East Coast
By Steve N. G. Howell and Brian L. Sullivan
Princeton University Press, 2015

Offshore Sea Life ID Guide: West Coast
By Steve N. G. Howell and Brian L. Sullivan
Princeton University Press, 2015

Pete Dunne on Bird Watching: Second Edition: A Beginner’s Guide to Finding, Identifying and Enjoying Birds
By Pete Dunne
Stackpole Books, 2015

Peterson Reference Guide to Owls of North America and the Caribbean
By Scott Weidensaul
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015

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Raptors of Eastern North America: A Comprehensive Guide to All Species
By Kevin T. Karlson
Quick Reference Publishing, Inc., 2015

Raptors of Western North America: A Comprehensive Guide to All Species
By Kevin T. Karlson
Quick Reference Publishing, Inc., 2015

Shorebirds of North America: A Comprehensive Guide to All Species
By Kevin T. Karlson
Quick Reference Publishing, Inc., 2015

Spit and Sticks: A Chimney Full of Swifts
By Marilyn Grohoske Evans and Nicole Gsell (illustrator)
Charlesbridge, 2015

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Water Babies: The Hidden Lives of Baby Wetland Birds
By William Burt
Countryman Press, 2015

Waterfowl of North America: A Comprehensive Guide to All Species
By Kevin T. Karlson
Quick Reference Publishing, Inc., 2015

See all of our book reviews.

Publishers and authors:

If you’ve brought out a book that we should consider reviewing, send it here:

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