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My Collection of Books on Birds

Hi all

I would like to recommend the following books on birds as a reference for bird-watching:-

1. [b]A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Hong Kong [/b][b]香港鳥類攝影圖鑑[/b] (ISBN 962-14-2894-7) Reprinted Feb 2005; Language in Chinese and English; 559 pages: Photos and brief description of 343 species found in Hong Kong. Also includes general introduction of bird watching in Hong Kong, preparation for bird watching, common bird watching spots. Advantages: Normally more than 1 photos (some with up to 4 photos) for each species; photos are large and sharp; Relative size (compared with the book) and actual size in cm / inch, habitats, abundance, status (resident/migrant/visitor) of each species are shown;   bird names indexed by Chinese, English and scientific names; includes a quick reference based on the outlook of the birds; worth-the-value book (HK$168). Disadvantages: The book binding for the paper back version is not good (may be because the book is too thick) so that the front and back cover of the book get loosened from the main body of the book shortly after I bought it; quite heavy for carrying along with for field trip. Overall rating: 9 (A “must have” professional bird watching book for every bird-watcher in Hong Kong)
2. [b]Appreciating Wild Birds 觀鳥背後[/b] (ISBN 988-201-611-1) 2nd Edition May 2004; Language in Chinese and English; 228 pages; HK$80: Describing the life, habitat, breeding, flight of the birds in Hong Kong. Photos and brief description of 30 species found in Hong Kong. Advantages: Quite a good general description of the different aspects of birds in Hong Kong; Checklist with family name, Chinese name (with pronounciation of some rarely seen words), English name and scientific name. Disadvantage: Only 30 species are specifically described. Overall rating: 7
3. [b]A Photographic Guide to Birds of China  常見鳥類野外識別手冊[/b] (ISBN 978-7-5624-2845-9) Published in March 2007; Language in simplified Chinese; 135 pages: Photos and brief description of 326 bird species commonly found in China. Also includes basic classification and identification of birds. Advantages: Compact pocket-sized with over 300 species at relatively cheap price (HK$15); Disadvantage: Size of photo too small; Only scientific names and common Chinese names are shown. Common English names are not shown. Overall rating: 8
4. [b]Birdwatching in the Big City 市區觀鳥[/b] (ISBN 988-98539-1-4) Printed in July 2005; Language in Chinese and English; 79 pages; HK$38. Photos and brief description of 40 species (plus photos of 16 other species) commonly found in the urban area and parks of Hong Kong. Also includes general introduction of bird watching. Advantages: Pocket sized convenient for carrying along with; includes quick reference by bird photos; normally with more than 1 photo for each species. Overall rating: 7
5. [b]Birdwatching in Farmlands and Open Fields 田野觀鳥[/b] (ISBN 988-98539-7-3) Published in July 2006; Language in Chinese and English; 80 pages; HK$38:  Photos and brief description of 77 species commonly found in farmlands and open fields within Hong Kong. Also includes general introduction of bird watching. Advantages: Pocket sized convenient for carrying along with; includes quick reference by bird photos; normally with more than 1 photo for each species. Overall rating: 7
6. [b]香港及華南鳥類[/b] （ISBN-13: 978-962-02-0360-2）8th Edition (Chinese) May 2006; Language in Chinese; 267 pages; HK$158: Colorful drawings and description of over 80 families of birds found in Hong Kong and Southern China. Also includes general guidance for bird watching, common spots for bird watching. Advantages: Drawings show male / female; adult / infant; plumage in breeding / non-breeding seasons. Disadvantages: Colorful drawings (although drawn pretty well), to a great extend, are not as “genuine” as photos in the way of showing the appearance of birds. Overall rating: 8
7. [b]鳥[/b] (ISBN 7-5057-1391-4) 2nd Edition 2nd Printing in October 2005; Language in simplified Chinese; 412 pages; RMB63: Photos / colorful drawings and description of over 800 species around the world with relative size (compared with the book) and actual size in cm / inch, distribution map, description of plumage for the male and female, habitats, status of resident /migrant. Also includes body structures, flying patterns. Classification based on habitats and feeding habits. Advantages: A relatively cheap and worth-the-value compact book showing brief description of over 800 species all over the world. Overall rating: 8
8. [b]The Complete Encyclopedia of Birds [/b](Hard cover version ISBN 90-366-1594-1) 2nd Edition printed in 2004; Language in English; 288 pages; HK$96: Includes photos and description of 670 species all over the world. Advantages: A relatively cheap foreign birding book; quite a lot of colorful species are shown; size of photos are in general larger than those of the previous 7 books. Disadvantages: Not all species are shown with size indication. Overall rating: 8

Notes: (a) The overall ratings are given by me with 10 as the highest score. (b) The prices of the books shown are for reference only. They were the prices at the time I bought them (between Nov 2006 to July 2007).

Hope the above books can help you to discover and enjoy the world of bird watching!


Patrick Yu

My Collection of Books on Birds (one more book)

One more book added to my bookshelf:

[b]“BIRD – The Definitive Visual Guide”[/b] published by DK (Dorling Kindersley Ltd) in cooperation with Birdlife International and Audubon in Oct 2007. ISBN No. 978 1 4053 0633 1. This jumbo size English book consists of 512 pages, measured about 31 cm x 26 cm and weights over 3.3 Kg. Price: HK$510 (I bought it in October at a discount of 30% i.e. net HK$357 during the autumn sale of a local book shop. Last Wednesday, I noticed that another book shop was also selling it at HK$357).

This is another “must-have” reference book for every serious bird-watcher who would like to get more in-depth understanding on birds – the physiological aspect and the ecological aspect (text accompanied with photos, drawings and maps). It also contains classification and brief description (body length, weight, migration, habitat, distribution, appearance, feeding) as well as high quality photos on over 1,000 species of birds selected from different parts of the world. There are 3 chapters in this book:-

(1)  Introduction (44 pages)
        Bird Anatomy
        Senses
        Feathers
        Wings
        Flight
        Gliding and Soaring
        Legs and Feet
        Bills
        Feeding on Animals
        Feeding on Plants
        Communication
        Defence
        Breeding
        Courtship
        Nests and Eggs
        Parental Care
        Living Together
        Migration
        Migration Routes
        Birds under Threat
        Conservation
        Extinct Birds
(2)  Habitats (28 pages)
        Bird Geography
        Bird Habitats
        Grassland
        Deserts
        Tropical Forest
        Temperate Forest
        Coniferous Forest
        Scrubland and Heath
        Mountains
        Polar Regions
        Wetlands
        Coasts
        Ocean and Seas
        Farmland and Cities
(3)        Bird Species (386 pages)
        Classification
        Non-passerines
        Passerines

I give it a rating of 9.5 due to its in-depth description on the physiological and ecological aspects of birds as well as inclusion of numerous colourful and eye-catching bird photos (most of them are larger than those available in other normal size birding books and there are quite a lot of 2-pages photos). The only thing which I am not so satisfied with is: There is no photo available for some of the bird species described in the book.