Book Description
How does a Catholic mother instill the Faith in her children? How does she deal with issues of education and discipline, how does she maintain her own faith—and hold her family together—in the face of lifeÂ's routine or unexpected challenges? To answer these questions, editor Maura Koulik has gathered the stories of twelve Catholic mothers in this faith affirming collection, The Art of Catholic Mothering. With grace, honesty and humor, these mothers tell of their struggles, both the everyday and the extraordinary. They write about gathering their children for the family rosary, persevering when money and support are scarce, finding solid Catholic education and guidance for their families, surviving personal tragedies and, most of all, about living a truly Catholic life in post-Vatican II times. The experiences of these women will move, awe and inspire readers. Not just for mothers, this book is important reading for any woman who hopes someday to raise children in the Faith, and for any husband who is determined to place the Church at the center of their lives. Within these stories the reader will find support and comfort, as only those who have already lived the vocation of Catholic motherhood can give.
Download Description
How does a Catholic mother instill the Faith in her children? How does she deal with issues of education and discipline, how does she maintain her own faith-and hold her family together-in the face of life's routine or unexpected challenges? To answer these questions, editor Maura Koulik has gathered the stories of twelve Catholic mothers in this faith affirming collection, The Art of Catholic Mothering. With grace, honesty and humor, these mothers tell of their struggles, both the everyday and the extraordinary. They write about gathering their children for the family rosary, persevering when money and support are scarce, finding solid Catholic education and guidance for their families, surviving personal tragedies and, most of all, about living a truly Catholic life in post-Vatican II times. The experiences of these women will move, awe and inspire readers. Not just for mothers, this book is important reading for any woman who hopes someday to raise children in the Faith, and for any husband who is determined to place the Church at the center of their lives. Within these stories the reader will find support and comfort, as only those who have already lived the vocation of Catholic motherhood can give.
Book Description
I didn't set out to write a book. It was 1982, fourteen years after I had last set foot in Vietnam, and thirteen years after I returned to The World. I had a family and a career. I'd never written more than an occasional letter to the editor in my life. My twisted insides had spawned ulcers. The nightmares were more frequent. I needed to get Vietnam out into the open, but I couldn't talk about it. Not after all those years.
Thus begins John Ketwig's powerful memoir of the Vietnam War. Now, over 15 years after its initial publication, Sourcebooks is proud to bring and a hard rain fell back into print in a newly updated edition, with a new introduction by the author and eight pages of never-before-published photographs.
From the country roads of upstate New York to the jungles of Vietnam, and finally to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and a hard rain fell is a gripping and visceral account of one young man's struggle to make sense of his place in a world gone mad.
Customer Reviews:
A contrived bore.......2007-09-26
Don't be misled by this book. It's not the story of a combat veteran reflecting on the horrors of war. Rather, it is the story of a narrowly-focused guy "in the rear with the gear" complaining, endlessly, about the manner in which the war inconvenienced him.
In addition, the book is very poorly written. What Ketwig did was tell the fairly boring and un-compelling story of his military service and supplement it with a witless history of the war and a number of stories that are most likely apocryphal (his basic training stories and Special Forces tales are undoubtably make-believe...I am sure that anyone with some initiative could discover that there was no basic-training "suicide" at the fort he trained at in the manner he described) in order to spice-up an exceedingly dull tale.
Furthermore, there is something obscene about reading a litany of complaints from a rear echelon soldier when one considers that, not far from his boring but relatively safe posting, men were facing mortal danger. This is especially true in the case of Ketwig, who is myopic in the extreme when it comes to what he "suffered."
I will give Ketwig some credit for his unintentionally comical sketch of his unrequited love for a prostitute. That kept me in stitches for a while.
In closing, this is not an attack on Ketwig's politics. Indeed, there are a number of excellent books by anti-war combat veterans (Tim O'Brien for instance). My complaint is that for one to read Ketwig's book to get a feel for the war is akin to learning about sex from a voyeur.
We can ignore reality - or read and learn from history..........2007-09-01
This book is well written, captivating, balanced, and fair. I highly recommend it to anyone of any age with a brain - and the ability to use that brain to think for themselves. You don't have to agree with Ketwig to learn from his experiences - but the lessons are there.
Ketwig has written an outstanding book that contains much more wisdom about life (way beyond just The Nam) than the simple memoir it purports to be. Those who want to feel better about the Vietnam war say disparaging things about Ketwig. But do they say his experiences are misrepresented? No - they just don't like the way he REACTED to those experiences.
I wonder why not? I wouldn't want to sleep with rats and scorpions. I wouldn't like to see US war supplies sold on the black market by opportunistic, self-dealing traitors within our own ranks. I wouldn't like to see children maimed by napalm. I don't understand how other reviewers (supposedly intelligent people) can write such things off as mere "inconveniences." Does patriotism and duty require us to turn off our brains and accept mutely everything that is thrown at us by every situation? We can love our country and the American people and still find ample fault with the irresponsible and myopic fools who run the place.
Ketwig tells us what he felt as a participant in a ridiculous, ill-conceived war. As an American he is entitled to his opinion. As an American who served, he is MORE THAN entitled to his opinion. If more people read "...and a hard rain fell," perhaps we wouldn't find our country repeating the same sad, unnecessary sins of the past -and permitting today's clueless "leaders" to send the poor and the disadvantaged to fight battles for the rich and pampered who populate Congress - and the oil companies and the defense contractors who own them.
I am proud to be a Marine. Yet I am also very comfortable exercising my hard won right to confront and discuss the ugly horrors and realities of war - and not rationalize or bury such things because other Marines and servicemen died. Ketwig does a great job describing the lunacy of military bureaucracy and the stomach-churning frustration it causes. Good for him! Can ANYONE who has EVER served in the armed forces deny that the US military is the epitome of inefficiency and bureaucracy at its very worst? Really, let's be honest - as Ketwig has been.
Reading this book can help prepare the next generation for the uncomfortable but real dichotomies that await them wherever they may go - whether it's the military, Corporate America, or the local union office. All organizations are run by people who generally say one thing to rally the troops and get elected/promoted - and then do the polar opposite to ensure that their personal ambitions are met and their pockets well-lined, whether such actions support their constituents or not. This is a timeless lesson that too many people learn way too late in life - if at all. Ketwig helps the reader shorten that learning curve.
My late father, a decorated veteran of Korea, told me he'd gladly fight in the next war - just as soon as the Congressmen who declared it (or their own children) took the lead and led him into battle. He died knowing that this silliness would NEVER happen. The staff sergeant who ran my platoon, a Medal of Honor winner, confided the same attitude to me. Was he a dope-smoking shirker like some accuse Ketwig of being? No - he was a freakin' bona fide war hero - but a war hero WITH A BRAIN. The dirty work of war, as he and my father clarified for me, is the province of, as the late Leona Helmsley might have said, "the little people."
Ketwig helps us all understand the misery and ultimate futility of war. How can that be a bad thing?
A sad and disturbing book - most of it true?.......2007-08-26
I don't have any way to know with certainty how much of the content of this book is a true and realistic recounting of what actually happened to the author and how much may have been exaggeration or fabrication or stories borrowed from others or drug induced distortion. It may all be 100% accurate and straightforward. But, there have been many documented cases of Vietnam stories that were far from accurate and it wouldn't surprise me a bit to learn that this is another one. Maybe I'm just an unreasonable skeptic, but an awful lot of it just didn't seem credible.
In any event, if it's all true or not, it's a sad and disturbing story of a draftee who must have had many bad experiences. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone other than possibly someone looking for shock value.
Ketwig got it made........2007-06-06
Sorry that Ketwig has to serve in Vietnam but he got it made. He was a mechanic, never faced direct combat. Then he re-enlisted to get out of Vietnam. Stationed in Thailand and only once awhile he has to risk his neck to fly in Laos to repair artillery pieces. He even have the time to smoke lots of marijuana, went to R&R and had very good time with a prostitute. He had it so good that he should rename the book to something like "when rainbow appears...". He needs to stop smoking marijuana, that will stop the depression.
If you want good Vietnam story, read James Webb's Fields of Fire. Its a novel but its raw and very real.
"I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children...".......2006-04-22
...AND A HARD RAIN FELL, John Ketwig's memoir of his time in Southeast Asia is a crucial book to read for an understanding of the fog of war and the spiritual wounds all veterans face. ...AND A HARD RAIN FELL takes us inside Ketwig's experience with a clarity amazing for a memoir. This book is even more critical today, as Iraq and Afghanistan blaze across our national consciousness.
Unlike Ron Kovic (BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY) John Ketwig did not start out as a flag-wrapped patriot convinced of the rightness of stopping the Red Menace at any cost. In the first third of the book, Ketwig speaks frankly of his thoughts of draft avoidance and Canada. He is squarely antiwar from the first word. A few reviewers have derided Ketwig for "whining" about "everyday inconveniences" and for having a generally jaundiced view of the military and "his patriotic duty", but other authors and Vietnam Vets have documented well the miasma of depersonalization that characterized the U.S. military in the middle 1960s. Eighteen year old boys like Ketwig were not volunteer soldiers, they were essentially draftees or forced enlistees, ripped from the familiar and the comfortable to be dropped into a thoroughly alien and brutish environment designed to turn them into killing machines in a matter of weeks. The trauma of such a transformation is hard to understand unless one has lived through it.Therefore, Ketwig's complaints about glassless windows in the winter, sheetless bunks (both ostensibly to prevent suicides), and regimentation by insult seem self-indulgent except to one who has felt (and intrinsically resisted) the same internal twist and torque imposed by an outside force.
From the moment of Ketwig's arrival in Vietnam he recognizes (if he cannot yet admit) the futility of the American mission. Transported from Ton Son Nhut Airbase (under rocket fire) in a bus with screened windows (to keep out thrown trash and grenades), and sent to Long Binh to guard an ammo dump (frequently booby trapped by guerrillas), there seems no spot in Vietnam where order reigns or where the American presence has imposed any sort of real peace.
Ketwig's transfer "upcountry" to Pleiku is similarly fraught with trauma: He volunteers for a convoy to embattled Dak To, and is nearly killed by a land mine. His compound is shelled by South Vietnamese turncoats. He finds himself in a bunker with other terrified teenagers wondering just what the hell is happening as the Tet Offensive explodes all around him. Unspeakable filth, rats, scorpions, poisonous snakes, booby traps, friendly fire, Vietcong infiltrators, the curses of the local people, and bizarre accidents are a daily ration which callouses him and his fellow soldiers. Dead men, crushed, broken, bleeding and napalmed bodies sear their eyes. Vietnam is a huckster's bazaar, selling death and trinkets to all bidders.
Thoughtful, Ketwig wonders why. His answer, to provide seed and farm implements to the peasantry seems like a more sane and ultimately successful way to combat Communism, but as a lowly Pfc his opinion is neither required nor respected. Ketwig is required only to repair and remove the gore from hosts of battle-damaged vehicles. A reflective reader has to stand with Ketwig, and question authority.
After a year of soul-scarring experiences and unsure of his place in The World, he applies for a transfer to Thailand, where he discovers and embraces a version of the Buddhist culture he had sought to find in Vietnam. The year in Thailand is therapeutic (both for Ketwig and the reader, who is as overwhelmed as the author by this point), but it also allows him to shut his demons away largely without confronting them.
Despite his love affair with Thailand, The World beckons, and Ketwig goes home to suffer the dislocation common to many Vietnam Vets. In time he makes a life, but his demons never rest. At least until he begins to tap this story out painfully, page by page, hunt and peck.
...AND A HARD RAIN FELL is as much an exorcism as it is a story of one man's war. It may not be every man's war; but it is a valuable recollection of what war does to human beings. There are others, more Mom-And-Apple-Pie, more heroic, and even more jingoistic. This is one, a well-written one, that cannot be ignored.
Customer Reviews:
Shocking and revealing.......2005-09-03
Personally I thought the book was amazing. It was quite shocking to hear firsthand what the war was truely like, instead of how the government portrayed it. And in response to the other person's comment... I can imagine that you would have spent alot of your time drinking and doing dope too if you were over there, caught in that type of situation, so get over it. If that's what it took for him to deal with being sent over there, then who are you to judge?
I thought the book was outstanding, and would recommend it to anyone who cares to know about what really happened over there...
Average customer rating:
|
Histoire A Monde Ouvert
Nembrini
Manufacturer: Hachette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| France
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
French
| Instruction
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 2011159474 |
Book Description
"Graced with bounteous natural beauty, a stable democratic government, and friendly citizens, Costa Rica has become a popular destination for travelers from all over the world. Birds play a prominent role in attracting visitors, too. The shimmering quetzals, gaudy macaws, and comical toucans only begin to hint at the impressive avian diversity to be found throughout this small country."--from the Introduction This is the one field guide the novice or experienced birder needs to identify birds in the field in the diverse habitats found in Costa Rica. It features descriptions and illustrations of more than 820 resident and neotropical migrant species found in Costa Rica, all in a compact, portable, user-friendly design. The detailed full-color illustrations show identifying features--including plumage differences among males, females, and juveniles--and views of birds in flight wherever pertinent. Additional features of this all-new guide include:
o 166 original color plates depicting more than 820 species.
o Concise text that describes key field marks for positive identification, as well as habitat, behavior, and vocalizations.
o Range maps and texts arranged on opposing pages from illustrations for quick, easy reference.
o The most up-to-date bird list for Costa Rica.
o A visual guide to the anatomical features of birds with accompanying explanatory text.
o Quick reference to vultures and raptors in flight.
Customer Reviews:
820 Birds in a Small Package.......2007-09-02
This is undoubtedly the best field guide to Costa Rican birds I have seen. The printing quality and illustrations are excellent. It is compact and concise with brief species descriptions and range maps on the page facing the illustrations. In many instances just having the range maps handy will speed up identification. There are separate indexes of scientific and common names with the common names that most of us use placed on the last pages for quick access. The only thing I can fault this book on is the lack of a quick index, a feature which I find so valuable that I have created one for every guide that I use. I have carried Stiles and Skutch (A Guide to the Birds of CR) on 4 trips to Costa Rica and will certainly take it on future trips, but it may not go out in the field as often. If you are looking for a field guide to Costa Rican birds, I suggest that you buy this book. If you are the sort of birder that wants more depth of information about the birds that you see, buy this book and Stiles and Skutch.
A great addition to Stiles and Skutch.......2007-09-02
Richard Garrigues and Robert Dean have given those of us who love birding in Costa Rica an easy volume for carrying into the field. The plates are great especially with the maps showing the range of each species. The book can never replace Stiles and Skutch but it was not intended to do so. It's intention, to make it easy to carry an identification guide, is well met. I can't wait to test it on my next trip to Costa Rica.
A Great Field Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica.......2007-08-27
In the interest of full disclosure, I must reveal that I first met Richard Garriques in 2004 when he led us on a one week birding trip in CR. He was in the process of writing this new field guide and we were all dutifully carrying the classic Stiles and Skutch (S&K) volume during that outing. Everyone knows that S&K is a wonderful book on the birds of CR and that it is just too big and heavy to carry long in the field. Richard's purpose stated to us was to remedy this situation by producing a field guide that could be comfortably carried into the field and that would contain the information necessary to make field identifications with convenience by having the relevent information for each species in one location along with quality drawings. In late July, 2007, Richard again led us on another birding trip in CR which was coincidently his first since his new field guide had been released. Of course, we had his new field guide as our reference for this outing. I can personally attest to Richard's outstanding competence in identifying the birds of CR, their ranges, and the field marks of importance in making identifications. He has an incredible mastery by sight, sound, and habitat. I believe that he has succeeded admirably in achieving his stated objectives for this field guide. The information on each bird is in one place. The plates face the range maps and field marks text on the opposite pages. The field marks of most importance are in bold type. And, the book is of the size and weight that makes it easy to carry and use. As we traveled around CR we saw several other visitors carrying Richard's book and the comments were very complimentary. So, if you like seeing lots of beautiful birds, as we do, in a beautiful country with friendly people, buy Richard's book, head to CR and have him show you around!! You will not be disappointed!!
Great field reference.......2007-08-22
I bought this book for a trip to Nicaragua since there was no specific guide to Nicaragua available. I found the relatively large, colorful pictures extremely useful, and many of the birds in this guide, especially in western Costa Rica, crossover into Nicaragua. I used this book in conjunction with the Van Perlo guide to Mexico and Central America. The pictures in this book and the extended range maps in the other book (although there are Costa Rica specific range maps in this book which I could use by extrapolation) were a great combination. In addition, the relatively small sizes of both books allowed for me to easily stuff them in my back pockets while hiking around the volcanic highlands.
Very nice guide.......2007-08-08
As the author of a travel guide to Costa Rica (Explore Costa Rica, Fifth Edition), which covers flora and fauna (and especially birds) in detail, I can attest that this is a great book to take with you and makes a superb companion to Explore Costa Rica (which will be a great help with the rest of your trip).
Book Description
Costa Rica, a country of no larger than West Virginia, hosts more than 830 species of birds, more than in all of North Amerian north of Mexico. It may well be the only country in the world with as many bird species and habitats to be found in such a small area. Within two hours' drive from San Jose, one can see quetzals in highland forests, antbirds in lowland forests, or shorebirds and ibises in mangrove swamps.
This lavishly illustrated book is the most comprehensive treatment of a rich tropical avifauna ever presented in a single volume suitable for its use in the field. With is full coverage of waterbirds and migrants as well as resident tropical species, and its coverage of such topics as plumages, vocalizations, food habits, nesting, and distribution, it is truly a guide to the birds themselves, not merely a guide to their identification.
Gary Stiles and Alexander Skutch first set the stage for the birds by briefly describing the landforms, vegetation, and climates of Costa Rica. For those who want to take "that second long look" to interpret what they see, the authors discuss some aspects of evolution, ecology, and behavior of Costa Rican birds, and report on the costly and courageous conservation efforts the country is making in face of discouraging odds. The family and species accounts that follow, covering some 400 pages, make up the bulk of the book, with 52 magnificent color plates illustrating virtually ever species of Costa Rican bird, migrants as well as residents. There are also practical tips for trips in the field and descriptions of good birding locations, with specific directions for travel by car, public transport, and on foot, as well as three maps.
A highly readable, portable encylopedia to the fascinating, ever-surprising birds of Costa Rica, this book will be welcomed by birders and other naturalists, professional and amateur ornithologists, ecologists, travelers, and conservationlists throughout the northern Neotropics.
F. Gary Stiles is Profess or Biology and Curator of Birds, Museum of Zoology, at the University of Costa Rica. Alexanda F. Skutch has lived in Costa Rica for more than 50 years and has dedicated his professional life to studying the breeding biology of Neotropical birds. He is the author of many books, including Life of the Woodpecker and Life of the Tanager (Cornell University Press) Dana Gardner, who is with the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, has extensive field experience in Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. He has illustrated a number of books on birds and tropical nature.
Customer Reviews:
Birders' must-have.......2007-05-12
This is an outstanding reference manual for the serious birder. Many of our naturalist guides in Costa Rica carried copies of it. Some of them had removed the plates and laminated them to make them more durable. The drawbacks are the size and weight, as well as the fact that the illustrations are not on the same page as the descriptions. If you want a small, light field guide, try "A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica" (Susan Fogen). It uses the same classification system as the Stiles book, but includes only the common bird varieties, and has a photo for each of them.
helpful but outdated.......2007-03-08
The plates are very helpful but a number of bird names have changed and splits have occured since publication so many years ago. It's long past time for a new, updated edition.
For bird watchers in Costa Rica a must!.......2007-01-21
What can I say? This book is like the "bible" for bird watchers in Costa Rica and is one of the best books for those serious about birds in Costa Rica. The average tourist should not bother to buy it, though. It cannot not replace a good naturalist or bird watching guide, but gives those who seek it an excellent background knowledge.
Birds of Costa Rica.......2007-01-09
This comprehensive book is amazing for the detail that it presents. The only caveat is that the real birds of Costa Rica are more intensely colored than the illustrations in the field guide.
Wonderful book.......2006-12-22
I used this book during a recent trip to Costa Rica and it was extremely helpful in identifying the birds. I actually removed the picture plates and carried them while birding since the entire book is too heavy to carry while birding. The plate pages give a lot of information about the various birds and you can refer to the rest of the book at a later time. I would recommend this book to anyone who is going to be birdwatching in Costa Rica.
Average customer rating:
- Birds of Panama
- Strong overall with a few significant flaws
- A Guide to the Birds of Panama
- The only guide out there
- Best available field guide to the birds of Panama
|
A Guide to the Birds of Panama
Robert S. Ridgely , and
John A. Gwynne
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Costa Rica
| Central America
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Honduras
| Central America
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Nicaragua
| Central America
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Panama
| Central America
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Conservation
| Environment
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Conservation
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Birdwatching
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Ecology
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Ornithology
| Zoology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ecology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Waterproof Panama Map by ITMB
-
Lonely Planet Panama
-
Moon Handbooks Panama (Moon Handbooks)
-
A Neotropical Companion
-
Panama: The Bradt Travel Guide
ASIN: 0691025126 |
Book Description
This is the first paperback version of the second edition of the popular A Guide to the Birds of Panama. In the second edition, published in 1989, the authors expanded information on the birds of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras: approximately 200 new species were added to the material in the 1976 edition. Over 300 additional species, some of them Panamanian, were illustrated. Sixteen new plates were added, and three of the original plates were replaced by improved versions. Throughout the book changes were made to accommodate the explosion in knowledge of the birds of Panama and nearby areas and of neotropical birds in general. The basic sequence and systematics of the AOU 1983 Check-list were adopted. Also included in the revised edition was expanded and updated information on birdfinding in Panama, prepared with the assistance of two of Panama's best resident birders. The book also contains a special section outlining developments in Panama ornithology and conservation. "A sophisticated treatment of one of the world's richest avifaunas."--The Quarterly Review of Biology
Customer Reviews:
Birds of Panama.......2007-01-08
I would recommend that anyone interested in the birds of Panama buy this book, however it is not the only book available about the birds of Panama. There is the Guia de Las Aves de Panama by Ridgely and Gawynne (ISBN 958-95245-0-8) and An Illustrated Field Guide to the Birds of Panama by Ponce y Muschett (ISBN 84-89127-76-X). It is best to have as much information as possible before a trip even if all these books have their shortcomings. Robert B Gillies, Volcan, Chiriqui, The Republic of Panama.
Strong overall with a few significant flaws.......2006-08-18
The text in this book is excellent, with good descriptions of the various species and nice writeups of behavioral habits. However if you want to use the book as a field guide to identify the birds you are seeing, there are some flaws that make this hard to do:
1. Not all birds are represented in the color plates. None of the 15 swift species, for example, get an entry on the plates.
2. Some birds have no picture at all, not even a black and white line drawing in the text. Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, for example.
3. The index is incomplete. Try finding a saltator in the index.
4. There are two sets of plates. Most birds are in the first set, but there is a seemingly arbitrary set of birds relegated to "additional" plates near the back of the book. This makes it hard to do the tried and true method of scanning plates to help you quickly identify the bird you just saw.
So as a field guide this book probably merits only 3 stars. But to be fair it's not labeled as a field guide, but rather a "Guide to the Birds of Panama." Given the high quality of the text, it fills that role nicely.
A Guide to the Birds of Panama.......2006-03-01
Book great. Helped me identify some of the birds I saw when in Panama/CR recently. Illustrations made it easy to recognize the birds.
The only guide out there.......2005-02-16
I visit Panama at least once a year, and this book is the first thing I pack for every trip. There's simply no other field guide out there. Although the book is over due for a thorough update (of both taxonomy and range reports), it's still the best source for identifying birds in Panama. All the guides and researchers that I've met over the years use this book. One of the most useful parts is the section that describes the best birding spots in Panama, as most of these places have remained largely unchanged. The plates are very good, more than adequate.
The book's a bit on the heavy side though. I usually go out birding for an entire day (6 am to 6 pm) carrying water, food, a camera and heavy telephoto lens, a tripod and binoculars. Even so, I've always resisted cutting out the plates, and end up taking the whole thing with me into the jungle. If the publisher were to make available a separate smaller booklet with only the plates, I'd definitely buy it. My back would be very grateful indeed!
Conclusion: If you're planning a birdwatching trip to Panama, you NEED this book!
Best available field guide to the birds of Panama.......2003-06-10
Ridgely's guide is the best - and really the only - available field guide covering all the species of birds in the nation of Panama. While it is useful and serves most purposes, it has been over a decade since the second edition was released, and it is more than due for an overhaul and expansion. The most necessary would be the addition of range maps, that would make the book infinitely more useful in planning a trip. At the very least, there should be a single, detailed map of Panama, indicating the locations mentioned in the range descriptions! Also, it would be better to limit the scope of the book entirely to Panama, as Costa Rica and other areas to the north are covered by other guides, and the pertinent information for those areas in this book are scant, at best. Then, the isolated plates in the back need to be intergrated, as do the plates of Darien specialties, etc. Many species have been recently added to the Panama list, or split, etc, and those species need to be added. But, all this aside, this book should enable the identification of most Panama birds, and remains an indispensible resource for any birder traveling to that country.
Product Description
An excellent pocket-size reference and field guide enabling quick identification to the 252 species of birds found in Costa Rica. Over 250 full-color photographs.
Customer Reviews:
Great pocket guide!.......2006-10-31
I didn't want to lug around a big book for our trip to Costa Rica, so I ordered this small guide, hoping it would do. It was terrific - in fact, all our Costa Rican guides coveted it. Almost every bird we saw was in it. There is only one hummingbird and one egret I couldn't find in it, and we saw at least 45 different species. It fit in the pocket of my cargo pants, and it was easy to pull it out and quickly find each bird. I highly recommend this guide if you will be visiting Costa Rica.
Good book.......2006-05-14
This is a good bird book for Costa Rica. It uses the Stiles and Skutch classification system. Uses real bird photographs. It does not contain every bird but the 252 species within the book are the ones most likely to be seen. It is easy to read and helpful and does not weigh a ton like the other Costa Rica birding books. I highly recommend it. You can buy it in the Juan Santamaria airport and in some resorts.
From the Publisher
Extensive coverage of the best birding sites in Costa Rica with information on other aspects of visiting that country. Directions and a list ofspecies likely to be seen are included for each location. Complete index.
Customer Reviews:
Save your money.......2007-09-24
This is a waste of a purchase. Rather than a guide to birding locations, it gives directions to the parks and a birdlist. That is about it - no real info at all. For example for Carara NP it says that the river trail is a great place to bird, tells you how much it costs to enter, and to watch out for theives.
If you absolutely nothing about Costa Rica birding, it might be better than nothing. I would say say yourself the money and find a trip report on-line because this book isn't worth it.
Average customer rating:
- A very good pre-birding trip guide
- Helpful site guide; not a birding field manual.
- For serious birdwatchers. No color photos
|
Travel & Site Guide to Birds of Costa Rica With Side Trips to Panama
Aaron D. Sekerak , and
Elissa Conger
Manufacturer: Lone Pine Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Guidebooks
| Reference & Tips
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Costa Rica
| Central America
| Latin America
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Panama
| Central America
| Latin America
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Birdwatching
| Adventure
| Specialty Travel
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Birds
| Field Guides
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Birdwatching
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Ornithology
| Zoology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1551050846 |
Book Description
Costa Rica is world famous for the stunning diversity of its bird life. Includes bird lists by region and by season, bird specialties at specific sites, checklist for birds of Costa Rica, travel routes and tour maps, and accommodations and local guiding information.
Customer Reviews:
A very good pre-birding trip guide.......2007-04-13
This is a good little birding site guide, not a species identification field guide. This would be very helpful in planning a birding trip to Costa Rica and gives information for about 75+ sites with a good introduction to birding Costa Rica in the beginning. Here too is a table on pgs. 20-22 called "Characteristics of Major Birding Destinations". This table groups destinations with accomodations in the different sections of the country (NE, NW, SE, SW, highlands, lowlands. It details accessibility, cost, comfort, guide availability, and difficulty of birding.
The book is arranged in chapters for each region of the country with details of the birding sites including excellent maps (better than most site guides I have seen) and written directions. The birding accounts are first person and folksy and make for easy and yet absorbing reading and are enhanced with many black and white location photos. There are also bird lists for each site that tend towards the more expected commonly seen species rather than an extensive checklist for all species located at the site. Each site does have a list provided of the birds the author found when he was there including notations of their abundance and the season that he visited. Some sites have additional checklists provided by the lodges or other birders.
There are brief mentions of a few sites in neighboring Nicaragua and Panama at the end of the book and two appendices the first is a complete list of birds of Costa Rica in checklist order and grouped according to location with notes on abundance, habitat and elevation. The second is a a seven day checklist for your trip.
I enjoy sitting down in a comfortable chair and reading over books like this but you should consult the internet for updates on lodges and parks as this book is now over ten years old. Some places of course are not included, including one of my favorites Savegre Lodge also know as Cabinas Chacon in San Gerardo de Dota. Other site guides that I would recommend in addition to this would be Dennis Roger's "Site Guide for Costa Rica" and Nigel Wheatley and David Brewer's "Where to Watch Birds in Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean".
Helpful site guide; not a birding field manual........1998-08-25
This is not a birding field guide, but a helpful guide to quite a few Costa Rica birding sites. Very good descriptions of sites included (including some information not available elsewhere) but many other places were not covered. The author's assessments are useful. Supplements other guides.
For serious birdwatchers. No color photos.......1998-07-28
Lots of tables and descriptions of where to go to see birds. 99% Costa Rica. A few black and white drawing of birds, plants, maps. Not good if you want color photos of birds you might see.
Books:
- The Complete Book of Shiatsu Therapy: Health and Vitality at Your Fingertips
- The Early Childhood Education Intervention Treament Planner (Practice Planners)
- The Fussy Baby How to Bring Out the Best in Your High-Need Child (Sears, William, Growing Family Series.)
- The Hite Report on the Family: Growing Up Under Patriarchy
- The Involved Father: Family-Tested Solutions for Getting Dads to Participate More in the Daily Lives of Their Children
- The Little Goo-Roo: Lessons from Your Baby
- The New Mom's Stress Survival Kit: 30 Survival Tips for the New Mother
- The Pursuit of Happiness: Family and Values in Jefferson's Virginia
- The Real 12 Days of Christmas
- The Resilient Child: Preparing Today's Youth for Tomorrow's World
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- New York Festivals 4
- Inda
- Dynamic Spin Chemistry: Magnetic Controls and Spin Dynamics of Chemical Reactions
- House of the Sleeping Beauties: And Other Stories
- History: Fiction or Science
- History: Fiction or Science
- Good Bones: The Complete Guide to Building & Maintaining the Healthiest Bones
- Valentine Treasury: A Century of Valentine Cards
- Getting the Word Out: The Artist's Guide to Self-Promotion
- Toxic Plants of Texas: Integrated Management Strategies to Prevent Livestock Losses
Your Vocation of Love: A Spiritual Companion for Catholic Mothers
The Heart of Motherhood: Finding Holiness in the Catholic Home
Mom to Mom, Day to Day: Advice and Support for Catholic Living
Holiness for Housewives: And Other Working Women
Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers
