canberrabirds

The Aust Bird Guide ...

To: CanberraBirds <>
Subject: The Aust Bird Guide ...
From: "David McDonald (personal)" <>
Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2017 23:53:42 +0000
Hi, as most would know, this long-awaited field guide has now been published: Menkhorst, P, Rogers, DI, Clarke, R, Davies, JN, Marsack, P & Franklin, K 2017, The Australian bird guide, CSIRO Publishing, Clayton South, Vic., http://www.publish.csiro.au/book/6520/ .

The RRP is $49.95 but it is available at the QBD bookshop in the Canberra Centre for $39.99.

A hefty field guide at 1.4 kg but, if you still use and love field guides that are in the form of physical books, rather than smart phone apps, I think that you will find this one really worthwhile.

I have subjected it to what I call the Graham Chapman Test, much discussed here on CanberraBirds over the years: what it says about differentiating between the male Satin and Leaden Flycatchers. It passed the Test with flying colours:
- Satin Flycatcher: 'Demarcation between the blackish throat and white belly curves strongly downward at the edges (ie (sic) concave), forming a sharp angle with edge of wing.' 'Colour boundary curved, meets wing at acute angle'.
- Leaden Flycatcher: '...shape of the demarcation line between dark breast and white belly are keys to distinguishing from the Satin Flycatcher' and 'colour boundary meets wings at right angle'.

This diverges a little from David Cook's 'leadens laughs, satins sad', and Chapman's 'the demarcation line is convex in one and concave in the other', but is close enough.

David

--
David McDonald
1004 Norton Road
Wamboin NSW 2620
Australia
T: (02) 6238 3706
M: 0416 231 890
F: (02) 9475 4274
E: m("dnmcdonald.id.au","david");">
<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the Canberra Ornithologists Group mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the list contact David McDonald, list manager, phone (02) 6231 8904 or email . If you can not contact David McDonald e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU