Just back from Christmas break and catching up with emails. Yes, maybe we are
spoilt with field guidebooks - but our expectations have increased with more
people travelling, documenting and photographing birds world-wide. Most of the
Neotropical bird books I have are not in the 'field guide' category as they are
fairly big and heavy (I lugged Hilty and Brown's "Birds of Colombia" around
Ecuador during my only other foray into South America, and was glad I did).
But when a book is touted as a wonderful field guide, as van Perlo's was -
then I expect it to be one, especially as I had never visited Brazil before and
was birding without a human bird guide to help (it was mainly a work trip).
So yes, it is a good step forward, and I was very glad to have such a book with
me.
Helen
<')/////==<
________________________________
From: Bob & Trish Sothman <>
To: Helen Larson <>; Arwen B. Ximenes
<>; Birding Aus <>
Sent: Sun, 20 December, 2009 17:28:43
Subject: Re:field guides - Brasil
Helen,
A few comments on your posting
please.....
By way of background, I have been to Brasil 53
times for work over the last 27 years, ie I have birded in Brasil over a
relatively long period - great birds. In the "early days" there
were no "real" Brasil fieldguides, then along came Deodato Sousa with "All the
birds of Brasil - an identification guide" - a step forward which improved
significantly over the three editions but unfortunately
the illustration were poor in all three. The
latest is the Ber van Perlo Brazilian field guide which, in my opinion, is
a major step forward.
I think we have been spoilt with such good
fieldguides for Australia, USA, Europe, etc.
Bob Sothman
Adelaide
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