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A beautifully illustrated, easy-to-use guide to the Bay Area's most common and fascinating birds.
One of North America's richest birding destinations, the San Francisco Bay Area is home to an astonishing array of birds. This book is an accessible invitation to anyone who marvels at the winged wonders that surround us, from the city park to the Pacific shoreline—a gateway to slowing down and taking notice.
Featuring hundreds of stunning watercolor paintings by prominent science illustrator Evan Barbour, Wild Birds of the Bay Area includes one-page profiles of 120 species found in the region, spotlighting the most common birds as well as some fascinating rarities. Each profile contains notes on where and when the bird is usually seen, tips for identifying the bird by sight and sound, and the bird's name in English, Mexican Spanish, and Traditional Chinese. Barbour offers general advice for budding birders, outfitting the curious with tools to deepen their observation and appreciation, and an index of must-see birding hotspots, from Point Reyes to Santa Cruz.
Designed for elegant simplicity and easy use, Wild Birds of the Bay Area is a friendly, deeply informative, and utterly delightful companion for everyone’s birding adventures in the Bay.
Evan Barbour started birding and teaching field science in the Marin Headlands in 2000 and soon after studied science illustration at UC Santa Cruz. He became the first illustration intern at Cornell Lab of Ornithology, helping launch the Bartels Science Illustration Program and creating illustrations for The Birds of Sapsucker Woods, Maine’s Favorite Birds, and Songbird Journeys. Barbour later worked exclusively for John du Pont, illustrating hundreds of birds for South Pacific Birds. He taught at California Academy of Sciences before completing his MFA at Mills College in Studio Art in 2013 under the guidance of Hung Liu. He manages the installation of natural history exhibits that travel around the US and internationally. Barbour lives in Nevada City, California. To see more of his art, visit evanbarbour.com.
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
- Who this Book is For
- Just Ten
- Why We Bird
- But Why These Birds?
- The Gift of Slowing Down
- Birds = Dinosaurs
- Birding by Sound
- Birding by Sight
- What’s in a Name?
- Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall
- Bay Area Geography
- Bay Area Habitats
- Males and Females and Juveniles
SPECIES PROFILES
- Birds of Lakes, Bays, and Ocean
- Waterfowl
- Shorebirds
- Birds of Prey
- Ground Walkers
- Tree Climbers
- Aerialists
- Perching Birds
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- Protecting Wild Birds
- Bay Area Bird Hotspots
- Definitions
- Digital Resources and Books
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author and Illustrator