TY - BOOK AU - Armistead,George L. AU - Sullivan,Brian L. TI - Better birding: tips, tools, and concepts for the field SN - 9780691129662 PY - 2016///] CY - Princeton, New Jersey PB - Princeton University Press KW - Birds KW - United States KW - Identification KW - Canada N1 - Includes bibliographical references and index; Wide-angle birding: Be the bird, see the bird -- Becoming a "good birder": Understanding the basics -- Birding mentors -- Why birding is cool -- Loons -- Swans -- Mallard and monochromatic "mallards" -- White herons -- Eiders -- Brachyramphus murrelets -- Pacific cormorants -- Sulids: Northern gannet and boobies -- Tropical terns -- Atlantic gadflies -- Curlews -- Godwits -- Marsh sparrows -- Small wrens (troglodytes and cistothorus) -- Accipiters -- American rosefinches -- Swifts -- Screech-owls: An "otus" and the megascops -- Nighthawks -- Yellow-bellied kingbirds -- Black corvids: Crows and ravens -- Pipits -- Longspurs -- Cowbirds N2 - "Better Birding" reveals the techniques expert birders use to identify a wide array of bird species in the field -- quickly and easily. Featuring hundreds of photos and composite plates throughout, this book simplifies identification by organizing the birds you see into groupings and offering strategies specifically tailored to each group. Skill building focuses not just on traditional elements such as plumage, but also on creating a context around each bird, including habitat, behavior, and taxonomy -- parts so integral to every bird's identity but often glossed over by typical field guides. Critical background information is provided for each group, enabling you to approach bird identification with a wide-angle view, using your eyes, brain, and binoculars more strategically, resulting in a more organized approach to learning birds ER -