Steve N.G. Howell and Jon Dunn
Here's the latest thing that happens when an assumption is made (by me anyway!), you hear about the new Peterson Gull guide, and you expect to see the blue and white, paperback, field guide. If I had been paying closer attention, I would have noted that it's not a FIELD guide, but a reference guide. So, don't expect to grab this book and head out the door, you'll want to grab it and head for your study or couch, this is a big, very detailed, hard-cover book. The preface implores you not to go straight to the plates, but to read the how to use section first. Then you'll understand more about molts, plumages and how the book is laid out. That way, when you look at the plates and see a photo labeled 26B on page 181, and 35B.0 on page 149, you'll know how to interpret the layout and learn more (page 149 is part of a series of large white-headed gulls, page 181 is part of the section on Yellow-legged Gull, one of the large, white-headed gulls. The range maps, which are embedded in the species accounts are large and easily read, they include a caption to append the range description (i.e. "Very rare to casual elsewhere in North America (mainly east of the Rockies) and northern West Indies." for the Great Black-backed Gull). My ironic sense of humor came into play when it made me smile to see that each of the range maps had the color key. I've spent many a minute flipping to the front to find the color key when I go from guide to guide to remind me what green or yellow meants. I wouldn't expect someone who pays enough attention to detail, or loves an identification challenge enough to tackle all these look alike gulls, will have difficulty remembering the range map's coloring coding system! This reference guide is called Gulls of the Americas, and it indeed covers the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean. There are 36 species (41 if you count sub-species with their own names) of gulls covered, and 14 hybrids. Extensive notes/citations are provided in the species accounts, photos are documented by photographer, date taken and location.
From the publisher: “Covering the thirty-six species of gulls that occur in North and South America, this unparalleled resource includes detailed identification information for the many plumages gulls display as they mature. More than just a field guide, this large and ambitious volume is the definitive reference work on gulls of the Americas. A group of birds that is popular among birdwatchers, gulls can be frustrating to identify, as they can take up to four years to mature, with different plumages each year. With 1,160 photographs illustrating these plumages, and descriptions by two of North America’s top gull experts, this new reference guide is the authoritative word on gulls.
Hardcover, 560 pages, 7” x 10”, full-color photographs, May 2007 “
