Pacific Flyway: Waterbird Migration from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego

(Paperback)

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Description

An immense pathway of avian migration tracks along the west coasts of North and South America, encompassing half the circumference of the globe. Experience and understand the wonders and the science of bird migration in this richly visual book. Why do some birds travel from the arctic to the Antarctic--and back again--each year By telling the stories of waterbirds--including the Arctic Tern, Western Sandpiper, and Harlequin Duck--and the places where they touch down, the delicate miracle of migration is revealed. As the book follows these birds from breeding grounds in the north to wintering locales in the south, the grand ecosystem of the whole west coast of the Pacific comes into view. River estuaries, wetlands, beaches, and lakes matter because where there's mud, there's food for birds. Migrating birds have evolved into highly efficient long-range flyers- light bones, strong muscles, broad wings, and fat (they metabolize a special kind that doesn't contain water, so it's light). The Pacific Flyway perfectly blends amazing photography, science writing, and storytelling to invite readers to feel part of a much bigger world.

Reviews

"Visually stunning and expertly presented, [Pacific Flyway] spotlights bird migrations along the Pacific coast. In admiring prose, the authors marvel at seagulls, ducks, snow geese, and other 'feathered ambassadors.' Readers who want to learn about bird migrations will find this volume educational, while those simply in search of escape will find it a stimulating and scenic journey." --Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

Dr. Geoffrey Hammerson retired after 32 years as research zoologist for The Nature Conservancy and NatureServe, where his duties included coordinating conservation status assessments of North American birds. He has taught university courses focusing on bird biology for 40 years and has led hundreds of field trips across the western hemisphere, from the Arctic to southern South America and Antarctica. Dr. Robert Butler, ornithologist, author, filmmaker, artist, and adjunct professor of biological sciences at Simon Fraser University has watched, listened to, and lived among birds for 40 years in a variety of environments. His book, The Great Blue Heron, is considered a definitive study. He serves on the boards of the Nature Trust of British Columbia and the Pacific WildLife Foundation. Audrey DeLella Benedict is a biologist, writer, and advocate for the conservation of the global ocean, Arctic, and alpine environments the world over. She is founder and director of Cloud Ridge Naturalists, a nonprofit natural history educational organization now in its fourth decade. She received the prestigious One Conservancy Award from the Nature Conservancy for her work in Ecuador. She is coauthor of The Salish Sea.