Kurdistan und die Kurden (Pogrom Taschenbucher)

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Poorly organized

An Excellent Guide!

Field Guide to the Birds of the Middle East

the best dictionary for birds in the middle-east

Field Guide to the Birds of the Middle East (Princeton Field Guides)
R. F. Porter , S. Christensen , and P. Schiermacker-Hansen
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0691121044

Book Description

Birds of the Middle East is the first comprehensive field guide dealing exclusively with the birds of this region. It covers all species, including vagrants, found in the Arabian peninsula (including Socotra), Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Cyprus. Over 700 species are described in concise texts giving full details of the plumage and voice of all recognizable forms. Distributed maps appear opposite the plates and are annotated with details of each species status and preferred habitat. Four artists have prepared a magnificent set of specially commissioned plates that show all the forms described in full color. The authors have extensive ornithological experience in the Middle East spanning over thirty years of research into the identification, biology, and conservation of the many wonderful species to be found there. This authoritative book will be an indispensable guide to the visiting birder. It will also be a vital tool for those engaged in work to conserve and study the avifauna of the region, which is especially important for both the indigenous species and those which pass through it on their migrations between the Palaearctic and Africa.

Key Features:

The first comprehensive field guide devoted solely to the Middle East
Every species is illustrated in color in all distinctive plumages
Authors are experts, each with 30 years field experience in the region
Serves as an entirely authoritative reference

Customer Reviews:

Poorly organized.......2006-02-27

This book is NOT like the Birds of Europe (Princeton Guide). Many illustrations are crowded on pages with very little written information on the same pages. It is all stuck in the back, keyed to the plate number of the illustration.
Range maps are only breeding ranges.
This book may be the current best of the group in English for this region but it is far inferior in design to the Sibley's or the Princeton Europe effort.
Very difficult flipping back and forth to find field marks or behavior information. The information except winter and migration ranges is very good, however it is not accessible as a field guide.

An Excellent Guide!.......2005-01-15

After an earlier edition of this guide was long out of print and increasingly hard to find and expensive even as a second hand copy, the publication of this new, paperback edition was most welcome!
I found this book just about perfect: the size and weight are still convenient for field-use, and editing is very well done, with the range maps (which only show summer/bredding ranges though) and essential status and habitat info right opposite the color plates illustrating each species, though longer, detailed information on appearence and voice are to be found separately at the back.
Most importantly, the illustrations are excellent and plentiful, usually with several pictures of each species showing various races, sexes, juveniles, summer and winter plumage, birds in flight, etc. as justified by variation.
I kind of missed (more) information on the birds' ecology, habits and taxonomy, but I guess omitting these was the price that had to be paid for a not-too-bulky field guide.
I can only wish I could have carried this book on my previous trips to the Middle East - it will certainly be with me on the next ones!

Field Guide to the Birds of the Middle East.......2003-04-13

I would actually rate this book at a 4.99. The reason I did not give it a 5 is that the maps only show the breeding or summer range. Other than that the book is outstanding. The colors vivid and the artwork is exceptional. The plates have brief descriptions that you need in the field and in the back of the book the author goes into greater depth and gets really specific, this format is different than any other guide I have and I liked it. When and if it ever comes out in soft cover it should be the book to carry when visiting the Middle East.
Do not get caught without this field guide when traveling in this area, it is a must to have! The price is just right.

the best dictionary for birds in the middle-east.......2000-07-21

this book is the best dictionary for birds watchers to watch, recognize, identify & mapping the distribution of birds in the middle east region. birds watchers can learn a lot from the discriptions, wanderful and accurate drawings, distribution maps and details supply by the authors. The variety of birds species in this book is enormous!

The Raptors of Europe and the Middle East: A Handbook of Field Identification (A Volume in the T & AD Poyser Series)

Average customer rating:

All you need to identify raptors in Europe(almost!)

The Raptors of Europe and the Middle East: A Handbook of Field Identification (A Volume in the T & AD Poyser Series)
Dick Forsman
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0856610984

Book Description

This book presents the most complete and up-to-date guide for the recognition of the diurnal raptors of Europe and the Middle East. More than 700 high quality color photographs have been specifically chosen to demonstrate the plumage of each age and sex class of every species found in Europe and the Middle East. The photographs are complemented by almost 100 line drawings focusing on particular identification details, and are backed up by a detailed text enabling birdwatchers to recognize even the most difficult species. The latest information, much of it previously unpublished, describes the plumage and soft part coloration of each category of bird, and compares and contrasts with similar plumages of species which may cause confusion. The book discusses the difficulties caused by stage of moult, variation in light conditions, and changes in silhouette arising from different flight types. Fully referenced with a list of nearly 300 key papers and articles, this book is an essential reference to the field identification of every species, age, and sex class of raptors.

Key Features:

The first comprehensive collection of photographs of European raptors showing all plumages of species in the field
Descriptions of every age class of each sex
More than 700 high quality color photographs and 100 line drawings
Valuable notes comparing difficult-to-identify species

Species List:
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus). Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus). Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus). Red Kite (Milvus milvus). Black Kite (Milvus migrans). White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeeutus albicilla). Bearded Vulture or Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus). Egyptian Vulture (Neophron perenopterus). Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus). Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus). Lappet-faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotus). Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus). Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus). Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus). Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus). Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus). Levant Sparrowhawk (Accipiter brevipes). Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus). Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis). Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo). Steppe Buzzard (Buteo buteo vulpinus). Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus). Rough-legged Buzzard (Buteo lagopus). Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aquila pomarina). Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga). Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis). Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti). Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca). Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). Bonelli's Eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus). Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus). Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni). Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus). Eleonora's Falcon (Falco eleonorae). Sooty Falcon (Falco concolor). Merlin (Falco columbarius). Hobby (Falco subbuteo). Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus). Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug). Gyr Falcon (Falco rusticolus). Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus). Barbary Falcon (Falco peregrinus pelegrinoides).

Customer Reviews:

All you need to identify raptors in Europe(almost!).......1999-03-09

When I heard about this book I knew that I'd end up buying it,as I am a raptor fanatic(unfortunately its use is limited here in Ireland, as only three raptor species are in any way common,and very few migrant raptors occur) All of the regular European species(plus Lappet-faced Vulture) are depicted,with the number of photos seemingly varying in proportion to difficulty of identification.The text is fairly technical,but readable enough,and there isn't an excess of jargon(thank God!)I first used it to age a Marsh Harrier this January as an adult female,and in this respect it was of great use. It also helped me to tentatively age a Buzzard in late Feb. as a 2nd-year bird.I have yet to be confronted by a raptor which I actually haven't identified to species before consulting this book, but if I do I would turn to this book straight away.Also,many of the photos are superb,and whet the appetite for species that I have yet to see (all but eight of them!)The section at the start about moult etc. is extremely interesting also.If you live in Europe and have an interest in raptors,buy this book.Now,about that trip to the continent.......

The Easy Bird Guide: Eastern Region: A Quick Identification Guide for All Birders (Falcon Guide)

Average customer rating:

Like holding real live birds in your hand!
Wonderful Field Guide!

The Easy Bird Guide: Eastern Region: A Quick Identification Guide for All Birders (Falcon Guide)
John Bull , Edith Hellman Bull , Gerald Gold , and Pieter D. Prall
Manufacturer: Falcon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Birds | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0762737417

Book Description

The Easy Bird Guide: Eastern Region is the perfect identification guide for beginner and casual birdwatchers of all ages. The authors, all renowned experts, have carefully chosen 253 of the most common birds seen in backyards, in the woods, and near water in eastern North America. Detailed illustrations of each species are organized by color, pattern, behavior, and habitat, making bird identification fun, easy, and rewarding. The guide also includes practical tips for attracting and feeding birds, information about using binoculars, a glossary of field marks, and a complete species index.

Customer Reviews:

Like holding real live birds in your hand! .......2006-12-14

Someone gave me this book (THANK YOU FOREVER!). I have always wanted to hold a bird in my hands, and now it seems I truly can, since the illustrations are so beautul and detailed, they seem so real! And because the book is so cleverly organized, I can get to the information quickly before the birds hop or fly out of sight. For instance, Cardinals are listed under "Red Birds" duh, how simple can you get? "Beginner's Luck" has me willing to try and identify more. And when the sun goes down, it makes great bedside reading because the information is so well-edited, it's packed with details but not overwhelming. I recently ordered 16 as holiday gifts after testing my book out on both my 10-year-old-niece (who wants to be a veterinarian but she's allergic to animals. Now she'll be able to safely get up close and personal. One book is going to my 95-year-old neighbor whose wife just died and winter's coming up. He's got a bird feeder outside the window where he always sits, and he never had a bird guide, so this book can help him solve bird mysteries. The price value is just right for gift-giving, especially considering the ADDED VALUE of introducing bird-watching as a pastime for a lifetime - one that will connect people to the greater outdoors, which is so wonderful! Each book will go a long, long way. Mine already has a lot of miles on it, as it now goes everywhere with me. It's my constant companion, just like the birds will now always be!

Wonderful Field Guide!.......2006-12-14

I recently got this book for my 16 year old who had expressed an interested
in bird watching. This is a wonderful beginning field guide. It's very easy to use. But what impressed me most were the stunningly beautiful color illustrations by artist Pieter Prall. The pictures are just amazing and inspirational; we keep the book on the sill of our window that overlooks our wooded backyard. Now we actually look for birds to identify. I would highly recommend this book to young and old. It makes a great gift and is a real bargain for the price.

Important Bird Areas in the Middle East (Birdlife Conservation Series, No. 2)

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Important Bird Areas in the Middle East (Birdlife Conservation Series, No. 2)

Manufacturer: Birdlife International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0946888280

A Field Guide to the Raptors of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa

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A Field Guide to the Raptors of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa
William S. Clark
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0198546610

Book Description

The birds of prey must rank among the most imposing and spectacular birds to be found anywhere in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. In this comprehensive new identification guide, Bill Clark presents the latest information on tried and tested field marks for identifying the diurnal raptors, both perched and in flight. Many of these field marks are the result of his own extensive experience in identifying raptors, and have never before been published. Forty-eight stunning colour plates, especially painted for this volume by artist N. John Schmitt, depict all the plumages for every raptor found in the Western Palearctic region, both regularly occurring and vagrant. The plates are augmented by a forty-page colour photograph section. The accompanying text provides the essential clues to identification. These include detailed plumage descriptions for each age, sex, and colour morph, as well as sections describing flight, moult, behaviour, and distribution for every species. The text also contains useful sections on similar species - notoriously difficult to identify - and how to distinguish them. Each account concludes with the range of measurements for length, wing span, and weight. Bill Clark has been working on the raptors for over thiry years, observing them, studying them, writing about them, and photographing them. His passion for birds of prey has taken him around the world, and in particular to Europe and to the Middle East, making him uniquely qualified to write this book. It will be essential for any birdwatcher or ornithologist who wants to watch and identify the region's raptors in the field.

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The Birds of Britain
Heinzel , Richard S. Fitter , and Parslo
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0828906653

Average customer rating:

A "must have" for bird lovers - just for the plates
Lars Jonsson and his passion
Four stars may be a little low...
Well illustrated, informative, confusingly organized
No.1 Guide in Europe for many years

The Birds of Europe (Helm Field Guides)

Manufacturer: Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0713680962

Book Description

Originally published in five volumes, Birds of Europe with North Africa and the Middle East covers all but a few of the Western Palearctic's breeding birds, and includes information on all regularly encountered vagrants. This guide has over 400 color illustrations, including 140 completely new plates, up-to-date color maps, and a fully revised text. With species accounts, distribution maps, and illustrations on facing pages, it is practically designed and easy to use. Originally published in five volumes, Birds of Europe with North Africa and the Middle East covers all but a few of the Western Palearctic's breeding birds, and includes information on all regularly encountered vagrants. This guide has over 400 color illustrations, including 140 completely new plates, up-to-date color maps, and a fully revised text. With species accounts, distribution maps, and illustrations on facing pages, it is practically designed and easy to use.

Customer Reviews:

A "must have" for bird lovers - just for the plates.......2005-11-15

This is a perfectly viable field guide to the birds of Europe and, if it weren't for the existence of the Collins Guide, it could easily be a top recommendation. One thing marks this book apart from other field guides though: the illustrations are so beautiful that they might have been painted for art's sake alone. I have been fascinated by Jonsson's gulls and shorebirds from an earlier series published by habitat and now to have all the birds together is just wonderful. His paintings capture the feel of the bird better than those of any other artist I know. This book will give great aesthetic pleasure long before (and after) one gets it into the field.

Lars Jonsson and his passion.......2001-02-03

As a born North-Sea-coast birder and knowing the work of Lars Jonsson since 1977,(his famous five smaler volumes "Birds in the wild" I realised that preparing for North Africa could not be a mistake in buying this book,even if there is the extra weight of all the North European birds described in the book and not to bee seen in Marocco. His marvelous illustrations are a pleasure for all everyone and the book a must for all foreign birders visitting Europe. As a Belgian , I own a big library with a lot of field-guides, especially Petersons' , but this book rivals them all.

Patrick

If ever you feel to publicise this letter,bee free to correct my english .Thanks.

Four stars may be a little low..........2001-01-16

...however, the option of four and a half was not offered, and I'm not sure this guide rates a perfect score. I was very impressed with it. It is well-written (and well-translated, I guess); covering the points of identification well, and very nicely illustrated. The fact that range maps for species on one page are occasionally placed on the following page may be a minor irritation to some, but range maps, in my view, are largely placed in guides for their interest value. Birds fly, and will turn up outside of their normal range, thus, range maps are not important for field identification (at least not during migration of migratory species; and probably as a general rule), and the necessity to turn a page is not a major problem with this guide. This is, overall, an excellent guide, and I can't wait for the opportunity to use it on the home ranges of the species it covers, in stead of on the occasional vagrant.

Well illustrated, informative, confusingly organized.......2000-03-22

I have used this guide in Europe, a region with which I am not (in terms of avifauna) particularly familiar, and I find it informative and useful. I have heard varying opinions on the artwork - some rave about it, others say it is too artificial/unnatural/etc. I align myself with the former camp - intracacies and details of field marks are well illustrated and easily discernible - yes, perhaps more so than they would be in the field, but I have trouble with those who fault a guide for showing features not readily visible in the field - any experienced birder should know this is an eternal pitfall to *any* guide.

The text is excellent - well-written (I of course have only used the English translation, I have seen translations in other European languages as well) and concise. I do have two critiques, however: one, I would like each species description to be subdivided by keywords in boldface to make finding important features such as size, habitat, etc. easier to find in a pinch, and two, the criticisms I have read of the layout are mostly well-founded. It is not always clear to which drawing/painting a given species description applies - range maps are not always on the same page as the text or illustration, etc. This is inexcusable and would have been easily remedied if only by use of large, boldfaced numbers a la Simpson and Day (Aus.) or Grimmett et al. (India/Subcontinent).

As for the size, I almost always carry either a buttpack or daypack into the field - so it doesn't bother me a whit. I can't imagine *not* carrying a pack, in fact, so I disregard this criticism entirely - but those who feel otherwise might want to borrow a copy to see how it works for them. For any birder, however, I would say the use for which this guide is most well-suited is as a prep guide - the book to pore over en route to your birding site, soaking in as much of the extremely informative text as possible. It is by no means without fault as an in-the-field guide, but very good nonetheless.

No.1 Guide in Europe for many years.......2000-01-29

Lars Jonsson's book has been the number one recommendation for both beginners and experianced birders for many years now, only recently improved upon by the Collins 'Birds of Britain and Europe' by Killian Mullarney et al.

The illustrations in Jonssons book are not perfect but are indeed a good guide to the birds of Europe when 'in the field'. Some birds are illustrated looking 'puffed-up' or 'fat', guides cannot show ALL postures, they should be used as guides only. The book is not as portable as other guides but if you can carry it in your bag then try to do so.

Birds of Europe : With North Africa and the Middle East is definately worth having as part of 'group' of reference guides to the birds of Europe.

Average customer rating:

Great "out of your window" guide- even for novices

Birds of North America/Eastern Region: A Quick Identification Guide to Common Birds (Macmillan field guides)
John L. Bull
Manufacturer: Macmillan Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0020796609

Customer Reviews:

Great "out of your window" guide- even for novices.......1998-12-30

This is a very handy guide, simply and clearly laid out, it includes sections for the non-ornathologist (like myslef) with titles like "red birds" and "small brown birds". It contains hints on attracting birds to your yard and feeder, and it has a wealth of clear colored illustrations. Being a "Teal" myself I appreciate this. My aunt gave me this book,then she wanted to get it's name again later, so I am returning the favor and ordering one for her:)

Birds of Prey of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East (Collins Field Guide)

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Birds of Prey of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East (Collins Field Guide)
Benny Gensbol
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

The Birdwatchers Book of Lists: Lists for Recreation and Recordkeeping (Eastern Region)

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The Birdwatchers Book of Lists: Lists for Recreation and Recordkeeping (Eastern Region)
Lester Short
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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