Book has remarkable close-up photos of 100 mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects found east of the Great Plains in North America with information about habitat, appearance, behavior and also a CD recording of commons songs, calls, or other sounds for each.

A comprehensive field guide that uses an innovative Sound Index to allow readers to quickly identify unfamiliar songs and calls of birds in western North America. Bird songs and calls are at least as important as visual field marks in identifying birds. Yet short of memorizing each bird's repertoire, it's difficult to sort through them all. Now, with the western edition of this groundbreaking book, it's possible to visually distinguish bird sounds and identify birds using a field-guide format. At the core of this guide is the spectrogram, a visual graph of sound. With a brief introduction to five key aspects--speed, repetition, pauses, pitch pattern, and tone quality--readers can translate what they hear into visual recognition, without any musical training or auditory memorization. The Sound Index groups similar songs together, narrowing the identification choices quickly to a brief list of birds that are likely to be confused because of the similarity of their songs. Readers can then turn to the species account for more information and/or listen to the accompanying audio tracks available online. Identifying birds by sound is arguably the most challenging and important skill in birding. This book makes it vastly easier to master than ever before.

Through his organization Wild Sanctuary, Bernie Krause has traveled the globe to hear and record the sounds of diverse natural habitats. Wild Soundscapes, first published in 2002, inspires readers to follow in Krause’s footsteps. The book enchantingly shows how to find creature symphonies (or, as Krause calls them, “biophonies”); use simple microphones to hear more; and record, mix, and create new expressions with the gathered sounds. After reading this book, readers will feel compelled to investigate a wide range of habitats and animal sounds, from the conversations of birds and howling sand dunes to singing anthills. This rewritten and updated edition explains the newest technological advances and research, encouraging readers to understand the earth’s soundscapes in ways previously unimaginable. With links to the sounds that are discussed in the text, this accessible and engaging guide to natural soundscapes will captivate amateur naturalists, field recordists, musicians, and anyone else who wants to fully appreciate the sounds of our natural world.

An introduction to bioacoustics that gives young readers “a deeper understanding of what has been, and has yet to be, learned about animal communication” (Kirkus Reviews). Can whales communicate across miles of vast ocean? Can elephants talk to one another with sounds we cannot hear? These are the kinds of questions that drive the work of acoustic biologists. Follow three creative scientists—Christopher W. Clark, Katy Payne, and Bill Evans—as they research why and how animals communicate. Through remarkable photographs and stories about all sorts of animals, this book celebrates the challenges of lab work and fieldwork and the thrill of discovery. “This fascinating title shows the thrill of scientific discovery up close. Sayre profiles three bioacousticians—scientists who study the sounds made by living things, communication that is often outside the range of human hearing . . . this book is part of the consistently excellent Scientists in the Field series; it provides readers with an inspiring introduction to a little-discussed field and to biology in general.”—Booklist “Each of the profiles is filled with absorbing scientific information while also providing insights into the personalities involved in this work—adventurers who work in interesting field locales, sometimes with limited funding, to do what they love.”—Horn Book “Sayre offers good descriptions of work with the various species and its import.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Environmental Noise Barriers is a unique one-stop reference for practitioners, whether acoustical engineers, landscape architects, or manufacturers, and for highways departments in local and central authorities. This extensively revised new edition is updated in line with UK and EU legislation and international provision of barriers.

Whether you're just starting out or a seasoned wildlife watcher, this book will help you to broaden your enjoyment of your hobby and explore wildlife in a range of different habitats and environments. You'll learn a host of techniques including observing without disturbing, different ways of recording what you see, including note-taking, sketching and photography, filming and sound recording, as well as how to organise and report what you've seen. Finally, there's plenty of information on how you can give something back to the natural environment through safeguarding your local area's wildlife and involvement with conservation.

The National Wildlife Federation's Wildlife Watcher's Handbook from Joe La Tourette and the National Wildlife Federation is an authoritative guide to when, where, and how to watch North American animals in their natural habitats.