Whether you watch birds on the shores of Long Island, at the Bashakill Marsh, at Niagara Falls, or just at your backyard feeder, this volume will help you appreciate what our Empire State has to offer. It will give you a historical perspective, and it will tell you what we can hope to look forward to in the future if we are vigilant stewards of our natural world.—Governor George E. PatakiThe "bible" of the state's birders since its publication in 1974, John Bull's Birds of New York State has now been completely revised and updated by the Federation of New York State Bird Clubs. This eagerly awaited survey of bird life in the state today provides new and thorough accounts of all 451 species on the official New York State checklist. The book features 7 new maps—4 in full color—and 30 striking sketches by bird artist Dale Dyer.Birders will find chapters covering topics from the prehistoric birds of the region to contemporary bird habitats and the ways in which current classification is being affected by DNA data and research. The species accounts themselves pay particular attention to date parameters and frequency of occurrence, details that are important to the active birder. Where applicable, full subspecies discussions are included.Meticulously prepared by the editor, Emanuel Levine, and the more than 70 members of the Federation who served as authors, this book will prove invaluable to birdwatchers statewide—whether backyard feeder watchers, casual birders, or dyed-in-the-wool enthusiasts.

A guide for the birdwatchers of New York State.

Urban Ornithology is the first quantitative historical analysis of any New York City natural area’s birdlife and spans the century and a half from 1872 to 2016. Only Manhattan’s Central and Brooklyn’s Prospect Parks have preliminary species lists, not revised since 1967, and the last book examining the birdlife of the entire New York City area is now more than fifty years old. This book updates the avifaunas of those two parks, the Bronx, and other New York City boroughs. It treats the 301 bird species known to have occurred within its study area—Van Cortlandt Park and the adjacent Northwest Bronx—plus 70 potential additions. Its 123 breeding species are tracked from 1872 and supplemented by quantitative breeding bird censuses from 1937 to 2015. Gains and losses of breeding species are discussed in light of an expanding New York City inexorably extinguishing unique habitats.

The New York Times–bestselling author of H is for Hawk explores the human relationship to the natural world in this “dazzling” essay collection (Wall Street Journal). In Vesper Flights, Helen Macdonald brings together a collection of her best loved essays, along with new pieces on topics ranging from nostalgia for a vanishing countryside to the tribulations of farming ostriches to her own private vespers while trying to fall asleep. Meditating on notions of captivity and freedom, immigration and flight, Helen invites us into her most intimate experiences: observing the massive migration of songbirds from the top of the Empire State Building, watching tens of thousands of cranes in Hungary, seeking the last golden orioles in Suffolk’s poplar forests. She writes with heart-tugging clarity about wild boar, swifts, mushroom hunting, migraines, the strangeness of birds’ nests, and the unexpected guidance and comfort we find when watching wildlife.