Two Excellent New Books on Shorebirds

[PAUL ROBERTS]

I believe there are few things more enjoyable, informative, and valuable than a great book. The following is not a review, but sharing valuable information with those friends interested in learning more about birds, especially shorebirds.

     I am in the process of finishing two new, very different books on shorebirds. Bruce Beehler's "Flight of the Godwit" (2025) 264 pp (small format; no photographs) is essentially a travel narrative as he pursues Hudsonian Godwits across the continent and relishes the "Magnificent Seven," the godwits, curlews, and Upland Sandpiper. (It does include several dozen beautiful black-and-white illustrations by Alan Messier.) This is not a field identification guide nor a natural history of shorebirds. Rather it is an engaging personal travel narrative in the course of which you will learn much about shorebirds in general and the "Magnificent Seven" in particular. I'm reminded a bit of "The Wind Birds" by Peter Matthiessen, the text of Gardner Stout's (ed.) monumental classic "The Shorebirds of North America." (Ralph Palmer wrote the ground-breaking species accounts and Robert Verity Clem contributed classic plates. Matthiessen's prose was so wonderful it was subsequently published by itself as "The Wind Birds," which does not include photos or paintings. "The Wind Birds" is simply one of the best bird books I've ever read and a necessity for anyone interested in shorebirds. I'd recommend Matthiessen first, but would encourage you to read Beehler as well.

     Pete Dunne and Kevin Karlson's "The Shorebirds of North America; A Natural History and Photographic Celebration" is sort of a homage to the earlier book of similar title (2024; 294 pp. large format). It has a long, wonderful chapter on "Being A Shorebird," followed by superb species accounts. It is a not a field guide, but a new natural history of each species written in Pete's inimitable style and incorporating recent research (up to 2018 on population assessments). Kevin's a superb writer and photo editor as well, and shorebirds are long a specialty. (He was co-author of the excellent "The Shorebird Guide" with Michael O'Brien and Robert Crossley, 2006.)The several hundred photos in the book are absolutely stunning, each telling a story and accompanied by a beautifully written, informative caption.

    I loved Dunne & Karlson's "Birds of Prey: Hawks, Eagles, Falcons and Vultures of North America" (2016) and would encourage anyone who loves hawks to read that book. Their "Shorebirds of North America" is even more impressive. I have well over several dozen books on shorebirds, but I would venture that it is the best overview of shorebirds I've read in nearly half a century, with a wealth of spectacular, informative photos to boot. If you have any real interest in shorebirds, you'll want to buy this book. (I doubt most would ever want to return it to a library or anyone else.) It's a precious gem. Clearly one of the best books by these two accomplished authors.  

 

Best,
Paul

 

Paul M. Roberts
Medford, MA 
phaw...@comcast.net