Take Two: Steve Howell's Tubenose Book Available
J. BRIAN PATTESON
Seabirders,
I just got the word that Steve Howell's latest book,
Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America:
A Photographic Guide
is now available for purchase! I have not yet seen the finished
product, but based on what I saw of the draft, it should be hands down
the best reference for tubenoses in the Western North Atlantic and the
Eastern North Pacific. It has been a long time in the making, and Steve
has helped guide many dozens of trips with us here off Cape Hatteras
over the course of nine or ten years as part of his research for this
book. Steve has put in much more sea time off California and Mexico,
and there are few people so qualified to comment on these seabirds. I
look forward to the arrival of what will be the indispensable seabird
book for the waters surrounding this continent.
Read more or order from the Princeton website-
http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9534.html
Brian Patteson
Hatteras, NC
br...@patteson.com
www.seabirding.com/
Angus Wilson
Photographic Guide
I've just received a copy and thought I'd share some instant
impressions. The book is way larger than I had expected perhaps
because 'photographic guide' in the title made me think of Peter
Harrison's pocket fitting photoguide. In the hand, the volume is
comparable to the Howell and Dunn 'Gulls of North America'. The
production seem more polished than that gull book (not clipped photos)
and it is organized in a more conventional manner, which in my opinion
makes it eminently more user friendly.
Some sections are reasonably familiar (at least the photos are) from
treatments in other venues (e.g. some of SNGH's recent storm-petrel
articles) whereas others (e.g. Galapagos Band-rumped Storm-Petrel,
here named 'Darwin's S-P') are new to me. Unfortunately the North
Atlantic Band-rumps are limited to the two forms (Madeiran and
Grant's) that probably occur most regularly off the Eastern Seaboard
and two other candidates Monteiro's and Cape Verde are only mentioned
in passing. Whether this will turn out to be a wise decision will make
for a great bar room conversation amongst aficionados.
The range maps are focused on the coverage region (a bit odd for
species that only nest outside it, although this info is widely
available elsewhere) but are crisp and include peak occurrence dates
which are surprisingly useful for trip planning etc.
Some seventy-six taxa are covered including 14 albatross and 19
gadflypetrels, representing a sizeable fraction of the world's
tubenoses. So naturally there is much of value to people living or
working outside of the coverage area, especially Europe.
I look forward to delving deeply into the text and photo selections
over the coming days and weeks, but as Brian Patteson has stated
already, this exciting and much anticipated book has been years in the
making and may well set the standard for the region. It will be great
to hear what other people think and to ferret out the hidden gems of
previously unpublished information.
There can be no doubt that this impressive publication from a
prominent figure on the world stage will stimulate a surge of interest
in these most special birds. This can only be good news for the many
pelagic trip organizers around our coastlines struggling with the
impacts of a poor economy and rising fuel costs. The lively
discussions and field expeditions that the book will encourage should
lead to further discoveries. Who wouldn't like to see Ainley's and
Townsend's Storm-Petrels with their own eyes...hint, hint?
Cheers, Angus Wilson
New York City, USA
Joseph Morlan
Appendix B (Hypothetical Species). The text mentions a questionable
individual photographed off California and eventually rejected by the
California Bird Records Committee.
The two North Atlantic races of Little Shearwater (P. a. baroli and P. a.
boydi) are treated "provisionally as separate species, Baroli's Shearwater
and Boyd's Shearwater. They are discussed under Audubon's Shearwater and
under a species account for Baroli's Shearwater.
Boyd's Shearwater is unrecorded in North America, but there appears to be
only one valid record for Barolo's Shearwater in North America. Under the
species account for Barolo Shearwater (formerly Little Shearwater) we find
that the specimen of "Little Shearwater" from South Carolina in 1883 was
actually an Audubon's Shearwater. This leaves only one specimen, 1896 from
Nova Scotia. Howell rejects the claimed Little (presumably Barolo)
Shearwaters summarized by Lee as inadequately documented. More recent
sight records are listed, but apparently none were photographed or
verifiable.
Bottom line, Howell does not consider Little Shearwater to deserve a place
on the North America list. Instead Barolo's Shearwater, formerly
considered a race of Little Shearwater, but considered by Howell as a
separate species is a vagrant to the North Atlantic with only one verified
specimen record from over 100 years ago.
On Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:40:05 -0800 (PST), Angus Wilson
<oceanwa...@gmail.com> wrote:
> It will be great
>to hear what other people think and to ferret out the hidden gems of
>previously unpublished information.
--
Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA jmorlan (at) ccsf.edu
Birding Classes start Feb 7 http://fog.ccsf.edu/jmorlan/
J. BRIAN PATTESON
place
on the North America list. Instead Barolo's Shearwater, formerly
considered a race of Little Shearwater, but considered by Howell as a
separate species is a vagrant to the North Atlantic with only one
verified
specimen record from over 100 years ago."
There is also a photo from Massachusetts (in the book) which seems
pretty verifiable.
Glen Tepke
http://trips.brooklinebirdclub.org/2007/07/august-2007-extreme-pelagic.html
Glen Tepke
Oakland, California
g.tepke (at) comcast (dot) net
www.pbase.com/gtepke
From: "J. BRIAN PATTESON" <patt...@embarqmail.com>
To: jmo...@gmail.com, "Angus Wilson" <oceanwa...@gmail.com>
Cc: "Seabird News" <seabir...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2012 1:35:17 PM
Subject: Re: Little Shearwater in NA was Re: [Seabird-News:1591] Re: Take Two: Steve Howell's Tubenose Book Available
Joseph Morlan
<patt...@embarqmail.com> wrote:
>There is also a photo from Massachusetts (in the book) which seems
>pretty verifiable.
Thanks. I missed that. Two photos by Iliff 25 Aug 2007, P13.1 and P13.2
on page 134 labeled Barolo Shearwater.
In view of those photos, why on page 132 does he say after listing the one
good specimen and one incorrect specimen, "No other verifiable records for
more than 100 years?"
Perhaps he meant to say "specimen records."
J. BRIAN PATTESON
Brian Patteson
Hatteras, NC
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joseph Morlan" <jmo...@gmail.com>
To: "J. BRIAN PATTESON" <patt...@embarqmail.com>
Cc: "Angus Wilson" <oceanwa...@gmail.com>; "Seabird News"
<seabir...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2012 5:05 PM
Subject: Re: Little Shearwater in NA was Re: [Seabird-News:1590] Re:
Take Two: Steve Howell's Tubenose Book Available
Matt Garvey
record, plus discussion of other North American records of Baroli (or
whatever you call it), is online here:
http://www.maavianrecords.com/report-15
Matt Garvey
Secretary, Massachusetts Avian Records Committee
maavianrecords.com
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