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Baby Bird Portraits
Copyright © 19
by Paul A Johnsgard
U of Oklahoma P
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Here are 35 watercolors of nestlings and fledglings, 19 species of North
American birds painted by Sutton over three decades. The original paintings
are housed in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, and many of
them are reproduced here for the first time. Sutton was curator of birds at
the University of Oklahoma's Stovall Museum from 1952 until his death in
1982; he wrote 10 books and illustrated 15 others. Some of these
watercolors were painted in Ithaca, New York, where Sutton spent 13
years as curator of birds at Cornell University; others were painted in
Michigan, Oklahoma, and the Canadian arctic. Johnsgard, an ornithologist,
author, and professor, has written descriptive accounts for Sutton's
illustrations, offering data on the average number of eggs in the birds'
nests,
losses to predators and other mortality factors, survival adaptations,
favored
habitat, and courtship behavior, along with anecdotal information and a list
of suggested reading. Sutton's sumptuous paintings and Johnsgard's
enlightening text will redouble any reader's fascination and affinity
for birds. — Booklist
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Birds of the Rocky Mountains
Copyright © 1992
by Paul A Johnsgard
U of Nebraska Press
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This comprehensive reference work ... describes in detail 354 species
found in a 353,000 square mile area, from the 40th parallel in Colorado
north
to the 52nd parallel in Canada; from the western border of Idaho to the
eastern boundaries of Montana and Wyoming. ... Here a visitor to any of
the major national parks in the Rocky Mountain region can have quick
access to the abundance and seasonality of a given species. In addition, a
comprehensive introduction describes the predominant life zones of the
region, and over a dozen maps illustrate such significant features as
precipitation patterns, vegetation community types, and major
physiographic
provinces. The book is well written and an essential guide for the birder
who
visits the Rockies. — Indiana Audubon Quarterly
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Crane Music
Copyright © 1998
by Paul A Johnsgard
U of Nebraska Press
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Graced with illustrations by the author, Crane Music introduces
the two North American crane species. The sandhill, most often seen, is
within easy reach of bird-watchers in the center of the continent. Less
visible is the whooping crane, struggling back from near extinction.
Paul Johnsgard follows these elegant birds through a year's cycle,
describing their seasonal migrations, natural habitats, breeding
biology, call patterns — angelic to the bird-lover's ear —
and fascinating dancing. The largest and most spectacular
migratory concentration of cranes happens each spring when the Platte
River valley becomes the staging ground for an amazing gathering of four
hundred thousand to five hundred thousand sandhills en route from the
South to the Arctic tundra. Johnsgard describes this incredible event
as well as memorable personal encounters with the cranes. His knowledge
of them transcends natural history, covering their
importance in religion and mythology. — from the jacket
A lyrically written natural history of the two North American crane
species — the sandhill, the most abundant crane in the world, and the
whooping crane, numbering under 200. Johnsgard follows each through a
yearly cycle, detailing in nontechnical terms their migratory journeys and
formations, natural habitats, breeding biology, call patterns, and crane
dancing. — Book News
A valuable contribution to the crane literature. Readers interested in
natural
history, both professional and amateur, will derive pleasure and excitement
from this book. — Ibis
Lyrically written. — Indiana Audubon Quarterly
A concise but thorough history of cranes. ... They have stimulated
[Johnsgard’s] scientific curiosity and moved him to write evocative
passages describing some of their unique behaviors and vocalizations.
— Florida Wildlife
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Hawks, Eagles and Falcons of North America
Copyright © 1990
by Paul A Johnsgard
Smithsonian Institution P
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The definitive volume on the biology of North American falconiform
(hawklike) birds. These beautiful winged predators have long excited
human admiration and scientific curiosity. Paul A Johnsgard writes with a
keen appreciation of both interests, appealing to the serious birder as well
as the ornithologist. — from the jacket
The author first discusses the evolutionary history of raptors and the
morphological features they share, then in succeeding chapters details
their comparative ecology, food and foraging, behavior, and reproductive
biology. Individual species accounts include discussion of geographic
range, weights and measurements, in-hand and in-field identification
characters, subspecies, plumage variations, ecology, behavior, and
breeding biology. Color photographs, two paintings, and detailed line
drawings show internal and external anatomy, behavior, and
field-identification characters. — Book News
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This Fragile Land
Copyright © 19
by Paul A Johnsgard
U of Nebraska P
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The Nebraska Sandhills is the largest area of sand dunes in the western
hemisphere,
covering an area about as large as Vermont, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island
combined. Unlike most dunes, the Sandhills region supports an astonishing
variety
of wildlife. Sixty million years ago the area lay submerged in a vast inland
sea. As the
land lifted and the waters receded, the sandhills were formed, built upon
a sandy
floor above a sandy basement. Paul A Johnsgard’s appreciation for the
region
includes its evolution, a process that continues today making a
very special place,
patiently shaped by water, wind, and time. Sometimes 450 feet higher
than their
sloping valleys, the hills themselves are almost entirely covered
with plants that
manage to survive on an unstable substrate and in a climate of merciless
heat and
cold. They provide homes and resting places for rare species and sustain
the
livelihoods of a remarkable variety of people. Though firmly established
in science,
this book is an extended love letter to the Sandhills region and its
people, plants,
and animals. Johnsgard is now in his third decade of research in the
Sandhills. This Fragile Land lets others see what he sees, a
land with a fascinating range of
geological, biological, and ecological vistas. — from the jacket
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Those of the Gray Wind
Copyright © 1986
by Paul A Johnsgard
U of Nebraska P
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With Paul Johnsgard, we follow the annual migration of the sandhill cranes
from the American Southwest to their Alaskan mating grounds and then home
again.
It is a flight unaltered in nearly ten million years. By presenting various
cycles of the
migration in four time periods from 1860 to 1980, Johnsgard, a prominent
naturalist, is
able to show how man's encroachments have imperiled the flocks. In each
section
there is interaction between a child and an adult brought about by some
ritual event
in the migration of the cranes. The story is enriched by the author's
exquisite
illustrations, by Zuni prayers, and by Eskimo and Pueblo legends. —
from the jacket
One doesn't have to be a naturalist to find pleasure in this brief yet
highly
intriguing tale of a timeless ritual.
— Living Today
This is a very special story, a
classic of nature writing that combines the keen observance of the
scientist
with the
sensitivity of the naturalist. The result is a timeless story of the
American
landscape,
wild creatures, and man. — Outdoor Press
Sensitively written, scientifically
accurate as to the bird's habits and instincts, and gracefully illustrated.
— Seattle Times
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What the Critics Say
Bibliography
