The Birder's Guide to Africa, Mills (1 Viewer)

Has anyone bought or used this yet?

http://www.wildsounds.com/cgi-bin/h...rica.shtml&Terms=The+Birder's+Guide+to+Africa

A

andyadcock said:

Has anyone bought or used this yet?

http://www.wildsounds.com/cgi-bin/h...rica.shtml&Terms=The+Birder's+Guide+to+Africa

A

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I don't have it, but from the few pictures found on NHBS, it would seem to be too generalized. I don't see sufficiently specific info to make this book worthwhile to me. Some full page bird fotos look like simple teasers, and the text looks like one finds similar info in many other books. I may be wrong, but from what I see, it does not look to be a book as helpful as the "Southern African Birdfinder", for example. (https://www.nhbs.com/southern-african-birdfinder-book) Of course, the latter book does not help for areas further north.

Swissboy said:

I don't have it, but from the few pictures found on NHBS, it would seem to be too generalized. I don't see sufficiently specific info to make this book worthwhile to me. Some full page bird fotos look like simple teasers, and the text looks like one finds similar info in many other books. I may be wrong, but from what I see, it does not look to be a book as helpful as the "Southern African Birdfinder", for example. (https://www.nhbs.com/southern-african-birdfinder-book) Of course, the latter book does not help for areas further north.

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That's what I suspected but it must be an improvement on 'Wheatly' 1995?

I know the author, spent time with him in the Philippines, very good birder.



A

Very disappointed with this, concise isn't the word, it covers South Africa in 2 and a half pages and much of that is taken with species to be found.

Much of the book is taken with species accounts and photos.
It's neither a site guide (which I had hoped it was) nor a field guide but seems to have flirted with the idea of being both at some point, don't think I'll take it off the shelf again.

I don't think I'm being unfair but it did only arrive 2 hours ago and I've only had a cursory examination. I would be interested in other opinions but to me, this book achieves nothing.




A

I can only completely agree Andy. I had planned to give a copy of one of these away as a present but I would feel guilty about doing so now. The huge stack of pages devoted to bird families is pointless and quite frankly bizarre. I can't remember being so disappointed with a book; I haven't travelled widely in Africa but there just isn't much here that I either don't know already or couldn't find out in a couple of clicks.
A real shame.