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forthcoming Ecuador field guide (1 Viewer)

gdhunter

gdhunter

Well-known member
NHBS (http://www.nhbs.com/title/182406/birds-of-ecuador) and other (mainly British) booksellers are still estimating December 2015 for the release of Birds of Ecuador: Helm Field Guides by Restall & Freile. In response to my recent inquiry, Bloomsbury Publishing (of which Christopher Helm is a subsidiary) customer service notes a more probable release date of March 2016.

Gary H
 
Worth resurrecting this thread, as this book is due out on 8th March. On Amazon there is a preview available:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Birds-Ecuador-Helm-Field-Guides-ebook/dp/B0761WBHK6/
https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/birds-of-ecuador-9781408105337/
It only shows a few plates normally, although I'm sometimes able to get it to show various others randomly. The pictures don't look amazing but they seem to illustrate a lot more plumages than the currently available guides. It seems as though the book will be quite large but it should be available in various electronic formats, which is potentially useful.
 
Andrew Whitehouse said:
Worth resurrecting this thread, as this book is due out on 8th March. On Amazon there is a preview available:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Birds-Ecuador-Helm-Field-Guides-ebook/dp/B0761WBHK6/
https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/birds-of-ecuador-9781408105337/
It only shows a few plates normally, although I'm sometimes able to get it to show various others randomly. The pictures don't look amazing but they seem to illustrate a lot more plumages than the currently available guides. It seems as though the book will be quite large but it should be available in various electronic formats, which is potentially useful.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link Andrew,
I will buy it regardless, I think that for a country such as Ecuador, it's relatively large size, is unavoidable. If they were to slim it down, I'd maybe look at the need for the pages dedicated to habitat types, I think most birders would be familiar before they go?


A
 
andyadcock said:
Thanks for the link Andrew,
I will buy it regardless, I think that for a country such as Ecuador, it's relatively large size, is unavoidable. If they were to slim it down, I'd maybe look at the need for the pages dedicated to habitat types, I think most birders would be familiar before they go?


A
Click to expand...

I agree that there are maybe some superfluous pages in the introduction, but perhaps they think that 20 or so pages out of 570+ won't make much difference. The book sounds a bit slimmer than the Ridgely guide at least, although will be much bigger than the near mythical fieldbook. I guess this is where electronic versions have their virtues. I'll get the Kindle version, which I can use on my iPad. It'll be much less to carry in the field than the paper version of the book.
 
Andrew Whitehouse said:
I agree that there are maybe some superfluous pages in the introduction, but perhaps they think that 20 or so pages out of 570+ won't make much difference. The book sounds a bit slimmer than the Ridgely guide at least, although will be much bigger than the near mythical fieldbook. I guess this is where electronic versions have their virtues. I'll get the Kindle version, which I can use on my iPad. It'll be much less to carry in the field than the paper version of the book.
Click to expand...

That's fine until your Ipad packs up in the humidity.

I think if I were on a trip, for portability the Ipad can't be beaten especially if it incorporates calls but I think I'd take a hard copy to keep in the room just in case?

I'd also have a back up system for recordings, you should see how many back up devices, pro guides carry around!


A
 
andyadcock said:
That's fine until your Ipad packs up in the humidity.

I think if I were on a trip, for portability the Ipad can't be beaten especially if it incorporates calls but I think I'd take a hard copy to keep in the room just in case?

I'd also have a back up system for recordings, you should see how many back up devices, pro guides carry around!


A
Click to expand...

That's all true enough, although I think a lot of portable devices are now better at dealing with humidity (have had no problems in recent trips to some very humid places). Plus I can potentially have electronic versions on both my phone and a tablet, so I have some back up there too.
 
Andrew Whitehouse said:
That's all true enough, although I think a lot of portable devices are now better at dealing with humidity (have had no problems in recent trips to some very humid places). Plus I can potentially have electronic versions on both my phone and a tablet, so I have some back up there too.
Click to expand...

At a slight tangent, in Costa Rica last year, my wifes big lens fogged up. It did clear after a few hours but it wasn't nice for her or for me, thinking that her big contribution to and specific enjoyment of the trip, could be over.



A
 
andyadcock said:
At a slight tangent, in Costa Rica last year, my wifes big lens fogged up. It did clear after a few hours but it wasn't nice for her or for me, thinking that her big contribution to and specific enjoyment of the trip, could be over.
A
Click to expand...

We had a similar situation in Madagascar in 2015. The picture shows us drying stuff in the sun the next day. Originally, the camera I took this picture with was also out on the porch and not working any more. So it was quite a relief when I was able to use it again after a while.
 

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Swissboy said:
We had a similar situation in Madagascar in 2015. The picture shows us drying stuff in the sun the next day. Originally, the camera I took this picture with was also out on the porch and not working any more. So it was quite a relief when I was able to use it again after a while.
Click to expand...

Daylight Robert, why weren't you out birding!!!! :-O


A
 
andyadcock said:
That's fine until your Ipad packs up in the humidity.
<snip>
A
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FYI: my ipad mini lasted several years in a quite humid area (Dominica, Caribbean), with trips to Yucatan and other similar places thrown in for good measure.

The mix of AC and humidity when coming out can be a problem: I was recently a passenger in a vehicle with way too cold settings. It took several minutes to get the condensation off my binoculars when coming out into high humidity.

Niels
 
Andrew Whitehouse said:
I agree that there are maybe some superfluous pages in the introduction, but perhaps they think that 20 or so pages out of 570+ won't make much difference.
Click to expand...

FWIW, the American Amazon site lists the print edition as having 656 pages and the Kindle edition as having 576. It also seems to show the Kindle edition as being available Mar. 8; the print May 8.

Xenospiza said:
The illustrator is no endorsement for me. I will stick to the old book.
Click to expand...

I'd use the separately bound plates from the old book for reference and to take in the field (since they are quite light). Use the new as a more up to date reference.
 
Jim M. said:
FWIW, the American Amazon site lists the print edition as having 656 pages and the Kindle edition as having 576. It also seems to show the Kindle edition as being available Mar. 8; the print May 8.
Click to expand...

Very often amazon gets information like dates and page count wrong.
In some cases books that are in stock at many shops and even at amazon UK are, for example, not available from amazon DE at the same time. Even when amazon does ship books that are ordered via amazon DE from the UK.
Very weird.

That said, sometimes they correct their data and ship books quickly.

Currently amazon DE says that the book is not available while amazon UK says that it will ship in 2-5 weeks.

Hopefully it will arrive before my Ecuador trip, but there should be plenty of time if the book is published in March.
 
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