United States
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This identification guide on the Pterodroma petrels of the North Atlantic is the culmination of many years of at-sea observations by the authors. It is the second in what is planned to be a four-part series on regular and vagrant bird species of the North Atlantic. Amongst the species and taxa covered are the Trindade Petrel, Kermadee Petrel, Atlantic Petrel, Great-winged Petrel, Bermuda Petrel, Black-capped Petrel, Soft-plumaged Petrel, Cape Verde (Fea's) Petrel, Desertas (Fea's) Petrel, and Zino's Petrel.
Multimedia Identification Guide to North Atlantic Seabirds: Pterodroma Petrels is accompanied by 2 DVDs with 130 minutes of both at-sea footage and, for some species, in-hand and at-colony footage. The DVDs follow the contents of the book, allowing cross-referencing, and form an excellent preparation for a seawatch or a pelagic trip. The DVDs are in PAL format (multiregional).
Series introduction
Key and map guide
Topography
About this guide
Species covered
Overview
Identification
Species accounts
Trindade Petrel
Kermadec Petrel
Atlantic Petrel
Great-winged Petrel
Bermuda Petrel
Black-capped Petrel
Soft-plumaged Petrel
Fea's Petrel
Cape Verde Petrel
Desertas Petrel
Zino's Petrel
Confusion groups and confusion pairs
Group 1
Bermuda and Black-capped Petrels
Black-capped Petrel and Great Shearwater
Group 2
Light-morph Soft-plumaged Petrel and the feae-complex
The feae-complex
Group 3
Atlantic and light-morph Trindade Petrels
Group 4
Dark-morph Trindade and Great-winged Petrels
Dark-morph Trindade Petrel and Sooty Shearwater
Dark-morph Soft-plumaged and Great-winged Petrels
Dark-morph Soft-plumaged and dark-morph Trindade Petrels
Also:
Kermadec and Trindade Petrels
The problem of jaegers and South Polar Skua
Martin Elliott’s illustrations of the confusion pairs
References
Acknowledgments
Appendices
Credits
Timeline Disk 1
Timeline Disk 2
ID jogger
About the authors
Inset 1 First impressions and confusion groups
Inset 2 Saving the Bermuda Petrel
Inset 3 Saving the Zino’s Petrel
Inset 4 The ‘snowy-winged’ petrel Pterodroma sp. off Madeira
Inset 5 ID of the 2009 Varanger petrel
Inset 6 ID in the feae-complex
Inset 7 ID of a Zino’s Petrel off the Azores
Inset 8 ID of Kermadec and Trindade Petrels: interpreting photos
Inset 9 Additional South Atlantic gadflies
Inset 10 Pterodroma sp. off Gwennap Head, Cornwall, UK, 19th July 2005
Inset 11 The Azores: the northeast Atlantic’s Pterodroma hotspot
"This is a brilliant book! It is one of the most informative books and DVDs on the species of Pterodroma petrels I have come across [...] A must-have purchase for any birder keen on petrels – or going on a cruise-ship holiday – as these DVDs and the book raise the bar for seabird ID guides."
– Jonathan Key, BTO book reviews
"[...] for the avid seabirder this is essential reading and they will surely wish to own both."
– John P. Martin, www.britishbirds.co.uk, 18-12-2013
"This is the second in the series Multimedia Identification Guides to North Atlantic Seabirds and covers perhaps the most enigmatic seabird group of all, the Pterodroma Petrels. Worldwide there are some 32 species/taxa of pterodroma, nine of which breed in the North Atlantic added to which, a further species, the Great-winged Petrel has been a claimed if unsubstantiated sighting.
As a group the pterodromas pose one of the greatest seabird identification challenges due to their pelagic habits, remote breeding islands, complex plumage patterns, and murky taxonomy. Bob and Ashley are thus to be congratulated in what surely is the best text and images so far published on the North Atlantic pterodromas. There are over 300 pages of text that simply overflow with not only detail but passion and colourful descriptions so that some are “petite,” others “brutish.” The colour photographs, the majority unpublished, are outstanding and eclipse any collection so far published. Martin Elliot’s images are masterful and this is complimented with two DVDs with at-sea coverage and full narration.
This is an important publication in seabird literature, it sets new standards, and will increase our understanding of these “winged runners,” the Pterodromas. Beginners and experts alike will learn much from this quite exceptional publication which has been well-researched and meticulously presented."
– Peter Harrison MBE, WA, USA (Zegrahm Expeditions)
