It’s not often that I find myself presented with the opportunity to write about a new book the subject of which centers upon not only the geographic location in which I’ve spent my entire life (thus far, at least) but also the activity that has defined, and even the very person responsible for putting me on, the strange occupational path I’ve followed these past twenty-five odd years.
Published by the Pasadena Audubon Society, the new second edition of the “Birding Guide to the Greater Pasadena Area” provides a spiral bound, single volume presentation of thirty noteworthy sites in or easily reachable from Pasadena.
Given the overwhelming popularity and extraordinary usefulness of Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds web page, it isn’t surprising at all that the content of it would eventually be employed for the creation of a printed field guide.
While it’s admittedly not exactly a “new” book – being published in 2018 – I have for too long neglected to enter any notice here of Mark Brazil’s very important and, in terms of books presently in print in English, is nearly unique field guide “Birds of Japan.” And seeing as how the rest of the books I’ve written about this week have been about aspects of the natural history of Asian countries, I thought I should keep the theme going. Besides, I’ve noticed quite a few news headlines referencing Japan this past fortnight. I think there is some manner of sporting event occurring there…