Shorebirds of the Pacific Northwest /

Based on original fieldwork, museum specimens, and the literature, Paulson's book treats all shorebirds known or expected in southern British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and western Montana. Not all published records used are referenced, a decision to increase "the readability of the book," but an unfortunate omission in an otherwise scholarly work. The introductory sections (84 pages) seem somewhat overdone with distribution and status tables. The species accounts are excellent and include information on general and regional distribution, brief accounts of habitat and behavior, detailed descriptions of age classes, identification tips, and notes correcting errors found by the authors in other published works. The descriptions, among the best published to date, will be useful mostly to scholars or shorebird fanatics, but will overwhelm the casual birder. The volume contains excellent, well-chosen photographs and useful instructive drawings. It increases our "knowledge base" of these species and will be useful to workers outside the Northwest. Excellent companion to Peter Hayman, John Merchant, and Tony Prater's Shorebirds (1986) and the standard field guides. Highly recommended. Community college; undergraduate through professional. S. W. Harris; Humboldt State University