Division of Bird Habitat Conservation

Birdscapes: News from International Habitat Conservation Partnerships

The Bookshop

Hawk Watcher's Field Journal

Did you know that hawk watching is one of the fastest growing branches of birding? To meet the growing need, now, for the first time, there is available a special, inexpensive field notebook designed by Donald Heintzelman especially for hawk watchers, raptor biologists, general birders, ornithologists, conservation and wildlife biologists, and ecotourists alike anywhere in North and Central America and the West Indies.

This is what you'll get with The Hawk Watcher's Field Journal: 62 lined pages printed on "Rite-in-the-Rain" all-weather paper (use with a pencil, special "all-weather" pen, or many ball-point pens); a pocket-size, 4 1/2 x 7-inch format; a checklist of all North and Central American and West Indies raptors; specially formatted pages for data gathering; a Web site with a recommended raptor reading list; and a Web site with raptor conservation organizations and contact details. Manufacturer's suggested retail price $7.95, plus shipping. Visit www.RiteintheRain.com/hawk.html for a list of dealers.

Heroic Tales of Wetland Restoration

There is a rock sitting on my desk, a gift from an attorney with whom I negotiated a major land exchange in Alaska. It is thus inscribed: Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory. That's what Heroic Tales of Wetland Restoration is about. Author Ester Lev introduces us to 12 Oregon landowners, relating the trials, tribulations, and exhilarations that each experienced in conserving habitat on his land. The stories offer examples of what works and what doesn't work when dealing with agencies, with partners, with restoration and enhancement techniques, and with keeping things in perspective. In the end, the reader feels inspired and grateful that there are such landowners on the planet.

Heroic Tales' closing chapters provide questions to ask yourself as you contemplate restoring a wetland and a yes-no flow chart to help you choose the best options; the advantages and disadvantages to various approaches to land conservation and protection; governmental and nongovernmental grant and technical assistance programs that help with wetlands restoration; Federal and Oregon regulatory agencies; descriptions of wetland restoration techniques; and the six most common hurdles and difficulties described by the landowners. Finally, the author provides a list of eight points of advice from the landowners to others who may be considering a wetland restoration. Whether you live in Oregon or not, this book provides landowners useful tips on how to proceed with a wetland restoration.

Heroic Tales of Wetland Restoration can be ordered from The Wetlands Conservancy, P.O. Box 1195, Tualatin, Oregon 97062, (503) 691-1394, or through your local bookstore. Soft cover, 7 3/4 x 11, color and black-and-white photographs, color illustrations, 75 pages. The cost is $15.00, plus shipping.

Soto La Marina: Laguna Flamingos

The second publication by Conservation Mexico, A.C., on Laguna Flamingos, Soto La Marina: Laguna Flamingos provides a comprehensive overview of the issues and efforts involved in saving the Soto La Marina River and its watershed in northeast Mexico from environmental degradation. The initial chapters offer a look into the area's environmental issues, particularly contamination of the river, and possible solutions to them—including ideas on sustainable, alternative, economic activities. The following chapters explore how northeast Mexico can benefit economically from its own biodiversity and proximity to Texas. This section includes a summary and map of birding destinations in northeast Mexico, as well as a list of endemic and migratory bird species recorded in the region. Next an update is given, through photos, on the extensive on-going restoration and sustainable development project at Laguna Flamingos, where a series of lagoons have been restored and economic sufficiency has been established through eco-tourism and sustainable harvesting of shrimp, crabs, and fish. The final chapter contains the Spanish version of Conservation Mexico, A.C.,'s first publication on this area, Laguna Flamingos: A Groundbreaking Model for Sustainable Ecosystem Restoration.

Soft cover, 8.5 x 11, English and Spanish, 131 pages, color and black-and-white photographs and illustrations, maps, graphs, and tables, US$14.99 or MX$140.00, includes shipping. In the United States, order from Conservation Mexico, A.C., c/o U.S.-Mexico Chamber, Ronald Reagan Building/International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 270, Washington, D.C., USA 20004-3021, (202) 371-8680 or 888-USMCOC-1. In Mexico, order from the Cámara de Comercio México-E.U., Av. Fundidora #501-Cintermex PB-114, Col. Obrera, Monterrey, Nuevo León, México 64010, (528) (18) 369-6477.

A Jewel in the Pacific Flyway

Faceted with beautiful wildlife images, A Jewel in the Pacific Flyway: The Story of Gray Lodge Wildlife Area tells the tale of the making of a wildlife area in the Sacramento Valley of northern California. John Cowan, who managed Gray Lodge for 32 years, is not only a nationally recognized authority on waterfowl but also an engaging writer and fine photographer. He meticulously recorded the refuge's transformation from a small, obscure waterfowl sanctuary to a significant state wildlife area visited by thousands of outdoor recreationists and dignitaries the likes of Ansel Adams, Roger Tory Peterson, and Yupik Eskimo elder Jack Paniyak, and millions of migratory birds.

This is a biography of a refuge that was his life's work. Even the photographs' captions relate John's personal insights and experiences, which make you feel like he's right there sitting in the chair next to you spinning a yarn: "When I came upon this red-tailed hawk with a squirrel, it flew away, leaving its prey. However, one animal's loss was another's gain: when I came back about ten minutes later, two turkey vultures were finishing the hawk's meal."

Appendices are titled Hunting with a Camera, filled with tips; Wood Duck Nest Boxes, instructions complete with diagrams; Mourning Dove Wire Cone Nests, includes instructions and diagrams; Mammals, Reptiles, and Amphibians of Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, a check list; Birds of the Gray Lodge and Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Areas, a check list; and Bibliography.

A Jewel in the Pacific Flyway is available direct from California Waterfowl by calling (916) 648-1406 or by visiting www.calwaterfowl.org. Hardcover, 8 ½ x 11, 160 pages, 200 full-color photographs. The cost is $39.95, plus tax and shipping.