“Birds of the Puget Sound Region — Coast to Cascades” by Dennis Paulson, Bob Morse, Hal Opperman and Tom Aversa is a new edition of the popular field guide, “Birds of the Puget Sound Region.” The changes, rewrites and additional photographs reflect the authors’ dedication to their subject. Their combined talents have enhanced and enlarged the first guide.
The lead author, Dennis Paulson, has written nine natural history books including the great tome, “Shorebirds of the Pacific Northwest.” That book is considered by many to be the definitive work on the subject.
Paulson is a master birder and educator. His doctorate in zoology led to research on shorebird biology and an association with the University of Puget Sound as Director of the Slater Museum of Natural History.
Bob Morse conceived the idea for first publication of this title 13 years ago and with two additional experienced birders, Tom Aversa and Hal Opperman, created it. Brian E. Small is the new book’s photo editor. He provided more than 400 images from his collection of high-quality bird photographs.
The publication has a total of 456 photographs. For 270 bird species, they are all new. All of the bird photographs in this guide are in full color and of excellent quality.
The original format has been maintained but the book is a little thicker due to the addition of 60 more species. It is still a trim 4-by-6 in size. It is easy to slip in a pocket, a pack or a purse.
An attractive color map showing the region covered by the guide is on the inside of the front cover. It is larger than the map in the first edition and a portion folds into a flap that also serves as a bookmarker. On the opposite page from each bird’s photograph is a written description of the species. This includes information on the bird’s status and habitat, behavior, voice and any similar species it might be mistaken for.
Also on this opposite page is, “Did you know?” There is a question with the answer given for each bird. For example, “Did you know that owls cough up undigested hair and bones in pellets; a bunch of them on the ground is a sure sign of an owl roost.”
“Birds of the Puget Sound Region — Coast to Cascades” has 456 pages and retails for $19.95. It is published by the R. W. Morse Company in Olympia. For more information, go to www.rwmorse.com.
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