rozanne_visagie's review
5.0
Authors: Ian Sinclair, Phil Hockey, Warwick Tarboton, Niall Perrins, Dominic Rollinson, Peter Ryan. Illustrated by: Norman Arlott, Peter Hayman, Alan Harris, Faansie Peacock.
*Disclaimer: I was kindly gifted a copy of this book by Penguin Random House SA in exchange for an honest review.
✦ PUBLISHED: Originally published in 1993, 5th Edition July 2020 ✦ PAGES: 448 ✦ GENRE: Field guide ✦
SASOL The Larger Illustrated Guide to Birds of Southern Africa is the 5th edition with added barcodes to scan for bird calls. The barcodes can be scanned and played with a free downloadable app which is compatible with Apple and Android devices. New birds are included in this edition such as the White Tern, Red-necked Buzzard and Ortolan Bunting to name a few.
This is my first bird guide since I've always bought nature guides which have sections for birds, mammals, trees and flowers. I am enjoying this bird guide, the digital illustrations looks very realistic and are accurate down to the finest details. The Bushveld has a variety of bird life and being surrounded by trees and mountains the bird life is in abundance. I use this guide while watching birds in my garden and with the mountain opposite us, I enjoy bird watching with binoculars. When spotting a bird I quickly scan the barcode for the bird call and the birds fly to a closer proximity so that I can view them better.
We recently visited Marakele National Park which is on our doorstep and sat a few hours at the bird hide.I spotted a few birds, some I already know and new ones, I flagged the pages so that I can keep track of all the birds I identify. The text is large and easy readable and includes the bird's English name, scientific name and Afrikaans name. Alongside each bird is a distribution map showing where each species occurs as well as showing whether it's a resident, summer visitor or winter visitor. The Seasonality bars are helpful to indicate when a species is present in the region as well as their time of breeding. A list of abbreviations are included which is helpful for beginner bird watchers, like me, and a Glossary with a few terms are added to further understand the species descriptions.
The bird calls are my favourite, I listen to all of the bird calls, it's interesting to hear some of the species that are not in my region. The bird calls are clear and some of the birds react to the calls played. I keep this guide close at hand, it's very useful and definitely a must have for new and experienced bird watchers.
This review is posted on my blog (video included):
https://willowscornerbook.wordpress.com/2021/03/18/sasol-the-larger-illustrated-guide-to-birds-of-southern-africa-5th-edition-book-review/
*Disclaimer: I was kindly gifted a copy of this book by Penguin Random House SA in exchange for an honest review.
✦ PUBLISHED: Originally published in 1993, 5th Edition July 2020 ✦ PAGES: 448 ✦ GENRE: Field guide ✦
SASOL The Larger Illustrated Guide to Birds of Southern Africa is the 5th edition with added barcodes to scan for bird calls. The barcodes can be scanned and played with a free downloadable app which is compatible with Apple and Android devices. New birds are included in this edition such as the White Tern, Red-necked Buzzard and Ortolan Bunting to name a few.
This is my first bird guide since I've always bought nature guides which have sections for birds, mammals, trees and flowers. I am enjoying this bird guide, the digital illustrations looks very realistic and are accurate down to the finest details. The Bushveld has a variety of bird life and being surrounded by trees and mountains the bird life is in abundance. I use this guide while watching birds in my garden and with the mountain opposite us, I enjoy bird watching with binoculars. When spotting a bird I quickly scan the barcode for the bird call and the birds fly to a closer proximity so that I can view them better.
We recently visited Marakele National Park which is on our doorstep and sat a few hours at the bird hide.I spotted a few birds, some I already know and new ones, I flagged the pages so that I can keep track of all the birds I identify. The text is large and easy readable and includes the bird's English name, scientific name and Afrikaans name. Alongside each bird is a distribution map showing where each species occurs as well as showing whether it's a resident, summer visitor or winter visitor. The Seasonality bars are helpful to indicate when a species is present in the region as well as their time of breeding. A list of abbreviations are included which is helpful for beginner bird watchers, like me, and a Glossary with a few terms are added to further understand the species descriptions.
The bird calls are my favourite, I listen to all of the bird calls, it's interesting to hear some of the species that are not in my region. The bird calls are clear and some of the birds react to the calls played. I keep this guide close at hand, it's very useful and definitely a must have for new and experienced bird watchers.
This review is posted on my blog (video included):
https://willowscornerbook.wordpress.com/2021/03/18/sasol-the-larger-illustrated-guide-to-birds-of-southern-africa-5th-edition-book-review/
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