Gibson's Guide to Bird Watching and Conservation

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

From the nearly 300 bird species to be found in the Maritimes, Gibson
selected 31 to examine in detail. By limiting himself to just a few, he
is able to give much more information on each than would be available in
field guides or omnibus texts.

His approach is to look at seven habitats—sea, coast, shore, fresh
water, forest, farm, and town. For each of these he presents an overview
of the habitat as it affects bird life, profiles three or more species
in depth, and concludes with brief essays on a few conservationists and
researchers involved with the featured species. There’s a full-page
colour reproduction of a painting of each species in its natural
setting. This is a dynamic, unique approach that puts the bird species
in the context of both its natural environment and the current situation
created by human stewardship. A report on current population status
(e.g., declining, recovering), adaptations to human-made habitat
changes, and the impact of research and conservation efforts all help to
round out the picture.

For each bird biography Gibson includes a physical description, the
origin of the bird’s name, suggested areas for sightings, feeding and
food, vocalizations, eggs, chicks and nests, migration, territorial and
courtship behaviour, plus other relevant information such as roosts or
winter survival. His text is based on both research and personal
experience, yielding a work that is compelling and highly readable. By
selecting only a few species and introducing these with lots of facts
and anecdotes, an illustrative painting, and profiles of birders who
have demonstrated stewardship, Gibson draws the reader into the variety,
challenges, and rewards of birding. The work succeeds in conveying the
fascinating characteristics of birds and promoting increased attention
to conservation and advocacy.